Recapping the Obstacles, The New Look Roster, Goal Differential Stats and More

 

Over the last few weeks I have spent a lot of time talking about the trials and tribulations of this unique season and the impacts on the Allen Americans. I thought I would start today by recapping some of what has made this season unique:

- Almost every player on the team has been sidelined with COVID-19.

- After the game tomorrow night Allen will have used 45 different players just one away from the all time record and the season just passed the halfway mark.

- Allen lost their cooperation agreement with San Jose. Seven San Jose contracted players spent some time in Allen prior to the decision to cease cooperation with the Americans. Four players (Joe Garreffa, Kyle Topping, Krystof Hrabik, Chaz Reddekopp) were in Allen at the time cooperation stopped. They were pulled from Allen and sent to Orlando.

- Nineteen rookies have played for Allen this season and 11 are currently on the roster.

- Allen has used six different goalies this season because of injuries, loans and call ups. The Americans have won 22 games this season. The goalies that have won 21 of the 22 games are either in the AHL or injured.

- Four of the top five players in average points per game are no longer with the team or are on injured reserve. Joe Garreffa (1.17), Kyle Topping (1.14), Jesse Mychan (1.00) and Tyler Sheehy (.92). Over the course of a full season these four players, at the rate they were scoring, would produce over 300 points and 100 goals.

- An unbalanced schedule and game postponements resulted in Allen playing 21 of its first 30 games on the road. 

 

- All ECHL teams have dealt with issues this season but an argument could be made none have dealt with the range and scope of the issues that have impacted Allen. 

 

- Despite all of these issues, Allen has a record of 22-13-2-0 and sits in third place in the Western Conference with a points percentage of .622. However, the first 15 games of the season and last 15 games show a stark difference. Allen's record in the first 15 games of the season was 12-3-0-0 for a points percentage of .800. Over the last 15 games the Americans record is 7-7-1-0 for a points percentage of .500. 

- The goal going forward should be winning each and every series. Next up is three games against Utah starting tomorrow night. Next week will be four games against Kansas City. All seven games are at the Allen Event Center so winning five of the seven is a realistic goal. 

- Allen will have somewhat of a new look roster tomorrow night as five players including both goalies have played fewer than three games with the Americans. Chad Butcher and Steve Owre will be seeing their first action. 

 

- Butcher and Owre can play the wall on the power play so would expect to see both have that chance this weekend. At even strength look for them to play on a line with Colby McAuley who has two goals and two assists in the two games since returning to the lineup. That line has looked really good in practice.  

 

- One of the many things always happening behind the scenes is the amount of time Steve Martinson spends trying to improve the team for the present and the future. Right now a lot of effort is going into finding a defenseman. Sources to find the "right player" include everybody from agents, AHL teams, ECHL teams, current players and former players. One of Martinson's strengths is his ability to recruit top talent to Allen and the amount of time and effort he devotes to the general manager part of his duties. There is a reason he was voted the ECHL General Manager of the Year last season.  

OTHER COMMENTS

- Most teams in the Western Conference with the exception of Rapid City are playing around .500 hockey over the last 10 games. Here are the standings in points percentage order with the team's point percentage over the last 10 games in parenthesis. Notice the top five teams are all under performing their season point percentage while the bottom two teams are over performing and Rapid City is off the charts with the best record in the ECHL over the last 10 games.

.675 - Fort Wayne (.600)

.655 - Wichita (.500)

.622 - Allen (.550)

.563 - Utah (.550)

.513 - Kansas City (.500)

.512 - Tulsa (.550)

.512 - Rapid City (.850) 

 

- Allen's goal differential (goals for minus goals against) is one of the best in the ECHL. The Americans are ranked #2 at +18 and are one of just three teams with a positive goals differential in all three periods, Florida and Fort Wayne are the others. Allen's goal differential by period is +6 in the first period, +8 in the second period and +2 in the third period. 

DID YOU KNOW: Thus far in 2020-21 only three ECHL teams get better each period based on goal differential: 

 

Florida : +11, +16, +18

Wichita: -5, +5, +15

South Carolina: -7, -5, +7

 

 

- Florida has the best ECHL goal differential in all three periods.

 

 

- Leaguewide the most goals are scored in the second period. Here are goals scored in the ECHL by period:

 

445 - 1st Period

540 - 2nd Period

512 - 3rd Period

   

Practice and Roster Update, Chad Butcher and Steven Owre Player Profiles and Jersey Reversal Date Arrives

 

When you attend Allen Americans practice at this point of the season you often find a combination of new players getting acclimated, injured players watching from the stands, players getting treatment and players getting a maintenance day. Everyone is dinged up to a certain degree so hearing about a sore groin here, sore neck there, getting a MRI, going to the Chiropractor is normal when the team is playing three games in three days or four games in five days week after week after week. I keep hearing about the grind in the NHL this season because of the delayed start and shortened season. They have a cake walk compared what ECHL players are dealing with both on and off the ice.

 

- Two players at their first practice yesterday were forwards Chad Butcher and Steve Owre. Friends and teammates in juniors playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and in college at the University of Alberta. See player profiles below.

 

- There has been a lot of roster changes recently so here is an update. Rookies are marked with an asterisk. Here is the current Allen roster which includes four goalies, seven defensemen and 15 forwards: 

Goalies 

#31 - Frank Marotte*

#35 - Hayden Hawkey*

#34 - Jake Paterson (injured reserve)

#39 - Justin Kapelmaster* (injured)

 

Defensemen 

#5 - Phil Beaulieu*

#14 - Les Lancaster 

#20 - Ben Carroll*

#21 - Dominic Cormier*

#25 - Nolan Kneen* (injured reserve)

#43 - Matt Register

#47 - Will Lochead

Forwards

#8 - Steve Owre* 

#10 - Conner Bleackley

#11 - Kameron Kielly*

#15 - Corey Mackin

#17 - Colby McAuley

#19 - Chad Butcher 

#26 - Spencer Asuchak    

#27 - Sam Laberge

#28 - Tim Doherty*

#29 - Jesse Mychan (injured reserve)

#37 - Frank DiChiara

#40 - Josh Lammon

#44 - Zane Franklin*

#71 - Dyson Stevenson (injured reserve)

#77 - Scott Conway

- If you tally up the numbers, four goalies, seven defensemen and 15 forwards the imbalance is at defense. Coach Martinson usually carries seven defensemen and with Nolan Kneen out indefinitely he is likely looking to add a defenseman. 

CHAD BUTCHER PROFILE

Chad Butcher

 

- Chad is a 25 year old right shot forward from Kamloops, British Columbia. He joins the many Western Hockey League alumni on the Allen roster. He played his entire junior career for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL and finished with 259 points (82G, 177A) in 301 games. After his junior career Chad tried pro hockey playing seven games for Bakersfield (AHL), 56 games for Wichita (ECHL) and was with Allen for three games in 2018-19 before making the decision to return to Canada to attend college at the University of Alberta. 

- Here is part of what I included in the blog about Butcher when he signed with Allen in 2018. Even though Chad was undrafted by the NHL he was outstanding at the Edmonton Oilers prospect camp in 2017 playing with the Oilers #1 draft pick Kailer Yamamoto. One headline (Edmonton Journal) read, "All Eyes on Yamamoto but Butcher Leads Oilers Prospects." If you read articles about Chad the consensus you get is he is a proven scorer who is a great playmaker, has a lethal shot and plays both ends of the ice. Butcher is a great skater with speed which may come from the fact he was a speedskater when he was younger. He had a pond behind his house growing up so he had plenty of practice time close to home. Finally, if you are an Allen Americans fan you have to be thrilled about signing a player from Kamloops, British Columbia, the same home town as Spencer Asuchak and Casey Pierro-Zabotel. 

 

STEVE OWRE PROFILE

Steve Owre

 

- Owre is 24 years old, a right shot who went from junior hockey in the WHL to the University of Alberta. He was born in Edmonton but grew up playing hockey in southern California. He has attended development camps with the Edmonton Oilers and Las Vegas Golden Knights. In 282 WHL games Owre had 221 points (74G, 147A). In 84 games at the University of Alberta he had 77 points (37G, 40A). When you read scouting reports on Owre they consistently talk about his speed, how strong he is on his skates and the fact that he is a good passer/playmaker. 

