Coronavirus, ECHL Individual Awards, Zamboni Story, Jersey Auction, Martinson Comments and More

I had the urge to write this morning even though there isn't much new to write about. Not sure where this will end up so it may be more rambling than usual.


- I am positive no matter your situation this coronavirus pandemic has upended your life in so many ways. Being in the 70+ category (expendable category by some) you live in fear of catching the virus and keep thinking it is a death sentence even though the stats say other wise. To make the worry quotient even higher our only son and his wife live in Manhattan and our only daughter is a registered nurse (RN) at Parkland Hospital. I know each of you have equally stressful stories. I have to admit the memes from moms about homeschooling provided much comic relief the last few days. My only advice is stay safe!

 Other than solo bike rides around our neighborhood (made 10 miles yesterday) and one trip to Cheddar's for curbside pick up we have stayed close to home. We made our first online grocery order which I will pick up tomorrow. I may be over reacting but the last few days have taken me back to Vietnam where you have the feeling danger lurks around every corner. When you read how long the virus can stay alive on various surfaces it is easy to get paranoid. Here is a video I found made by a doctor that talks about how to handle various packages. If you are a 20 something you may scoff and say this goes too far but as a 70 something I will be heeding this advice when I pick up groceries tomorrow. This is worth watching!

- Enough about the other stuff. Here are some hockey topics to get your mind (and mine) off coronavirus.


- Next week could be a big one for the Allen Americans as the ECHL will announce individual award winners. I know this won't happen but you can make an unbiased argument that Allen could win Rookie of the Year, Defenseman of the Year, MVP and Coach of the Year.

Rookie of the Year - I would be shocked if Tyler Sheehy doesn't win ROY. Tyler finished with a 15 point lead in the rookie scoring race with 70 points. His 44 assists were 12 more than any other rookie. His 26 goals were #2 for rookies, one behind the leader. He accomplished all of this playing in only 47 games.

Defenseman of the Year - Alex Breton won the scoring race among defensemen by nine points and his 44 assists were tied with Tyler Sheehy for the most in the entire league. There were no weaknesses in his game and his stats stack up against any other defenseman in the league. Alex will definitely finish in the top three but may be hurt because some voters don't like to vote for multiple players from the same team and Sheehy is so strong. Alex is certainly deserving.

#1 - points (55)
#1 - assists (44)
#2 - points per game (.90)
#5 - games played (61)
#6 - goals (11)
#11 - plus/minus (+20)


Coach of the Year -  The job Steve Martinson did this season was outstanding and should make him one of the favorites for ECHL COY. Allen was on pace to finish the regular season with 102 points after totaling just 56 points last season. A 46 point turnaround would have been one of the biggest in ECHL history. It is hard to believe with 10 championships and more wins (1043) than any pro coach in North American hockey history other than Scotty Bowman that Martinson has never been selected Coach of the Year. Martinson had one of his best ever coaching jobs from recruiting a different type of team to handling so many of his players spending a majority of the season in the AHL. Martinson lost close to 300 games from the players he signed spending time with AHL teams in this shortened season. I think Martinson's main competition will come from first year South Carolina Stingrays head coach, Steve Bergin, who has had his team in first place the entire season. Allen and Martinson have never been the most popular around the league for various reasons so my guess is Coach of the Year will go elsewhere, most likely to Bergin.


MVP - This would be a long shot because voters will be reluctant to vote for Tyler Sheehy as Rookie of the Year and also MVP. Tyler missed out on the scoring championship by three points when he missed the last two weeks of February with an injury. Sheehy ended up playing in just 47 games this season because of injuries and call ups which makes his stats all the more impressive. Tyler is certainly deserving and should finish in the top five. Here are his stats to put the year in perspective:

#231 - games played (47)
#1 - assists (44)
#1 - points per game (1.49)
#3 - points (70)
#7 - goals (26)

By the way, Sheehy took just two minor penalties in 47 games (goalie interference and slashing).


- I had a chance to check in with coach Martinson and he is busy getting ready for next season. The way the season ended there are plenty of details getting everything organized and ready for next season. Martinson is already identifying players to recruit and will start making calls soon. I know from past seasons he usually doesn't talk to Allen players for a few weeks after the season is over. He will start having those conversations in the near future. You have to wonder what impact the Coronavirus pandemic will have on players signing in Europe. There are a lot of players with Allen ties that had AHL deals for this season. Will they get AHL deals for next season?


- Allen Event Center Zamboni driver extraordinaire, Geoff Gill, sent me this article from the Toronto Sun about the history of the Zamboni. It is a great read. https://torontosun.com/sports/hockey/sweet-ride-theyre-clunky-and-slow-but-the-fascination-with-the-zamboni-lives-on 


- If you are a jersey collector the Americans have another auction currently going on (ends on Tuesday) that includes among others, more Allen Americans military jerseys and game worn red jerseys. If you are not familiar with the auction you have to download the app (LiveSource) and select "Allen, TX" to bid. A chance to own an autographed jersey for as little as $250. I saw jerseys for Pollock, Sheehy, Heffley, Falkovsky, Breton, Lammon and Paterson.

DID YOU KNOW: How did the Allen Americans offensive production this season compare to prior ECHL seasons. Here are average goals per game for each season since the Americans joined the ECHL.

3.98   2019-20
2.89   2018-19
3.26   2017-18
4.08   2016-17
3.08   2015-16*
4.05   2014-15*

*Kelly Cup champions


   
      

What Is and What Could Have Been, Award Winners, Jersey Auction, New Veterans, Ironmen and More

It seems to me like the ECHL season was canceled a long time ago but the fact is it has only been five days and there are still well over 200 days before hockey returns to Allen. Most of the players have already headed home. With the talk of restrictions and self quarantine for people going into Canada the players from there were in a hurry to get back home. A handful of players (Asuchak, VanWormer, Durocher, Brittain) are staying in Texas for a variety of reasons. Stepan Falkovsky is about to leave on the 5600 mile trip heading home the Belarus.


- I have had more than a few fans contact me about why the Americans or the ECHL didn't do more to help the players when the season was cancelled. Many expressed their desire to contribute to a fund to help. The short answer is the ECHL and PHPA (Professional Hockey Players Association) would have to come to an agreement to extend pay and that didn't happen. As for the Americans being involved in any kind of fund raising or distribution of funds to players that is illegal because it violates the salary cap. There is nothing stopping fans from contacting players directly to offer help but that is complicated because most of the players are already gone.


- When you think of the potential money lost by Allen players it could easily amount to $10,000 - $15,000. If Allen would have won the Kelly Cup it would have meant 14 more weeks of salary, three more months of housing and playoff money.  


- While there is no way to know how Allen would have done in the playoffs there is little doubt they were poised for putting together a great roster for the post season. Gabe Gagne, Zach Sawchenko, Jack Sadek and Jake Doty would have likely been back for the start of the playoffs. There was a possibility Les Lancaster, Matt Register, Mitch McLain and Turner Ottenbreit could have been back at some point. Coach Martinson was also working on another player getting assigned to Allen that would have been huge.


- The job Steve Martinson did this season should make him a favorite for ECHL coach of the year if they hand out that award. Allen was on pace to finish the regular season with 102 points after totaling just 56 points last season. A 46 point turnaround would have been one of the biggest in ECHL history.


- It is worth noting the number of players that were expected to be in Allen that were not. Teams always lose players to the AHL but this season has seen more than anyone expected when the season began. Here is a list of players coach Martinson signed for Allen that have spent the majority of the season in the AHL. Included in the list below are the games each player played in Allen. 

Josh Atkinson - 0 games
Matt Register - 3 games
Jake Doty - 3 games
Turner Ottenbreit - 17 games
Les Lancaster - 34 games
Gabe Gagne - 36 games


- When I was talking to coach Martinson yesterday he mentioned it has been difficult for him since the workout facility he uses almost daily has shut down. He is trying to find someone who has free weights he could borrow. If you can help him out send him an email at steve.martinson@yahoo.com


- The Americans don't hand out awards each season but here is my opinion on award winners.

