Allen vs Wichita Series Preview, Coach's Corner with Steve Martinson, ECHL Teams Using Record Number of Players and More

 

 I want to start today with Coach's Corner because Steve Martinson's comments this morning set the stage for the three game series against Wichita with games tonight (7:05 pm), Saturday (7:05 pm) and Sunday (2:05 pm).

COACH'S CORNER

"This series is a critical time if we want to catch Wichita."

"We have only one game remaining against Wichita after this weekend so we have to make a dent in their lead in this series."

"We have been having more puck possession than our opponents in recent games including the last time we played Wichita but we have to do a better job of finishing plays."

"We can't beat ourselves like we have in the recent losses. We need to stay aggressive without gambling on low percentage plays."

"Jake Paterson will get the start in goal tonight but both goalies will play in the series."

"Collin Shirley (#11) will be in the lineup tonight playing in his first professional game. Shirley is a big body forward who was captain of his team in the WHL."

"I'm not sure if any of the players listed as day to day will be available tonight but if we play our game we have a good enough lineup to win."

"Skating coach Luke Chilcott worked with the team for a portion of practice yesterday. Luke has been out with an injury so we haven't been able to have him at practice. The guys seemed to enjoy what Luke was showing them and asked when he could come back." 

"Some drills Luke works on can have immediate impact in games."

"It was good to spend time with the season ticket members (STM) at lunch yesterday. Because of COVID I haven't done that this season. With all of the support we get from STMs I like to share with them information they can't get anywhere else."

 

 

ALLEN VS WICHITA SERIES PREVIEW

- The game tonight will be the eighth of 11 games between Allen and Wichita this season.  Allen's record against Wichita this season is 3-3-1-0. In the most recent meeting (April 20 in Allen) Wichita handily beat the Americans 4-1.

 

- Allen is in third place in the Western Conference with a points percentage of .625. The Americans record on the last 10 games is 5-5-0-0 and they are 2-3-0-0 in the last five games.

 

- Wichita is in first place in the Western Conference and its .673 points percentage is the best in the ECHL. Wichita is 6-3-1-0 in the last 10 games and 4-0-1-0 in the last five games.

- In the seven head to head games Wichita leads in goals (27-21) but Allen has the lead in shots (253-237). The stats are skewed because of a couple of strange games early in the season. On New Year's Eve Wichita beat the Americans 7-2 in Allen. The next day in Wichita the American outshot the Thunder 34-12 and won the game 5-1.

 

- After a power play hot streak that lasted 11 games with a power play percentage close to 25% the power play has been spotty the last five games for Allen. The Americans have a record of 2-3 over the last five games. They scored on the power play in the two wins and the three losses had no power play goals. Winning the special teams battle will be a huge key in this series.

 

- Allen's overall power play percentage (19.0%) is ranked #3 in the ECHL. The Americans home power play percentage is much lower (15.8%) and is ranked #11. Wichita's overall power play percentage (14.0%) is ranked #12 and its road power play percentage (14.6%) is ranked #9). In the seven head to head games Allen is 5-35 (14.3%) on the power play and Wichita is 6-29 (20.7%). 

 

- You can make the argument Wichita is the best defensive team in the ECHL. In the odd stat of the day Wichita is ranked #1 in goals allowed per game (2.56) but last (#14) in shots allowed per game (35.69). Great team defense, blocking shots and outstanding goaltending is the difference. Wichita has a team save percentage of .929. No other team is above .916 and Allen is ranked #3 at .913. 

- A couple of other stats to keep in mind in this series include shorthanded goals in overtime. Both teams are at the top of the list in shorthanded goals with Wichita ranked #3 with 10 and Allen ranked #4 with eight. 

 

- Wichita has gone to extra time in 26% of its games with a record of 6-5 in overtime and 2-1 in shootouts. Allen has gone extra time in 17% of its games with a record of 3-2 in overtime and 3-1 in shootouts.

- Scoring the first goal of the game is always important but even more so against Wichita. The Thunder have the best record in the league when they score first (24-4-1-0) compared to Allen with a record of 23-7-1-0. 

- A good start is always important but almost a must in this series. Neither team has lost a game in regulation when leading after the first period. Allen's record is 17-0-2-1 and Wichita's is 12-0-1-0. A real clear indication a bad start could doom both teams. 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Here is a Matt Harding's (The Sin Bin) recap of Wichita's games last week and what is at stake this week against Allen. Good background about Wichita as this three game series against Allen commences. FYI the game on Sunday has a puck drop of 2:05 pm CDT not 4:05 as is in this story: https://thesinbin.net/rolling-thunder-stormin-toward-the-playoffs/

 

- The AHL allowed each division to decide if they wanted a playoff and playoffs would only take place within a division. The Pacific Division was the only one that voted to have a playoff which didn't make the PHPA happy. Here is the PHPA official statement:

- All seven Western Conference teams are in action tonight. In addition to Wichita at Allen, Utah is at Tulsa, Kansas City is at Rapid City and of course Wheeling is playing Fort Wayne. It is the fifth straight game Wheeling is playing Fort Wayne and they play again tomorrow night. Here is the ECHL Today with a preview of all games scheduled tonight.  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2021/4/echl-today-april-30 

   

DID YOU KNOW: When Collin Shirley takes the ice tonight he will be the 49th player to play for Allen this season. Prior to this season the most players to ever play in a season for Allen was 46 in 2015-16. Here is the ECHL Stats post for today that shows how all ECHL teams compare to last season in players used:

 In this strange pandemic season most ECHL teams have already used a record number of players and the season is only 75% completed. Here is a list of each ECHL team in order of the increase in players used this season compared to last season. Total players used this season is in parenthesis:

 

+16: Indy (57)

+10: Utah (47)

+9: South Carolina (46)

+9: Tulsa (43)

+8: Wheeling (48)

+7: Allen (48)

+4: Florida (47)

+4: Kansas City (43)

+2: Greenville (48)

+1: Jacksonville (48)

+0: Wichita (43)

-2: Rapid City (43)

-7: Orlando (55)

-8: Fort Wayne (34)*

 

As a point of comparison in the shortened last season teams played an average of 62 games. Thus far this season teams have played an average of 52 games.

 

*Has only played 33 games this season

 

Practice Has a Guest Today, Coach's Corner with Steve Martinson and Random Observations From the Stats Sheet

 

Practice time has been very limited recently because the schedule has so many four games in five days or three games in three days. Allen will have a full team practice today but with three games in 48 hours this weekend it will not be a strenuous practice.

 

- The three games against Wichita this weekend are important at so many levels. These are two teams that play a similar style and have a long rivalry. Allen beat Wichita for its first championship (2013) in the CHL days. Since joining the ECHL in 2014 Allen has dominated the Thunder with a record of 58-18-8-5. Allen has two Kelly Cups and has missed the playoffs once since joining the ECHL. Wichita has made the playoffs just once since joining the ECHL. Then there is the added intrigue that Allen captain, Dyson Stevenson, was traded to Wichita after the 2016-17 season. Dyson was the captain in Wichita for two seasons before being promoted to the AHL. Another layer of the Allen vs Wichita saga is current Allen owner, Jack Gulati, bought the team from the previous owners who live in Wichita and own the Thunder. Jack will be in Allen this weekend to watch the Wichita series.

- With all of the past history in the rear view mirror this season has been different. Allen's record against Wichita this season is 3-3-1-0 and the Americans have been chasing the Thunder most of the season. In their most recent meeting (April 20 in Allen) Wichita handily beat the Americans 4-1. Last weekend Allen struggled against Utah losing two of three games. Last night Utah was in Wichita and the Thunder easily dispatched the Grizzlies 6-2. With the win Wichita moved in to first place in the Western Conference and now has the best points percentage in the ECHL at .673.