- Butcher and Owre are good friends who played together for five seasons at Medicine Hat and a couple years at the University of Alberta. They are players with a lot of similarities, both are smaller forwards, have a lot of speed can make plays and also put the puck in the net. Look for them to play on the same line and also play a role in the struggling Allen power play.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: When is the jersey reversal date?

Teams will wear their white jerseys at home and dark jerseys on the road for all games through April 1, 2021. As of April 2, 2021, teams will wear their dark jerseys at home and their white jerseys on the road through the end of the regular season. During the Playoffs, home teams will continue wearing their dark jerseys and visiting teams will continue to wear their white jerseys.

  

Practice and Roster Update, Riley Gill's $15,000 Bass, Hardest Shot in ECHL, AHL, NHL and More

 

It's a new week and a new opportunity for the Allen Americans as they prepare to host the Utah Grizzlies on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Americans are in third place in the Western Conference with a points percentage of .622, Utah is in fourth place with a points percentage of .563. 

- There has been little practice time the last few weeks so having three straight days to work on system drills and special teams is critical. Nine players at practice today were not with the team at the beginning of the month, four players haven't been with the team for a week and two will be practicing with the Americans for the first time. 

 

- Coach Martinson is always straight and to the point when you ask a question. Here is his quote when I asked him what the team needs to work on after losing two of three games against Rapid City, "We need to decide if we want to play as a smart team or a dumb team. Right now we are making too many dumb decisions."

- It easy to forget how young the Allen Americans are this season. There are 11 rookies on the roster right now including three goalies. In total, 19 rookies have played in Allen this season. The average age of the current roster is 25.25 which makes Allen the second youngest team in the ECHL. Adding two collegiate players today will make the team even younger. 

 

- Allen has missed the on ice leadership of the three experienced players sidelined with injuries. Dyson Stevenson, Jake Paterson, and Jesse Mychan have missed a combined total of 21 games in the last two weeks. Paterson has started skating so is closest to returning to the lineup. Stevenson's injury is typically a four to six week recovery and he was injured two weeks ago. Mychan's return date is opened ended at this point.

 

- Allen has a better record against Utah than any of its other conference opponents. Here is the list:

6-2-0-0:  Utah

5-2-1-0: Tulsa

5-3-0-0: Rapid City

3-2-1-0: Wichita

2-2-0-0: Kansas City

OTHER COMMENTS

- If you have followed the blog for a while you have read stories I have written about Riley Gill that talked about the fact that in addition to his Hall of Fame hockey credentials he was the best golfer on the Allen Americans and the best fisherman on the Allen Americans. In high school Riley was one of the top ranked golfers in the state of Minnesota. I have witnessed his fishing prowess first hand. Yesterday Riley was in a huge bass fishing tournament on Lake Fork. There were 1700 fishermen in the tournament with prize money of $20,000 being paid out for the 10 biggest fish being weighed in every hour. That's right, $20,000 per hour for seven hours. Riley won first place for the 1:00 pm weigh in with a 9.37 pound bass. For his big catch (on a super fluke for you bass fishermen) Riley earned $15,000. Now that is a good day fishing!

Riley Gill's 9.37 pound bass wins 1st place in Mega Bass Tournamnet

 

 

DID YOU KNOW:  Some interesting stats on hardest shots by league:

ALL-STAR SKILLS COMPETITION HARDEST SHOT RECORDS (MPH):

 

ECHL

102.7 mph - Josh Godfrey (South Carolina, 2011)

102.2 mph - Jon Awe (Gwinnett, 2007)

101.9 mph - A.J. Thelen (Florida, 2010)

101.5 mph - Sasha Pokulok (Bakersfield, 2010)

101.0 mph - Isaac Smeltzer (Colorado, 2013)

 

AHL

109.2 mph - Martin Frk (Ontario, 2020)

105.5 mph - Colin Miller (Manchester, 2015)

 

NHL

108.8 mph - Zdeno Chara (Boston, 2012)

108.5 mph - Shea Weber (Nashville, 2015)

 

A Disappointing Loss and Series, Looking Back and Looking Ahead, Former Ice Angel Brooklyn Rivera Crowned Mrs. America and More

 

Some losses are more disappointing than others and for me the 6-4 loss the Allen Americans suffered at the hands of the Rapid City Rush last night before a COVID sellout crowd of 2185 at the Allen Event Center (AEC) is disappointing on several levels.

 

- After so much time on the road the return to the AEC for 19 of the next 22 games was seen as a time to move up the standings. Instead Allen lost the first series of the long home stand to a team they were expected to beat. The Americans lost two of three games to the Rush. After two shutouts in Tulsa last week the Americans have allowed 18 goals in the last four games, an average of 4.5 goals per game.

 

- You can blame the recent injuries and call ups but the fact of the matter is Allen has been no better than a .500 team going all the way back to New Year's Eve. Since January 31 the Americans record is 10-10-2-0. How bad is a .500 points percentage? Last place Rapid City's point percentage after beating Allen two out of three games in this series is now .512. The old saying you are what your record says you are speaks loudly. Overall the Americans point percentage is .622 and good enough for third place in the Western Conference but they have to start playing better if they expect to contend in the playoffs. If Allen continues to play .500 hockey the playoffs could be in jeopardy.

- The game last night had plenty of disappointment starting with another loss after a good start. Allen's record when scoring first prior to last night was 18-4-1-0. Allen scored first in both losses to Rapid City in this series. The Americans took a 1-0 lead in the first period but Rapid City tied the score just 36 seconds later and took a 2-1 lead with another goal with 20 seconds left in the period. To their credit the Americans did come back to tie the score in the second period after falling behind 3-1 but could never take the lead. The Rush took a 5-3 lead midway through the third period. Allen scratched back with an extra attacker power play goal to make the score 5-4 and appeared to tie the score less than a minute later but the goal was disallowed for goalie interference. An empty net goal by the Rush made the final score 6-4.

-  Goal scorers for Allen were Frank DiChiara (1), Les Lancaster (10,11) and Josh Lammon (10). Here are the video highlights from the Allen Americans YouTube Channel:

- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/general/americans-drop-final-game-with-rapid-city-6-4/

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Rapid City: https://www.rapidcityrush.com/en/news/2021/3/rush-win-rubber-match-behind-sturtz-and-coulter

 

- One bright spot in the loss last night was special teams. After 23 power play opportunities at home without a goal, going back to the beginning to early February, the Americans cashed in when Les Lancaster scored a power play goal late in the third period. The home power play percentage creeped above 10% (10.9%) bit is still the worst in the league. The penalty kill was perfect again (0-3) and didn't allow a power play goal in the three game series against the Rush (0-13).

 

- With Rapid City in the rear view mirror the Americans now look ahead to next weekend when Utah comes to town. The team will finally have a few days to get in some much need practice time. Also, two new forwards arrive today with the hope their play making skills will help. The two were teammates in juniors (WHL) and college. In their last year in the WHL they combined for 138 assists and 191 points. This reminds me of 2015-16 when two college teammates and friends (Thomas Carr and Jordan Rowley) came to Allen after their collegiate season was over and helped the Americans win the Kelly Cup. They were defensemen and the two arriving today are forwards but a lot of similarities.

 

- You can be sure the two players arriving today will not be the last roster changes. Allen has already used 43 different players. There will be well over 50 (a record) by the end of the season. In these times more than any, if Martinson does not try to improve the roster, if he doesn't have the attitude if you are standing still you are going backwards, it will get worse rather than better. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- I have said this before but it is worth saying again after watching the games against Rapid City. How have Les Lancaster and Samuel Laberge not been asked for by one of the 28 AHL teams playing this season. Lancaster is on pace to score 20 goals which hasn't been done since Stepan Falkovsky had 21 goals in Adirondack in 2016-17. Before that you have to go back to the 2011-12 season to find a 20 goal season by a defenseman. Laberge has 23 points (10G, 13A) in 31 goals but does so much more. He doesn't take a shift off, works tirelessly and finishes every check. Both of these players deserve a shot in the AHL even in this weird pandemic season when finding the best players and winning isn't the goal. In my opinion, players like Laberge and Lancaster are better than many of the prospects playing on AHL teams.