Tyler Sheehy - MVP (70 points)
Tyler Sheehy - Rookie of the Year
Alex Breton - Defenseman of the Year (55 points)
Jack Sadek - Plus Performer of the Year (+25)
Josh Lammon - Best Defensive Forward
Jared VanWormer - Charlie Hustle Award
Zach Sawchenko - Goalie of the Year (.930 save percentage)
Ben Owen & Les Lancaster - Community Service  



- There is an auction currently going on (ends on Tuesday) that includes the Allen Americans military jersey and the game worn red jerseys. If you are not familiar with the auction you have to download the app (LiveSource) and select "Allen, TX"

Stepan Falkovsky models military jersey

- Alex Guptill and Olivier Archambault passed the 260 professional games played this season and will be veterans at the start of the 2020-21 season.   


DID YOU KNOW: Even though 2019-20 was the shortest regular season in franchise history (62 games) it was the first time ever there were no players that played in every game. Alex Breton and Jack Sadek played in 61 of the 62 games. Here are the Ironmen, those players that didn't miss a game for each season in franchise history. 

2019-20 - None
2018-19 - Spencer Asuchak 
2017-18 - Joel Chouinard, Casey Pierro-Zabotel
2016-17 - Chad Costello, Joel Chouinard
2015-16 - Chad Costello
2014-15 - Chad Costello, Aaron Gens, Jamie Schaafsma
2013-14 - Spencer Asuchak, Daniel Tetrault, Mike Berube
2012-13 - Jamie Schaafsma, Jason Deitsch
2011-12 - Jason Deitsch
2010-11 - Colton Yellow Horn, David Strathman
2009-10 - Bruce Graham, Christian Gaudet




     

ECHL Season Canceled, Individual Awards, My Thanks To All and Who Would Have Won the Kelly Cup

The Allen Amercans season came to an abrupt end last night when the ECHL announced the season would be canceled. This coming just two days after the season was suspended. If you haven't seen the announcement from the league here it is: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/3/echl-cancels-remainder-of-2019-20-season


- When the ECHL Board of Governors (BOG) voted yesterday to cancel the season I am sure the health and safety of the players, employees and fans was top of mind. Far better safe than sorry. The ECHL BOG may end up being the leader in foreseeing what is to come in the next weeks and months. It is also a fact there are many ECHL teams that would have extreme difficulty keeping the status quo on expenses with no revenue.


- As I write the blog this morning I have a mixture of feelings from disappointment to sadness to disheartened. The Allen Americans typically play into May and June and even last season when they didn't make the playoffs the last game was April 6. It is dispiriting to know the last game this season was played on March 7 and it will be 220 days before hockey returns.


- This coronavirus pandemic impacts everyone both personally and professionally but my thoughts this morning are with the Allen Americans coaches, players and staff. The theme of this season was "Redemption" after missing the playoffs last season. The team was positioned for a deep playoff run with a real shot at another Kelly Cup. Being at the rink most days I have seen how the front office employees wear many different hats and work their butts off through trying times. I have seen the players dealing with off ice issues but give 110% on this ice. When you see how hard everyone has worked to have what was a promising season end this way has me feeling for them this morning.


- Not sure what the ECHL plans are for the typical awards given out to players at the end of the year. Coach Martinson thinks the league will still have the awards as voting is now taking place. Tyler Sheehy should be a lock for Rookie of the Year. Tyler finished the season with 70 points (26G, 44A) in just 47 games. His 70 points is 15 points more than any other rookie. Tyler finished third in the overall scoring race but led the league in average points per game at 1.49. Over a 72 game season that would be 107 points. Those are Chad Costello like numbers. In Chad's three seasons in Allen his points per game average was 1.74, 1.43 and 1.69.


- The other Allen player that should get an award is Alex Breton as Defenseman of the Year. Alex led all defensemen in points (44), was 6th in goals (11) and was tied with Sheehy for the most assist overall (44). Breton finished with a plus/minus of +20  which ranked #11 among defensemen.


- With the season canceled this will be my last regular blog. I will post periodically when I have any news about the team. It is hard to put into words my appreciation whether you read the blog every day or are a casual fan that stumbles across my daily musings. It has been my pleasure to meet many of you and your words of encouragement in person at games, comments at the end of each blog, posts on Twitter, Facebook, message boards, and email have been very satisfying and inspiring.


Thank you to the players who have never said no to a single request I have made of them for a chat, an interview or a question. I have gotten to know most of these young men both professionally and personally and they have represented the Americans in an outstanding manner.


Thanks to Steve Martinson and his staff  (Assistant Coach Jason Deitsch, Assistant Coach Chris Meriney, Goalie Coach Chris Johansen, Trainer Jordan Dutton, Equipment Mananger Tim Abbott) for always being willing to talk to me and help educate me. A special thanks to coach Martinson, for always taking my calls, answering my texts, allowing me to stop by his office after every game and every practice to ask questions and talk about the team. It is his openness and trust that has allowed the blog to have information you can't find anywhere else.


- There are too many people to thank for the help during the season from the front office, ice crew, off ice officials, interns, media, photographers, event center staff, bloggers and many fans. It does take a village to gather and share the information in the blog and my thanks to all of you.




DID YOU KNOW: In the last 15 seasons every Kelly Cup has been won by teams finishing in the top seven in the regular season. Only four times did the champion finish lower than fourth in the regular season. With the ECHL season canceled a lot of teams are saying “what if” had the playoffs taken place. Here are the top seven when the season was canceled. The eventual Kelly Cup champion would have most likely come from the top four below but would definitely come from this list based on past history.

.742 - South Carolina Stingrays
.742 - Florida Everblades
.710 - Allen Americans
.708 - Newfoundland Growlers
.669 - Toledo Walleye
.667 - Cincinnati Cyclones
.667 - Reading Royals


Here are the last 15 Kelly Cup champions with their regular season finish in parenthesis. Anyone who says once you get in the playoffs anything can happen hasn't looked at ECHL history.

2019 - Newfoundland  (3rd)
2018 - Colorado (4th)
2017 - Colorado (3rd)
2016 - Allen (6th)
2015 - Allen (2nd)
2014 - Alaska (1st)
2013 - Reading (2nd)
2012 - Florida (7th)
2011 - Alaska (1st)
2010 - Cincinnati (5th)
2009 - South Carolina (4th)
2008 - Cincinnati (1st)
2007 - Idaho (6th)
2006 - Alaska (1st)
2005 - Trenton (4th)

Update and Impacts on Allen Americans Suspended Season

What a difference 24 hours makes. If you were glued to social media yesterday like me you saw the professional hockey leagues suspend their season in what seemed like a coordinated order. The NHL announced they were suspending the season first, followed by the AHL a few hours later, the ECHL late in the afternoon and finally the SPHL.


- There are more questions than answers at this point and if there is anything we can all agree on is the health and safety of players, employees and fans is paramount. Here are some of the things that have been on my mind since hearing about the ECHL suspending the season.


- The Allen Americans spent yesterday flying to Utah where they were scheduled to play a three game series against the Grizzlies starting tonight. With the suspension of the season they made plans to fly back to Allen this morning.


- This is not a cancellation of the season it is a suspension. I have seen it referred to as a pause. In the press release announcing the suspension the league says in part, "We will continue to work with national and local health officials and local governance to monitor the situation." In other words it remains to be seen if, how and when the season will resume. Here is the ECHL press release:  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/3/echl-suspends-play


- The team will stay in Allen, they will get paid but they will not be allowed to practice. The ECHL provided very explicit guidance that includes there are to be no team activities including appearances, skating, and weight training. Team locker rooms are to be closed and no one permitted in them.


-  It will certainly be unfortunate if the season does not resume given Allen has one of the best records in the ECHL (40-14-6-2) and are in position for a deep playoff run. All the players can do now is act like the professionals they are and take care of themselves during what will hopefully be a short hiatus. Stay in shape, eat right and assume the season is not over.


- When I asked coach Martinson about what has happened he was as usual direct and to the point, "It is disappointing that it came to this. Hopefully things calm down and we can resume playing."


- Spencer Asuchak shared this with me, "I think a lot of guys are pretty anxious at the whole thing. The unknown is a bit scary. I just hope the season resumes because I think we have a team that can win it all and I would hate to waste that."  