- It all boils down to three games against Wichita for Allen to show they belong with the top teams in the Western Conference. It won't be easy with a lot of Allen's players dinged up. It is hard to see the Americans finishing in the top two in the conference and getting the coveted home ice advantage if they don't win this series against Wichita. 

OBSERVATIONS FROM THE STATS SHEET

- Here are some random thoughts and stats from perusing the ECHL Daily Report

- Rapid City and Wichita are currently in playoffs positions and if the playoffs started today would play each other in the first round. Both teams have made the playoffs just once since joining the ECHL in the 2014-15 season. The Rush made the playoffs that first season and Wichita made the playoffs in 2019.

 

- Utah has the worst shootout record in the ECHL at 2-6. Indy has been in only one shootout and has a record of 1-0.

 

- Wichita has the best road record in the ECHL (18-5-2-0) which translates to a .740 points percentage.

 

- Matt Register leads all ECHL players with 16 power play assists.

 

- Tulsa's Adam Pleskach has taken 198 shots on goal which is 23 more than any other player. 

 

- Austin Fyten (Wheeling) has scored 21 goals on 87 shots to lead the league in shooting percentage at 24.1%.

 

- Jake Paterson has now played enough minutes (985) to qualify for the league goalie stats. Jake is #4 in GAA (2.34) and #4 in save percentage (.925).

 

- Joe Garreffa, who was in Allen early in the season and is now playing for Orlando leads all ECHL rookies with 25 assists. Joe is #3 in points with 35.

 

- Zane Franklin leads all rookies with 100 penalty minutes, 33 more than any other rookie. 

 

- Fort Wayne has as many penalty minutes (569) in 33 games as Orlando has penalty minutes (571) in 52 games.

 

- Indy is the best team in the ECHL in games that go extra time with a record of 11-4 in overtime and 1-0 in shootouts. Utah is the worst team in the league in games that go extra time with a record of 2-5 in overtime and 2-6 in shootouts.

 

- 27% (47-173) of shootout attempts this season have been successful. No team is above 50% and Wichita is the top team at exactly 50% (5-10). Jacksonville is 0-9.  

 

- The best team in the ECHL when scoring first is Wichita with a record of 24-4-1-0 which translates to a points percentage of .845.

 

- Fort Wayne's home power play percentage is 34.3% (23-67) which is 14% better than any other team. 

 

- Three teams have scored double digit shorthanded goals this season with Florida leading (13), followed by Wheeling (12) and Wichita (10).

 

- Allen leads the ECHL in first period goals scored with 51, Florida leads the league in second period goals scored with 65 and Wichita leads in third period goals scored with 66.

 

- Not a good stat but Allen and Wichita have the top five spots in most saves in a game this season. Wichita is #1 (53), #2 (50) and #4 (46). Allen is #3 (47) and #4 (46).

 

- Allen's leader in shooting percentage is Spencer Asuchak at 20.0% (14-70).  

 

 

COACH'S CORNER

 "Skating coach Luke Chilcott will be working on skating mechanics with the team at practice today. Luke has worked with us since 2015 and also works with AHL and NHL teams."

"It will be a light practice today working on a variety of things in addition to the time with Luke."

"I won't know until after the morning skate tomorrow if any of the injured players will be available for the game against Wichita."

"We have a lot of young players who were top scorers on their team in the past. How that ability transfers to the pro game remains to be seen."

"Dyson Stevenson will be with me today at the Season Ticket Members Luncheon at Ellen's." 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Tyler Sheehy led all ECHL rookies last season with 70 points (26G, 44A) even though he only played in 47 games. Here are the top rookie goal scorers this season and the last time rookies scored 30+ goals:

- Three of the top five ECHL rookie goal scorers this season play for the Utah Grizzlies:

19 - Matthew Boucher, Utah

14 - Cedric Pare, Utah

14 - Jay Dickman, Wichita

14 - Max Zimmer, Greenville

13 - Charlie Gerard, Utah

 

 

- In 2018-19 four rookies finished the season with 30+ goals:

32 - Nic Pierog, Manchester

31 - Myles Powell, Cincinnati

31 - Scott Pooley, Newfoundland

30 - Brady Ferguson, Newfoundland

A Shorthanded Goal, Power Play and OT Goal Propels Allen, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Coach's Corner, ECHL Points Percentage History and More

 

A shorthanded Allen Americans team used a shorthanded goal, a power play goal and an overtime goal to defeat Tulsa 3-2 last night before a Tuesday crowd of 1482 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). The game was not as close as the final score because the Americans continue to struggle scoring goals 5-on-5. Allen hit most of the keys to the game as it scored first, outshot Tulsa 33-19, won the special teams battle and scored the game winner with less than a second remaining in overtime. 

- Allen won last night despite missing its top two scoring forwards (Corey Mackin & Samuel Laberge),  forward Colby McAuley who has scored seven goals since returning from injury and defenseman Philip Beaulieu who had six points (2G, 4A) in his last six games. Not only a lot of scoring missing from the lineup but also a lot of toughness. 

 

-  Spencer Asuchak scored the first goal of the game on a great individual effort. While killing a penalty Spencer used his speed to pick a defenseman's pocket and with a player draped all over him somehow manged to beat the goalie for his 14th goal of the season. Asuchak has now scored seven goals in the last 11 games. 

- Asuchak's shorthanded goal was the only first period scoring so Allen took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. That lead was almost a lock for a win for the Americans as they have a record when leading after the first period of 17-0-2-1. 

- Tulsa scored the only goal of the second period so the third period started with a 1-1 score. It didn't take long for Allen to regain the lead. Just 67 seconds into the third period and seven seconds into an Americans power play Zane Franklin took a pass in the slot from Matt Register and fired home his seventh goal of the season.

 

- Tulsa captain Adam Pleskach, a long time Allen nemesis, tied the score on a power play goal midway through the third period and that was the end of regulation scoring.

 

- Both teams had good opportunities in overtime and just when it looked like the game was headed to a shootout Brett Neumann ended it with .8 second remaining. Neumann put in a rebound with a top shelf backhanded shot off a Les Lancaster one timer who was set up perfectly by a pass from Josh Lammon. 

 

Here are the video highlights from the Allen Americans YouTube channel. Here is something to look for on each goal. I always watch the replays several times as there is always more going on other then the puck in the net. On Asuchak's shorthanded goal watch for the effort he made just to get to the defenseman to steal the puck. On Franklin's goal from the slot notice the nice pass from Matt Register. On the overtime winner watch for the great pass from Lammon to Lancaster for the one timer and how Neumann handled the rebound to get the backhander up so quickly.

 

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap/hello-neumann-americans-win-in-overtime/

 

COACH'S CORNER by Steve Martinson

"The team played good defensively last night. Anytime you hold a team to five shots in a period and allow only 19 shots in 67 minutes of hockey you are defending well."

"On Tulsa's first goal the puck bounced of a shin pad into the net and the second goal on the power play was a broken play when our defenseman was taken down by a stick."

"Brett Neumann scored 45 goals his last two seasons in the OHL. He made a nice shot on the overtime winner and he is just getting started with his goal scoring."

"We were missing a lot of scoring with Laberge, Mackin, McAuley, and Beaulieu out of the lineup but it gives other players opportunity to get more ice time and see what they can do. 

"Laberge, Mackin and  McAuley are all listed as day to day so hopefully some or all of them will be ready for the Wichita series on Friday."