 

- Congrats to former Allen Ice Angel and Americans front office employee Brooklyn Rivera who was crowned Mrs. America last night in Las Vegas. To know Brooklyn is to love her. A talented and engaging mom of four and entrepreneur who is a friend to everyone she meets. If you have followed Brooklyn's journey you know how hard she has worked and the sacrifices she has made along the way. She finished as the first runner up the first time she competed for Mr. Texas but went back and won on her second try. The Mrs. Americans Pageant was delayed earlier this year because of COVID which meant a few more months of clean eating and rigorous workouts. It all paid off in a big way when Brooklyn was crowned Mrs. America last night. Congrats again to Brooklyn, her husband Eddie and the entire family. Here are a couple of photos of Brooklyn from the archives circa 2015:

 

            

Brooklyn at Ice Angel Calendar Reveal Party

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The number of players playing at least one game for the Americans for each season since they joined the ECHL:

43 -  2020-21 (thru 37 games)

41 -  2019-20  (62 games in shortened season)

45 -  2018-19  

41 -  2017-18

42 - 2016-17

46 -  2015-16

41 -  2014-15

 

Colby McAuley Returns in Style, Frank Marotte Wins First Pro Game, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Rematch Preview and More

 

After losing to Rapid City 5-2 on Wednesday the Allen Americans flipped the script last night beating the Rush 5-2 before a crowd of 1821 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). With the exception of a continuing anemic power play the Americans hit all of the keys to the game. Allen scored first and improved its record when scoring the first goal of the game to 18-4-1-0. The Americans held a 1-0 lead after the first period and improved their record when leading after the first period to 13-0-2-0. Allen out shot Rapid City 35-29 and improved its record when out shooting the opponent to 14-4-0-0. Finally, the Americans penalty kill was perfect again (0-6) and also contributed a shorthanded goal.

 

- Allen was led by Colby McAuley who was playing in his first game since January 31. Colby was involved in four of the five Allen goals, scoring two and assisting on two. Colby had a chance for a hat trick on Allen's fifth goal but unselfishly passed the puck on a 2-on-1 break to Corey Mackin who scored shorthanded. 

 

- Goalie Frank Marotte, who just arrived in Allen, was making his first professional start and if he was nervous it didn't show. I am sure it helped that the Americans got an early lead and were up 3-0 before Rapid City scored two quick goals at the end of the second period. Marotte along with a strong defense blanked Rapid City in the third period and scored two goals of their own to make the final score 5-2. Marotte stopped 27 of 29 shots for a save percentage of .931.

 

- The goal scorers for Allen were Samuel Laberge (10), Colby McAuley (2,3), Spencer Asuchak (7), and Corey Mackin (15). Here are the video highlights from the Allen Americans YouTube Channel:

 

 

 

-Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/news/general/americans-strike-back-against-rapid-city-5-2/   

- Here is the game recap from the Rapid City Rush:  https://www.rapidcityrush.com/en/news/2021/3/rush-point-streak-ends-at-8-games-in-loss-at-allen

 

- Allen's shorthanded goal last night was the fifth of the season with four of the five coming against Rapid City. The Rush lead the ECHL in shorthanded goals allowed with nine. The Americans five shorthanded goals have come from Corey Mackin (2), Josh Lammon (2) and Samuel Laberge (1). 

 

- Allen's home power play has gone from bad to worse by adding another 0-4 to the drought last night. The Americans haven't scored a power play goal at home since February 3. That is seven games and 20 power plays without a goal. The home power play percentage has fallen to single digits (9.8%) which is dead last. No other team has a home power play percentage lower than 12.1%.

 

- Talk about disparities the Americans home power play is ranked #14 at 9.8% (5-51) but their road power play percentage is ranked #2 at 20.5% (18-88). 

 

- The first team to three goals wins theory is alive and well despite my prediction it would come to an end last night. In all seven games between Allen and Rapid City this season the losing team has scored two goals. Luckily Allen has scored two goals just two times and has a record of 5-2 against the Rush.

 

- What does Allen need to do to win tonight and this series? For the most part it is more of the same. The Americans have been playing the physical style they are known for and everyone is finishing checks. They have been getting off to good starts and have out shot Rapid City 70-52 in the first two games. Special teams have been a combination of good and bad. The good is an outstanding penalty kill unit (0-10) that has outscored the Rapid City power play 1-0 in the first two games. The bad is the Allen power play unit which is 0-10 in the first two games. I thought the power play unit had a lot of puck possession last night but if you watch the Rapid City penalty kill you will notice they are allowing Allen to possess the puck outside and clogging up the middle to block shots. Special teams is a game of adjustments reacting to what the opponent is doing so Allen needs to adjust.

 

- Rapid City gets 40% of it goals from three players, Tyler Coulter, Avery Peterson and Peter Quenneville. Coulter and Peterson scored both Rush goals last night. Coulter and Quenneville scored in Rapid City's win on Wednesday. To be successful tonight Allen needs to limit the damage from the top three.

 

- When I talked to coach Martinson this morning he said he was pleased with how the team played last night with the exception of the two minutes toward the end of the second period when Rapid City scored twice. Allen played with only five defensmen last night as Philip Beaulieu was out sick. Hopefully he can return to the lineup tonight. The team may still be shorthanded as another player is a game time decision. Frank Marotte will get the start in goal. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Wichita lost at home last night which allowed Allen to move into second place in the Western Conference standings by the slimmest of margin. Allen's points percentage is .639 and Wichita is at .638. 

 

- Kansas City beat Wichita on the road while Utah was losing at home to Tulsa. This allowed Kansas City to sneak past Utah for fourth place in the conference and the final playoff spot. The Mavericks have a points percentage of .541 and Utah is at .539. 

 

-  It is strange to look at the standings and see every Western Conference team and 13 of 14 ECHL teams with a points percentage at .500 or higher. How is this possible? Because 69 games have gone to overtime/shootout so three points were awarded instead of just two for a regulation win. 

 

- The ECHL Stats post this morning is a list of players with the most multi points games:

 

12 - Brodie Reid, Kansas City

10 - Peter Quenneville, Rapid City

10 - Tyler Coulter, Rapid City

9 - Anthony Beauregard, Wichita

9 - Aaron Luchuk, Orlando

9 - Cole Ully, South Carolina

9 - Samuel Jardine, Greenville

9 - John McCarron, Florida

9 - Jay Dickman, Wichita

 

DID YOU KNOW:  Chad Costello holds almost every offensive record for the Allen Americans. I went back to look at how many multi points games Chad had in the three seasons he played in Allen. Here is what I found: 

38 - 2014-15

37 - 2016-17

26 - 2015-16   

Allen Loses Kayle Doetzel, Adds Goalie Frank Marotte, Forward Tim Doherty and Colby McAuley Returns For Rapid City Rematch Plus News and Notes

 

 All too often I start a game day blog saying how critical a game is for the Allen Americans. Probably an overused statement given Allen will hit the 50% mark of the season in the game tonight and there is a lot of hockey still to be played before playoff time. The game tonight at the Allen Event Center (AEC) is critical because the conventional wisdom has been once the Americans start playing at home the wins will come and they will climb the standings. Makes perfect sense since Allen has played more road games and fewer homes games than any team in the ECHL. 

 

- Allen got off to a bad start to a homestand  that will see it play 19 of 22 games at the AEC. If the Americans expect to gain ground on the Western Conference leaders, losing the first series to a team that has struggled on the road is not a good start. 

 

- The hits keep coming to the roster. In the month of March alone and there are still five days remaining 11 players have been subtracted from the roster and six have been added. Add injuries to goalies Jake Paterson and Justin Kaplemaster, captain Dyson Stevenson, leading goal scorer Jesse Mychan and Colby McAuley and you can see what the team has been dealing with. Coach Martinson always says you can't use injuries and call ups as an excuse as every team has to deal with them and Allen has a team good enough to win everytime it takes the ice. Players need to step up when given more ice time.

 

- As if the mounting March injuries and callups weren't enough, yesterday defensive defenseman Kayle Doetzel left the team. I know many of you asked me what was going on. I asked coach Martinson what happened and he said. "Doetzel told me he was going home for personal reasons but was not more specific than that. When he told me he was taking all of his stuff with him I made sure he understood once he was suspended he couldn't return to the team for 45 days. He indicated that was okay and it is clear he will not be back." I know many have speculated he might be headed overseas but that is not in the plan from my reporting. Doetzel arrive late playing his first game on New Year's Eve and has headed home after playing 28 games. Whatever his reasons for leaving I know Allen fans wish him the best of luck going forward and hope everything turns out the best for Kayle.