- The financial impact on the team is certainly secondary to health and safety but could be catastrophic for some ECHL teams. Allen has five home games remaining which could be a loss of revenue from roughly 22,000 tickets. That would translate to an estimated loss in the neighborhood of $350,000 with my back of the envelope computation. I couldn't even guess the financial impact on the playoffs if they are nor held.


- The Allen front office went above and beyond the call of duty yesterday during the turmoil that was happening, mostly out of their control.  I am sure they were wondering what the future holds for them while putting together information for fans. Here is a link to the press release issued by the Americans. At the bottom of the press release is a FAQ link which answers many of the questions related to ticket refund policy. https://allenamericans.com/update/


- The other group you worry about are all of the folks this will impact. I assume more events than hockey will be postponed or canceled at the Allen Event Center. Will this impact the ice crew who are a big part of the Allen Americans family? It will certainly impact the vendors, concession workers, ushers, bartenders, cleaning crew to name just a few.


- With all of the uncertainty the best advice is to be kind, be flexible, be smart and be safe. Take care of yourself and take care of others.



DID YOU KNOW: Levity is often the best medicine when going through times like these. I still chuckle every time I think about what I included in the blog yesterday,  "If the Americans end up playing games without an audience how will the players know when to shoot the puck on the power play." It makes me laugh because there are several fans (you know who your are) that sit near me that give the shoot the puck advice all of the time. Here are a few comments I received yesterday that made me smile.

"Why didn't this happen last season."
"Now that everything is suspended, all of the ECHL teams need to identify their best gamers and play EA Sports version of the ECHL Games."
"This is slowing down Martinson's chase of Scotty Bowman for most pro wins all time."
"Hope Biscuit doesn't get laid off and sent to the "Dog Pound. " 


  

Allen Heads to Utah, Coronavirus Becomes Very Real, Hockey Humor, Scoring First Stats and More

As the Allen Americans left Love Field this morning at 6:00 am heading for Utah the impact of the coronavirus has become very real. The NBA suspended their season because a member of the Utah Jazz tested positive for the virus. The NCAA made a decision March Madness will be played without audiences. The Toledo Walleye played at home last night against the Cincinnati Cyclones and only official teams members, credentialed personnel and media were allowed to attend. The San Jose Sharks will play their three remaining home games in March without an audience. With the predictions of the spread of coronavirus cases it seems it is only a matter of time before NHL and ECHL games will be impacted on a much wider scale. I see on social media this morning the NHL might make a decision to suspend games as early as today.


- While the NHL and NBA have the finances to survive it is hard to believe some ECHL teams could survive a suspended season. Playing games without fans would be even worse when you consider the teams would have all of the expenses with none of the revenue. Ticket sales account for somewhere between 60% - 80% of a team's revenue. If you take that away and still have to play the games it would be the deathknell for more than a few teams in my opinion. 


- Unless something happens today with ECHL guidance it will be the show must go on for the Allen Americans tomorrow night. Once again Allen will be playing with a lot of players out of the lineup. Injured players Alex Guptill, Olivier Archambault and Corey Durocher stayed home and some players on the trip are listed as day to day. Coach Martinson is working to get a couple of the players currently in the AHL back for the weekend and continues to recruit college players just finishing their collegiate careers. If some of these puzzle pieces don't fall into place the Americans will be playing short against the Grizzlies.


- Have to admit as a person in the demographic where the coronavirus can be deadly and all of the depressing news about the postponing and canceling of public events, humor can be the best medicine. I saw this on social media several times and it made me chuckle. It goes something like this, adapted for the Allen Americans. "If the Americans end up playing games without an audience how will the players know when to shoot the puck on the power play."


- South Carolina and Cincinnati both lost last night. South Carolina is now tied with Florida for the league lead in points with 92 points. Allen has 88 points with a four point lead and a game in hand over Cincinnati for the best record in the Western Conference.


- Hockey leagues in Europe are quickly postponing and suspending games. Here is a link to the updated details: https://thehockeynews.com/news/article/top-leagues-in-slovakia-austria-poland-norway-cancel-seasons-due-to-coronavirus-outbreak


- In closing all I can say is to stay safe and be smart. Life has changed for all of us. Social distancing is the new catch phrase and your life and the life of your kids, parents, grandparents can be turned upside down very quickly. On a personal note, today would have been my dad's 100th birthday. During trying times like these having your parents around is reassuring no matter what your age. Happy birthday dad, missing you and thinking about you a lot today.



DID YOU KNOW: Scoring first makes some teams almost unbeatable. Leaguewide the winning percentage when scoring first is .747. The best:

.912 - Reading Royals
.871 - Allen Americans
.861 - South Carolina Stingrays
.859 - Florida Everblades
.855 - Toledo Walleye
.839 - Utah Grizzlies
.833 - Cincinnati Cyclones
.828 - Idaho Steelheads

Practice Update, Allen's #1's, Most Goals Among ECHL Rookies and More

It is another practice day for the Allen Americans as they prepare for the big three game series this weekend against the Utah Grizzlies. With six days between games there is an opportunity for players to heal some of the nagging injuries and for coach Martinson to work on some things in practice that haven't been worked on in a while. It is also time for Martinson to recruit college players and see if any AHL players might be assigned for the weekend. There is a good chance both will happen. Stay tuned.


- In addition to team goals like winning the Brabham Cup and/or being the top seed in the Western Conference, coach Martinson also wants players to achieve individual goals. He wants Tyler Sheehy to win the ECHL scoring title and the rookie scoring title. He wants Alex Breton to lead all ECHL defensemen in points and Stepan Falkovsky to lead in goals by a defenseman.


- Sheehy has 70 points and is one behind the league lead. He has a 15 point lead in the rookie scoring race. Alex Breton has 55 points and a nine point lead in the defensemen scoring race over second place Miles Liberati. Stepan Falkovsky has 15 goals and a one goal lead for the most goals by a defenseman.


- Here are all of the stats in the ECHL Daily Report where Allen players or the team is ranked #1:

TEAM
#1 - Most points in the Western Conference (88)
#1 - Most overtime wins (12)
#1 - Most goals scored (247)
#1 - Most goals scored in 3rd period (86)

INDIVIDUAL
#1 - Most assists in ECHL, Tyler Sheehy (44)
#1 - Most assists in ECHL, Alex Breton (44)
#1 - Most rookie points, Tyler Sheehy (70)
#1 - Most rookie assists, Tyler Sheehy (44)
#1 - Most rookie power play assists, Tyler Sheehy (15)
#1 - Most rookie power play points, Tyler Sheehy (20)
#1 - Most rookie shorthanded points, Tyler Sheehy (5)
#1 - Most points by defenseman, Alex Breton (55)
#1 - Most assists by defenseman, Alex Breton (44)
#1 - Most goals by defenseman, Stepan Falkovsky (15)
#1 - Most power play goals by defenseman, Stepan Falkovsky (8)
#1 - Best shooting percentage by defenseman, Stepan Falkovsky (17.0%)
#1 - Longest streak with an assist, Brett Pollock (10 games)
#1 - Longest home streak with an assist, Olivier Archambault (11 games)


DID YOU KNOW: Here is my post from ECHL Stats today. If you are on Facebook I ask you to go to my page (ECHL Stats & Information) and like the page. This is different than liking an individual post. If you are on Twitter go to ECHL Stats (@EchlStats) and and give it a follow. Thanks!

Most Goals Among ECHL Rookies This Season:
27 - Justin Brazeau, Newfoundland Growlers
26 - Tyler Sheehy, Allen Americans
26 - Samuel Asselin, Atlanta Gladiators
24 - Tyler Coulter, Rapid City Rush
23 - Liam Pecararo, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
22 - Brennan Saulnier, Rapid City Rush
 
 

  

Roster Update, Utah Series, PIMS Leaders and More

Needless to say this will be a critical week for the Allen Americans as they play three games in three days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) on the road against the Utah Grizzlies. Until recently the schedule had the series beginning on Wednesday but that game was changed to Sunday at the request of the Grizzlies because of a scheduling conflict at their arena, the Maverik Center. Turns out the conflict is professional wrestling. A relatively new company (2019) called "All Elite Wrestling" will have a nationally televised (TNT) event on Wednesday.


