Allen Extends Point Streak to Six, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Steve Martinson's Post Game Comments, Allen vs Wichita Preview, Shorthanded Goal Stats

The Allen Americans ended Tulsa's seven game point streak with a hard earned 4-3 win over the Oilers last night and in the process extended their point streak to six games, tied for the longest in the league.


- Allen hit all of their keys to the game. They scored first and now have a record when scoring first of (21-3-1-1). The Americans had a 2-1 lead at the first intermission, improving their record to 18-2-2-0 when leading after the first period.


- While neither team was able to score on the power play with Allen going 0-2 and Tulsa 0-4 the Americans won the special teams battle. The game winning goal was scored shorthanded by Brett Pollock at the 14:47 mark of the third period. It was Allen's fourth shorthanded goal in their last six games.


- Finally, Allen kept the shots on goal close (38-32) especially considering Tulsa had more power play time.


- Goal scorers for Allen were Josh Brittain (10, 11), Josh Lammon (5), and Brett Pollock (15).


- Here is the game recap issued by the Tulsa Oilers: https://tulsaoilers.com/12221-2/


- Here are the video highlights from the game with all of the goals and excellent saves by both goalies. I want to give a special shout out to Kamen Kessler from the Americans front office who puts together these highlight packages. I can tell from the time stamp Kamen was still working on these highlights well after 1:00 am.

STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

"I made a line change and we got scored on right off the faceoff. We turned the puck over behind the net. I thought Paterson had it covered but somehow it got jammed into our net."

"We kept having the lead and then giving it up but then came up with the 2-on-1 shorthanded goal to win the game."

"I thought Tulsa had three lines that can make plays but we handed them several breakaways. Giving up the breakaways was frustrating."

"Fraser had a big hit on Lammon's goal which I think disrupted the defenseman. Lammon swooped in and scored. He has been really skating well and working his butt off. It was nice to see him get rewarded with a goal."

"Sadek has been really good, he is so calm with the puck. I would really like to see Iowa give some of the young guys they have under contract like Sadek who is +25 and Breton who leads all ECHL defensemen in scoring (36 points) a chance."

"Mitch Vandergunst will go in the lineup against Wichita tomorrow."

"I don't think we will see Gagne back until playoff time. I do think we will see Matt Register and Jake Doty return to Allen for at least five games so they qualify for the playoffs."



ALLEN VS WICHITA GAME PREVIEW

- The Americans left for Wichita right after their victory last night and were scheduled to arrive around 5:00 am this morning. Meanwhile Wichita was at home, having not played a game since last Sunday.


- Allen is 4-0-3-0 against Wichita this season. All three games they have played in Wichita have gone to overtime with the Thunder winning two of them.


- Allen has the advantage over Wichita in most statistical categories including average goals scored (4.1 vs 2.8), average goals allowed (3.2 vs 3.6), average shots for (32.9 vs 28.5), average shots against (35.1 vs 36.5), power play percentage (17.6% vs 13.9% and penalty kill percentage (82.8% vs 77.9%).


- Allen's special teams over the last six games include a power play percentage of  43.5% and a penalty kill percentage of 90.5%. The penalty killers have given up two goals in the last six games but have scored four shorthanded goals. Big advantage for Allen.


- The referee scheduled tonight is the same referee that had the Allen game against Tulsa last night, Cameron Fleming. Hope he didn't have to drive to Wichita overnight.


- Wichita has lost six of their last seven games (1-4-2-0) but all seven games were on the road. However they have won their last five home games. The Thunder haven't lost at home since before the Christmas break.


OTHER COMMENTS


- Coach Martinson mentioned he would like to see young players like Sadek, Breton and Sheehy get a chance with Iowa. Sheehy has been up briefly but Sadek and Breton have not. Here is my take on this issue. First off there is no doubt these players can play at the next level and are playing their best hockey right now. Here are a few stats on each:

Jack Sadek - Jack leads the Americans in plus/minus (+25) and is #2 among all defensemen in the league. He is +9 in his last five games. Sadek has assists in five of his last six games including two assists last night and three against Utah last Friday. Jack didn't have a point the first month of the season but has just cracked the #20 in scoring among ECHL defensemen with 23 points (3G, 20A). He has gotten better as the season has gone on.

Alex Breton - Alex leads the Americans and the ECHL (tied) in scoring by a defenseman with 36 points (6G, 30A). Alex also got off to a slow start with just seven points in the his first 17 games. Compare that to the last 13 games when he scored 16 points. Breton has had one negative plus/minus game in his last 11 games.

Tyler Sheehy - Despite missing seven games when he was in Iowa, Tyler is tied for the ECHL lead in scoring with 56 points (19G, 37A). Going back to mid December (22 games) the Allen power play with Sheehy in the lineup is 31.7% and with him out of the lineup the power play percentage is 12.1%.

The bottom line is if Iowa doesn't give these players a chance it is difficult to see them wanting to sign with the Wild again next season. They are all on one year contracts. They are among the best players in the ECHL and there is little doubt if they were free agents this year they would be loaned to AHL teams by now.


- With two goals last night Josh Brittain has scored four goals in the three games he has played against Tulsa this season." Good news for Josh going forward since Allen will play Tulsa eight more times this season. 


- With their win last night Allen became the first ECHL team to reach 70 points this season. To put that in perspective, last season two teams made the playoffs with 76 points. Here are the five teams that 60+ points with games played in parenthesis:

70 points - Allen (47 games)
68 points - South Carolina (43 games)
61 points - Newfoundland (42 games)
60 points - Cincinnati (44 games)
60 points - Florida (43 games) 



DID YOU KNOW: Allen has four shorthanded goals in the last six games after having four in their first 41 games. There are 13 ECHL teams that have four or fewer shorthanded goals for the entire season.

The Americans have a ways to go to pass the most shorthanded goals all time in one season. Here are Allen's shorthanded goals for each season in franchise history:

8 - 2019-20 (thru 47 games)
8 - 2018-19
7 - 2017-18
9 - 2016-17
9 - 2015-16
13 - 2014-15
11 - 2013-14
7 - 2012-13
2 - 2011-12
13 - 2010-11
8 - 2009-10 
 

Allen vs Tulsa Game Preview, Mountain Division Standings Changes, Best of Stats and More

It's game day as the Americans start one of those lovely three games in 48 hours with over 700 miles of bus time thrown in for good measure. It starts tonight against Tulsa. After the game the team will jump on the bus and head to Wichita to take on the Thunder tomorrow (Friday). Then back on the bus to Allen where they play Wichita again Saturday.


-  Allen has played Tulsa four times this season, all in Tulsa and came away with three wins. Including the game tonight Allen will play eight of their remaining 26 games (31%) against the Oilers. While Tulsa has a winning percentage of .489 and is on the outside looking in at the playoffs the Oilers have started playing better hockey recently. Tulsa has the ECHL's longest current streak of seven games with a point on a record of 5-0-2-0.


- Allen has also been playing well recently as they have points in five straight games (4-0-0-1). The Americans have the second best record in the league over the last 10 games (7-1-1-1).


- A key to the game tonight is shots on goal. Despite their record Tulsa leads the ECHL at generating shots averaging 35.87 per game. Allen is ranked #23 in allowing shots on goal at 35.09. In the four previous games Tulsa has out shot Allen 145-129. With Tulsa playing better recently the Americans cannot afford to give Tulsa a 10-15 shot advantage.


- Another key to the game tonight will be special teams and when you look at recent games the stats are striking. Tulsa has just one power play goal in their last seven games going 1-20 (5.0%) while Allen is 12-29 (41.4%). While Tulsa has struggled on the power play their penalty kill has been outstanding at 2-22 (90.9%) over their last seven games. Allen's penalty kill has held their opponents without a power play goal in five of their last seven games while scoring three shorthanded goals. You have to give the special teams advantage to Allen and if they can win that battle they should be in good shape.


- While special teams will be a key to the game these teams typically don't take a lot of penalties when playing head to head. In the four games they have played this season there have been no fights and the average penalty minutes per game is eight for Allen and 10.5 for Tulsa.


- Allen has one of the better records in the league when scoring first (20-3-1-1) while Tulsa has one of the worst (14-6-1-1) but it is clear scoring first is critical. If either team has a lead after the first period the odds of winning the game go way up. Allen is 17-2-2-0 when leading after the first period, Tulsa is 10-2-1-0.


- Undoubtedly the Americans strength this season has been their depth with three players already with 20+ goals and eight players with 10+ goals. If you are looking for players to watch tonight that don't have 10+ goals keep an eye on Corey Durocher and Josh Brittain. Both have played two games against Tulsa this season. Corey has four points (2G, 2A) and Josh has three points (2G, 1A).


- For the first time in a long time coach Martinson has a healthy roster and will have to sit out a couple of players tonight. Spencer Asuchak will return to the lineup for the first time since January 4th. Jake Paterson should get the start in goal as it is his turn to start based on Martinson's rotational policy.


- The referee scheduled tonight is Cameron Fleming (#27) and the linesmen will be Michael Miggins (#47) and Trent Williams (#48). Fleming was the referee the last time Allen played Tulsa and called 14 minor penalties with most being stick penalties (holding hooking slashing, tripping). The players need to adapt as this will probably not be one of those "let them play" type of games.