- There is some good news with the roster as Martinson will have two more forwards in the lineup tonight. Colby McAuley will see his first game action since being injured on January 31. Also seeing his first action and playing in his first professional game will be forward Tim Doherty. Doherty is a 6'0' 190 pound, 25 year old, left shot forward who played for Penn State this season as a graduate transfer after playing for and getting his undergraduate degree at the University of Maine. Tim grew up in Rhode Island and played for the Boston Junior Bruins before going to college. In 123 collegiate games Doherty had 95 points (42G, 53A). Here are a couple of videos to help you get to know Tim Doherty. If you have trouble opening them on your device you can find them on YouTube under the titles, "In the Seats With Tim Doherty" and "Portsmouth's Tim Doherty with big year at Maine despite shortened season."

 

 - Also new to the lineup tonight and getting his first action will be goalie Frank Marotte who just arrived from Bridgeport (AHL). Frank played in just two games in Bridgeport, both in relief roles so tonight will be his first pro start. You can find his profile in the blog yesterday.

Here is a long (28 minute) get to know Frank Marotte video from YouTube with the title, "Raiders Report Episode 2 - Frank Marotte."

- The keys to the game tonight include some things Allen accomplished in the 5-2 loss against Rapid City on Wednesday. The Americans got off to a good start scoring the first goal and out shooting the Rush 13-8 in the first period and 35-23 for the game. Both of these team play well with a lead. When leading after the first period Allen's record is 12-0-2-0 and Rapid City's is 10-1-1-0. 

 

- Special teams is a big key to the game tonight and was a factor in the Allen loss on Wednesday. The Americans had six power play opportunities including over two minutes of 5-on-3 and couldn't convert. The Allen penalty kill was great (0-4) so the task for the Americans tonight is keep up the penalty kill effort and improve the power play. In aggregate Allen and Rapid City have two of the worst special teams in the ECHL (see below for stats on all teams).

 

- For a good part of this season Allen was almost unbeatable when scoring the first goal of the game and was ranked at the top of the league. While the Americans still win 79.5% of the points when scoring first with a record of 17-4-1-0 that is not much better than the leaguewide average of 77.1%. With a couple of recent losses when scoring first including on Wednesday the Americans have dropped to #8 in the ECHL in points percentage when scoring first. Scoring first is still a big predictor of who will win so the first goal tonight will be big. Giving the rookie goalie Marotte an early lead will be important. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- A full set of games in the ECHL tonight with all 14 teams in action. Here is the ECHL Today with short previews on all of the games: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2021/3/echl-today-march-26  

 

- Had a couple of questions asking why Spencer Asuchak wasn't wearing the "C" on his jersey on Wednesday. The short answer is because the Americans were wearing their road red jerseys and Asuchak's "C" is on the white jersey which will be the home jersey until the switch in April. Sometimes when a team has a dark specialty jersey in a series they wear dark in all games so the visiting has to bring just one jersey on the trip. That is the case in this series. With Co-captain Dyson Stevenson out injured seems like a good idea to put the "C" on both Asuchak jerseys. 

 

- The referee scheduled tonight is same as Wednesday, #7 Riley Yerkovich. He called 10 penalties on Wednesday but pretty much let the teams play. 

 

- It is time for this odd stat of the day to end. In all six games this season between Allen and Rapid City the losing team scored two goals. Not sure the odds that streak can continue but I predict it comes to and end tonight. haha

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here is the ECHL Stats post from this morning which looks at special teams performance by adding together power play and penalty kill percentages. Allen's total (97.8%) comes from a #7 ranked power play (17.0%) and #11 ranked penalty kill (80.8%).

If you add power play and penalty kill percentages together above 105% is considered outstanding and below 100% needs improvement. ECHL teams range from 91.3% to 110.5%. Just two teams are in the outstanding category and five teams are in the needs improvement group. Here is the info on all 14 teams:

110.5% - Fort Wayne

106.0% - Florida

101.7% - Kansas City

101.6% - Indy

101.1% - Orlando

100.9% - Utah

100.5% - Wichita

100.2% - Tulsa

100.0% - Jacksonville

99.8% - Rapid City

98.7% - South Carolina

97.8% - Allen

95.0% - Greenville

91.3% - Wheeling

 

Kaplemaster Injured in Allen Loss, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Goalie Frank Marotte Assigned to Allen, Forward Help Arrives and More

 

If you weren't at the Allen hockey game last night, didn't watch it on FloHockey and just looked at the box score and saw the Americans out shot Rapid City 35-23, were a perfect 0-4 on the penalty kill, stopped a penalty shot and scored the first goal of the game you would not conclude they lost the game 5-2.  On a stormy Wednesday night, a crowd of 1326 at the Allen Event Center witnessed a tie game early in the third period turn into a one sided loss.  

 

- The box score also reveals Allen was 0-6 on the power play which included two 5-on-3 opportunities. One was short (11 seconds) but one was almost a full power play (1:53). Special teams play a huge role and the Americans haven't produced at home all season. After last night Allen has the worst home power play in the ECHL. The Americans have converted on only four of 47 power play opportunities at home for a percentage of 10.6%. 

 

- Not sure if it was puck luck or how well the Rush defensmen cleared out the front of the net or the play of the Rush goalie, probably a little bit of each, but the Americans just could not finish. Allen hit four or five posts, had pucks just miss numerous times and couldn't quite get their sticks on juicy rebounds. 

 

- As if Allen hasn't had enough injuries they had another set back last night when Justin Kapelmaster was injured late in the first period and was on the bench at the start of the second period, replaced by recently acquired goalie, Hayden Hawkey. Kapelmaster saved seven of eight shots in the first period. Hawkey saved 11 of 14 shots in the final two periods.

 

- Here is a complete recap of the game issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap/rush-put-the-game-away-in-the-third-period-take-game-one-of-three/    

 

- Here is the game recap from the Rapid City Rush: https://www.rapidcityrush.com/en/news/2021/3/rush-win-series-opener-in-allen-to-extend-point-streak-to-eight  

- Allen's goal scorers were Josh Lammon (9) and Kayle Doetzel (1). Here are the video highlights from the Allen Americans YouTube Channel. Two plays to watch closely as you look at the highlights as they piqued my interest. On the first goal of the game (Lammon) notice the work by Laberge behind the net, Bleackley and Lammon colliding in front of the net and Lammon having to stop the puck with his skate before firing it home. It wasn't a smooth play but it got the job done. On Rapid City's first goal watch Kaplemaster as he lays face down on the ice for a few seconds after the goal and then grabs his leg as he seems to struggle to get up. Kapelmaster stopped a penalty shot a minute later and gutted out the rest of the period but was replaced at the start of the second period. 

 

 

- Allen has been playing shorthanded with only nine forwards for a while and that is not a good place to be. Colby McAuley is the only injured forward that might be available Friday night.

 

- When I checked in with coach Martinson this morning he was already preparing his video review for practice today and it is no surprise a big emphasis will be on the power play but I am sure the team will also get to see the defensive mistakes on the Rapid City goals.

 

- Martinson shared some good news for a depleted roster. One of the three college forwards he just signed will arrive in Allen today and will be in the lineup on Friday. The other two forwards are not scheduled to arrive until Sunday

 

- Martinson also shared, with Kapelmaster and Paterson out with injuries, there is goalie help on the way as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) have reassigned Frank Marotte to the Allen Americans. Marotte was signed by Allen in mid January but before he reported was signed to an AHL deal by Bridgeport. Here is what I wrote about Marotte back in January.

Frank Marotte - What may go down as one of the shortest stints for a player signed by Allen before getting an AHL deal goes to goalie Marotte. He just finished his collegiate career in 2019-20 and was the ECAC Goaltender of the Year, playing for Clarkson University. His record was 23-3-8 with a GAA of 1.78 and save percentage of .938. Marotte was hoping for an AHL deal but when it didn't happen he signed with Allen. However, now that the AHL is getting ready to play and NHL teams must carry three goalies the New York Islanders/Bridgeport Sound Tigers signed Marotte as a depth goalie.