- The schedule change will allow coach Martinson to have some concentrated practice time before the team leaves for Utah on Thursday, something that is hard to find this time of the season.


- It is hard to overstate the importance of the three games against Utah this weekend. If Allen sweeps the series with three regulations wins they would have a 94-79 point lead over Utah and could not be caught by the Grizzlies. However, if Utah gets the sweep the Americans point lead will be down to 88-85 with seven games remaining.    


- I have heard from many of you recently about the inconsistent play of the Allen Americans and that observation is certainly accurate. If you look back over the last month, Allen's record is a mediocre 7-6-0-0 and the team has lost games by scores of 1-0 to 6-1 to 6-4. The Americans have won games by scores of 1-0 to 8-5 to 5-4. Three of their last four wins have come in overtime.


- It is worth noting the number of players that were expected to be in Allen that are not. Teams always lose players to the AHL but this season has seen more than anyone expected when the season began. Here is a list of players coach Martinson signed for Allen that have spent the majority of the season in the AHL. Included in the listed below are the games they have played for Allen. FYI the Americans have played 62 games.

Josh Atkinson - 0 games
Matt Register - 3 games
Jake Doty - 3 games
Turner Ottenbreit - 17 games
Les Lancaster - 34 games
Gabe Gagne - 36 games


-  In addition to the six players above the last month has seen other key players miss time. Tyler Sheehy (injury), Brett Pollock (injury) and Jared VanWormer (AHL loan) have missed a total of 17 games in the last month. Olivier Archambault, Alex Guptill, Cole Fraser, Stepan Falkovsky and Corey Durocher have also missed games with injuries. Nick Boka hasn't played since the end of January and is out indefinitely. In the last three days Jack Sadek and Mitch McLain have been recalled by Iowa.


-  It all adds up to coach Martinson scrambling to find more college players, in addition to Ben Carroll, to sign for the remainder of the season. It is also possible the Wild are looking to sign some players just finishing their collegiate eligibility which could benefit the Americans.


- Coach Martinson has mentioned in the past he expects Jake Doty to be sent back to Allen for a weekend before the end of the season to get enough games (needs two more) to qualify for the playoffs. Seems like this weekend against Utah would be perfect timing. Allen may be shorthanded and more importantly it is an easy trip to get from Ontario (Los Angeles) to Salt Lake City.


- While Allen is playing three games in Utah this weekend, Idaho will be in Rapid City for three games and Tulsa will play Kansas City three times. The playoff picture could clarify a lot this weekend.


DID YOU KNOW: Here are the average penalty minutes per game leaders since the 2014-15 season. Looks like the new fighting rules for the 2019-20 season have impacted the average penalty minutes per game. The ECHL is on pace to have 755 major penalties (mostly fighting majors) this season. Last season there were 1061 major penalties. FYI, Allen's average penalty minutes per game this season is 12.02.

16.95 - Fort Wayne Komets (2019-20)
23.49 - Allen Americans (2018-19)
19.60 - Allen Americans (2017-18)
19.89 - Allen Americans (2016-17)
19.82 - Colorado Eagles (2015-16)
22.83 - Allen Americans (2014-15)
     

Allen Wastes A Comeback, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Roster Update, Jersey Auction, All Hockey Hair Team and More

The Allen Americans lost to the Tulsa Oilers last night by a score of 4-2. You can blame the loss on the team being tired having not arrived back from Kansas City until 7:00 am Saturday morning while Tulsa hadn't played since last Tuesday. You can blame the loss on the curse of the big Saturday night crowd (5523) or the curse of the Saturday night jersey auction. Maybe it was the switch to daylight savings. Maybe it was because the police were involved in a shootout in the arena just before the game. You can always find a reason but the bottom line is Allen struggled to score goals even strength and lost 4-2 in a game that wasn't decided until the Oilers scored an empty net goal with 44 seconds remaining in the game.


- When I talked to coach Martinson after the game he was most disappointed that the team wasted a comeback effort after they scored two power play goals in 22 seconds midway through the third period to tie the score 2-2. The Americans first goal came on a 5-on-3 power play when Olivier Archambault tipped in a shot by Tyler Sheehy. Just 22 seconds later Jared VanWormer, playing in his first game since returning from the AHL, scored on a 5-on-4 power play.


- If there was a silver lining in the loss it was the continued success of the power play. Allen has scored at least one power play goal in all four games since Tyler Sheehy has returned from being injured. In those four games the power play percentage is 31.9% (7-22).


- Here is the game recap issued by the Tulsa Oilers: https://tulsaoilers.com/oilers-double-up-americans-in-road-win/


- Archambault's goal was his 18th of the season. VanWormer's goal was his 22nd of the season. Here are the video highlights:

- Here is Steve Martinson's post game interview:

- After the game coach Martinson was mostly focused on the roster.  Iowa has recalled defenseman Jack Sadek. In addition, a couple of players have injuries that could possibly keep them out of the lineup. It will be a long day for Sadek just trying to join the Wild who are scheduled to play the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg this afternoon at 2:00 pm CDT.


- Martinson will be spending a lot of time on the phone the nest few days trying to identify college players that are just ending their season. As college/junior teams go deeper in the playoffs before losing more and more good players become available. Many look to sign with AHL teams as a first choice so there is plenty of competition for the top players. What works in Martinson's favor is the Americans are a top team headed for the playoffs.


OTHER COMMENTS

- The shootout that took place at the Allen Event Center involving the police was at the end of the annual Police vs Fire charity game. The final score was 5-4. The series still favors the Fire Department 6-5.


- The grey (third) jerseys the Americans have been wearing this season were auctioned off after the game last night. Here are auction results:

$800 - Spencer Asuchak
$600 - Tyler Sheehy
$550 - Jake Paterson
$500 - Andrew Shortridge
$500 - Alex Breton
$400 - 3 players
$350 - 4  players
$300 - 4 players
$250 - 8 players


- Last night Utah beat Rapid City 7-4 and Idaho lost to South Carolina 5-4. Allen's lead over Idaho and Utah now stands at nine points.


- Congrats to Gabe Gagne who was signed to a SPC (Standard Player's Contract) this week by the Rockford IceHogs. The expectation is Gagne will return to Allen if Rockford doesn't make the playoffs or when they are eliminated from the playoffs.


- The Minnesota Boys High School Hockey Tournament concluded yesterday. One of the highlights of the tournament is the "All Hockey Hair Team" which in addition to being a lot of fun is also a fundraiser. Here you go:

DID YOU KNOW: Six of the 16 Kelly Cup playoffs teams have already been decided. Based on past history it is highly likely the Kelly Cup Champion will come from one of these six teams:

South Carolina
Florida
Allen
Newfoundland
Cincinnati
Reading 

Allen Escapes With OT Win, Game Recap, Martinson's Comments, Allen vs Tulsa Preview and More

Unless you come from the camp that any road win is a good win the Allen Americans 5-4 overtime win over the Kansas City Mavericks last night was a big disappointment. The Americans built a 4-1 lead early in the third period and were coasting to their 40th win of the season only to have the wheels come off in the last five minutes of regulation time. The Mavericks scored three goals in less than three minutes to send the game to overtime. Allen is very comfortable in overtime considering they have gone to overtime in just over a third of their games this season. The Americans won their fifth straight overtime game and 12th of the season when Mitch McLain tipped in a goal mouth pass from Spencer Asuchak at the 3:30 mark of overtime.


- There were certainly bright spots for Allen as they scored the first goal of the game, had a 2-0 lead after the first period, 3-0 lead midway through the second period and a 3-1 lead at the second intermission. Allen's record when leading after the second period is 28-1-1-0 so all looked good going into the third period.


- Allen was out shot 20-9 in the third period and gave up three goals in exactly 159 seconds to turn what was looking like a confidence building road win to a hang on overtime win. To their credit the Americans had the character to shake off the Mavericks late comeback and find a way to win the game. Even though it was an ugly win it counts two points in the standings and keeps Allen in the hunt for the best overall record in the ECHL.