OTHER COMMENTS

- The Mountain Division has seen some changes since Thanksgiving but the only change in the teams in a playoff spot is Wichita out and Utah in. Here are the standings by winning percentage at Thanksgiving and today with the change in parenthesis. Notice Utah, Tulsa and Kansas City are the only teams that have improved their winning percentage since Thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving
.778 - Allen
.650 - Rapid City
.650 - Idaho
.579 - Wichita
.500 - Utah
.429 - Tulsa
.412 - Kansas City

Today
.739 - Allen   (-.039)
.633 - Utah    (+.133)
.598 - Idaho   (-.052)
.580 - Rapid City  (-.070)
.489 - Wichita   (-.090)
.489 - Tulsa   (+.060)
.453 - Kansas City (+.041) 


- With two games remaining in the month of January the Americans need to win both to match the December win total of nine. Here is Allen's record by month:

4-2-0-0   October
10-1-2-0  November
9-2-3-1    December
7-3-1-1    January


DID YOU KNOW:  Here are some ECHL team stats that standout this season;

19-2-0-0 - Newfoundland's home record
0-5 - Adirondack's shootout record
8136 - Fort Wayne's average attendance
7-0 - Newfoundland's overtime record
19-1-3-0 - Reading's record when scoring first
94.3% - South Carolina's home penalty kill percentage
19-0-1-0 - Brampton's record with a lead after the first period
16 - Newfoundland's home winning streak

Practice Update, Asuchak Ready to Return, Boka's Injury Comments, Former Allen Players Excelling, Team Stats and More

I don't have a practice update this morning because the Allen Americans didn't have practice yesterday. I did have the chance to talk to coach Martinson about the Allen schedule (game and practice) this week and next. The Americans didn't skate on Sunday as they were traveling back from Utah. Martinson decided to have practice on Monday but keeping the fact in mind the team will be playing three games in three days he did not have practice on Tuesday but will practice again today.


- Allen plays Tulsa at home tomorrow (Thursday) night, travels to Wichita to play the Thunder on Friday and then back to Allen to play Wichita on Saturday. After the game on Saturday the team will be off (not practice) until Thursday. This is something coach Martinson has always done. He delays the All-Star break since it is typically right after the Christmas break. The team practiced during the All-Star break and will have time off next week.


- I asked Spencer Asuchak if he will be back in the lineup on Thursday and he said, "Yes, back Thursday! Pretty excited! This is the longest I have ever been out due to an injury in my whole career even before junior hockey." Allen has missed Asuchak's net front presence, faceoff ability and checking. It will be a boost to have him back.


- I get many requests for updates on Nick Boka, asking about how he is doing after breaking his leg in Allen's home game on January 20. I had a chance to swap messages with Nick last night and this is what he had to say, "The surgery (Monday) went well. I will be in a cast for the next four weeks, then in a boot for three weeks before I can start doing my rehab. Not really sure what the timeline looks like after that. Barry, please let all the Allen fans know how much I appreciate all of their support and reaching out to me. It really means a lot."


- I haven't listed Allen's team rank in statistical categories from the daily report in a long time. After writing yesterday about how the Americans need to improve defensively if they expect to win the Kelly Cup, some of these stats are enlightening:

#1 - Points (68)
#2 - Winning percentage (.739)
#1 - Goals scored (188)
#18 - Goals allowed (146)
#1 - Average goals scored per game (4.09)
#11 - Average goals allowed per game (3.170
#10 - Average shots per game (32.91)
#23 - Average shots allowed per game (35.09)
#9 - Power play percentage (17.8%)
#11 - Penalty kill percentage (82.4%)
#7 - Minor penalties (219)
#15 - Average penalty minutes per game (12.35)
#13 - Overtime winning percentage (.556)
#4 - Scoring first winning percentage (.840)
#3 - Shooting percentage (12.4%)
#10 - Goals against average (3.06)
#3 - Save percentage (.911) 


- Utah beat Atlanta last night 5-2 to move back into second place in the Mountain Division. It was quite the game for the Grizzlies special teams. Utah's five goals included a shorthanded goal, three power play goals and an empty net goal.


- After I talked about ECHL expansion locations yesterday, Chris Kolker reminded me there is also talk of bringing an ECHL team back to Richmond, VA. Here is that story: https://www.nbc12.com/2020/01/27/hockey-team-could-come-proposed-navy-hill-arena/


-  Some former Allen Americans are having great seasons playing in the ECHL and Europe. Here are just a few of them:

Chad Costello (Germany) - Leads team & league in scoring with 44 points (19G, 25A) in 41 games.
Tanner Eberle (England) - 3rd on team with 39 points (19G, 20A) in 40 games.
Alex Lavoie (Norway) - Leads team with 38 points (11G, 27A) in 33 games.
Kale Kerbashian (Slovakia) - Leads team with 30 points (11G, 19A) in 41 games.
Casey Pierro-Zabotel - Leads team, Adirondack (ECHL), in goals (20).
Zach Pochiro (Denmark) - 3rd on team with 26 points (12G, 14A) in 32 games.
Chase Lang - Leads Jacksonville (ECHL) with 27 points (10G, 17A) in 38 games.
Miles Liberati - As a Tulsa defenseman is 4th in scoring with 32 points (6G, 26A) in 39 games.
Daniel Leavens - 2nd on team, Brampton (ECHL), with 49 points (20G, 29A) in 43 games.



DID YOU KNOW:  Historically, Allen has always been toward the top of the ECHL in shooting percentage. The Americans are currently #3 at 12.4%. Here are the team shooting percentages since the Americans joined the ECHL:

12.4%   2019-20 (thru 46 games)
9.2%     2018-19
10.5%   2017-18
12.9%   2016-17
10.6%   2015-16
12.2%   2014-15

It may not look like a big difference when looking at the percentages but over the course of a typical season the difference in a 9.2% and 12.4% shooting percentage is a goal per game.
    


 

It's Link Day - ECHL Rule Changes, NHL Rule Changes, ECHL Expansion, Affiliations and More

I don't have anything new this morning but am attending the Allen practice today and will provide an update tomorrow.


- I am going to call today "link day."  Here is some reading material for those of you that are not active on social media or don't follow all of the goings on. Hope you can find something of interest among these links.   



- Board of Governors (BOG) - At the All-Star game the BOG voted to make two changes that impact this season. First, they added a ninth situation subject to video review by the referee. The eight situations currently contained in 88.3, "Situations Subject to Video Review" all relate to the puck and goal/no goal decisions. The ninth situation added, which will start with games on Monday, February 10, is video replay review for goalie interference.

The second change relates to the playoffs as the BOG voted to increase the playoff roster by one, from 23 to 24. Teams can have 20 on the active roster and four on reserve.

Here is the ECHL press release on the BOG meeting: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/1/board-of-governors-concludes-mid-season-meeting

 


- NHL Rule Changes - In his recent state of the union address, NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, covered several topics including puck and player tracking, the Olympics, and potential rules changes. If the NHL changes rules they usually get changed in the AHL and ECHL. One change being talked about is the offside rule that will see the plane of the blueline extended, which will allow for players with their skate in the air above the blueline to be considered onside.

The second rule or enforcement of a rule the NHL is looking at is a crackdown on crosschecking. With the crackdown on slashing, hooking and holding the last couple of years, crosschecking has become more prevalent.

Here is a story from the Hockey News that discusses these rule changes in detail along with many other topics. They cover how NHL rule changes are made and it is not a quick process: https://thehockeynews.com/news/article/can-we-look-forward-to-a-change-in-the-offside-rule-and-a-crackdown-on-crosschecking-looks-like-it



- ECHL Expansion - You may have read stories in the past year about one of the owners of the Newfoundland Growlers (Dean McDonald) trying to secure another ECHL team in Quebec (Trois-Rivieres). Here is a story written by Andrew Zadarnowski about the trials and tribulations of obtaining this ECHL franchise:  https://www.habseyesontheprize.com/2020/1/25/21079076/we-lost-the-ability-to-ice-a-team-next-year-the-status-of-the-bid-for-an-echl-team-in-trois-rivieres

Another possibility for ECHL expansion is a new arena being built in Coralville, Iowa which is a suburb of Iowa City. In past press releases it has been an expressed goal to attract an ECHL franchise. Iowa City is 111 miles from Des Moines where the Iowa Wild (AHL) play. This could be a nice fit with the Minnesota Wild organization. Here is the latest on this new arena from the Iowa City Press-Citizen:  https://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/2020/01/24/xtream-arena-coralville-construction-progress-hawkeye-athletics/4565134002/




- AHL Affiliations - Here is a story about the Vegas Golden Knights purchasing a current AHL franchise and moving them to Las Vegas. AHL President, David Andrews has confirmed the Golden Knights are in talks to buy an AHL franchise. https://sinbin.vegas/orleans-arena-expects-to-become-home-to-golden-knights-ahl-affiliate-next-season/



- Mountain Division Weekly - Here is a snippet about all seven teams in the division with their schedule this week: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/1/mountain-division-weekly-jan-27



DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL website has a page with all of the NHL/AHL/ ECHL affiliations. Here is the link: https://www.echl.com/en/pages/nhl-ahl-affiliations

Does Allen Have the Roster to Win the Kelly Cup?

As I was writing the game recap yesterday about Allen's 6-3 win over Utah and listing all of the Allen players currently leading the ECHL in various offensive categories the thought that kept coming to mind was something coach Martinson has repeatedly said recently, "We have to get better defensively."


- I thought today I would take a crack at comparing the current version of the Allen Americans with some of the stats from the two Kelly Cup championship teams. With 64% of the 2019-20 season in the books the Americans are on pace to have the best offense since joining the ECHL. Here are the players currently topping the ECHL:

Tyler Sheehy - #1 Overall Points (54)
Gabe Gagne #1 Goals (24)
Tyler Sheehy #1 Assists (35)
Tyler Sheehy #1 Rookie Points (54)
Tyler Sheehy #1 Rookie Goals (19)
Tyler Sheehy #1 Rookie Assists (35)
Tyler Sheehy #1 Rookie Power Play Points (15)
Tyler Sheehy #1 Rookie Power Play Assists (12)
Jack Sadek #1 Rookie Plus/Minus (+23)
Alex Breton #1 Defensemen Points (36)
Stepan Falkovsky #1 Defensemen Goals (12)
Alex Breton #1 Defensemen Assists (30)
Stepan Falkovsky #1 Defensemen Power Play Goals (6)
Stepan Falkovsky #1 Defensemen Shorthanded Goals (2)
Stepan Falkovsky #1 Defensemen Shooting Percentage (23.1)


- Three players already have 20 or more goals this season (Gagne, Guptill, Topping) with Sheehy (19) and VanWormer (18) close. The Americans will have a minimum of five players reach 20 goals and it is possible they could have seven. Compare that to 2014-15 when Allen had four 20+ scorers and 2015-16 when they had three.