"I was not planning to play Sam Ruopp against Tulsa since he just arrived and hadn't been practicing or playing. After morning skate he came up to me and said he wanted to play. He brings toughness to the lineup and he moved the puck well in the game."

"Collin Shirley is a big body, skilled, two-way forward who led his team in scoring in the WHL and was also captain of the team. He will be available this weekend."

"We will have some players practice today to take shots on the goalies and will have a full team practice on Thursday."

"Justin Kapelmaster will join Cleveland (AHL) who is in Austin this weekend for three games against the Texas Stars.  

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- The Americans now must prepare for a very important series this weekend. Allen has been battling Wichita all season for a top spot in the Western Conference. They have played seven times and Allen's record against the Thunder is 3-3-1-0. There is a good chance these teams could meet in the first round of the playoffs. When the teams played a week ago it was not pretty as Wichita won by a score of 4-1. After the three games this weekend, Allen and Wichita will play once more (June 2 in Allen). If Allen hopes to be successful in the playoffs they have to be able to beat Wichita who will bring skill and toughness to the weekend series. Allen needs to match that skill and toughness and win the series. 

 

- Was asked last night when was the last time Allen won by four or more goals. It was as much of a comment as a question as it was noted most Allen teams of the past would win by big margins frequently. Winning by four or more goals hasn't happened much this season. Here are the four times this season Allen won by 4+ goals. Most were on the road and early in the season.

March 12 - Allen won in Utah 6-2

January 24 - Allen shutout the Oilers 5-0 in Tulsa

January 1 - Allen won 5-1 in Wichita

December 27 - Allen beat Tulsa 5-1 at the AEC

 

- I also had a question concerning the rule that requires a suspension after a player has been in 10 fights. The question was whether the slate is wiped clean for the playoffs. The answer is yes, a player will get two fights in the playoffs before being suspended. 

 

- If you have a question let me know, whether it is stats related, rule related or something I can get answered from Steve Martinson. Not sure I will always be able to come up with the answer but it is fun trying. 

 

- Utah is playing in Wichita tonight so the Thunder will have the unenviable task of playing four games in five days with travel. Wichita will be in Allen on Friday (7:05 pm), Saturday (7:05 pm) and Sunday (2:05 pm).

 

- Matt Register and Les Lancaster both factored in the scoring last night and built their lead in points by ECHL defensemen. Lancaster is #1 with 41 points (15G, 26A) and Register is #2 with 38 points (2G, 36A).

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL may end the season with no teams having a points percentage of .700 or higher. Here is the ECHL Stats post for today that shows how unusual that is:

- Fort Wayne and Wichita have the best points percentage in the ECHL right now at .677 and the 2020-21 season could end with no team above .700 in points percentage. Here are the number of teams with points percentage above .700 each season since 2014-15. In parenthesis is the top points percentage that season and the top team. 

 

 

 

2020-21: 0 (.677, Fort Wayne & Wichita)

2019-20: 4 (.742, South Carolina & Florida)

2018-19: 2 (.764, Cincinnati)

2017-18: 4 (.778, Florida)

2016-17: 2 (.736, Toledo)

2015-16: 1 (.757, Missouri)

2014-15: 5 (.743, Toledo)

 

 

- Why has the ECHL reached more parity this season and will any team reach .700 by the end of the season?

 

 

- Also noteworthy is none of the top teams in points percentage won a Kelly Cup.

     

Allen vs Tulsa Game Preview, Coach's Corner with Steve Martinson and Allen's Fight Numbers

 

The Allen Americans have a rare one and done stand alone game tonight as the Tulsa Oilers visit the Allen Event Center (AEC). It is preparation for next week when the Americans will play Tulsa fours times five days (3 home, 1 away). The game tonight will be number nine of 13 times Allen and Tulsa will play this season.  

- Head to head Allen has a record of 5-2-1-0 against Tulsa this season including 3-0-1-0 at the AEC and 2-2-0-0 in Tulsa. In the eight head to head games Allen has out scored Tulsa 27-14. Allen has five shutouts all season with three of them coming against Tulsa. 

- Both teams has been struggling recently. Allen is 5-5-0-0 in the last ten games and has lost five of its last seven. Tulsa is 3-4-2-1 in the last 10 games and has lost four of the last five. Tulsa just lost three straight to Rapid City at home while Allen just lost two of three to Utah at home. 

- The odd stat of the day is Tulsa has a better road record (13-11-3-0) with a points percentage of .537 than home record (10-13-2-2) with a points percentage of .444. Allen's home points percentage is .700 and its road point percentage is .538.

 

- Overall special teams stats favor the American both on the power play (18.8% vs 13.6%) and penalty kill (83.2% vs 82.0%). Allen's home power play percentage is 15.3% while Tulsa's road power play is 14.0%. 

 

- Scoring first is always critical as shown by a combined record for Allen and Tulsa when scoring first of 40-13-4-0. Allen has scored first in all eight games these teams have played this season.

 

- The leading scorers for Allen in the head to head games against Tulsa have been Corey Mackin and Spencer Asuchak with seven points in the eight games. Tulsa has been led by Adam Pleskach, who has always caused problems for Allen, and Danny Moynihan who recently retired because of a medical condition.

 

- It has become a bit of a broken record in Allen's recent poor play. Too many odd man rushes allowed and not enough scoring to over come the bad defense. The Americans lost three of four home games last week and in the three losses they scored a total of four goals. 

 

COACH'S CORNER

"Our two new players arrived last night and I will register their contracts today so it will be in transactions this afternoon. They haven't practiced so may not be in the lineup tonight. We may be down to five defensemen as Phil Beaulieu is out with an injury.

"Samuel Laberge is day to day and will be a game time decision whether he is in the lineup."

"I am still not sure who will start in goal tonight. There are several factors I am considering including the series this weekend against Wichita."

"After reviewing the video of the Utah series we have had the better puck possession in most periods."

"Where we are hurting ourselves is in puck battles. We are losing way to many puck battles especially in our offense zone."

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- The Tulsa at Allen game is the only action in the ECHL tonight so all eyes will be on the AEC. An opportunity for the Americans to get back on the winning track. 

 

- Indy lost to Orlando last night 5-1 in the conclusion of a suspended game from the weekend because of bad ice. With the loss Indy has been passed by Greenville for second place in the Eastern Conference. Indy started the season winning 11 of its first 12 games and was way out in front in points percentage. They have now lost nine of the last 12 games, fallen to third place and are just .001 percentage point out of fourth place.

 

- The other top team all season, Florida, has the worst record in the league over the last 10 games at 2-7-1-0. Florida is still #1 in the Eastern Conference with a points percentage of .671. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Players are automatically suspended for a game once they reach 10 fights and are suspended for each fight until they reach 14 fights when the suspension becomes two games. Here are the Allen leaders in fighting majors:

6 - Zane Franklin

4 - Dyson Stevenson

4 - Colby McAuley      

Allen Loses Series Finale, Game Recap, Coach's Corner, Schedule Going Forward and Shorthanded Goal Fun Facts

 

The Allen Americans lost to the Utah Grizzlies yesterday afternoon in a low scoring game before a Sunday afternoon crowd of 1528 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). The 2-1 loss is the lowest goal total of the season in an Allen loss. The Americans have not been shutout this season. 

 

- It was a familiar script in the defeat with a lack of offense including 0-4 on the power play. My unofficial count had the four power plays generating zero, one, one and two shots on goal. Even though the Americans only allowed two goals they gave up the first goal of the game, were outshot 34-28 and the defense gave up numerous odd man rushes including on the game winning goal. In a tight game in the third period it is important to stay aggressive but not gamble. Goalie Justin Kapelmaster, playing his first game in a month, came up big over and over again stopping 32 of 34 shots for a .941 save percentage. 