 

- Allen will have to regroup quickly as they have one day before they take on the Rush again. The will have to play smarter on Friday if they expect to win. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen's average attendance is now exactly 1800 per game after adding the 1326 who attended last night. In their 12 home games the Americans have had a high of 2392 and a low of 1246. The 1800 average ranks Allen #10 of the 14 teams playing. Average attendance ranges from 3225 (Jacksonville) to 999 (Wheeling). Two teams are averaging over 2000 per game, five teams are between 2000-3000, six teams are between 1400-2000 and just Wheeling is below 1400.

 

- One streak that was kept alive last night and it is and odd streak is the losing team in all six games between Allen and Rapid City this season has scored two goals. First team to three goals has worked in all six games. Allen has won four of the six games. 

 

- It was a tough night for top ECHL teams playing at home. First place Florida lost to last place Wheeling at home by a score of 6-2. Allen lost at home to last place Rapid City by a score of 5-2 and  second place Wichita lost at home to sixth place Kansas City by a score of 1-0. The only home team to win last night was Utah who beat Tulsa 4-2. All of these teams play again on Friday and Saturday.

 

DID YOU KNOW:  The penalty shot against Allen last night was the first of the season and the 12th since the Americans joined the ECHL. They have never been called for fewer than one or more than three penalty shots in a season. Of the 12 penalty shots, four (33%) were successful. Here are the records by goalie on the 12 penalty shots. The first number is goals allowed and the second number is the number of attempts. As with many Allen records, Riley Gill is the king of the penalty shots.

0-4: Riley Gill

0-1: Justin Kapelmaster

0-1: Zach Sawchenko

1-2: Jake Paterson

1-2: C.J. Motte

1-1: Jake Hildebrand

1-1: Aaron Dell     

Allen vs Rapid City Preview, Help Is On the Way, Reliving the 2010 Playoffs and More

 

It's game day for the Allen Americans as they start a three game series against the Rapid City Rush at the Allen Event Center (AEC) with games tonight, Friday and Saturday. Allen will play Rapid City more than any other team the rest of the season, 11 times in the remaining 38 games. 

 

- Allen has been one of the top teams in the Western Conference all season and Rapid City has been at or near last place all season. Timing is everything as Rapid City is arriving in Allen playing the best hockey in the league right now. The Rush have a seven game streak of 6-0-1-0 and their record over the last 12 games is 8-2-1-1. Allen's record over the last 12 games is 6-5-1-0.

- A big advantage for the Americans is they are playing at home. Both teams have much better home records than road records. Allen is 13-10-0-0 on the road but 8-1-2-0 at the AEC. Rapid City is 12-8-0-1 at home but 6-10-2-0 on the road.

- The game tonight will be the fifth of 16 games this season against Rapid City. In the first five games the Americans won four with a record of 2-1 in Rapid City and 2-0 in Allen. In the odd stat of the day, in all five games Allen and Rapid City have played this season the losing team had two goals. If past is prologue the first team to three goals wins.

 

- In the five head to head games Allen has outscored Rapid City 18-11 and out shot the Rush 177-145. In the five previous games Allen's power play was 3-17 (17.6%) and Rapid City's was 1-16 (6.25%). 

- Rapid City has two of the top five ECHL players in points. Tyler Coulter, who was in training camp with Allen in 2017-18, is #3 in ECHL points (36) and Peter Quenneville is #5 with 35 points. The Rush also have two of the top six in goals, Coulter is #6 (15 goals) and Avery Peterson is #5 (16 goals). 

 

- Both teams can put the puck in the net having scored 114 goals but the big difference between these teams is goals allowed. Allen has given up 94 goals while Rapid City has allowed a league leading 125 goals. Allen has played five fewer games than Rapid City so if you look at averages the Americans score more than the Rush (3.35 vs 2.92) and allow fewer goals (2.76 vs 3.23). 

 

- Both teams have goalies out of the lineup. Allen will be missing Jake Paterson who has been out since March 13. Rapid City goalie Gordy Defiel experienced a medical emergency on the bench on Saturday and did not accompany the team to Allen. Look for Justin Kapelmaster to carry the load for Allen and Adam Carlson for Rapid City.

 

- Overtime could play a role in this series when you consider four of Rapid City's last six games have gone extra time. Since February 19th Rapid City has gone extra time in 53% of its games (8 of 15). The Rush are 5-2 in overtimes and 2-1 in shootouts this season. Allen is 2-2 in overtimes and 2-0 in shootouts.

 

- It talking to coach Martinson this morning the Americans will be playing short again tonight with just nine forwards and seven defensemen. That means Colby McAuley and Jesse Mychan are still out. Jusitn Kapelmaster will be in goal.

 

- There is help on the way as Martinson has signed three college players who will arrive this weekend. One on Saturday and two on Sunday. All three are forwards who will add scoring, speed and grit to the lineup. One went to college in the US and two attended Canadian colleges. All three were point a game players in college.    

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- If you are into specialty jerseys the Americans have a couple of good looking auctions going on right now. The Military jersey auction will end in the third period on Friday. The Wizard jersey auction will end in the third period on Saturday. Both auctions will have staggered ending times, 15 minutes apart. Each player has one jersey up for bid, in either Military or Wizard auction but not both. If you have any questions contact Michelle Martinson (mmartinson@allenamericans.com or 972-912-1016).

- An already tight Western Conference could get even tighter tonight with all teams except Fort Wayne in action. In addition to Rapid City at Allen, Kansas City is at Wichita and Tulsa is at Utah. 

- There are always familiar faces when Rapid City comes to town. In addition to coach Daniel Tetrualt, who won his only professional championship as part of Allen's 2013-14 CHL companionship team, other Rush players that spent time in Allen include Garrett Klotz, Mike Hedden and Tyler Coulter. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Whenever Rapid City comes to Allen at some point it makes me hearken back to the first year of the franchise. The start up Americans had an amazing run to the CHL championship finals before losing to Rapid City. Allen had to win games six and seven just to get out of the first round against Laredo. The Americans then took on the top team in the league, Odessa, in the second round and had to win game seven on the road to advance to the championship finals. In the finals against Rapid City the Americans were up after three games 2-1 with games four and five at home. The Americans took a 2-0 lead in game four but lost game 4-2 and the next night got blown out 7-2. The teams then traveled to Rapid City with the Rush leading 3-2 and Allen needing to win twice. All looked good for the Americans in game six when they scored the first three goals of the game and had a 3-0 lead after the first period. However, Rapid City scored twice late in the third period to send the game to overtime and won the game and the championship with 32 seconds remaining in the second overtime. Most fans would select one of Allen's four championships as the best season in franchise history but an argument could certainly made for the first year Allen team. The Americans didn't even have an arena when the season started as the AEC wasn't completed. The Americans played the first seven games in franchise history on the road. It was a Cinderella story that came up a little short but one of the greatest seasons in team history.          

Allen's Drive for Five Broken Into Three Schedule Segments, First Period Lead Stats and 30+ Goal Scorers

 

The Allen Americans will hit the halfway point of the season this week as they begin a long stretch of games at home. This morning I want to look at segments of the remaining schedule divided into three unequal parts. How the Americans fare in these three segments will dictate their chances for a fifth championship and third Kelly Cup.

 

March 24 - May 5 (22 games)

- As I mentioned yesterday the next six weeks will be a great opportunity for Allen to make up ground and take the lead in the Western Conference. Between March 24 and May 5 the Americans will play 19 home games and just three road games (one trip to Rapid City). This is clearly the sweet spot of the schedule for Allen after all of the road games early in the season. To give you an idea of the opportunity this presents for the Americans their road points percentage this season is .565 with a record of 13-10-0-0 compared to their home points percentage of .818 with a record of 8-1-2-0. 

- The 19 home games will be made up of six against Utah, four against Kansas City and Wichita, three against Rapid City and two against Tulsa. 

 - It is hard to overstate the importance of this segment of the schedule. If the Americans expect to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference they must continue to perform at home at the same level (.818) they have thus far. If the Americans can have a points percentage above .800 during this long home stand they could be in first place after this segment.