- Allen is on pace to have close to 300 goals this season. Thus far the Americans are averaging just over four goals per game which would project to 294 for the entire season. However, since the first of the year Allen has averaged 4.75 goals per game. If they kept up that pace they would finish the year with around 310 goals. As a comparison Allen had 292 goals in 2014-15 and 222 in 2015-16.


- There is no doubt Allen has the offensive firepower to win the Kelly Cup. The offense is much more spread out than the championship seasons. In 2014-15 two players (Costello and Steffes) had 30% of Allen's goals in the regular season. In 2015-16 Allen had three players with 20+ goals, Costello (24), Steffes (22) and Crane (21). As stated above this season the Americans may have seven 20 goals scorers. The depth on this team is unparalleled. 


- The unanswered question this late in the season is whether Allen has the talent to play the kind of defense necessary to win a championship. In their two Kelly Cup winning seasons the Americans allowed 203 and 204 regular season goals. If you look at the last five Kelly Cup champions the average goals allowed was 206.8 ranging from 203-214. This season Allen is on pace to allow 229 goals. More alarming is since New Year's Eve (13 games) the Americans are giving up an average of 3.69 goals per game and that includes two games against Kansas City when Allen won 8-2 and 8-0. If you project for the remainder of the season the average goals allowed by the Americans over the last month they will end the season allowing over 240 goals.


- Coach Martinson has some decisions to make in the near future. Can he get the players he has been calling out for not working hard enough and smart enough to be more responsible defensively and help reduce goals allowed? Fewer turnovers and backchecking harder is the key but too many players don't do it consistently. The other option which is becoming more and more likely is giving up some offense to find players that will play defense. It is too easy to look at Allen's winning percentage (.739) and draw the conclusion this team is good to go for the playoffs. One thing is certain and that is the Americans need to improve defensively. Whether that happens by improved play by the current roster, trades, players assigned by Iowa or a combination of all three remains to be seen. Coach Martinson will not go into the playoffs playing the style of hockey the team is currently playing. One way or another changes will happen.


-  Goaltending is always a big key to winning championships. If you compare team stats this season to the two Kelly Cup seasons they look comparable:

Save Percentage
.911   2019-20
.909   2015-16
.906   2014-15

GAA
3.06   2019-20
2.75   2015-16
2.73   2014-15

What hasn't happened this season is one goalie separating from the rest and taking charge. There was no doubt in the two Kelly Cup championships that Riley Gill was the guy based on his regular season performance and his past playoff success. If Allen is going to be a championship contender this season one of the goalies will need to step up and break away from the group.


- Another key component to a deep playoff run is special teams. Allen struggled early in the season but have really turned around their special teams play as the season has progressed. Over their last 20 games the Allen power play percentage is 26% and that includes seven games Tyler Sheehy was in Iowa. The penalty kill is also much improved recently. In the last six games the penalty kill percentage is 89.5%, giving up just two power play goals while scoring three shorthanded goals. Here are the special team comparisons. You can see the season long percentages this year lag the championship seasons but there is little doubt they do not reflect how the team is now performing.

Power Play Percentage
17.8%   2019-20
21.1%   2015-16
21.9%   2014-15


Penalty Kill Percentage
82.4%   2019-20
86.4%   2015-16
87.5%   2014-15

   
   
DID YOU KNOW: While finishing in the top five in the regular season is almost a must to win the Kelly Cup, finishing first seems like a negative.  Last season Cincinnati followed a long list of teams that have won the regular season championship (Brabham Cup) and failed to win the Kelly Cup. In the 32 year history of the ECHL only three teams have accomplished that feat. Alaska did it three times (2014, 2011, 2006), Cincinnati did it in 2008 and South Carolina in 1997. Here is where the last five Kelly Cup champions finished in points in the regular season.

3rd place - Newfoundland (2018-19)
4th place - Colorado (2017-18)
3rd place - Colorado (2016-17)
5th place - Allen (2015-16)
2nd place - Allen (2014-15)

Allen Wins in Utah, Game Recap, Sheehy, Breton, Falkovsky, Gagne #1 in Scoring, Allen on Pace for Franchise Record Winning Percentage and More

There has been a pattern to the three different two game series Allen has played against Utah this season. In all three the Grizzlies have won the first game and the Americans have won the second game. The pattern was kept alive last night as Allen beat Utah 6-3 before a big Saturday night crowd of 6737 at the Maverik Center. The game was much closer than the score as the Americans scored two empty net goals in the last 44 seconds of the game.


- While the pattern of lose game one, win game two held in Utah it was a very different series. When these teams played in Allen the Grizzlies blew out the Americans in game ones (10-4, 6-1) and Allen won the game twos in overtime (5-4, 6-5). Utah took six of a possible eight points.


- In the preview of this two game series in Utah, I said this would be a big test for Allen on the road. Utah has been the best team in the Mountain Division since the middle of November with a record of 20-4-3-1. Prior to last night Utah had only three regulation losses since November 30. While Allen lost game one in Utah they managed to pick up a point losing 5-4 in overtime. Last night Allen allowed the Grizzlies 29 shots after giving up 43, 45, 43 and 42 shots the last four times these teams played. The better defensive effort led to the 6-3 win.


- The game last night was a back and forth affair and some things didn't go well for Allen. After four straight games of scoring the first goal against Utah the Grizzlies tallied first last night at the 5:32 mark of the opening period. Allen then scored the next two goals, one late in the first period and the other 45 seconds into the second period, both on the power play. Allen's power play has been a difference maker the last five games. It was 2-4 last night and in the last five games is 10-21 for a staggering 47.6%. conversion rate.


- Utah was also effective on the power play going 2-6 and it allowed them to come back from a 2-1 deficit and a 4-2 deficit. Prior to last night the Allen penalty kill had not allowed a goal in the last five games.


- The game was close (4-3) until Allen got empty net goals from Sheehy and VanWormer in the last 44 seconds of the game.


- Goal scorers for Allen were Brett Pollock (14) (PP), Stepan Falkovsky (12) (PP), Jordon Topping (20), Josh Brittain (9), Tyler Sheehy (19) (EN) and Jared VanWormer (18) (EN).


- Here is the game recap from the Utah Grizzlies broadcaster: https://www.utahgrizzlies.com/en/grizzlies-news/grizzlies-lose-6-3-to-allen-on-saturday-night


- Here is the game recap from the Utah Insider with a different take on the game:  https://www.utahgrizzlies.com/en/grizzlies-news/grizzlies-insider-adam-turner-on-6-3-loss-to-allen


- The Americans will head back to Allen today having earned three of four points against one of the hottest teams in the league. They will not play again until Thursday when they take on the Tulsa Oilers in the first of three games in three days. They travel to Wichita for a game on Friday and then back to Allen to play Wichita again at home on Saturday.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Tyler Sheehy had a goal and two assists in the game last night and has once again taken the ECHL scoring lead with 54 points (19G, 35A). FYI, a rookie has not won the ECHL scoring title since the 2011-12 season.


- Alex Breton had three assists last night and has taken over the ECHL scoring lead among defensemen. Alex had a slow start to the season but has been on a hot streak recently. In his last seven games Breton has 12 points. Overall, Breton has 36 points (6G, 30A) and a two point lead in the scoring race.


- Stepan Falkovsky is another player who has been on a hot streak for Allen. Stepan had three points last night (1G, 2A). He has scored six goals in the last seven games and now leads the ECHL in goals by a defensemen with 12.


- Gabe Gagne still leads the ECHL in goals (24) despite missing Allen's last four games. Gagne is making the most of his opportunity in Rockford (AHL). Gabe has played in five games and has a goal and three assists. 


- Allen's power play is much improved and has now cracked the top ten in the ECHL after wallowing at or near the bottom early in the season. A lot has to work well to have an effective power play but the resurgence can be attributed in a large part to Tyler Sheehy. Since December 14 Sheehy has played in 14 games and the power play percentage is 32.8% (19-58). Of the 19 power play goals Sheehy has the goal or assist in 12. Sheehy missed seven games between December 29 and January 12 when he was recalled to Iowa. In those seven games the Allen power play percentage was 12.1% (4-33).


- Allen is now the highest scoring team in the ECHL ranked #1 with an average goals per game of 4.09. They are the only team averaging four goals per game.


- South Carolina had another shutout last night defeating Norfolk 3-0. The Stingrays GAA as a team is 1.91 and their team save percentage is .934, both tops in the ECHL. Parker Milner was in goal last night and recorded his seventh shutout. He has seven shutouts while playing in only 20 games. With his seven shutouts Milner is currently tied for #2 all time for shutouts in a season. Two of the players he is tied with are familiar to Allen fans. Riley Gill and Jake Paterson had seven shutouts in 2016-17. Gill with Allen and Paterson with Toledo. Milner needs one more shutout to tie three other players for the all time record of eight.


- Don't look now but Allen has been slowly moving up the ECHL penalty minutes list. They are now up to #12 with 568 penalty minutes. The Americans have been in 16 fights and are ranked #13 but they are only four fights behind #6 in the rankings. The top fighting team in the ECHL this season is Fort Wayne with 30 fights.


- Several of you have asked for an update on Nick Boka. Coach Martinson shared Boka is scheduled for surgery on Monday and his parents are in town to support him. 