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/general/utah-grabs-series-win-with-2-1-victory/    

 

- Allen gave up the first goal in all three games of the series with Utah. When you consider in the ECHL the team that scores first wins about 75% of the time the Americans winning one of the three games is what would be expected. 

 

- There was great hope at the end of March when Allen hit the part of the schedule which had 21 home games and four away games between March 24 and May 9. Things didn't start out well as the Americans lost a series at home to Rapid City but then Allen won six of the next seven games and the only loss was in a shootout. Allen was in first place and everything was looking up. The winning ways have not continued as the Americans have lost five of seven games since their four game sweep of Kansas City. 

 

- Here is how the record stands in this stretch of 22 home games. After 14 of the 22 games Allen's record is 8-5-0-1. The Americans have four home games against Tulsa (plus one road game) and four home games against Wichita between now and May 9. After this homestand Allen will spend the majority of the remainder of the season on the road. Starting on May 12 through the end of May the Americans play nine road games and just one home game. These nine road games are at Kansas City (2 games), Utah (4 games) and Rapid City (3 games). Allen finishes the regular season at home with three games in early June against Wichita (1) and Rapid City (2).

 

- I share all the schedule details because the regular season is quickly winding down. The season is already 70% completed and by the time Allen hits the road for nine of ten games in May the season will be 82% completed. The bottom line is if the Americans want to secure first place in the Western Conference they need to play much better in the seven home games in the next two weeks. 

 

- There is a fine line between fighting for first place and fighting to make the playoffs and time is quickly running out. There is no reason with the talent on the Allen Americans they are not in the fight for the top spot going down the stretch.

 

COACH'S CORNER

 "It was more of same yesterday where we are not scoring and making too many defensive mistakes."

"We were making poor decisions on the power play (0-4) yesterday. Power play is something we continue to work on in practice."

"With so many games and limited time you have to be careful to not do too much during practice. Saving energy is important again this week with four games including another three games in three days.

"We have two new players arriving tonight. A forward and a defenseman who are WHL alumni and played together in college."  

 

DID YOU KNOW: SHORTHANDED GOAL FUN FACTS

 

- The Wheeling Nailers scored two shorthanded goals yesterday in the span of 30 seconds as they beat Fort Wayne 5-3.

 

In the history of the ECHL there have been four shorthanded hat tricks.

- Tommy Olczyk, Indy, Dec. 23, 2017

- Shawn Szydlowski, Fort Wayne, March 21, 2015

- Chad Costello, Colorado, Dec. 12, 2012

- Jamey Hicks, Birmingham, Jan. 27, 1998

         

Allen Bites Back, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Coach's Corner Comments, Game Three Preview, ECHL Saturday Night Attendance and More

 

In the last two weeks four goals is the magic number. In Allen's last seven games the winning team has scored four goals. It was Allen's turn last night as they beat Utah 4-2 before a crowd of 2233 at the Allen Event Center (AEC).

 

- It was another poor start by the Americans as they gave up the first goal for fifth time in the last six games against the Grizzlies. What was different last night was Allen struck back just 38 seconds after Utah took the 1-0 lead and added a second goal before the end of the first period to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. A lead after the first period has been money for Allen all season as they have yet to lose a game in regulation with a first period lead. The Americans record when leading after the first period is now 16-0-2-1.

 

- The second period was all about penalties and power plays. Utah tied the score 2-2 early in the period on a power play goal but Allen struck back with two power play goals later in the period to take a 4-2 lead into the second intermission. It was another great sign for Allen fans as the Americans record when leading after the second period is 21-1-1-0.

 

- The third period was scoreless and if you look at the boxscore it shows a big shot advantage of 19-4 for the Grizzlies. It looked to me like the Americans went into a defensive shell in the third period which resulted in the shot discrepancy. At the end of the game Allen had a couple of chances for an empty net goal, one sure goal was was whistled for offside and another had Colby McAuley hit the post. 

 

- Goals scorers for Allen were Chad Butcher (5), Brett Neumann (1), Spencer Asuchak (13) and Phil Beaulieu (5). Beaulieu had two assists in addition to his goal and Matt Register had three assists. Here are the video highlights from the Allen Americans YouTube channel: 

  

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap/game-number-800-in-the-win-column/  

- The Allen power play got back on track last night and took advanatge of some ill timed Utah penalties. The Americans have played Utah five times in the month of April and in those five games the power play is 6-27 (22.2%). Allen's penalty kill percentage in those five games was 2-20 (90.0%). If the Americans win the special teams battle this afternoon they have a great chance of winning the game. It would also help if they can score the first goal of the game after giving up the first goal the last two nights.

- It seems like the first team to four goals has been the formula for success in Allen's last seven games. The Americans offense may be ready to breakout.

 

- Three games in less than 48 hours are always difficult and you never know what to expect. A 2:05 pm game time doesn't help but it is the same for both teams. Will over skill is what carries the day.

- With the points they earned last night Allen now has three defensemen in the top 12 in scoring among ECHL defensemen:

#1 - Les Lancaster, 40 points (15G, 25A)

#2 - Matt Register, 37 points (2G, 35A)

#12 - Phil Beaulieu, 23 points (5G, 18A)

COACH'S CORNER

- Steve Martinson's post game interview with Tommy Daniels from the Allen Americans YouTube channel.

Steve Martinson's morning comments:

"We dominated puck possession in the first two periods but not in the third period."

"In the third period the guys were cautious to not make defensive mistakes. That is understandable given the mistakes in the previous game."

"I prefer we keep playing a more offensive game than we did in the third period. We need to generate offense but without gambling."

"I haven't decided which of the three goalies will start this afternoon. Justin Kapelmaster, who was the backup goalie last night, has recovered from his injury and is ready to play."

"Our offense was better last night and I expect it will be even better today."

"We came through the game last night with some bumps and bruises but everyone should be available this afternoon."

"Samuel Laberge will not play this afternoon."  

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen didn't gain much ground in the standings last night as Fort Wayne beat Wheeling again (7-2) and Wichita lost 3-2 in overtime to Kansas City. Allen's point percentage is now .630 which is .037 behind second place Wichita and .083 ahead of fourth place Rapid City. The Rush moved into fourth place last night with a win over Tulsa while Utah was losing to Allen. 

 

- Goalie Dereck Baribeau was injured in the first period of the Iowa Wild's 3-2 win over Rockford on Friday night. Depending on how serious the injury is to Baribeau, Iowa could be looking to Allen for a goalie. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Last night was a good one for attendance around the ECHL. A total of 18,890 fans attended six games. A seventh game, Orlando at Indy was suspended in the first period because of bad ice. Here are the attendance details from my ECHL Stats post:

Saturday night hockey around the ECHL saw increasing attendance with a pandemic restricted total for six games of 18,890 averaging 3148 per game. The team’s average attendance for the season is in parenthesis:

 

4360 - Florida (3316)

3544 - South Carolina (2346)

3473 - Tulsa (2719)

3111 - Fort Wayne (3069)

2233 - Allen (1829)

2169 - Kansas City (1955)

    

 

Grizzlies Bite the Americans, Game Recap, Coach's Corner Returns, Rematch Preview, ECHL's Best 3rd Period Goal Differentials and More

 

The Allen Americans lost to the Utah Grizzlies last night 4-2 before a pandemic limited sellout crowd of 2195 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). It was Allen's fourth loss in its last five games. The Americans gave up four goals in each of the four losses and scored two or fewer goals in each of the losses. 