- The goal scorers for Allen were Jordan Topping (25 & 26), Alex Breton (11), Cody Corbett (4) and Mitch McLain (4). You can find the video highlights at this ECHL link: https://www.echl.com/en/tag?id=5bb763bdd3bc0f20ed973ef0&name=ECHL%20Video


- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-win-another-overtime-thriller/


- Here is the game recap issued by the Mavericks: https://www.kcmavericks.com/en/news/mavs-furious-third-period-comeback-yields-standings-point-but-kc-falls-5-4-in-overtime  


- When I touched base with coach Martinson after the game he made it clear he was very disappointed in how the team played in the third period.

"It was an ugly third period but they played harder and it caught up to us. We didn't defend well and we didn't get pucks out of our zone."

"I thought their top players were buzzing and we had a lot of forwards turning over pucks."

"We will get Archambault and VanWormer back for tomorrow (Saturday) night and that should help a lot."



- Jordan Topping's two goals last night ties him for the team lead in goals with Tyler Sheehy at 26. Sheehy had two assists in the game and is tied for the ECHL lead in scoring with 69 points. Sheehy has a 16 point lead in the rookie scoring race.


- Ben Carroll had a good start to his pro career with two assists in the game and was +3 at one point in the game. He finished at +1.


ALLEN VS TULSA

- Allen spent all night traveling back from Kansas City and will have to be ready to go again tonight as they take on the Tulsa Oilers. Tulsa has not played since they lost to Allen 1-0 in overtime at home on Tuesday.


- Allen has matched up well against Tulsa this season with a record of 7-2-0-0. Allen has outscored the Oilers 30-22 in their head to head matchups. The last two meetings have been low scoring overtime games. The Americans came out on top 1-0 and 2-1.


- Allen's power play had another goal last night which makes three straight games with a power play goal. It is no coincidence Tyler Sheehy returned to the lineup three games ago. With Archambault and VanWormer back in the lineup tonight the power play should be even better.


- Allen's penalty kill has been perfect the last two games. Combine that with the fact Tulsa has scored a power play goal in just one of the nine games against Allen this season and the Americans could have a good night on special teams.


-  Allen was out shot by Kansas City last night 44-22 and they will be going up against an Oilers team tonight that is #1 in the league in average shots per game. Allen needs to keep the shots close if they expect to win.


- Tulsa will be playing desperate as they are fighting for their playoff life. They are tied with Rapid City for the fourth and final playoff spot with 64 points but Rapid City has three games in hand.



OTHER COMMENTS 

- With the win last night Allen gained ground on #1 South Carolina (lost 4-1 to Idaho) and maintained their lead in the Mountain Division. Here are the standings for the overall point lead and Mountain Division point lead with games remaining in parenthesis:

Overall Point Leaders
90 points - South Carolina (12 games)
90 points - Florida (11 games)
88 points - Allen (11 games)
82 points - Cincinnati (11 games)
81 points - Newfoundland (14 games)

Mountain Division Standings
88 points - Allen (11 games)
79 points - Idaho (12 games)
77 points - Utah (11 games)
64 points - Tulsa (10 games)
64 points - Rapid City (13 games)
53 points - Kansas City (13 games)
52 points - Wichita (13 games)


- All Mountain Division teams will be in action tonight and every team has something to play for whether it is home ice advantage or just making the playoffs. Here are the games:

Wichita at Kansas City
Tulsa at Allen
Utah at Rapid City
South Carolina at Idaho


- Allen won their 40th game last night. It is the first time the Americans have reached 40 wins since the 2016-17 season.


- If you like watching hockey you can come early tonight and watch the annual Police vs Fire charity game. One ticket gets you in for both games. Puck drop is 5:05 pm.


- One of the greatest hockey tournaments each season is the Minnesota Boys High School Hockey Tournament which concludes today. In Class A (small schools) Mahtomedi takes on Hermantown and in Class AA Hill-Murray takes on Eden Prairie. The close to 19,000 fans that will pack the Xcel Energy Center for the games today will see a larger crowd for Minnesota High School Hockey than any game in the ECHL and AHL tonight. In fact, they will outdraw all but a few NHL games tonight. Here is what they call the "Hype Video" for this year's tournament with some past highlights:

DID YOU KNOW:  Seven ECHL teams are averaging 3.50 or more goals per game. All will make the playoffs. Here is the list with each team’s rank in their division standings in parenthesis:

4.02 - Allen Americans (#1)
3.97 - Newfoundland Growlers (#1)
3.84 - Toledo Walleye (#2)
3.69 - Brampton Beast (#3)
3.66 - Florida Everblades (#2)
3.63 - Reading Royals (#2)
3.50 - South Carolina Stingrays (#1)
 

Allen Stands Pat at Trade Deadline, Allen vs Kansas City Preview, Playoff Tickets and More

The trade deadline passed yesterday with Steve Martinson making the decision to stand pat. That doesn't mean he wasn't actively talking to teams but the filter he always uses when talking trades is will the new player be better than the players on the current roster and the roster when the playoffs begin. With so many players in the AHL it is somewhat of a guessing game to predict who will be back for the start of the playoffs. Just think how different the roster will look if Gabe Gagne, Jared VanWormer, Les Lancaster, Matt Register, Jake Doty, Turner Ottenbreit and Mitch McLain are in Allen for the first round of the playoffs. It is highly unlikely they will all be back but clearly some of them are expected back in Allen.


- While Allen wasn't active at the trade deadline plenty of teams were. I saw a tweet from ECHL Week last night that said in the last week 27 players were involved in trades. One player traded fans are familiar with from his time with the Americans is Emerson Clark. Clark was traded to Toledo yesterday by Jacksonville. Clark is just completing his 16 game suspension for physical abuse of an official. Even though Clark has only played in 106 ECHL games since the 2016-17 season he is 7th in penalty minutes with 556. That is an average of 5.25 penalty minutes per game. He will certainly add toughness to the Walleye, the question is will he be disciplined enough to avoid suspensions given he is a repeat offender.


-  If you are interested in seeing all of the trade deadline activity, team by team, check out the Team Sin Bin's Trade Tracker at this link: https://thesinbin.net/2019-20-echl-trade-tracker/



ALLEN VS KANSAS CITY PREVIEW


- The Americans are in Kansas City to take on the Mavericks tonight. It will be the seventh of eight times these teams meet this season. Allen is in first place in the Mountain Division with 86 points while Kansas City is in last place (tied) with 52 points. It may come as a surprise Allen's worst record among all Mountain Division teams is their 3-3-0-0 record against the Mavericks. The good news is two of Allen's three wins came in Kansas City when they beat the Mavericks 8-2 (January 18) and 4-2 (November 19). The last time these teams played in Kansas City (February 8) the Mavericks won 6-4.


- I mentioned yesterday Allen will be playing one player short tonight (9 forwards, 6 defensemen) with Olivier Archambault, Stepan Falkovsky and Corey Durocher not on the trip because of injuries. My reporting is Archambault should be available for Saturday's game against Tulsa in Allen. If the Americans can get through the game tonight without any injuries they will have a full lineup tomorrow night.


- While Allen will be playing shorthanded tonight the Mavericks have a strengthened roster. They have had three players loaned to them by their AHL affiliate (Stockton) in the last two days. Left wing Mason Morelli was loaned yesterday, center Mitch Hults and defenseman Zach Osburn were loaned on Wednesday.


- Allen's power play has slowly been coming back to life after a bit of a dry spell. In the last eight games the power play is 9-38 (23.7%). The penalty kill has struggled much of the season other than a brief period in January when the penalty kill was 87% over seven games and scored four shorthand goals. The penalty kill is ranked #16 in the ECHL at 81.2%.


- Over the last five games the Allen penalty kill has given up five power play goals on just 10 opportunities for a penalty kill percentage of 50%. If there is a silver lining for the Americans the special teams have been good in the six head to head games against Kansas City. Allen's power play is 21.4% and the penalty kill is 85.7%.