DID YOU KNOW: Allen's winning percentage is now .739 and if the Americans maintain that level for the remainder of the season it would be the highest winning percentage in the history of the franchise. You will note a high winning percentage is not required for success. In the year the Americans had their third lowest winning percentage (.618 in 2015-16) they won the Kelly Cup.  Here are the regular season winning percentages:

.739   2019-20  (after 46 games)
.389   2018-19
.542   2017-18
.722   2016-17
.618   2015-16*
.736   2014-15*
.629   2013-14*
.659   2012-13*
.659   2011-12
.735   2010-11
.695   2009-10

*won championship
  

Allen's 18th Extra Time Game Recap, Steve Martinson's Post Game Comments, Rematch Preview, ECHL Overtime Stats and More

It was an emotional roller coaster that ended in disappointment for any Allen fans that stayed up late last night to watch or listen to the Americans lose to the Utah Grizzlies 5-4 in a shootout. Here are a few of the ups and downs of the game.


- Allen scored the first goal of the game even though it came 91 seconds into the second period. The Americans record going into the game when scoring first was 20-3-0-1.


- After scoring first Allen gave up two goals to give Utah a 2-1 lead.


- Allen scored 61 seconds after Utah took the 2-1 lead to tie the score after the second period.


- Utah appeared to break the game open with two goals in just 12 seconds early in the third period. It wasn't even close to the all time ECHL record for two fastest goals (3 seconds) but very demoralizing all the same.


- After trailing 4-2 in the third period Allen came back to tie the score to send the game to overtime. Even better was the fact the tying goal was a shorthanded goal. It was the third shorthanded goal the Americans have scored in the last four games.


- Both teams had good chances in overtime and it appeared Allen had won the game as the overtime period expired on Alex Breton's third goal of the game. However, after video review it was ruled the puck crossed the goal line just after time had expired.


- Allen went 0-3 in the shootout (Sheehy, Breton, Guptill) while Utah's third shooter scored to give Utah the win.


- Allen was out shot in the game 43-26. It was the fourth straight game against the Grizzlies the Americans have allowed 40+ shots on goal.


- It was the fourth straight game special teams have carried the Americans. They had a power play goal, a shorthanded goal and were perfect on the penalty kill. In the last four games the power play is 47.1% (8-17), the penalty kill is 100% (0-11) and the Americans have scored three shorthanded goals. WOW!


- It was certainly disappointing not getting the win especially with the disallowed goal at the end of overtime but getting the one point on the road is big. The Americans will have another chance to take two points from Utah tonight.


- Goal scorers for Allen were Alex Breton (5, 6), Jordan Topping (19) and Josh Brittain (8).


- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/overtime-game-winner-overturned-allen-loses-in-a-shootout/


- It is always interesting to get game recaps from Allen's opponents website. Here are two from the Grizzlies:
First, the recap from Tyson Whiting the Utah broadcaster. https://www.utahgrizzlies.com/en/grizzlies-news/grizz-win-5-4-shootout-thriller
This second game recap by Grizzlies Insider, Adam Turner, talks about what it is like when the Allen Americans come to town: https://www.utahgrizzlies.com/en/grizzlies-news/grizzlies-insider-adam-turner-on-5-4-shootout-winner


- I had a chance to talk to coach Martinson at some length this morning and it was clear he was not pleased with the effort of some of the players last night. Martinson said the same thing in several different ways:

"We scored enough goals to win but we had too many weak turnovers and poor defensive play."

"We did enough good things that allowed us to score four goals but we have to work harder defensively."

"Some guys gave great effort to help us comeback from the 4-2 deficit but others are not working hard enough."

"Some of our players need to get smarter and play harder."

"We had some guys that played their tails off and some guys that just showed up."

"We have the same guys not back checking and not playing hard enough defensively."

"I plan to show video before the game of our mistakes and call out the guys that need to work smarter and harder.

"We have enough goal scorers, we need more players that work hard defensively." 


REMATCH PREVIEW

- The Americans did a lot of good things in the game last night which will hopefully carry over to tonight. They scored the first goal of the game, the special teams have been clicking and Allen has made the most of their opportunities. The Americans shooting percentage in the five games against Utah this season is 14.8%, last night is was 15.4%.


- If Allen expects to win this rematch they need to limit Utah's shots. The Americans were out shot 43-26 and that is not the formula for success.


- Fans who watch the game tonight will get quite a treat as the two players tied for the ECHL lead in scoring with 51 points will take the ice. Allen's #8, Tyler Sheehy (18G, 22A) and Utah's #23, Tim McGauley (17G, 34A) will be fun to keep an eye on.


- Jordan Topping is within one goal of hitting 20, Tyler Sheehy is with in two and Jared VanWormer is with in three. Gabe Gagne (24) and Alex Guptill (20) have already reached the 20 goal plateau.


- You never know from game to game how things play out but there were only six penalties called in the game last night and the same referee (Stan Szczurek) is scheduled tonight. He called just one penalty in the last half of the game.


- Allen's regular season record in Utah since joining the ECHL is a respectable 8-6-0-1. 



OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen has earned more points in overtime and shootout games (28) than any team in the league. Eight of those points came from losses. The one point Allen earned last night was big. The Americans maintain a nice point lead in the division but keep in mind they have played more games.
Here are the current Mountain Division point standings with games played in parenthesis:

66 points - Allen (45)
55 points - Utah (42)
54 points - Idaho (44)
49 points - Rapid City (42)
44 points - Wichita (45)
42 points - Tulsa (44)
37 points - Kansas City (41)


- South Carolina won again last night giving up just one goal. The Stingrays have given up just 82 goals in 41 games. No other team in the league has given up less than 105 goals. South Carolina has eight shutouts, given up one goal nine times and two goals 10 times. Their winning percentage of .805 is very close to the all time record of .806 set in 2001-02 by the Louisiana IceGators.


- There is a full slate of games in the ECHL tonight with all 26 teams in action. Here is the ECHL Today with the matchups and previews: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/1/echl-today-jan-25





DID YOU KNOW: Allen continues to be involved in more overtime games than any other team in the league. The overtime last night was number 18 on the season which leads the league. The Mountain Division has by far the most overtime games. Allen is #1 in the ECHL with 18, Idaho is #2 with 15, Utah is #3 with 14 and Wichita is tied for #4 with 12.

Here is my ECHL Stats & Information post for today, you can find it on Twitter (@ECHLStats) or Facebook (ECHL Stats & Information), which breaks down overtimes by percentage.

Four ECHL teams, all in the Western Conference, have had 30% or more of their games go to overtime this season. Here are those teams with their winning/points percentage for games that go to overtime or shootout in parenthesis:

40% - Allen Americans (.556)
34% - Idaho Steelheads (.600)
33% - Utah Grizzlies (.500)
30% - Fort Wayne Komets (.500)

At the other end of the spectrum, the Brampton Beast have gone to overtime in only 9.5% of their games.

Allen vs Utah Series Preview, All-Star Game Rant and More

The Allen Americans are in Utah for the weekend as the top two teams in the Mountain Division square off for the second time in 10 days. Allen and Utah play each other nine times this season with the first four at the Allen Event Center and the last five at the Maverik Center. After the two games tonight and tomorrow night the Americans will make another trip to Utah for the final three games in March.


- If you just look at their record in the four games against Utah in Allen the Americans were 2-2  but the record doesn't tell the whole story. The second weekend of the season Utah beat Allen 10-4 in game one and the Americans won game two 5-4 in overtime. It was a similar outcome 10 days ago when Utah won game one 6-1 and Allen won game two 6-5 in overtime. The Americans can say they split with Utah earning four of eight points but the Grizzlies can say they earned six of eight points, on the road, against the best team in the division.


- The cumulative totals in the four games these teams have played would indicate a clear advantage for Utah. They have outscored Allen 25-16 and out shot the Americans 161-109. If Allen expects to earn points this weekend they will have to improve defensively. In the four games against Utah in Allen the Americans gave up an average of 40 shots and 6.25 goals per game.


- If you compare the last 10 games, Allen's record is 6-3-1-0, Utah's is 6-2-1-1. Allen has won three straight, Utah has points in six straight games (5-0-1-0).


- Utah will be without their top goalie, Martin Ouellette, who was recently signed (SPC) by the Providence Bruins (AHL).


- If you look at season long special teams percentages (Allen on the road, Utah at home) the Grizzlies have the advantage on the power play (19.2% vs 18.6%) and penalty kill (89.7% vs 80.3%). However, if you look at Allen's last four games, which includes two games against Utah, the Allen special teams have been outstanding. The Americans are 46.7% (7-15) on the power play and 100% on the penalty kill (0-11). The penalty kill unit also has two shorthanded goals in the last four games.


- As usual a good start is vital for both teams in the game tonight. Allen is 20-3-0-1 when scoring first, Utah is 15-2-1-0. With a first period lead Allen is 17-2-2-0, Utah is 9-1-1-0.

 
- The likelihood of overtime is pretty good as two of the first four games these teams have played were ended in overtime with both being won by Allen. The Americans lead the ECHL in overtime games played (39%) and Utah isn't far behind at 32%. Allen is 9-6 in overtimes, 1-1 in shootouts. Utah is 3-5 in overtimes, 3-2 in shootouts.


- Haven't seen anything on ECHL transactions but the San Jose Barracuda lost a goalie (Josef Korenar) to an injury in their game on Wednesday so it is certain Andrew Shortridge is headed to San Jose. Jake Paterson and Dereck Baribeau are with Allen in Utah and Paterson is expected to get the start in goal tonight.


- Coach Martinson was not anticipating any of the players currently in the AHL to be back this weekend.