 

- While the Americans battled back twice to tie the scored after giving up the first and only goal of the opening period they never led in the game, were out shot 37-26 and were blanked on the power play going 0-4. It was an uphill battle all night for Allen which they could not overcome. The stats tell the story:

7-10-1-0: Allen's record when it gives up the first goal as it did last night.

1-10-0-0: Allen's record when trailing after the first period. Trailed 1-0 last night.

3-13-0-0: Allen's record when trailing after the second period. Trailed 2-1 last night.

- It didn't help that the Americans were missing their top two scoring forwards, Corey Mackin (43 points) and Samuel Laberge (31 points). They contribute so much more than scoring as they play a vital role on special teams and Laberge leads the team along with Franklin in finishing checks.

- Goal scorers for Allen were Chad Butcher (4) and Phillip Beaulieu (4). Les Lancaster had an assist to add to his league lead for points by a defensemen which is now at 39. Matt Register also had an assist to add to his team lead in assists which is now at 32.

 

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/general/grizzlies-silence-americans-in-first-of-three-this-weekend/

- Here is the game recap issued by the Utah Grizzlies: https://www.utahgrizzlies.com/en/grizzlies-news/grizz-win-4-2-in-series-opener

 

- Last night was typical of Allen's recent performance with a combination of too many easy scoring chances allowed because of defensive mistakes and not being able to score enough to overcome the defensive lapses. In Allen's four losses in the last 10 days it has allowed 4.00 goals per game and scored 1.75 goals per game. Improvement is needed on both sides of that equation.

 

- Keys for the rematch tonight with Utah include getting off to a better start, get back on track on the power play and get back to the team defense that enabled the Americans to have an April record of 6-0-0-1 until 10 days ago. In the last 10 days the record is 1-4-0-0.

 

- Allen didn't score a goal last night until the second period. The Americans have given up the first goal of the game in five of the last seven games against Utah. The Grizzlies had 37 shots on goal which is their second highest total against Allen in the 11 games they have played this season. Allen managed just 26 shots on goal, well below its 32.35 shots per game average. 

 

- The power play was recently on fire scoring at least one power play goal in six straight and scoring at a 25% clip. The power play has cooled down the last two games with no goals in 10 opportunities. The power play needs to get back on track tonight. 

 

- There will be a referee change for the game tonight. Last night referee Nolan Bloyer called just six minor penalties and let the players play for the most part. Tonight the referee scheduled is #26 Alex Normandin. He has been the referee for six of Allen's games this season and averages 12 penalties per game. Odds are more penalties tonight than last night.  

COACH'S CORNER

- I decided to bring back "Coach's Corner" as a separate section of the blog each day where you can easily find Steve Martinson's comments. Since I talk to him every morning it will be a chance to get his thoughts on game results, game previews, roster news and other items of interest all in one place.

"Corey Mackin is day to day. Coming off an illness and the fact we are playing three game in three days we will take his return one day at a time. It is possible he plays tonight depending on how he feels."

"Samuel Laberge will not play tonight. He has an injury and is day to day but is not likely to play this weekend."

"We are not scoring enough to make up for our weak defensive play."

"We are getting plenty of shots but too many are missing the net or being blocked. That is the reason for the discrepancy in shots on goal."

"We need our top players who have a history of scoring goals to step up."

"We had the edge in puck possession last night but still lost too many puck battles. Losing puck battles is just like a turnover and when you lose a puck battle you are usually on the wrong side of the puck."

"Utah was beating us to the net front last night."

"Jake Paterson will get the start in goal tonight."

     

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen was the only one of the top four teams in the Western Conference to lose last night. Wichita was involved in a wild one against Kansas City. The Mavericks had six shots in the first period and scored on four of them. Wichita trailed 4-0 after the first period and 6-3 after the second period but fought back to win 7-6 in overtime. Wichita is the best third period team in the ECHL and it isn't even close, see stats below.

 

- Fort Wayne beat Wheeling last night 5-2 to extend its record against the Nailers to 9-2-2-1. The Komets are in the midst of six straight games against Wheeling. The Komets finish the season with three games against Wichita, three against Indy and three against Utah. The combined six games against Wichita and Utah are the only games Fort Wayne plays within the Western Conference all season.

 

- Here are the current Western Conference standings:

.677 - Fort Wayne

.670 - Wichita

.622 - Allen

.550 - Utah

.538 - Rapid City

.500 - Tulsa

.490 - Kansas City

 

- I heard from Tommy Daniels tonight will be the 800th regular season game in Allen Americans franchise history. The stat of the day is coach Martinson has won more games (1072) than the Allen Americans have played.  

 

DID YOU KNOW: Allen has a positive goal differential this season in all three periods with a +7 in the first period, +5 in the second period and +6 in the third period. That is a far cry from the Americans in the past who were known as a third period team. The best example comes from the 2016-17 season when Allen's goal differential was +14 in the first period, +13 in the second period and +61 in the third period. Here is the ECHL Stats post with the best teams this season in third period goal differential. 

 

Good teams play well in the third period. Here are the ECHL teams with a positive goal differential (goals for minus goals allowed) in the third period this season. The team’s current points percentage rank is in parenthesis:

 

+24: Wichita (2nd)

+15: Florida (3rd)

+10: Fort Wayne (1st)

+8: Orlando (6th)

+6: Allen (4th)

+4: South Carolina (11th)

+1: Indy (5th)

  

Trade Deadline Goes Quietly, Allen vs Utah Series Preview, Steve Martinson's Comments, ECHL Average PIMS Going Down and More

 

As expected it was a quiet day for the Allen Americans yesterday on trade deadline day. It doesn't mean there weren't deals on the table and conversations taking place but at the end of the day there were few trades around the ECHL yesterday. 

 

- The next critical date for the Americans is two weeks away. That is the date AHL players who have not played in the ECHL this season must be assigned in order to play in five regular season games before the end of the AHL season (May 16). Players need five regular season games played to qualify for the ECHL playoffs. There are plenty of obstacles in getting AHL players who have not spent time in the ECHL this season assigned by May 7 so no guarantees but it is clear ECHL coaches are having discussions with AHL teams.

 

- Allen finds itself in a familiar spot in the standings trailing second place Wichita by .028 percentage points and just ahead of fourth place Utah by .094 percentage points. Depending on the results this weekend, Allen could be in first place or fourth place.

 

- Next up for the Americans is a three game series against the Utah Grizzlies starting tonight at the Allen Event Center (AEC). Allen plays Utah 18 times this season, more than any other team. As a reminder here is a breakdown of the 72 game Allen schedule by team:

 18 games - Utah (8 home 10 away)                
 16 games - Rapid City (7 home 9 away)            
 13 games - Tulsa (8 home 5 away)                      
 11 games - Wichita (8 home 3 away)
 11 games - Kansas City (5 home 6 away)
 3 games - Greenville (0 home, 3 away) 

 

- Allen and Utah have already played 11 times this season and the Americans record in those 11 games is 8-2-0-1. Five of the 11 games have gone extra time. The odd stat of the day is Allen has been involved in four shootouts this season and they have all been against Utah. The Americans won three of the four shootouts and the lone overtime game so advantage Allen if games go extra time this weekend.

 

- With 11 head to head games between these teams here are the totals. Allen leads in goals (38) averaging 3.45 per game. Utah has scored 28 goals for an average of 2.54 per games. Shot totals are almost identical (303 vs 300) which is an averaging 27 shots per game. 