- Scoring first is always important when you consider Allen is 35-3-1-1 when scoring first and Kansas City is 20-4-1-0. Even more important is the fact the team that scored first has won every game Allen and Kansas City have played this season.


-  The biggest difference between these teams is their offensive production which you would expect with the first and last place team in the division. Allen has scored 240 goals and is ranked #1 in the ECHL. Kansas City has scored 160 goals and is ranked #24.


- Kansas City has lost six of their last eight games including a home loss to Kalamazoo in their last game (February 29) by a score of 8-2. The team that will take the ice for Kansas City tonight will be much improved with the addition of the three AHL contracted players. Morelli and Hults have averaged over a point  a game when playing in Kansas City and Osburn is their leading point scoring defenseman. If you consider the players the Mavericks added and the players out with injuries for Allen the Americans will have their hands full tonight. They will have to be on the top of their game to get the win.



OTHER COMMENTS

- Everyone knows what an outstanding recruiter Steve Martinson has been over the years but the number of defensemen he recruited this season for Allen that are now in the AHL is quite stunning. This hit me again when I realized since Les Lancaster was loaned to Stockton they have sent two of their AHL contracted defensemen to the Kansas City Mavericks. Add Lancaster to the Iowa group of Register, Atkinson and Ottenbreit who did not have AHL deals at the start of the season but have played almost all season in Iowa. The three of them have combined for only 20 games played in Allen all season. Most coaches would have big problems if half of the defensemen they recruited for their team in the summer ended up in the AHL.


- If you are a season ticket holder the info for playoff tickets is at this link if you haven't seen it yet: https://allenamericans.com/sth-playoffs/     


- Single game tickets for the playoffs will go on sale Monday at 10:00 am. Look for details coming out from the front office. My understanding is specific dates have not been confirmed yet so you will be buying tickets for home game 1 or home game 2. 



DID YOU KNOW:  Here is the post from the ECHL Stats page this morning. How good is Falkovsky's 17.0% shooting percentage? Last season the top in the league was 13.2% and in 2016-17 the leader was at 13.3%. Bottom line is Falkovsky is having an outstanding season offensively.

ECHL defensemen with the best shooting percentage (minimum 28 shots) with goals and shots in parenthesis:

17.0% - *Stepan Falkovsky, Allen Americans (15 for 88)
14.7% - Micheal Moffat, Toledo Walleye (5 for 34)
12.5% - Charlie Curti, Adirondack Thunder (11 for 88)
12.2% - Logan Roe, Florida Everblades (12 for 98)
12.1% - Arvin Atwal, Florida Everblades (4 for 33)

*Leads ECHL in goals scored with 15.

Allen Heads to Kansas City Shorthanded, Three Injured Players Stay Home, Standings, Stats and More

It is get away day for the Allen Americans as they departed at 10:00 am on the 475 mile journey to Kansas City to take on the Mavericks tomorrow (Friday) night. Right after the game they will bus back to Allen to play Tulsa on Saturday night. By the way, Tulsa does not play on Friday and has not played since they lost 1-0 to Allen on Tuesday.


- The Americans will once again be playing shorthanded. Corey Durocher and Stepan Falkovsky were injured in the Tulsa game on Tuesday and join Olivier Archambault on the side lines. They will all stay home. The Americans head to Kansas City with just 15 skaters (9 forwards, 6 defensemen).


- The Americans will add one new player for the game in Kansas City and that is defenseman Ben Carroll who will be playing in his first professional game. Coach Martinson said Ben looked good in practice yesterday and reminded him of a bigger Jordan Rowley who signed with Allen in 2016 after finishing his collegiate career (Carroll and Rowley are both University of Alberta grads). Rowley was the only Allen defenseman that played in all 24 Kelly Cup playoffs games in 2016 as the Americans won their fourth straight championship. Martinson also said, "Carroll is the typical college graduate who is a mature, strong, experienced player and is in top shape having just finished his college playoffs."  Even though Carroll is a rookie he is 24 years old with 178 games played in the WHL and another 96 in college. He has won a Memorial Cup and USports University Cup Championship which are both difficult to win.     


- The ECHL trade deadline is today at 2:00 pm CST. I counted nine ECHL trades so far this week, some for future considerations, some for cash and some trading players. Don't look for much activity by Allen today. Because of the injuries and players loaned to the AHL the only trade I could see Martinson making is to acquire a player for future considerations.  


- The Americans announced yesterday a change to the three game series they play in Utah next week. Instead of playing Wednesday, Friday and Saturday they will play Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This change was requested by Utah and does create another three games in three days but will make for a shorter road trip. The team will fly on this trip and were able to make the adjustment.


- The big three game series between the two hottest teams in the ECHL got underway last night as Idaho hosted South Carolina. It was a defensive battle as you would expect from the #1 and #2 ranked ECHL teams in goals allowed. South Carolina gives up an average of 2.31 goals per game followed by Idaho at 2.53. Idaho took the first game of the series 1-0, scoring the only goal of the game on the power play with six seconds remaining in the second period. Game two of this series will be Friday night.


- Kansas City had two players assigned yesterday by their AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat. One of the players sent back was defenseman Zach Osburn who has been in Stockton since February 9. I am sure it is just a coincidence Stockton sent their affiliated defenseman (Osburn) back to Kansas City just before they play Allen while keeping their non affiliated defenseman (Les Lancaster) who is from Allen. With Kansas City out of the playoff picture the more likely reason Stockton is keeping Lancaster over their affiliated players is because they see him as a better defenseman.


- Here are the current Mountain Division standings by winning percentage with Allen's record against each team in parenthesis:

.717 - Allen
.653 - Idaho  (5-1-2-1)
.633 - Utah (3-2-0-1)
.534 - Rapid City (6-2-0-0)
.516 - Tulsa (7-2-0-0) 
.448 - Kansas City (3-3-0-0)
.441 - Wichita (8-1-3-0)


DID YOU KNOW:  I posted this on my ECHL Stats page this morning. What surprised me the most was the variance in the number of games played outside the division. Also not sure what conclusions you can draw from each division's record against the other divisions. Here is the post:

The number of games each ECHL division has played outside their division varies from 66 to 98. Here are the interdivisional games played and record for each division:

North Division - 68 games
37-26-4-1

South Division - 77 games
34-35-7-1

Central Division- 98 games
50-42-5-1

Mountain Division - 66 games
31-28-7-0


Here is Allen's record in the 10 games they played outside the Mountain Division this season:

North Division  3-1-0-0
South Division  2-0-0-0
Central Division 2-1-1-0 

    



   

Team Defense Wins in Tulsa, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Allen Signs Defenseman Ben Carroll and More

There are several lessons to be learned from the Allen Americans 1-0 overtime win in Tulsa last night before a crowd of 4089. The win was in fact the second time in 10 days the Americans traveled to Tulsa and won a low scoring game in overtime. On February 23rd Allen won 2-1 in overtime and it led coach Steve Martinson to say after the game, "I would like to see this game be a defining statement that we can play the way we need to when we have to." The very next game Allen lost to Wichita 6-1 in one of their worst games of the season.


- What the 1-0 win last night reinforced was this Allen team doesn't have to be the highest scoring team in the league, which they are, to be successful. Team defense along with great goaltending by Andrew Shortridge led to the 33 shot shutout for the Americans. The lesson learned is Allen can win 8-5 games but more importantly for the playoffs they can win 1-0 and 2-1 games.


- The only goal last night was scored by Jordan Topping on a power play 57 seconds into overtime. Topping scored his 24th goal of the season when he batted the puck out of the air into the net off a rebound after a Stepan Falkovsky blast from the point. Allen had struggled during regulation time on the power play going 0-5. The Americans were fortunate to get a 5-on-3 power play in overtime when Tulsa took a high sticking penalty with 29 seconds left in regulation that carried over to the overtime and another high sticking penalty 19 seconds into overtime.


- Allen is getting plenty of overtime experience which will undoubtedly help come playoff time. There are only two ECHL teams with more than seven overtime wins and they will both be in the Mountain Division playoffs. The Americans have 11 wins in overtime and Idaho has nine.