OTHER COMMENTS

- If you didn't have a chance to follow the ECHL All-Star game here is the recap issued by the ECHL:  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/1/2020-all-star-game-recap


- The All-Star game recap makes no mention of a play in the championship game between the Western Conference and Eastern Conference where the referee deliberately kicked the puck to Kali Flanagan of the Eastern Conference who scored into an open net because the Western Conference goalie came out of the goal to play the puck. It turned out to be the difference in the game as the East won 4-3. The East started out the final game with a 2-0 lead because they earned extra goals in the accuracy skill contest. In the actual final/championship game the West outscored the East 3-1 but if you add the 2-0 lead the East started with and the referee deliberately giving the East a goal you come up with a final score of 4-3. C'MON MAN!  


 - It is a busy night around the ECHL tonight with 24 of 26 teams in action. Here is the ECHL's preview of all 12 games: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/1/echl-today-jan-24


- The games this weekend will be a good test for the Americans. Allen's record in January is 6-3-1-0 but with the exception of the two games at home against Utah the Americans have played teams with records below .500 and out of the playoffs.


- Allen has always been a good road team and this season is no different. The Americans winning percentage at home is .750 but is almost as good on the road at .725.



DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL All-Star game has seen many changes over the years. The most common format has been one conference against the other but in recent years the format has changed. The game was not held in 2012, 2014 and 2016. The format changed in 2011 to the All-Stars vs the host team. The last three seasons the format has been a three on three tournament with four teams. Jacksonville has been awarded the All-Star game for 2021 so it remains to be seen what if any format changes will be made.    

Allen Wins 8-0, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Nick Boka Out Indefinitely, All-Time Stats and More

The Allen Americans finished their home and home series with Kansas City in style yesterday afternoon with an 8-0 shutout victory before a MLK Day crowd of 3765 at the Allen Event Center. It was a tough series for the Mavericks who lost to Allen 8-2 at home on Saturday. Kansas City has been decimated by injuries, they had to acquire three players in the last few days just to field a full team.

- Allen is also missing some key players and even though Kansas City is in last place in the Mountain Division anytime you outscore any ECHL team 16-2 over two games you are playing good hockey. With the win Allen leapfrogged South Carolina for the ECHL lead in points with 65, however, the Stingrays have four games in hand.


- The game was overshadowded by a serious injury to defenseman Nick Boka who had to be stretchered off the ice. I checked with coach Martinson this morning and he said, "Nick has a broken leg that requires surgery and he will be out indefinitely."


-  Just like on Saturday, Allen scored the first goal of the game on the power play and as it turned out it was all the Americans needed. When the final horn sounded Allen had a power play goal (Pollock) and shorthanded goal (Falkovsky), a natural hat trick from Alex Guptill and goalie Andrew Shortridge earned his first pro shutout stopping all 30 Maverick's shots.


- The goals scorers were for Allen were Brett Pollock (13), Alex Guptill (18, 19, 20), Stepan Falkovsky (11), Olivier Archambault (13) Josh Lammon (4) and Cole Fraser (4). Here are the video highlights:

- Here is a goal by goal game recap issued by the Kansas City Mavericks:  https://www.kcmavericks.com/en/news/mavs-skid-continues-in-allen-with-8-0-loss



STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

- When I stopped by coach Martinson's office after the game to no surprise he was already dealing with the the rest of the week. Planning the practices while he is gone for the All-Star game and dealing with logistics for the games with Utah this weekend. Martinson, Tyler Sheehy and Tommy Daniels will drive to Wichita this morning (Tuesady) and participate in the All-Star banquet tonight. When asked about the 8-0 win over the Mavericks he acknowledged the outstanding play by goalie Andrew Shortridge, the continued offensive output by the team led tonight by the Guptill hat trick and the improved team defense. He also emphasized the team will have to play better defensively if they expect to win in Utah this weekend.


OTHER COMMENTS

- With their 16 goals in the last two games the Americans have now scored 178 goals this season, 19 more than any other team in the league. Allen is now averaging over four goals per game (4.05).


- Tyler Sheehy had two assists against the Mavericks yesterday and is again the ECHL points leader (51 points). Tyler has played in 35 of Allen's 44 games and has 18 goals and 33 assists. He is tied for the league lead in assists. Sheehy has a 17 point lead in the rookie scoring race. It should be a great All-Star game for Sheehy who shows up as the top scorer in the ECHL.


- With his shorthanded goal in the MLK day game, his 11th goal of the season, Stepan Falkovsky has taken over the ECHL lead in goals by a defenseman. Allen has three defensemen in the top 15 in scoring. Alex Breton is #3 (30 points), Falkovsky is #8 (25 points) and Les Lancaster is #15 (22 points). Lancaster has his 22 points in just 24 games. His points per game average (.92) is #3 among all ECHL defensemen.


- Gabe Gagne who has been loaned to Rockford (AHL) still leads the ECHL in goals with 24. With his hat trick yesterday, Alex Guptill is tied for fourth in the ECHL in goals with 20.


- All seven Mountain Division teams have decent records over the last 10 games which shows how hard it is to gain points. It is going to be difficult for the three teams below .500 (Wichita, Tulsa, Kansas City) to make the playoffs. Here are the points earned by each team over the last 10 games.

14 points - Utah
13 points - Allen
11 points - Idaho
11 points - Tulsa
10 points - Rapid City
10 points - Wichita
8 points - Kansas City


- The ECHL will now take their All-Star break so I will not do another blog until Friday morning. If you want to keep up with the happenings in Wichita at the All-Star festivities, check in with Team Sin Bin, https://thesinbin.net/, who will have stories, podcasts and live streaming of the game itself today and tomorrow. The game will be televised live on NHL Network tomorrow night (7:00 pm CST).  


DID YOU KNOW: Tommy Daniels and Maurice Fitzgerald raised some stat questions during their broadcast yesterday and asked that I do the research. Here are the answers to some of their questions with some of my own thrown in for good measure.

Q: When was the last time Allen had back to back games with eight or more goals?
A: On December 30, 2016 Allen beat Wichita 9-0 in Wichita and the next night at home on New year's Eve beat Utah 8-4. By the way, Greger Hanson had the game winning goal in both games.

Q: When was the last time Allen had a shutout when they scored more than eight goals.
A: The 9-0 shutout win in Wichita on 12/30/2016 was the largest shutout win in team history.

Q: Who is the oldest player to play in an ECHL game?
A: This information is not readily available but I remember EBUGs that were over 45. The oldest skater I could recall and Tommy referenced him in the broadcast was David Ling who played 12 games for Brampton in 2017-18 and had eight points (1G, 7A). He was 44 years old at the time.

Q: Oldest player in NHL history?
A: Gordie Howe was 52 years, 11 days, originally retired at 43 but after taking a couple of years off came back playing in the WHA. He then returned to the NHL (Hartford Whalers) for his final NHL season.         

Allen vs Kansas City Preview, Suspensions, Les Lancaster Returns, Gabe Gagne Shines in Rockford, MLK Historical Results and More

Today is MLK/Kids Day at the Allen Americans with a 1:05 pm rematch against the Kansas City Mavericks. The question of the day is will these teams act like adults or kids today. Allen beat Kansas City 8-2 on Saturday and in the process a coach and two players were sent to their rooms (ejected) and will be unavailable for the rematch today because they will be in timeout (suspended).

- Kansas City coach John-Scott Dixon was suspended for one game for abuse of officials. I didn't see the incident but have heard he threw equipment (sticks) on the ice. Allen's Mitch Vandergunst and Kansas City's Loren Ulett were suspended for two games for separate incidents. The official language was match penalty for fighting (Ulett) and actions following an altercation for Vandergunst. The more common language would be sucker punch. Vandergunst hit Ryan Van Stralen after they were separated by the linesmen. Ulett sucker punched Alex Breton. Here is the ECHL press release announcing the suspensions.  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/1/echl-announces-fines-suspensions-jan-19


- The unanswered question is what if any carryover will there be from the game on Saturday. Many times when you expect a rough and tumble game it turns out just the opposite. Both teams have a lot of players missing so that will certainly be a factor.


- Les Lancaster has returned to Allen from San Antonio (AHL). Les played in two games with the Rampage and had one assist. With Lancaster's return and Vandergunst suspended you will probably see a defenseman (Fraser or Lancaster) taking shifts up front.


- Kansas City acquired forward Charlie O'Connor from Norfolk yesterday to bolster their shorthanded roster.


- Anyone that thinks the game this afternoon will be an easy win for the Americans after the 8-2 drubbing they put on the Mavericks on Saturday better think twice. First, a reminder the visiting teams has won all four games between these teams this season. Second, it was just a couple of weeks ago the Mavericks visited Allen and beat the Americans 5-3 and 4-2.


- Here is a preview of the game today issued by the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/game-day-americans-host-kc/


- Getting off to a good start is always important and even more so this afternoon. Kansas City has lost four straight games and in those games have been outscored 23-4. The Americans need to jump on the Mavericks early and give them no hope. Both teams are very good when scoring first. Allen's record is 19-3-1-0, Kansas City's is 13-3-0-0.


- Allen's power play has been on fire recently. The Americans were 4-7 against the Mavericks on Saturday and if you look at the last four Allen games the power play percentage is 44.4% (8-18).


- In four games against Kansas City this season the Allen penalty kill has given up only one power play goal.  


- Gabe Gagne made quite an impression in his debut with the Rockford IceHogs (AHL) on Sunday. Rockford shutout Chicago 2-0 and Gabe was involved in both goals. He assisted on the first goal and scored the second goal. For his effort Gabe was given the #2 star of the game. The Rockford goalie was the #1 star with his 34 save shutout. Have to believe Gagne will be gone a while.


-  The ECHL will take their All-Star break after today's games. There will be a good sized contingent from Allen heading to Wichita for the All-Star game in addition to coach Steve Martinson, player Tyler Sheehy and play by play broadcaster Tommy Daniels who were all selected to be part of the festivities. Some Allen front office employees and many fans will also be in attendance in Wichita.