 

May 7 - May 30 (13 games)

- After six weeks of home cooking and sleeping in their own beds the Americans will spend the last three weeks of May visiting Tulsa, Kansas City, Utah and Rapid City. A total of 13 games in this period 10 of which will be on the road. Included in the 10 road games is a four games in five days in Utah which will wrap up the 18 games between these teams this season. This could be a key series with playoff implications. The three home games in this period are against Tulsa (2) and Kansas City (1). From May 12 to May 30 the Americans are on the road for nine of 10 games. This will be a critical time with lots of travel, little time at home and few practice days.

June 2 - June 5 (3 games)

- This is a short segment of just three games but could prove to be critically important. It seems like every season there is a battle right to the end. It could be for first place in the conference, it could be to make the playoffs or it could be to get home ice advantage in the playoffs. This season Allen finishes at home with three games against Wichita (June 2) and Rapid City (June 4 & 5). Odds are these will be meaningful games for one or both teams. 

 

- All of Allen's remaining 38 games are against Western Conference teams ranging from 11 against Rapid City to none against Fort Wayne. Here is the break down of the 38 remaining games:

11 - Rapid City (5 home, 6 away)

10 - Utah (6 home, 4 away)

7 - Kansas City (5 home, 2 away)

5 - Tulsa (4 home, 1 away)

5 - Wichita (5 home, 0 away)

0 - Fort Wayne

 

- Fort Wayne started the season late (February 12) and will play only 50 games rather than the 72 the other 13 teams will play. Even more unusual is the fact that Fort Wayne will play just six games against teams in its conference. The Komets host Wichita for three games and end the season with three games in Utah. The schedule has Fort Wayne playing 76% (38 of 50) of its games against just two teams. The Komets play Wheeling and Indy 19 games each.  

- Something to keep in mind in this unique season is the AHL will end its regular season on May 16, two weeks before the end of the ECHL regular season. It is unknown what the AHL playoffs, if any, will look like. Typically the AHL regular season is two weeks longer than the ECHL. What this means is you will see many AHL players assigned to ECHL teams from the middle to the end of May. This will likely have a big impact on the end of the ECHL season and into the playoffs.

 

- I have read several times that the AHL this season is much more about developing prospects than winning games. I have seen quotes from AHL owners and general managers that playoffs are not a focus this season. If it is true that prospect playing time is much more important than winning it could explain why fewer ECHL players are being loaned to AHL teams.    

- Allen has the best record in the ECHL when it leads after the first period. Here is the ECHL Stats post from this morning with the details:

How important is a good start in the ECHL? The league wide record when leading after the first period is 121-18-16-2. That equates to a point percentage of .828. Five teams have not lost in regulation when leading after the 1st period. 

 

12-0-2-0: Allen

10-0-2-0: Orlando

8-0-2-0: Greenville

7-0-1-0: Wichita

7-0-2-0: Fort Wayne 

 

Florida has had the most first period leads (17) and has a record of 14-3. Last place Wheeling has had the fewest first period leads (8) with a record of 4-2-2-0.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW:  Based on their current goal production both Corey Mackin and Jesse Mychan are on pace to have 30+ goals this season. It is a pretty exclusive club in Allen history to reach the 30 goal mark. Here are all of the players that have scored 30+ goals in a season. Only Chad Costello and Bruce Graham made the list twice:

 
44 goals - Gary Steffes (2014-15)
41 goals - Chad Costello (2014-15)
35 goals - Greger Hanson (2016-17)
34 goals - Bruce Graham (2010-11)
34 goals - Nino Musitelli (2010-11)

34 goals - Zach Pochiro (2018-19)
33 goals - Chad Costello (2016-17)
33 goals - Colton Yellow Horn (2010-11)
31 goals - Bruce Graham (2009-10)

Looking Back at Tulsa Series, Looking Forward at Schedule Sweet Spot, PIMS Leaders, Standings and More

 

The Allen Americans finished their four game series against Tulsa yesterday with a 5-3 loss before a crowd of 2688 at the BOK Center. Allen earned five of eight possible points in the series with a record of 2-1-1-0 which is pretty good when you consider the Americans were down eight players due to call ups and injuries. To lose eight players in a few days just before a four games in five days series is a tall task. To get two wins, both by shutout, is a tribute to the hard work and effort put in by the Americans. In talking to coach Martinson this morning he was pleased with how the team stepped up in this series and played like a team with full commitment and work ethic. Even in the loss yesterday Martinson liked the effort from the team to tie the score 3-3 after getting behind 3-1.

 

- Allen once again got off to a great start yesterday scoring the first goal at the 3:57 mark of the first period. Allen has played Tulsa eight times this season and scored the first goal in all eight games. Unfortunately scoring first against Tulsa has not been the magic it has been against other opponents. The Americans record when scoring first now stands at 17-3-1-0 but in the odd stat of the day three of the four losses have been at the hands of the Tulsa Oilers. 

 

- After Allen took the early 1-0 lead Tulsa responded with three unanswered first period goals to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. It did not look good at that point as the Americans record when trailing after the first period is 1-7. 

 

- Allen was able to tie the score 3-3 midway through the second period but that is as close as they got and were behind 4-3 at the second intermission. Allen had some good pressure in the third period but was unable to get the equalizer. Tulsa scored an empty net goal to make the final score 5-3. 

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Scott Conway (4), Zane Franklin (4) and Josh Lammon (8). Here are the video highlights from the Allen Americans YouTube Channel:

 

 

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/general/americans-drop-final-game-of-the-series-with-tulsa/     

- Here is the game recap issued by the Tulsa Oilers:  https://www.tulsaoilers.com/oilers-close-out-four-game-week-with-big-win/

 

- Special teams played a key role in the loss to Tulsa. The Oilers took the momentum away from Allen's early 1-0 lead by scoring on their first two power play opportunities. For the game Tulsa was 2-5 on the power play while Allen was 1-5. Since the beginning of February the Americans have allowed more than one power play goal just three times and lost all three games. The penalty kill has improved recently with a 91% kill percentage in the seven games this month prior to last night. Overall Allen's penalty kill is still ranked #11 at 80.2%.

- Allen now has to get ready for three games against Rapid City on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. It may sound like an easy task playing the last place team in the Western Conference three times at home. Look closer and you will find Rapid City is playing the best hockey in the ECHL right now. The Rush have points in seven straight games on a record of 6-0-0-1. 

 

- The Americans will have a day off today to rest and recuperate and will have a light practice tomorrow. The only injured players that might be available on Wednesday are Jesse Mychan and Colby McAuley. 

 

- This is the time of the year when colleges are finishing their seasons so you can be sure general manager Martinson is scouring his list of college guys, talking to agents and trying to find the right fit. I also know after losing the players from San Jose, Martinson is looking at other opportunities to bring in contracted NHL/AHL players to improve the team. Not sure anything will get done this week but it is a possibility a player or two could be added to the roster. Martinson made it clear to me he is not going add players just to have more players on the roster, he is looking for the type of player that will come in and have an impact. 

 

- The next six weeks will be a great opportunity for Allen to make up ground and take the lead in the Western Conference. Between March 24 and May 5 the Americans will play 19 home games and just three road games (one trip to Rapid City). This is clearly the sweet spot of the schedule for Allen after all of the road games early in the season. To give you an idea of the opportunity this presents for the Americans their road points percentage this season is .565 with a record of 13-10-0-0 compared to their home points percentage of .818 with a record of 8-1-2-0.  

OTHER COMMENTS

- Fort Wayne lost three straight to South Carolina over the weekend and the top three spots in the Western Conference have tightened, so has the fight for the fourth playoff spot. I included this about the standings yesterday, "The points percentage difference between #1 ranked Fort Wayne (.719) and #7 ranked Rapid City (.500) is just .219 percentage points. Just a week ago the difference was .349 percentage points." After the Fort Wayne loss yesterday the difference is now down to .176. The season is over 50% complete and any team could still win the conference. Buckle up!