- Here is the game recap issued by the Tulsa Oilers: https://tulsaoilers.com/oilers-pick-up-point-in-shutout-loss/


- You can find the video highlights on the ECHL website at this link: https://www.echl.com/en/tag?id=5bb763bdd3bc0f20ed973ef0&name=ECHL%20Video


- With the win last night Allen became the third ECHL team (South Carolina and Florida the others) to qualify for the playoffs. When I mentioned to coach Martinson after practice on Monday that the team could clinch a playoff spot with a win in Tulsa that was the least of his concerns. He is focused on catching South Carolina and Florida for the top spot and the Brabham Cup. My guess is Martinson will be cheering for Idaho to sweep South Carolina when the Stingrays visits the Steelheads for three games starting tonight.


- Coach Martinson had this to say when I contacted him after the game, "We will take the win. We have a lot of guys out of the lineup between loans to the AHL and injuries. They had their "A" team so we will take the two points. I am going to have to bring in a few players if our guys stay up in the AHL much longer."


- The Americans headed home right after the game in Tulsa and will leave again tomorrow for a trip to Kansas City. After the Friday night game against the Mavericks the Americans will bus overnight back to Allen and take on Tulsa on Saturday night. Sometimes all you can do is scratch your head with the ECHL schedule.


- Dereck Baribeau was recalled by Iowa yesterday. Coach Martinson said in his pregame interview with Tommy Daniels he did not know how long Baribeau would be in Iowa but he was recalled because of an injury.


- Allen also announced yesterday they have signed defenseman Ben Carroll who just finished his collegiate career at the University of Alberta. Carroll is a 24 year old, 6'0" left shot defenseman who is listed at 190 pounds. He is from Sherwood Park, Alberta. Carroll played four years in the Western Hockey League (Edmonton Oil Kings) before attending college. In the 2013-14 season his team won the WHL championship and the Memorial Cup. Ben will be reuniting in Allen with two of his teammates from that Memorial Cup championship team, Brett Pollock and Cody Corbett.


- Carroll wasn't done with championships when he left the WHL. In 2017-18 his University of Alberta team won the collegiate championship in Canada (USports University Cup Champion).


- This season Ben had 22 points (4G, 18A) in 28 games. While Carroll has some offensive skill, coach Martinson signed him as a steady, hard working defensive defenseman.


- Here is the only video I could find on YouTube about Ben. This goes back a few years when he was playing for Edmonton in the WHL and was nominated as the hardest working player in WHL. This is a "Vote for Ben" video the community put together:

- There are seven games on the ECHL schedule tonight and several are of interest if you track Allen's place in the ECHL points standings, the conference point standings and the division point standings. Allen is four points behind South Carolina for the top spot in the ECHL, has a four point lead over Cincinnati for the top spot in the Western Conference and an 10 point lead over Utah in the Mountain Division. The big game with South Carolina at Idaho is definitively one to watch. Other top teams in action include Florida hosting Jacksonville, Cincinnati hosting Kalamazoo and Newfoundland hosting Adirondack. Here is the ECHL Today with a preview on all of the games: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/3/echl-today-march-4



DID YOU KNOW: Here is my ECHL Stats post for today which shows the commanding lead Tyler Sheehy has in the ECHL rookie scoring race. Sheehy needs 10 points in the remaining 12 games to break the all-time Allen scoring record for a rookie which is 76 points, set by Alex Lavoie in the 2013-14 season.

ECHL Rookie Scoring Leaders:
67 points - (26G, 41A), Tyler Sheehy, Allen Americans
51 points - (26G, 25A), Samuel Asselin, Atlanta Gladiators
51 points - ( 25G, 26A), Justin Brazeau, Newfoundland Growlers
47 points - (21G, 26A), Tommy Marchin, Atlanta Gladiators
44 points - (20G, 24A), Corey Mackin, Reading Royals

Allen vs Tulsa Preview, ECHL's Top Scoring Defensemen and More

 The Allen Americans head to Tulsa today for a rare Tuesday night hockey game (7:05 pm CST) against their most familiar foe over the last 13 games of the regular season. Five of the Americans 13 remaining games (39%) are against the Oilers.


- Playing on the road against a team that is fighting for its playoff life will make the game against Tulsa tonight a real challenge for the Americans. Allen's record versus the Oilers this season is 6-2-0-0 and in the five games played in Tulsa the Americans are 4-1-0-0. The last time these teams met (February 23 in Tulsa) Allen won 2-1 in overtime.


- Based on practice yesterday the Americans will have a full squad of 10 forwards and six defensemen available tonight. Brett Pollock was a full participant in practice and should see his first game action since February 18th. Another forward is day to day and questionable for the game tonight.


- You never know from game to game who will get the start in goal but if you look at how the goalies have been deployed this season the most likely choice against Tulsa is Andrew Shortridge. With three goalies on the roster coach Martinson tries to give them all work and Shortridge has not started the last three games.


- A key to look for tonight is shots on goals. Tulsa is #1 in the ECHL in shots on goal (36.67) while Allen is ranked #5 (33.83). If the Americans can keep the shots close it will give them the edge because they have a much better shooting percentage (11.9% vs 8.6%) than Tulsa.


- Scoring first is so important and the stats bear that out. Allen is 24-3-1-1 when scoring first while Tulsa is 18-7-1-1. In their eight head to head games this season Allen has scored first in six of them.


- Special teams will also play a key role tonight. Neither team has done well on the power play in the head the head matchups. The Americans have scored power play goals in three of the eight games for an overall percentage of 13.3% (4-30). Tulsa scored two power play goals in one game (they won the game) but were blanked in the other seven. The Oilers power play percentage is 8.0% (2-25). 


-  Allen is the highest scoring team in the ECHL with 239 goals compared to Tulsa who has scored 195 goals. Allen has allowed 187 goals compared to 193 for Tulsa. That computes to a goal differential of +52 for the Americans and +2 for the Oilers.



OTHER COMMENTS

- The number of games remaining in the regular season varies from a high of 17 for Toledo and Wheeling to as low as 10 for the Tulsa Oilers after the game with Allen tonight. 


- Last season just two teams (Cincinnati & Florida) finished with a winning percentage above .700. There are still three teams above that mark this season.

.776 - South Carolina
.737 - Florida
.712 - Allen


- When Allen won the Kelly Cup in 2014-15 they finished the regular season with a winning percentage of .736. The next season (2015-16) the Americans won their second Kelly Cup after finishing the regular season with a winning percentage of .618.   


- With two games left in the regular season, Chad Costello still leads his league (Germany - DEL) in scoring. In 50 games, Chad has 52 points (20G, 32A) and a one point lead over another American, Wayne Simpson. Simpson was the top scorer in the 2015 Kelly Cup playoffs, playing for the South Carolina Stingrays when Allen beat them in seven games in the championship finals. Chad was the #1 star of that game seven with two goals and an assist. Hockey is a small world.   



DID YOU KNOW: Here are the ECHL points leaders for defensemen. In addition to Breton (#1) and Falkovsky (#4), Jack Sadek is tied for #17 with 31 points (6G, 25A). Also, Falkovsky's 15 goals leads the league.


ECHL’s top scoring defensemen:
50 points (10G, 40A), Alex Breton, Allen Americans
45 points (11G, 34A), Miles Liberati, Tulsa Oilers
45 points (8G, 37A), Patrik Parkkonen, Wichita Thunder
40 points (15G, 25A), Stepan Falkovsky, Allen Americans
38 points (12G, 26A), Logan Roe, Florida Everblades

Impact of AHL and ECHL Trade Deadlines This Week, Playoff Update, Allen's Depth and More

This week has the potential to be an important one as it relates to the Allen Americans roster. Today is the AHL trade deadline (3:00 pm EST) and whether the Iowa Wild are buyers, sellers or stand pat could dictate players coming to or going from Allen.


- The next step after the AHL trade deadline is what, if any, trades coach Martinson will make before the ECHL trade deadline which is Thursday (March 5) at 3:00 pm EST. There are several considerations as Martinson makes his decision.  Here are a few of them.