- After today's game the Americans will have just five games (2 home, 3 away) in the next 22 days. Plenty of time to practice and heal up.



DID YOU KNOW: Allen's MLK day record since joining the ECHL is 1-1-2-0. All games were at home.  

2020 - Kansas City  ????
2019 - Allen did not play on MLK day
2018 - Allen lost 2-1 to Tulsa with Stephon Williams in goal
2017 - Allen lost 5-4 in overtime to Missouri with Jamie Murray in goal
2016 - Allen lost 4-3 in overtime to Cincinnati with Joel Rumpel in goal
2015 - Allen beat Missouri 5-2 with Aaron Dell in goal   

Allen Plays Most Complete Game of Season, Game Recap, Martinson's Comments and More

The Allen Americans beat the Kansas City Mavericks 8-2 last night before a sellout crowd of 5800 at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. In the process Allen played their most complete game of the season. Both teams were missing key players due to call ups, injuries and illness. Here are a few stats that explain why this was the Americans best all around game of the season:

8 goals scored -  the most goals scored by the Americans in over a year
2 goals allowed - after giving up 15 goals in their last three games the team worked hard in practice this week to tighten up defensively.
4/7 power play -  the best power play results of the season
0/2 penalty kill - can't beat perfection
12 -  number of players with at least one point
7 - number of players with multiple points
7 - number of players with a goal
.933 - save percentage of goalie Dereck Baribeau


- Goal scorers for Allen were Tyler Sheehy (18), Josh Lammon (2), Jordan Topping (17, 18), Stepan Falkovsky (10), Brett Pollock (12), Alex Guptill (17) and Nick Boka (2).


- Here is the game recap from Kansas City with a goal by goal description:  https://www.kcmavericks.com/en/news/mavs-snakebit-in-front-of-sellout-crowd-blown-out-in-saturday-night-contest-to-allen


- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/americans-offense-explodes-in-8-2-win-over-kansas-city/


- I had a chance to touch base with coach Martinson after the game and he made these three points:

"We had lots of guys involved in the offense tonight making plays. We had 15 assists on those eight goals."

"Dereck Baribeau was good in goal tonight, when we had defensive breakdowns he made big saves."

"It was a good start with Tyler Sheehy getting that first goal on the power play."


- Jordan Topping led the scoring bonanza with four points (2G, 2A) followed by Tyler Sheehy and Alex Guptill who both had a goal and two assist. Olivier Archambault also had three points, all assists.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Stepan Falkovsky has scored four goals in the last four games and is now tied for the ECHL lead in goals by defensemen with 10. He is already in the top 16 all time in defensemen goals in a season for the Allen Americans. Before the season is over, Falkovsky could threaten Allen's all time record for goals by a defensemen in a single season. Here are the top seven:

20 - Tyler Ludwig (2013-14)
17 - David Makowski (2015-16)
16 - David Makowski (2016-17)
16 - Tyler Ludwig (2014-15)
14 - Alex Breton 2018-19)
14 - Eric Roy (2017-18)
14 - Eric Roy (2015-16)


- It is hard to overstate the impact Tyler Sheehy has had on the Allen power play. He scored the first goal of the game last night on the power play and assisted on Brett Pollock's power play goal. I went back to the middle of December and came up with this info.

In the eight games from December 14 to December 28, before Sheehy was recalled to Iowa, the Allen power play percentage was 25% (9-36) and Tyler had the goal or an assist on seven of the nine power play goals.

In the seven games between December 31 and January 11 when Sheehy was in Iowa the Allen power play percentage was 12.1% (4-33).

In the three games since Sheehy has been back from Iowa the Americans power play percentage is 54.5% (6-11). Tyler had the goal or an assist on three of the six power play goals.

You add it all together and since the middle of December the Allen power play with Sheehy in the lineup is 15-47 for a power play percentage of 31.9%. Of the 15 power play goals, Sheehy has the goal or an assist on 10 of them. With Sheehy out of the lineup the power play percentage was 12.1% (4-33).


- Allen has moved up to #2 in the ECHL in average goals per game at 3.95. Only Newfoundland at 4.08 averages more goals per game.


- Olivier Archambault has at least one assist in his last seven games. It is the longest current assist streak in the league.


- Hard to see Tyler Sheehy not being the ECHL Rookie of the Year unless he gets recalled to Iowa long term. Tyler leads all rookies in points (49), goals (18), assists (31), power play points (13) and power play assists (10). His 49 points is 13 more than second place.


- Coach Martinson expected some of the recent loans to the AHL would be short term. Would expect at least one of these players back in Allen for the game on Monday against Kansas City.


- Allen, Utah and Tulsa won last night, Wichita, Idaho, Kansas City and Rapid City lost. Here are the current Mountain Division point standings with games played in parenthesis:

63 points - Allen (43)
51 points - Idaho (42)
51 points - Utah (40)
47 points - Rapid City (40)
43 points - Wichita (44)
40 points - Tulsa (43)
36 points - Kansas City (39)



DID YOU KNOW: Allen's six goal margin of victory in their 8-2 win over Kansas City last night is a rare occurrence. Prior to last night the Americans won a game by six goals just once in the previous 188 games.   

   

Allen Loans Three Players to AHL This Week, Steve Martinson's Op-Ed, Allen vs Kansas City Preview, Americans on Record Overtime Pace and More

Before I preview Allen's game in Kansas City tonight I wanted to share a conversation I had with coach Martinson about recruitment, loaning players and contract players. This has been the topic of conversation many times this season when talking to fans as well as the coaches. Let's start with the numbers.


- Just this week Martinson loaned Les Lancaster to San Antonio, Turner Ottenbreit to Iowa and Gabe Gagne to Rockford. Three other players signed by coach Martinson have been with AHL teams all season. Matt Register and Josh Atkinson in Iowa and Jake Doty in Ontario. In addition Brett Pollock and Jake Paterson have spent time in the AHL this season.


- The numbers above do include the eight NHL/AHL contracted players on the Allen roster who can be recalled at any time. Of the eight contracted players four (Sheehy, Boka, Baribeau, Shortridge) have spent time in the AHL this season.


- Steve Martinson has always been known as a coach who loans players and that is part of his recruitment process. Here are Martinson's thoughts on recruitment, loaning players and contract players. If I was a real journalist I would call this a Steve Martinson Op-Ed. One thing you can always be assured of when you ask Steve Martinson his opinion on a topic is you will get his honest answer.  

"We tell our players that if they come to Allen we will loan them. I always answer the phone when AHL teams call. It is not like we want to lose our players but my word is good. AHL teams tell me about coaches that don't answer and wait to call back until after they have seen a player get called up. It is not hard to tell which teams don't want to loan their players."

"I said at the beginning of the season to beat Newfoundland you are either going to need a lot of contracted players assigned or gamble on signing ex AHL players. Signing free agent players that are good enough to play in the AHL is a risk. We didn't get enough contracted players assigned so if you want to be good enough to win you have to gamble and that is what we did."

"Newfoundland, who has won 16 straight home games, has a team made up almost entirely of one way AHL contracted players from Toronto. When the Toronto AHL coach, Sheldon Keefe, went to the Maple Leafs to replace Mike Babcock, one writer referred to Toronto's AHL roster as being by far the most expensive in the league. It is no secret the Toronto organization spends like no other. To put it in perspective they average 14 guys that make three times what Chad Costello made in Allen. It is just wishful thinking for our owners to think anyone else will duplicate Toronto's spending. We should cap the number of contracted players for the same reason we have a salary cap. There is something called the mean, our league isn't about who can spend the most money. The ECHL should have caps and budgets that allow for more parity and a chance for more teams to compete and stay in business."

"The majority of AHL teams have budgets restraints and they don't care who wins in our league. It is like the lottery, we have 25 teams hoping they can win the 15 one way ticket jackpot. It is not a realistic strategy."



ALLEN VS KANSAS CITY PREVIEW

- The Americans are in Kansas City tonight to take on the Mavericks in the fourth of eight meetings between these teams this season. The visiting team has won the three previous games. Allen won the first meeting 4-2 (November 19), Kansas City won 5-3 and 4-2 in Allen on January 2 and 3.


- The Mavericks enter the game tonight after being on the road for nine of their last 10 games. They won four straight including two games in Allen early in the road trip but have lost their last three games. In the three game losing streak the Mavericks scored just two goals and were outscored 15-2. Just like Allen, the Mavericks are dealing with roster issues. Their leading scorer and captain, Rocco Carzo was hurt on their road trip to Newfoundland along with defenseman Justin Woods. Two other defensemen have been playing with cages. Another forward, Ryan Galt was injured recently and will be out a while. Their highest points per game player (1.33), Mitch Hults is currently in Stockton (AHL).


- Allen will have enough players even though three players (Lancaster, Ottenbreit, Gagne) were loaned to AHL teams this week and two players (Asuchak, Campbell) stayed home with illness/injury.


- Allen has won three of their last four games with two of the wins coming in overtime. Just like the Mavericks the Americans have allowed 15 goals in the last three games. Coach Martinson spent the majority of practice time this week working on drills to deal with the all of the goals allowed in recent games.


-  Despite vastly different records, Allen is first in the division with a record of 27-8-6-1 while Kansas City is last in the division with a record of 17-19-2-0, these teams are close in many stats. The Mavericks have the edge when comparing Allen's road and Kansas City's home special teams stats. The Mavericks have the edge on the power play (17.2% vs 15.2%) and the penalty kill (80.8% vs 79.4%).


- Allen beats the Mavericks in average goals scored (3.86 vs 3.13) and average goals allowed (3.24 vs 3.32).


- Dereck Baribeau will get the start in goal for Allen. Dereck is 3-1 with a GAA of 3.48 and a save percentage .906.