 

- The current Western Conference standings:

.676 - Fort Wayne

.671 - Wichita

.647 - Allen

.542 - Utah

.527 - Tulsa

.514 - Kansas City

.500 - Rapid City

 

- Zane Franklin leads Allen in average penalty minutes per game at 2.03. Here is the ECHL Stats post from this morning with the ECHL leaders. A couple of familiar names that spent time in Allen on this list:

ECHL bad boys and tough guys. Leaders in average penalty minutes per game (minimum 15 games). The group has had a total of 26 fights. Number of fights for each player is in parenthesis:

 

4.96 - Arvin Atwal, Florida (4)

4.19 - Ian McKinnon, Jacksonville (7)

3.82 - Kyle Neuber, Florida (4)

3.33 - Mike McKee, Tulsa (6)

3.18 - Cole Fraser, South Carolina (5)

 

FYI, averaging 4.96 penalty minutes per game over a full season would be 357 minutes.

 

DID YOU KNOW: Six ECHL teams have a defenseman as one of their top four in points this season, Fort Wayne, Greenville, Orlando, Tulsa, Wheeling and Allen. Allen is the only team in the ECHL that has two defensemen in the top four scorers. Here is Allen's top four:

30 points - Corey Mackin

25 points - Les Lancaster

24 points - Jesse Mychan

23 points - Matt Register 

Kapelmaster Leads Allen With Back to Back Shutouts, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Rematch Preview, Allen's Back to Back Shutout History

 

Justin Kapelmaster led the Allen Americans to back to back shutouts against the Tulsa Oilers stopping 29 shots last night on the way to a 2-0 win. It was the first back to back shutout performance by a goalie since November, 2016 when Riley Gill had back to back 1-0 wins.

 

- It was a close game for sure but the Americans met every key to winning a game. Allen scored the first goal although it wasn't until early in the second period. The Americans out shot Tulsa which is a rarity. Since the beginning of last season the Americans have out shot Tulsa in just three of 17 games. Last night it was by a slim 29-28 margin. Tulsa has led the ECHL in average shots per game the last four seasons but the Americans have held them under their average in all three games in this series.

 

- Special teams played a key role in the victory as Allen scored the first and game winning goal at the end of a five minute major penalty assessed for an illegal check to the head. Frank DiChiara was down on the ice after the hit but returned after the first intermission. 

 

- Allen's power play goal was scored by Les Lancaster, his ninth of the season. Lancaster has two more goals than any other defenseman in the league. The Americans second goal was an empty net goal scored by Spencer Asuchak, his sixth of the season but third in the last four games.  Here are the video highlights from the Allen Americans YouTube Channel: 

 

 

 

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans with player quotes: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap/americans-blank-tulsa-again/  

- Allen kept its scoring first streak against Tulsa alive last night and has scored the first goal in all seven games against the Oilers this season. The Americans record is now 5-1-1-0 against the Oilers. 

- The teams will be back at it this afternoon (4:05 pm CDT) for their fourth game in five days. Allen will be looking to capture seven points in the series with another win today while the Oilers will be trying to get back on the winning track. Tulsa had won five straight games before being shutout the last two nights.

 

- There will be a lot of tired legs when Allen and Tulsa take the ice this afternoon. This game could go either way when it comes to penalties. The game last night saw more penalties (14) and penalty minutes (52) than any game between these teams the last two seasons. The game last night included a match penalty to Tulsa for targeting the head of Frank DiChiara. Allen took three penalties after the game was over so it seems like some unfinished business on the part of both teams. The question is whether things will escalate this afternoon or will the tired legs and sore bodies make for a lower key game. Allen will be playing shorthanded again which is also a factor. The referee scheduled today, Alex Normandin, worked the game last night.

- I had a chance to check in with coach Martinson this morning and here are his comments:

"Even though it is three games in three days if a goalie has back to back shutouts he deserves the start. As long as Kapelmaster feels okay this morning he will be in goal."

"The team is playing good team defense and when a mistake happens the players are covering for each other."

"All through the lineup players are back checking and the work ethic had been outstanding."

"Everyone is finishing their checks and the physical play is helping."

OTHER COMMENTS

- It doesn't seem mathematically possible but after the ECHL games last night only one team in the league (Wheeling) is below .500 in points percentage. 

 

- Three teams had attendance over 3000 last night which helped raise the ECHL season average to 2174 ranging from 3251 (Jacksonville) to 1000 (Wheeling). Here are the three teams that drew over 3000:

3872 - Rapid City

3509 - South Carolina

3210 - Tulsa

 

- The Western Conference standings have been getting tighter and tighter with all seven teams having a realistic chance of making the playoffs. The points percentage difference between #1 ranked Fort Wayne (.719) and #7 ranked Rapid City (.500) is just .219 percentage points. Just a week ago the difference was .349 percentage points.

 

 

- Allen has two of the top four scoring defensemen in the ECHL:

27 points (1G, 26A) - Samuel Jardine, Greenville

25 points (9G, 15A) - Les Lancaster, Allen

25 points (3G, 22A) - Mark Auk, Orlando

22 points (2G, 22A) - Matt Register, Allen 

 

You would have thought there was a full moon with some of the outcomes in the ECHL last night. Expect the unexpected was the theme of the evening. 

 

- Last place (Eastern Conference) Wheeling beat Wichita 7-1.

- Last place (Western Conference) Rapid City beat Utah 7-0.

- 1st place Fort Wayne got beat 5-1 by South Carolina.

- Kansas City scored four goals in the final 5 minutes of regulation before losing to Indy 7-6 in OT. KC had six goals on 23 shots in the game.

- Florida fell behind 2-0 to Greenville and tied the score 2-2 with an extra attacker with 16 seconds remaining in the game. Everblades won in OT.

- Allen shutout Tulsa (2-0) in Tulsa after shutting out the Oilers 3-0 in Allen Friday night.

- There was a medical emergency on the bench in Rapid City involving Rush backup goalie, Gordon Defiel, that delayed the game 35 minutes. Report from the hospital is that Defiel is doing well.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Since the Americans joined the ECHL in 2014-15 they have had back to back shutouts just three times. However, it had never been accomplished by the same goalie against the same team until Justin Kapelmaster's shutouts against Tulsa the last two nights. The other two back to back shutouts happened in the 2016-17 seasons. Here are the details:

November 29 & 30, 2016 - Riley Gill made 27 saves in a game in Tulsa that had no goals scored in regulation time. Greger Hanson scored the overtime goal to give Allen the 1-0 win. The next night Allen was in Missouri (KC now) and Gill had a 24 save shutout. Joel Chouinard scored his first goal of the season midway through the third period and it was the only goal of the game as Gill came away with back to back 1-0 shutouts.

December 28 & 29, 2016 - Allen shutout Wichita back to back on the road. Riley Gill had a 42 save shutout on the 28th as the Americans won 5-0. The next night Jamie Murray got the start and had a 27 save shutout as Allen won 9-0.

Allen Wins, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Rematch Preview, ECHL 100 Point Scorers and More

 

The largest crowd of the season (2392) at the Allen Event Center (AEC) watched Justin Kapelmaster record his first professional shutout as the Allen Americans shutout the Tulsa Oilers last night 3-0. Playing short a player and with just nine forwards the Americans were in charge from the opening puck drop scoring a goal 32 seconds into the game. Kameron Kielly scored his fifth goal of the season assisted by Spencer Asuchak and Frank DiChiara. It was the same line that scored the first goal on Wednesday. 

 

- Corey Mackin made the score 2-0 late in the second period and Samuel Laberge finished the scoring into an empty net with 79 seconds remaining in the game to give the Americans a 3-0 win and their third shutout of the season. It was an entertaining game as the Americans played their physical style with everyone finishing their checks and committing to defense. When Allen had defensive breakdowns Kaplemaster came up big stopping all 29 Tulsa shots he faced. 

 

- The Americans killed all three Tulsa power play opportunities in a game where the referee let the players play. Tulsa wasn't called for a single penalty until there were 22 seconds left in the game. 

 

- The goals scorers were Kameron Kielly (5), Corey Mackin (14) and Samuel Laberge (9). Here are the video highlights from the Allen Americans YouTube Channel: 

 

 - Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/general/kapelmaster-leads-allen-over-tulsa/ 

 

- Here is the Tulsa game recap: https://www.tulsaoilers.com/allen-halts-oilers-five-game-win-streak/

 

- After two games at the AEC the teams headed for Tulsa after the game last night and will play twice more, tonight and Sunday afternoon. Playing the same team four times in five days usually causes hard feelings and the game was intense last night. Wouldn't be surprised if there are more fireworks tonight. The only reason that may not happen is Allen will be playing shorthanded again.