 

- Head to head on special teams Allen's power play is 10-48 (20.8%) and Utah's is 7-47 (14.9%). The difference is even more stark if you look at the last time Utah visited Allen for three games at the beginning of April. Allen was 4-18 (22.2%) and Utah was 1-14 (7.1%) on the power play. Allen also had a shorthanded goal in that series.

 

- How important is it for Allen to score the first goal against Utah? In the 11 head to head games Allen's record when scoring first is 6-0-0-0. When Utah scores first the Americans record is 2-2-0-1. 

 

- Both team enter the series not playing well recently. Allen has lost three of its last four games after winning six of seven. Utah has lost four of its last six games though they did win the last game against Kansas City. 

 

- Here are coach Martinson's comments from this morning:

"The key to the game is getting back to solid team defense and avoid defensive mistakes that allow odd man rushes and easy scoring chances.

"It will help having Dyson Stevenson and Corey Mackin back in the lineup tonight."

"Frank Marotte will get the start in goal."

"I am not worried about our even strength scoring. Our roster is full of players that have led their teams in scoring and we have four lines that can score. Our new players will get stronger with every game they play." 

- It seems like every game recently Allen has a player unable to play because of illness or injury. My reporting is that will probably be the case again tonight. Stay tuned.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- There is a full slate of games in the ECHL tonight. Games of interest to Allen fans include Wheeling at Fort Wayne and Wichita at Kansas City. Here is the ECHL Today with previews on all seven games. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2021/4/echl-today-april-23

 

- One measure of the depth of the Allen Americans this season is game winning goals. Allen has 26 game winning goals this season with 16 different players having at least one game winning goal. The leaders are Les Lancaster (4), Jesse Mychan (4) and Corey Mackin (3). FYI the ECHL leader in game winning goals is Michael Huntebrinker from Florida with seven.

 

DID YOU KNOW: Average penalty minutes per game have been going down recently for Allen and leaguewide. Allen's average penalty minutes per game has been 12.83 (this season) and 12.02 (last season). Here is my ECHL Stats post today which tells the story. 

 

- Florida leads the ECHL in average PIMS (penalty minutes) per game this season at 17.06. It is the second season of reduced PIMS. Here are the average PIMS per game leaders since 2012-13.

 

17.06 - Florida, 2020-21

16.84 - Fort Wayne, 2019-20

23.49 - Allen, 2018-19

19.60 - Allen, 2017-18

19.89 - Allen, 2016-17

19.82 - Colorado, 2015-16

22.83 - Allen, 2014-15

19.69 - Idaho, 2013-14

24.18 - Utah, 2012-13

 

- In 2014-15 Allen won the Kelly Cup and averaged 22.83 PIMS per game, four other teams (Stockton, Wichita, Colorado, Elmira) averaged 20+ and 10 teams (36%) averaged more than Florida’s leading average of 17.06 PIMS this season.

 

- In 2012-13 the entire league (22 teams) averaged 17.37 PIMS per game and 10 teams (45%) averaged more than Florida is averaging this season.           

 

Trade Deadline Day Has Arrived, Steve Martinson's Roster Update, Penalty Shot Stats and More

 

I want to start this morning by thanking those of you that let me know I had the Americans playing Tulsa instead of Utah in the blog post yesterday. To make matters worse I was running errands and didn't get my brain fart corrected for several hours. If I have confused any of you let me make clear Allen will be playing Utah on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, not Tulsa. 

 

-  I could blame the error on my editor/proofreader, aka my lovely wife Nancy, but she is in Las Vegas with our daughter celebrating her 70th birthday which is tomorrow. I would describe Nancy as a big gambler but not a big spender as her preparation for the trip was to read an article about the top 10 penny slots you can play in Las Vegas. To my surprise she sent a photo yesterday of her standing in front of a "Double Diamond" penny slot machine and she had won a jackpot worth $355. You would have thought she won the lottery. It must be difficult to win $355 on a penny slot machine. Do me a favor and send Nancy a happy 70th birthday email. Here email address is nancyjjanssen@hotmail.com. 

 

- On a serious note if you ever see a mistake in the blog (big or small) please let me know. The blog posts last forever so getting them 100% correct is always the goal. It is easy for me to make the corrections quickly if I am made aware of mistakes. Thanks for your help and your support over the years.

- Today is trade deadline day (3:00 pm EDT) in the ECHL so the last chance for teams to try and improve their roster through trades with other ECHL teams. In a typical season there are sellers and buyers at the trade deadline. Teams that aren't making the playoffs are willing to trade players to get better players for the next season. Teams heading to the playoff are looking to improve their roster for the playoffs and give up a player after the playoffs. This season there are a lot of buyers and few sellers because every team in the league (except Wheeling) has a point percentage at .500 or above and thinks they can make the playoffs.

 

- Wheeling has already traded its best player, Michael Joly, to Orlando for "multiple future considerations" which means multiple players. Orlando gets a great player for the playoffs and Wheeling will get multiple players that won't be announced until after Orlando's playoffs are completed but no later than July 5 which is the future consideration deadline date.

 

- It is a strange system because a player could get traded today but not find out about it until as late as July 5, after his team has completed their playoffs. Such is the nature of future consideration trades.

 

- Here is a roster update from coach Martinson as of this morning with the caveat things can change:

 - Kameron Kielly's signing with Indy fulfills the future consideration part of the trade the Americans owed Indy when they acquired Darian Skeoch.

- Skeoch, Corey Mackin and Dyson Stevenson will be in the lineup on Friday.

- There are other players listed as day to day so the Friday night line up is still in flux.

- Two new players are scheduled to arrive Monday evening. Just like Steve Owre and Chad Butcher these are college teammates.

- Martinson was noncommittal on the likelihood of a trade on this trade deadline day. I read that to mean it is possible but not probable.

 - Here is the current Allen roster. Rookies are marked with an asterisk.  The roster includes three goalies, seven defensemen and 13 forwards with two additional players being added next week:

Goalies 

#31 - Frank Marotte*

#34 - Jake Paterson

#39 - Justin Kapelmaster* (injured)

 

Defensemen 

#5 - Phil Beaulieu*

#14 - Les Lancaster

#16 - Darian Skeoch* 

#20 - Ben Carroll*

#21 - Dominic Cormier*

#25 - Nolan Kneen* (injured reserve)

#43 - Matt Register

Forwards

#8 - Steve Owre*

#9 - Brett Neumann* 

#15 - Corey Mackin

#17 - Colby McAuley

#19 - Chad Butcher 

#26 - Spencer Asuchak    

#27 - Sam Laberge

#28 - Tim Doherty*

#29 - Josh Maser*

#40 - Josh Lammon

#44 - Zane Franklin*

#71 - Dyson Stevenson 

#77 - Scott Conway

 

- Practice today will be the typical day before a three game series in 48 hours type of practice. A lot of time will be devoted to special teams with emphasis on the power play. With all of the new players getting power play time it should be a productive practice. Allen's power play as been very good recently despite being shutout on Tuesday. 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen has the best shootout record (3-1) along with Rapid City and Orlando of any team that has been involved in more than one shootout. Two teams are tied for the most shootout games with eight. Utah is 2-6 and South Carolina is 5-3.

 

- An indication of how much parity there is in the ECHL this season can be seen in current streaks of wins and losses.The longest current streak is just three games and no team has won more than two straight games. The best streak is Orlando's point streak (2-0-1-0). The longest losing streak is also just three games as Indy has a streak of 0-2-1-0. Nine teams have a current streak of just one game. 

 

- Les Lancaster's 38 points (15G, 23A) is tops among ECHL defensemen but is also #13 among all ECHL players.