- Allen has had a lot of practice in playing close games with the 17 overtime games they have been involved in this season. The Americans have only lost one game in regulation time by one goal. Their overall record in one goal games is 13-1-6-1.


- Right after the game tonight the Americans will get on the bus and make the 475 mile trek back to Allen where they will have a rematch with Kansas City on Monday afternoon (1:05 pm). 



OTHER COMMENTS

- Zach Sawchenko was in goal last night for the San Jose Barracuda as they beat Iowa 3-1. He stopped 23 of 24 shots to earn his third win in four decisions since being recalled by San Jose. Zach is making the most of his opportunity with a GAA of 1.74 and save percentage of .937.


- Matt Register was in the lineup for Iowa in the loss to San Jose. He has been in Iowa all season on a tryout agreement and has played in 21 of Iowa's 41 games. He has just one point, a goal back on October 18. Turner Ottenbreit who was just loaned to Iowa was a healthy scratch.


- Les Lancaster had an assist in his first game with San Antonio as the Rampage beat Toronto 4-3 on Thursday. San Antonio was idle last night and will play Wilkes-Barrie/Scranton at home tonight.


- You never know how long players who are loaned will be gone but it is likely some of these recent loans will be short term.


- Congrats to Casey Pierro-Zabotel who played in his 600th ECHL game last night. Since Casey came into the league in 2009-10 he is #2 in games played, #1 in points (530), #2 in goals (167) and #1 in assists (363). Casey was injured most of last season in Allen but has come back strong this season playing for Adirondack. He is the only player on the team that has played in all 42 games and he leads the team in goals (18).



DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans have gone to overtime in 17 of their 42 games this season  and are on record pace. At their current pace the Americans will go to overtime 29 times this season. Here are the leaders in overtime games for each season since Allen joined the ECHL:

29 - 2019-20 (Allen projected, 17 through 42 games)
21 - 2018-19 (Rapid City)
22 - 2017-18 (Utah, Colorado)
20 - 2016-17 (Missouri)
19 - 2015-16 (Atlanta)
21 - 2014-15 (Indy)

Practice Update, Roster Update, All Star Game Captains, Skills Competition, Historical Winning Percentage, New Website Covering the Americans and More

The best thing about the Allen Americans practice yesterday was seeing Spencer Asuchak, Josh Brittain and Cole Fraser on the ice. All three are in different stages of recovering from illness and injury. Brittain was a full participant, Fraser was also a full participant but was wearing the yellow no contact jersey and Asuchak skated for part of the practice as a step in his recovery. Fraser and Brittain will go on the trip to Kansas City, Asuchak will not.


- It was a hard practice yesterday with a lot of drills dealing with shortfalls in recent games, turnovers, backchecking and defensive effort. Practice sessions have been few and far between since the beginning of December. This week is the first week with three days between games since the end of November other than the Christmas break. When you consider the Americans played 23 games in 44 days and traveled to Idaho twice, New York, Ontario, Massachusetts, Tulsa and Wichita twice you can see why there has been little time to practice.


- Allen will practice again today before they get on the bus early this afternoon for the 475 mile, eight hour trip to Kansas City. It seems crazy to travel that far for one game and turnaround and come home but thus is the schedule in the ECHL. Allen will play the Mavericks at home on Monday afternoon. The Americans go to Kansas City five times this season and all five are stand alone games.


- If you read the blog or followed AHL or ECHL transactions the last couple of days you probably saw Les Lancaster being loaned to San Diego and then San Antonio. I had several questions about what happened and the answer is simple. This was merely a paperwork snafu. Les was always headed to San Antonio.


- This is the time of year where teams wear down and become depleted so you never know who might be headed to the AHL next. Allen has already lent more free agents to the AHL than any other team. Young free agent players like Turner Ottenbreit, Les Lancaster, Gabe Gagne, Brett Pollock and Jordan Topping are all having good seasons so they could get or continue to get AHL teams asking for them. It is also possible Allen could get players like Matt Register and Jake Doty back and it is likely Iowa will assign additional contracted players to the Americans. It is the typical ECHL roster juggling coach Martinson deals with this time of the season when you have not enough players one week and too many the next. Stay tuned. 


- Allen has only eight games in the next 21 days so you can expect the Americans to lose their top spot as the ECHL points leader as South Carolina and Newfoundland make up the games in hand they have over Allen. Newfoundland has three games in hand, South Carolina five.


- Yesterday the ECHL issued a press release naming the All-Star game captains and participants in the skills contest: Here is that press release: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/1/captains-and-skills-competition-rosters-announced-for-2020-warrior-echl-all-star-classic-presented-by-toyota


- There is a new website, Lonestar Puck Report, that is covering Texas hockey that has been doing a lot of interviews with the Allen Americans. In talking to the owner of the website, he primarily uses video interviews with players and coaches. He has done interviews after each home game with a player and just did a longer piece with Steve Martinson. It is always nice to get more publicity for the Americans. Here is were you can find the LoneStar Puck Report: https://lonestarpuckreport.com/


- While Allen is idle tonight there are 20 ECHL teams in action. Here is a preview of the 10 games on tap tonight. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/1/echl-today-jan-17



DID YOU KNOW: Allen's winning percentage after 42 games is .726. How does that compare to the Americans winning percentage in past seasons.

.726   2019-20  (after 42 games)
.389   2018-19
.542   2017-18
.722   2016-17
.618   2015-16*
.736   2014-15*

*won Kelly Cup championship

This and That Randomness - News You May or May Not be Able to Use

Some days there is not a lot to talk about and this is one of those days. Just a bunch of random thoughts and stats. Hope you can find something of interest!


- Allen defenseman Les Lancaster was loaned to the San Antonio Rampage yesterday. This is Lancaster's second loan to the AHL this season. He spent five weeks with the Iowa Wild and just returned to Allen 11 games ago. Les has played 23 games with the Americans and has 21 points (2G, 19A). His .91 points per game average is tops among Allen defensemen and fourth overall on the team.


- The Newfoundland Growlers beat Kansas City at home last night 7-1. It was the Growler's 16th straight home win which is the third longest home win streak in ECHL history. Here are the top three:

18 games - South Carolina, 12/23/94 to 3/19/95
17 games - Wheeling, 11/24/94 to 2/8/95
16 games - Newfoundland, 10/19/19 to ????


- I was recently talking to an NHL off ice official about what constitutes a faceoff win and was surprised to learn which team gets possession of the puck on a faceoff does not determine which player gets credit for the faceoff win. It is much more complicated but in general the player that first contacts and directs the puck gets credit for the faceoff win even if their team does not get possession.


- There are 22 ECHL players with 16 or more goals. Almost one quarter of them (23%) play for the Allen Americans:

24 goals - Gabe Gagne
17 goals - Tyler Sheehy
17 goals - Jared VanWormer
16 goals - Jordan Topping
16 goals - Alex Guptill


- The South Carolina Stingrays are having a historic season. They are currently on pace to set all time records for points (116) and winning/points percentage (.806). They are winning with outstanding team defense. They have allowed just 76 goals in 37 games which is on pace for 149 goals allowed for the season, the all time record is 153. They have two goalies splitting the workload and they both have GAA's under 2.00. South Carolina has eight shutouts in 37 games. They need just four more in their remaining 35 games to tie the all time ECHL record of 12 shutouts which they set in 2014-15. One of their goalies, Parker Milner, has six shutouts in 18 games, twice as many shutouts as any other goalie this season. Milner needs two more shutouts to tie the all time single season record of eight.


- Not sure why, other than it is a slow day, but here are the January 16-31 birthdays for every player to put on a jersey for the Allen Americans with their age in parenthesis. You would have to be a "super fan" to remember some of these names:

January 18 - Kevin Sundher (28)
January 19 - Greg Campbell (25)
January 20 - Jared Bethune (23)
                     Wade Macleod (33)
January 22 - Dereck Baribeau (21)
January 23 - Brett Lyon (29)
January 24 - Raphael Girard (29)
                     Jarret Lukin (36)
                     Chris Mifflen (32)
                     Corey Tamblyn (31)
January 25 - Chad Butcher (24)
January 26 - Jack Combs (32)
                     Bryan Pitton (32)
January 28 - Dominic D'Amour (36)


- Allen has three players in the top 22 ECHL defensemen in plus/minus. Jack Sadek is +16, Turner Ottenbreit is +14 in just 17 games and Stepan Falkovsky is +10. Allen's all time plus minus leaders for a single season are:

+47   Joel Chouinard (2016-17)
+28   David Makowski (2017-18)
+26   Trevor Ludwig (2014-15)
+25   Aaron Gens (2014-15)


- The Allen Americans penalty minutes are down dramatically this season but the Mountain Division is still holding their own as the most physical division in the ECHL. Here is the range, team with most and least PIMS, by division:

699-394   North Division
625-435   South Division
632-343   Central Division
660-488   Mountain Division

Worcester leads the ECHL with 699 penalty minutes followed by Rapid City (660) and Utah (634). Three teams have fewer than 400 penalty minutes, Wheeling (343), Newfoundland (394) and Maine (399).


- Many former Allen players are doing well overseas including Tanner Eberle in Great Britain and Alex Lavoie in Norway but to no surprise Chad Costello, who plays in the top German league (DEL), which is one of the best pro leagues in the world, is having the best season. Chad leads the DEL in scoring with 39 points (16G, 29A).


- A good team playing good is Newfoundland which is 10-0-0-0 in their last 10 games. A good team playing poorly is Fort Wayne who is 3-5-2-0 in their last 10 games. A last placed team playing well is Kansas City who is 6-4-0-0 in their last 10 games.


- Allen is ranked #14 in average attendance at 3835 per game. For the full season in 2018-19 the average attendance was 4073.