- What players currently with AHL teams will be back in Allen come playoff time? Les Lancaster (Stockton), Jared VanWormer (Cleveland), Gabe Gagne (Rockford), Jake Doty (Ontario), Matt Register (Iowa), Turner Ottenbreit (Iowa) and Zack Sawchenko (San Jose) could all be on the Americans playoff roster. Cleveland and San Jose are in last place and will not make the playoffs. Rockford and Ontario are currently not in a playoff spot but could make the playoffs. Stockton is currently in a  playoff spot (3rd place). Iowa has the #2 ranked winning percentage in the AHL and is the team most likely to make a deep playoff run.


- In addition to whether the teams above make the AHL playoffs what is happening with their NHL affiliate also has to be considered. Is their NHL teams making the playoffs. Will the Wild sign amateurs after they complete their college/junior eligibility that could play in AHL immediately.   


- Coach Martinson will also be recruiting amateur players as their junior/college careers are completed. Sometimes these players become key contributors in the playoffs for Allen.


- Finally, coach Martinson has to find the right player if he is going to make a trade. He has said many times during the season he might need to trade some offense for better defense. That is easier said than done. He won't make a trade unless the player he is acquiring is better than what the roster will look like at playoff time. Teams in playoff contention are not typically willing to part with high end defensive forwards for high end offensive forwards. One thing you can count on is Martinson will spend plenty of time on the phone between now and the trade deadline on Thursday trying to improve the team.


- Allen is down to 13 games left in the regular season with an eight point lead over second place Utah and nine point lead over third place Idaho. Here is Allen's record this season against the teams they play in the final 13 games. The games remaining against each team is in parenthesis.

Tulsa: 6-2-0-0  (5 games remaining, 3H, 2A)
Utah: 3-2-0-1  (3 games remaining, 0H, 3A)
Kansas City: 3-3-0-0  (2 games remaining, 0H, 2A)
Idaho: 5-1-2-1  (2 games remaining, 2H, 0A)
Rapid City: 6-2-0-0  (1 game remaining, 1H, 0A)


- Florida won yesterday and became the second ECHL team to clinch a playoff spot,  joining South Carolina. If Allen wins or loses in overtime or a shootout against Tulsa on Tuesday they will be the next team to clinch a playoff spot.


- Idaho and South Carolina are the two hottest teams in the ECHL right now with identical 9-1-0-0 records over their last 10 games. They will go head the head this week (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) for three games in Boise.


- The Allen Americans have six home games remaining and need to average 4684 per game to equal their attendance from last season. The five home games include two Saturdays, two Thursdays, one Friday and one Sunday.


- If the playoffs started today (based on winning percentage) Allen would host Rapid City and Idaho would host Utah. Rapid City and Tulsa are battling for the final playoff spot. They only play each other one more time and that game is in Tulsa. Rapid City has to play Utah four times, Idaho three times and Allen once. They do however finish the season with three games at home against Kansas City. In addition to their one game against Rapid City the Tulsa Oilers have five games against Allen, three against Kansas City and two against Wichita.



DID YOU KNOW: One thing that has distinguished the Americans team this season is depth. Allen already has five players with 20 or more goals with the possibility that Olivier Archambault (17) and Brett Pollock (16) could also reach that milestone before the season ends. Here are the number of 20+ goal scorers for each season since Allen joined the ECHL.

5 - 2019-20 (thru 59 games)
3 - 2018-19
2 - 2017-18
5 - 2016-17
3 - 2015-16
4 - 2014-15

     

Allen Outshoots Wichita 52-19 in Rebound Win, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments and More

The Allen Americans followed up one of their worst games of the season (6-1 loss in Wichita on Friday) with one of their best games of the season last night. The Americans out shot Wichita 52-19 on the way to a 6-2 win before the largest crowd of the season (5705) at the Allen Event Center.


- Fans had to wonder if the specialty jersey, big Saturday night crowd curse was going to strike again when the Americans dominated the first period, out shooting Wichita 14-5 but were losing 1-0 at the first intermission. The Americans gave up the first goal of the game for the 10th time in the 12 games they have played against Wichita this season. To make matters worse the goal was a power play goal, the eighth straight game against Wichita that Allen has surrendered at least one power play goal.


- Allen was not to be denied on this night and blitzed the Thunder in the second period with 20 shots on goal and three goals. One of the goals was a shorthanded goal scored by Mitch McLain. When the second period ended Allen had a 4-2 lead and a 34-13 shot advantage.


- Allen added three third period goals including two on the power play when Wichita took an ill advised five minute major penalty for cross-checking. The third period was won by Allen 3-0 on a shot advantage of 18-6.


- The final score was 6-2 but Allen could have easily scored 10 goals in the game had it not been for the great play by the Wichita goalie. The Americans shot advantage of 33 (52-19) was the biggest shot differential all season.


- The goal scorers for Allen were Stepan Falkovsky (15), Jack Sadek (6), Mitch McLain (2 & 3), Tyler Sheehy (26) and Spencer Asuchak (7). Here are the video highlights:

- Here is the game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder:  https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/thunder-drops-contest-in-allen.html



STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

"It was a much better night tonight. Thinking about last night is still painful."

"Wichita shot the puck better than us last night but we served then up a lot of quality scoring chances that were kind of brain dead."

"McLain is a greasy player that moves his feet well and plays hard, he is a good addition. You never know when players get recalled but there is a chance McLain could be with us at least through the Utah series."

"Some of our guys need to figure out how to bring it every night. You can't just bring it on nights when we don't need you."



OTHER COMMENTS

- As good as Allen played last night the penalty kill gave up two power goals on three chances. In the last four games against Wichita the Allen penalty kill percentage is a mere 30% giving up seven goals on 10 opportunities. Yes, the penalty kill scored a shorthanded goal last night to mitigate the two power play goals allowed but the penalty kill needs improvement. The penalty kill has fallen to #16 in the league at 81.0%. With Tyler Sheehy back in the lineup and Mitch McLain killing penalties you should see some improvement.


- Tyler Sheehy looked like he hadn't missed a beat after missing six games with an injury. He led the Americans with three points (1G, 2A) and continues to lead the ECHL in points (67) and points per game (1.52).


- Stepan Falkovsky had a goal and an assist last night to become the seventh Allen player to score 40 points this season. Falkovsky has 40 points (15G, 25A) and leads the ECHL in goals by a defenseman and is #4 in points. 


- Mitch McLain played in his fifth game for the Americans last night and is now qualified to be on the playoff roster. With Iowa headed for the playoffs it is uncertain if McLain will be available to Allen but he would be a big addition if he is assigned to the Americans for the playoffs. In his five games in Allen, McLain has three goals including a shorthanded goal.


- In other action in the Mountain Division last night Idaho beat Utah 4-0 and Rapid City beat Tulsa 8-4. Nothing is set in stone yet but it is looking more and more likely Allen will win the division, Utah and Idaho will battle for second and third, and Rapid City and Tulsa will fight for the last playoff spot.


- Five of Allen's next six games are on the road and how the Americans fare in the next two weeks will dictate how they finish the season. The first priority is winning the Mountain Division but coach Martinson also wants to have the best record in the Western Conference. Allen currently leads Central Division leading Cincinnati by six points. Next week Allen plays in Tulsa on Tuesday, Kansas City on Friday before taking on Tulsa at home on Saturday. The following week they play three critical games in Utah. 


- The Americans had a live auction right after the game to sell the specialty jerseys the team wore in the game. Most of the jerseys went for $350 or less. Only one went for $600 (Sheehy) and two fetched $550 (Falkovsky & Asuchak). 


- Allen has now finished playing Wichita this season. The final record for the 12 games the Americans played against Wichita is 8-1-3-0.       



DID YOU KNOW: Tyler Sheehy is in some good company with his 1.52 points per game average thus far this season. Here are the best points per game averages for a single season since Allen joined the ECHL. (minimum 40 games):

1.74 - Chad Costello (2014-15)
1.69 - Chad Costello (2016-17)
1.52 - Tyler Sheehy (2019-20)
1.43 - Chad Costello (2015-16)
1.31 - Greger Hanson (2016-17)
1.19 - David Makowski (2016-17)
1.16 - Gary Steffes (2013-14)
1.15 - Olivier Archambault (2019-20)