 

DID YOU KNOW: There has still been just three successful penalty shots in the ECHL this season. Spencer Asuchak and Les Lancaster have two of them. Here are the stats on penalty shots the last five season with the number successful, total penalty shots and percent successful.

3-15 (20%): 2020-21   (partial season and only 14 teams)

11-39 (28%): 2019-20   (shortened season)

16-43 (37%): 2018-19

15-48 (31%): 2017-18

10-38 (26%): 2016-17 

 

 

Allen Lays an Egg, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Steve Martinson's Comments, Player Profiles on Brett Neumann and Darian Skeoch and More

 

The Allen Americans were playing the Wichita Thunder last night for the first time since February 6. Long time rivals battling for the top spot in the Western Conference, the game was a measuring stick for both teams. The Americans fell way short of expectations as the smallest crowd of the season (1146) at the Allen Event Center (AEC) watched Allen lose to Wichita 4-1. 

- Playing without leading scorer Corey Mackin the Americans could not generate enough offense in any phase of the game. Allen did manage the first goal of the game at the 15:10 mark of the first period when Les Lancaster batted in the puck out of midair to score is 15th goal of the season, tops among ECHL defensemen. Samuel Laberge and Brett Neumann had the assists. It was Neumann's first pro point. 

- Two minutes later a defensive breakdown resulted in Wichita getting the equalizer and the teams ended the first period tied 1-1. Allen could not find the back of the net the rest of the game and special teams were the difference. After a few weeks of outstanding special teams play, the power play and penalty kill struggled against Wichita. I am sure Mackin was missed on special teams as he leads the team in power play goals and shorthanded goals and is a big part of the power play and penalty killing units. Allen was 0-6 on the power play after scoring at least one power play goals in the last six games. The Americans allowed two power play goals to Wichita in just five opportunities. Allen hadn't allowed a power play goal in the last four games and hadn't allowed two power play goals in the last month.

 

- Allen did manage to outshoot Wichita 31-25 but that is not unusual as Wichita allows more shots than any team in the ECHL. The Thunder have been outshot in 65% of their games but have a record of 18-11-3-1 in those games. Wichita is successful because of its goalie play. Allen has a great team save percentage of .912 but that does not compare to Wichita's team save percentage of .930. The Thunder have had five goalies play 5+ games this season which shows the importance of team defense in save percentage.

 

- 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-fall-to-wichita-4-1/

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder:  https://www.wichitathunder.com/en/news/thunder-begins-busy-week-with-win-in-allen

 

- When I talked to coach Martinson this morning he was obviously not pleased with the team's performance last night. Today would normally be a day off but not the case. It won't be a hard practice but there are some things Martinson wants to work on before the weekend games. Martinson also said the flu bug has hit the team. That is the reason Corey Mackin was unable to play last night and also why Darian Skeoch could not finish the game. Martinson also shared there were some things he saw in the game last night that need to be fixed and they will be soon but he was keeping the specifics private. 

- When I asked coach Martinson about the impact of having Mackin out of the lineup he said, "Anytime you lose you leading scorer it has an impact but that is no excuse for our performance last night."

 

- As disappointing as the loss was to the Americans they now must focus their attention on Utah who come to the AEC for games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Another weekend of playing three games in less than 48 hours with a 2:05 pm start on Sunday.

 

#9 BRETT NEUMANN PLAYER PROFILE

 

Brett Neumann

- Allen fans had the chance to see rookie Brett Neumann in person for the first time last night.  Neumann was assigned to Allen a week ago by his AHL team (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) and earned his first professional point last night when he assisted on Les Lancaster's goal. 

 

- Brett is 21 years old and is 5'9'' and 176 pounds. The right shot forward is from Toronto and played his junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He had back to back 45 goal seasons his last two years in juniors (2018-19 & 2019-20). In addition to his goal scoring prowess Neumann finished his OHL career playing in an all time record of 311 consecutive regular season. Here is a story with the title, "Generals' Neumann graduates as OHL's all-time ironman" that talks about his record and career: https://ontariohockeyleague.com/article/generals-neumann-graduates-as-ohls-all-time-ironman

 

- If you read scouting reports about Brett Neumann they all mention his skating, skill and work ethic. He placed second in the hardest working player category in the OHL coaches' poll in 2018 and won the best skater category in 2019. Here is a quote from the Hockey News, "Neumann's heavy shot is overshadowed by his elite speed which separates him from the competition and he can kill penalties and unload big shots on the power play. 

 

- Here is Brett Neumann's highlight reel from last season with the Oshawa Generals which you can find on YouTube. I think it is all 45 of his goals. It is long (over six minutes) but you see his speed and skill over and over again. Even strength goals, power play goals and shorthanded goals, he can do it all. At the end of the highlights Brett talks about his OHL career.

  

 

#15 DARIAN SKEOCH PLAYER PROFILE

Darian Skeoch

- Darian was acquired last week in a trade with Indy that sent Conner Bleackley, the rights to Kayle Doetzel and future considerations to the Fuel.  Darian Skeoch  (pronounced Skee-Oh) is 6'4" and 225 pound. The 24 year old, right shot defenseman will bring some of the toughness Allen has lost recently from the defensive group (Lochead, Ottenbreit, Doetzel). Steve Martinson's quote about Skeoch says it all, "Skeoch is one of the toughest players to come out of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the last 10 years.

 

- Darian is from New Liskeard, Ontario but played his junior hockey in the rough and tumble Western Hockey League (WHL) and then played two years of college hockey at Carleton University before turning pro this season with the Indy Fuel. In 13 games with Indy Darian had no points and 18 penalty minutes. 

 

- I saw this quote from his junior team coach after he left, "There was a focus on other players when Darian was here. It fell through the cracks on how important he was to the team in the public eye but not in the players' eyes. I think anybody you talk to on the team now will tell you that. Darian would do anything for the guys and that resonated with a lot of our players." Here is the complete story with the title, "Skeoch remains a leader with Giants even two years after final game: https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/junior-hockey/steve-ewen-skeoch-remains-a-leader-with-giants-even-two-years-after-final-game  

- Here is an example of Skeoch's toughness from his junior days. you can find this and many others on YouTube:

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: More reasons offensive defensemen want to play in Steve Martinson's system. A lot of familiar names on this list. Goal scoring leaders among ECHL defensemen the last six seasons:

 

2020-21 (partial season)

15 - Les Lancaster, Allen

 

2019-20 (shortened season)

15 - Stepan Falkovsky, Allen

 

2018-19

17 - Eric Knodel, Cincinnati

17 - Kevin Spinozzi, Wheeling

 

2017-18

17 - Matt Register, Colorado

17 - Taylor Richart, Utah

 

2016-17

21 - Stepan Falkovsky, Adirondack

 

2015-16

17 - David Makowski, Allen

17 - Adrian Veideman, Colorado

17 - Jacob MacDonald, Elmira

Allen vs Wichita Preview, Steve Martinson's Comments, ECHL One Goal Game Stats and More

 

There is one game in the ECHL tonight and it should be a good one as Wichita is in Allen for a rare stand alone game. Close in points percentage (Allen .649, Wichita .650), close in the Western Conference standings (Allen #3, Wichita #2) and close in head to head games with identical records of 3-2-1-0. Can't get much closer than that. 

 

- Tonight will be a good test for both teams who are ranked #1 and #2 for best record over the last 10 games. Allen is #1 with a record of 7-2-0-1 and Wichita is #2 at 7-3-0-0. 