- Stepan Falkovsky is tied for #2 in the ECHL in goals by a defenseman with nine.


- Former Allen defenseman, Miles Liberati, who now plays for Tulsa, is tied for the ECHL lead in points by a defenseman. Miles has played in 34 games and has 30 points (6G, 24A).


- The Newfoundland Growlers are the only ECHL team that hasn't lost an overtime game this season, they are 7-0.


- Allen is ranked #5 in winning/points percentage when scoring first at .841. The Americans record is 18-3-1-0.


- South Carolina leads the ECHL in penalty kill percentage (90.1%) giving up 14 goals in 142 opportunities. Reading is last with a penalty kill percentage of 74.3% (35-136).


- Orlando and Worcester have 10 shorthanded goals, Jacksonville has none. The Allen Americans have five. Tyler Sheehy has two, Boka, Falkovsky and Durocher have one each.


- Allen's record is about the same whether outshooting an opponent or not:

13-4-2-0  when outshooting an opponent
14-4-4-1  when outshot by an opponent

 

DID YOU KNOW: Spencer Asuchak is #1 all time for the Allen Americans in games played (333), goals (100) and seasons (7). He is #2 in assists and points behind Chad Costello and #3 in penalty minutes behind Garrett Clarke (#1) and David Makowski (#2).


Derek Mathers holds the all time Allen Americans single season penalty minute record at 274 minutes. Allen coach Steve Martinson led the AHL in penalty minutes in 1985-86 while playing for the Hershey Bears when he totaled 432 penalty minutes.

Another Overtime Win, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Steve Martinson's Post Game Comments, Longest Tenured Allen Players and More

It was deja vu all over again last night as the Allen Americans defeated the Utah Grizzlies before a Tuesday night crowd of 3381 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). When Utah last visited the AEC in October they blew out the Americans 10-4 in the first game but Allen rebounded in game two with a 5-4 overtime win. Fast forward to the last two nights and the Grizzlies blew out the Americans 6-1 on Monday but Allen rebounded with a 6-5 overtime win on Tuesday night.


-  The game last night started out much like the game on Monday. Allen scored first as Les Lancaster and Tyler Sheehy teamed up for a shorthanded goal just 2:57 into the game. It was Sheehy's first goal since returning from his stint in Iowa (AHL). Just like Monday night, after Allen took a 1-0 lead the Grizzlies scored three straight goals and it started to look like another blowout. When the dust settled on the second period Allen had been out shot 20-8 but managed to score twice and trailed 4-3 at the second intermission.


- Allen scored twice early in the third period to take a 5-4 lead but could not hold on against a potent Utah attack which led to the tying goal and yet another overtime for the Americans. Allen dominated the overtime period and it looked to be over when Stepan Falkovsky and Gabe Gagne had a 2-on-0 break only to be stopped. Allen went on the power play at the 2:11 mark of the overtime which is four players against three. The Americans peppered the Utah goalie and scored the game winner on a cannon of a slap shot from Falkovsky.


- Goal scorers for Allen were Tyler Sheehy (16, 17), Gabe Gagne (24), Stepan Falkovsky (8, 9) and Jared VanWormer (17). Here are the video highlights:

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/americans-grab-overtime-win-over-utah/



STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

- I often say the time coach Martinson spends with season ticket holders after games is well worth the price of admission. Last night was one of those nights with Martinson on his "A" game. Informative, entertaining, full of laughs while answering every question fans asked. Here are a few of the quotes that can repeated outside of that room:

"It was quite a back and forth game but I really liked the way we came back in the third period and didn't let up. We finally got a power play in overtime."

"We had two power play goals, one to take the lead and the other to win the game, which was great."

"I don't know how many times I have said shoot the puck and go to the net. We have some guys that try to beat their guy at the top of the circle and lose the puck. Sheehy comes to the top of the circle, shoots the puck, skates by the defenseman, gets the puck back and puts it in the net. He is just a very smart player."

"The 2-on-0 miss in overtime with Falkovsky and Gagne was one of those you pass to me to shoot, no I will pass to you to shoot, no I will pass to you to shoot. If we would have lost that game after that I am not sure what I would have done."

"I thought we were more physical tonight and it will help when we get Asuchak and Brittain back who are two of our more physical players."

"We didn't have enough greasy guys going to the net last night. We did a much better job on that tonight."



OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen has gone to overtime 17 times this season which is 40% of the their games. No other team has had more than 12 overtimes and the league average is under eight per team. The Americans overtime record is now 9-6 and their shootout record is 1-1.


- Gabe Gagne scored his league leading 24th goal last night. It was his fourth straight game with a goal and his fifth straight home game with a goal, both the longest current streaks in the ECHL.


- Tyler Sheehy had three points (2G, 1A) and has moved into second place in the ECHL scoring race with 46 points despite missing seven games while he was in Iowa.


- It was a great night for the Allen special teams last night which accounted for three of the six goals. The penalty kill was perfect and also picked up a shorthanded goal. The power play was 2-3.


- The Americans have now completed 42 games (58%) of their season. They have played more games than any other team in the league. Some teams have played as few as 34 games. What this means going forward for Allen is more time off. There are 83 days left in the regular season and the Americans have just 30 games in those 83 days.


- Allen has a 12 point lead over second place Idaho and a 14 point lead over third place Utah in the Mountain Division standings.

 



DID YOU KNOW:  13 players have spent four or more seasons with the Allen Americans:

Seven Seasons
Spencer Asuchak

Six Seasons
Gary Steffes

Five Seasons
Brian McMillin
Jarret Lukin

Four Seasons
Tyler Ludwig
Mike Berube
David Makowski
Mike Gunn
Greger Hanson
Bruce Graham
Trevor Ludwig
Eric Roy
Garrett Clarke 

Grizzlies Paw the Americans, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Rematch Preview, Roster Changes, Worst Defeats and More

As I was leaving the Allen Event Center (AEC) last night after getting the coaches take on the game I came across one of my favorite ushers and he said to me with a wry smile, "Barry, both the fans and the team decided to stay home tonight." He wasn't far from the truth as the few fans that showed up (2753 officially but many fewer in the AEC) watched the Allen Americans get outplayed, outworked, outskated, outshot and outscored in an embarrassing 6-1 loss to the Utah Grizzlies.


- The Americans actually got off to a good start and at one point in the first period had a 10-2 shot advantage. Gabe Gagne scored the first goal of the game, his league leading 23rd of the season at the 15:24 mark. From that point Utah scored six unanswered goals and outshot the Americans 41-16.


- As I talked to the Allen coaches (Steve Martinson, Jason Deitsch, Chris Meriney) after the game the same theme came up over and over in different ways. Utah just outskated and outworked Allen, especially after the first period. They described it and showed it on video. The Americans had no answer for Utah's top line which had 12 points and five goals. What made this line so effective is they backchecked and played well defensively as evidenced by their plus/minus of +14.


- If you want to read the details here is the game recap from the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/grizzlies-score-six-straight-beat-americans-6-1/


- Here is the recap from the Utah Grizzlies: https://www.utahgrizzlies.com/en/grizzlies-news/grizz-win-6-1-on-ty-lewis-hat-trick


- Video highlights:

- It is a bleak picture if you look at the results of the three games Allen has played against Utah this season. All three were in Allen with losses of 10-4 and 6-1. The one game the Americans won the score was 5-4 in overtime. The cumulative numbers show a huge advantage for Utah. They have outscored Allen 20-10 and outshot the Americans 116-74. If Allen expects to win tonight they must play better in their defensive zone. That starts with fewer turnovers in neutral ice but more importantly working harder when the team is on defense. Utah has had hattricks in two of the three games they have played against Allen this season. Josh Dickinson in the 10-4 Utah win in October and Ty Lewis last night.


- Coach Martinson doesn't have many options in making roster changes for the rematch tonight. The only player that could be cleared to play is Josh Brittain who was at the game last night but hasn't skated while recovering from the flu.


- My guess is Andrew Shortridge will get the start in goal tonight. Jake Paterson started last night and Dereck Baribeau started on Saturday. Shortridge last played a week ago in Wichita.


- Gabe Gagne is a free agent in the AHL so any team can sign him to a PTO (tryout contract). Gabe leads the ECHL in goals (23) and has seven goals in his last five games. There is little doubt some AHL team will be calling for his services soon.


-  Allen's Matt Register has been in Iowa all season. In the last month Matt has been a healthy scratch nine times and has played in just four games. With the Wild getting some players healthy you may see Register back in Allen sooner than later.


- Ben Owen was released yesterday and that may be the first of several roster changes in the near future. With more players possibly assigned to Allen by the Wild and injured players getting healthy it will force Martinson to release or trade some players. Should be interesting times the next few weeks.


- Since December 22 Allen has lost eight of 11 games. Their record is 4-3-3-1 in those 11 games. 


DID YOU KNOW: Allen's 6-1 loss last night made the all time list for worst losses. Here are the worst defeats (losses by five or more goals) in Allen Americans history in chronological order. It is noteworthy 10 of the 15 worst defeats in history happened at home.

6-1: Utah - 1/13/20 (home)
10-4: Utah - 10/18/19 (home)
9-3: Kansas City - 3/8/19 (home)
6-0: Kansas City - 3/6/19 (home)
5-0: Utah - 11/23/18 (away)
6-1: Kansas City - 3/24/18 (home)
5-0: Idaho - 1/6/2018 (away)
6-1: Tulsa - 11/21/15 (home)
8-1: Colorado - 11/14/15 (home)
6-1: Fort Worth - 2/23/13 (away)
5-0: Laredo - 2/25/12 (away)
11-6: Colorado - 1/1/11 (home)
5-0: Tulsa - 12/18/10 (home)
6-1: Laredo - 3/4/10 (away)
6-1: Rapid City - 1/15/10 (home)