 

- Allen has now played Tulsa six times this season with a record of 4-1-1-0. The Americans have scored the first goal in all six games and have one of the best records in the ECHL when scoring first at 16-2-1-0. It is noteworthy that two of the three games Allen has lost after scoring first have been against Tulsa.

 

- Allen hasn't had a power play goal in the last three games though they have had just five chances in those three games and the one power play opportunity last night doesn't really count as it came with 22 second remaining in the game. The last time the Americans played in Tulsa (January 24) they were 2-3 on the power play. 

- Allen as a team is playing with an urgency and intensity through a difficult week of call ups and injuries. If the team can continue to play the way they have in the first two games of this series they will be just fine. 

 

- The line centered by Spencer Asuchak with Frank DiChiara and Kameron Kielly has found some great chemistry very quickly. In the two games against Tulsa they have a goal in each game including the game winner by Kielly last night, five assists, 14 shots and are +6. 

 

- It is hard to understand why second year pro and AHL free agent Les Lancaster has not had a look by some AHL team. Les leads all ECHL defensemen in goals (8) and game winning goals (3), is #3 in points (24), #4 in assists (16) and #5 in shooting percentage (12.5%). This guy deserves a shot at the next level.

 

- Rookie defenseman Phil Beaulieu leads the Allen Americans in plus/minus (+13) and is also tops among all ECHL rookie defensemen in plus/minus.

 

- Jesse Mychan and Jake Paterson did not make the trip to Tulsa. Justin Kaplemaster will get the start in goal after is 29 save shutout last night. The lineup tonight will be the same as last night. 

 

- Allen signed goalie Hayden Hawkey to a standard player contract (SPC) yesterday to serve as the backup to Kapelmaster. With Jake Paterson on the sidelines with an injury Allen could not continue to go with an EBUG. Hawkey was the sixth round draft choice of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2014 NHL draft. He attended Providence College and in his senior season (2018-19) played in 41 games with a GAA of 1.88 and a save percentage of .921. He has played sparingly since turning pro (2019-20) including five games with Wheeling last month in which he had a save percentage of .847. Keep in mind Wheeling is the worst team in the ECHL who has won just eight of 33 games.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- All 14 ECHL teams were in action last night and what has to be a first in the ECHL 12 of the teams have the same opponent and are playing three games in three days. The exception is Utah at Rapid City who do not play a third game on Sunday. Here is the ECHL Today with a preview of all seven games tonight: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2021/3/echl-today-march-20

 

- Fort Wayne lost last night but the other top three teams in the Western Conference won and the bottom three lost. Tulsa had a five game win streak snapped in the loss to Allen. Rapid City also had a five game winning streak snapped though it did earn a point in a 5-4 shootout loss to Utah.

 

- Fort Wayne is the only team in the ECHL that has won more than six of the last 10 games. The Komets are 8-1-1-0 in the last 10 games. 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: I posted this on ECHL Stats this morning. I am always amazed at the point totals Chad Costello had in his three seasons with the Americans. Also notable is five of the last six 100 point scorers in the ECHL were coached by Steve Martinson. If you are a top end forward, Steve Martinson's style of play is the place to be. The number of players that have had their best offensive season as a pro in Allen is a mile long.

 

ECHL’s most recent 100 point scorers:

 

2016-17: 122, Chad Costello, Allen

*2015-16: 103, Chad Costello, Allen

*2014-15: 125, Chad Costello, Allen

2009-10: 114, Tyler Donati, Elmira

2009-10: 104, Justin Donati, Elmira

2009-10: 103, Ryan Kinasewich, Utah

2008-09: 102, Kevin Baker, Florida

*2007-08: 106, David Desharnais, Cincinnati

2006-07: 110, Brad Schell, Gwinnett 

 

*Team won Kelly Cup

 

Feast or Famine Roster Numbers, Allen vs Tulsa Game Preview, OT Impact on Points Percentage and Allen's OT Plus/Minus Stats

 

If you follow ECHL hockey you know roster numbers go from feast to famine many times over the course of a season. Salary Caps and team budgets don't provide much wiggle room when it comes to the number of players on the roster so there seems to be a cycle of too many players one week and not enough players the next week. One week a team can lose players to the AHL and have a couple of players injured and they are shorthanded. The next week players are assigned by the AHL and players come back from injury and all of a sudden a team has too many players. It means coaches are always either recruiting players because they are shorthanded or trading/releasing players because they exceed the roster limits. It is the reason why general managers like Steve Martinson are so critical to team success.

 

- Needless to say this week has been a famine week. It started on Monday when Allen lost four players from San Jose who were not only recalled but assigned to another ECHL team. Martinson was obviously frustrated because the plan was for San Jose to have several San Jose players in Allen for the playoffs including some that would be high draft pick prospects. 

 

- In addition to the recalls, add injuries to Dyson Stevenson, Jake Paterson, Samuel Laberge, Nolan Kneen and Colby McAuley and Martinson went from too many players to not enough players in a couple of days. Laberge is the only one of the injured players that could possibly be in the lineup tonight and he will be a game day decision.

 

- There are other players playing hurt and could be out of the lineup depending on how they feel today. Allen recently added Frank DiChiara and Scott Conway who played their first games on Wednesday. An additional player will be added today and it could be more.

 

- It was a disappointing overtime loss to Tulsa on Wednesday but the Americans played well and most would agree Allen out skated the Oilers in the game. Allen had the better chances but could not finish on enough of its grade A opportunities. After being out shot badly last weekend in Utah the Americans held Tulsa, the #1 team in the ECHL in average shots per game, under its average.

 

- Allen scored first on Wednesday and had leads after the first and second period. If they accomplish that again tonight they will win. 

- Special teams will be key and that is where Allen needs to improve tonight. Tulsa scored its first goal on Wednesday on a power play with 59 seconds left in the second period and it changed the momentum in the game. The Americans had a power play late in the third period with the score tied 2-2 and couldn't capitalize. Allen needs to switch the script to be successful tonight. 

 

- The referee scheduled for the game is Nolan Bloyer (#31) who was the referee on Wednesday. He called just five minor penalties in the game. One of the linesmen will be Daniel Barnes (#76) who played pro hockey and spent time with Fort Worth, Denver and St. Charles in the CHL days and also played 12 games for the Allen Americans.

OTHER COMMENTS

- There is a full slate of games in the ECHL tonight with all 14 teams in action. Rapid City is in last place in the Western Conference but has won five straight games. The Rush host Utah at home for two games this weekend before traveling to Allen for three games next week. The team Allen is chasing in the standings, Wichita is in Wheeling for three games this weekend.

- Because of COVID protocols affecting the Iowa Wild their games tonight and tomorrow night against the Rockford IceHogs have been rescheduled for Sunday and Monday. 

 

 

- Here is an example of the idiosyncrasy of points percentage when three points are awarded for games that go to overtime. In the ECHL there have been 64 games (29%) go to overtime so 64 “extra” points have been awarded so far this season. South Carolina has lost 20 of 32 games but has a points percentage of .500 because eight losses came in games that have gone extra time. ECHL standings show only two of 14 teams have a points percentage below .500:

.328 - Wheeling

.486 - Rapid City

 

 

FYI only two ECHL teams have a points percentage above .700:

.821 - Fort Wayne

.743 - Florida

 

DID YOU KNOW: Since the beginning of last season the Allen Americans have had 22 games end in overtime with a record of 14-8. I went back to look at those 22 games to see who was on the ice when the winning or losing goal was scored. It may seem like just a few players take part in 3-on-3 overtimes but in the 22 overtime games since the beginning of the 2019-20 season 25 different players were on the ice when the winning/losing goal was scored. Here are the players with the best plus/minus in overtimes. The range goes from +4 to -2. In parenthesis is the player's overtime record, i.e. the number of games they were on the ice for the winning goal and the losing goal:

+4: Spencer Asuchak (5-1)

+4: Stepan Falkovsky (4-0)

+3: Tyler Sheehy (3-0)

+3: Gabe Gagne (3-0)

+3: Alex Breton (5-2)

+3: Jared VanWormer (4-1)

+3: Alex Guptill (3-0)