 

- The game tonight will be the seventh of of 11 times Allen and Wichita play this regular season. They last played each other way back on February 6. In the six head to head games (each team won three) Wichita led in goals (23-20) but Allen led in shots 222-212. In a game on January 1 in Allen the Americans out shot Wichita 34-12 on the way to a 5-1 victory. 

 

- Head to head Allen's power play is 5-29 (17.2%) and Wichita's is 4-24 (16.7%). Overall Allen's power play at home this season is 15-92 (16.3%) and Wichita's road power play is 9-74 (12.2%). With all of the power play stats the one that says the most is how the Allen power play has performed recently. Over the last 11 games the power play has scored at least one goal in 10 of the 11 and the power play percentage is 28.6% (14-49).

 

Here are Steve Martinson's comments about tonight's game:

"Jake Paterson will get the start in goal."

"Zane Franklin will be back in the lineup."

"There might be a couple of other lineup changes but they will be game time decisions."

"The key tonight is to not hurt ourselves and give up easy scoring chances by playing soft and being out of position."

 

- Allen and Wichita have a combined record when scoring first of 44-10-2-0. In the three losses to Wichita this season the Americans gave up the first goal in all three. A good start will be key for both teams tonight.

 

- A lead after the first period makes both of these teams almost unbeatable. Allen is 15-0-2-1 when leading after the first period. Wichita is 11-0-1-0 when leading after the first period.  

 

- Another way to look at this game is Allen's #3 ranked scoring team against Wichita's #1 ranked defensive team. The Americans average 3.34 goals per game while Wichita allows 2.56 goals per game. 

 

- The odd stat of the day is Wichita is ranked #1 in average goals allowed (2.56) but is last (#14) in average shots allowed (36.12). You get this result because of outstanding goalie play, Wichita has far an away the best team save percentage in the league at .930. 

 

- Three of Allen's top six scorers against Wichita this season (Jesse Mychan, Joe Garreffa, Tyler Sheehy) are no longer with the team. Wichita's leading scorer against Allen has been #91 Anthony Beauregard who has nine points in six games. He also leads the ECHL in scoring with 57 points (19G, 38A).  

- Two of the six head to head games between Allen and Wichita went to overtime. Allen won in overtime in Wichita and Wichita won in overtime in Allen. Overall Allen has been in eight extra time games and is 2-2 in overtimes and 3-1 in shootouts for a points percentage of .625. Overall Wichita has been in 12 extra time games and is 5-4 in overtimes and 2-1 in shootouts for points percentage of .583.

 

- Allen fans will see get to see #9 forward Brett Neumann and #16 defenseman Darian Skeoch for the first time on home ice tonight. Two players to watch that are very different in the skills they bring to the team. I will have a player profile on them tomorrow.    

 

DID YOU KNOW: ECHL teams ranked by the number of one goal games they have been involved in this season with points percentage in one goal games:

 

30 - Wichita, .650

28 - Indy, .679

28 - Utah, .625

28 - Kansas City, .536

26 - Greenville, .615

25 - Tulsa, .620

23 - South Carolina, .717

23 - Jacksonville, .565

22 - Rapid City, .682

20 - Orlando, .675

20 - Wheeling, .500

18 - Allen, .750

13 - Florida, .769

12 - Fort Wayne, .667

 

It's a Big Week for the Allen Americans On and Off the Ice

 

It seems like every week is a big week in this crazy season but this week is clearly a big one for the Allen Americans on and off the ice. The Americans play four games against the team just ahead of them in the standings and just behind them in the standings.  The week gets underway against Wichita tomorrow night followed by a three game series against Utah on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Americans could end the week with a points percentage as high as .676 and in first place in the Western Conference and as low as .598 and fighting for a playoff spot. By the end of the week Allen will have only 21 games remaining in the regular season.

- A great opportunity lays ahead for the Americans with 11 of their next 12 games at home. The 12 games are against three teams, Tulsa (5), Wichita (4) and Utah (3). The lone away game is in Tulsa. Why is this a great opportunity? Allen's home points percentage is the best in the ECHL at .786 (15-3-2-1). The Americans road points percentage is .538 (14-12-0-0) ranked #8 in the ECHL.

 

- As important as the four games on the ice this week, what takes place off the ice may be more important. Thursday is the ECHL trade deadline and it is hard to believe general manager Steve Martinson isn't trying to find ways to improve the roster. There are 15 rookies on the Allen roster if you include the two players that Martinson has signed that won't report until next week. The team could use more veteran presence/leadership and there is a vet slot available. I am sure it is difficult to trade for a vet with every ECHL team still believing they can make the playoffs. The bottom line is the last time to improve the roster through trades is Thursday (2:00 pm Allen time).

- Other roster movements you may see this week is AHL players being assigned to ECHL teams. Wednesday is the deadline for AHL teams to switch players from one ECHL teams to another. It does not prevent players from being assigned to ECHL teams after Wednesday, this rule just relates to switching  AHL players from one ECHL team to another.

 

- Another decision this week is whether co-captain Dyson Stevenson, who last played on March 14, be cleared to play? Stevenson's leadership on and off the ice has been missed, especially on the road since he has not traveled with the team.

 

- There is no doubt all playoff bound teams will get stronger as the playoffs approach. It is important to remember AHL/NHL contracted players (with few exceptions) assigned to the ECHL must play five games in the ECHL to be eligible for the playoffs. These five games must be played before the end of the AHL season which is May 16. For AHL players assigned to ECHL teams that have no games played in the ECHL this season the assignment date will have to be around May 7 in order for them to play in five ECHL games. The assignment date will be even earlier if teams want to build in a couple of game cushion in addition to the five games. The point is these decisions are right around the corner.

 

- The number of games remaining in the regular season varies from 21 (Florida & Tulsa) to 26 (Jacksonville & Wheeling). Allen has 21 games remaining. The final standings will be based on winning percentage rather than points this season. 

 

- The elephant in the room keeps growing as each week passes and there is no news on Steve Martinson's future with the Allen Americans. As of today Martinson has 73 days left on his contract and remember his quote when I interviewed him about his contract:

"I don't want to be wondering in July what I am doing. Right now I want to climb the standings and have other organizations take notice of the entertaining brand of hockey we are playing." 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Last season 10 of 26 (38%) ECHL teams finished with a winning percentage below .500, the top team was at .742 and the bottom team was at .300. This season one of 14 (7%) teams is below .500, the top team in the league is at .677 and the bottom team is at .413. An example of how close teams are this season is looking at the records over the last 10 games. While all teams are close, Allen has the best record in the ECHL over the last 10 games. Here is the ECHL Stats post from today:

 

Here are ECHL teams listed by best record over their last 10 games. Standings rank by points percentage is in parenthesis. These records show how much parity there is in the league this season. 13 of 14 teams have a points percentage at .500 or higher with no team above .677. Every team in the league with the possible exception of last place Wheeling (.413) has a chance for the playoffs and Wheeling has been one of the best teams over the last 10 games. Lots of hockey to play over the final third of the season when you consider a team with a .677 (Florida) is at the bottom of this list and a team towards the top (Wheeling) has a .413 points percentage:

 

7–2-0-1: Allen (4th)

7-3-0-0: Wichita (3rd)

6-3-0-1: Wheeling (14th)

6-3-1-0: Orlando (6th)

6-3-1-0: Fort Wayne (1st)

6-4-0-0: Jacksonville (10th)

5-3-1-1: Greenville (7th)

5-4-1-0: Rapid City (11th)

5-5-0-0: Kansas City (13th)

4-3-2-1: Tulsa (12th)

4-3-2-1: South Carolina (8th)

4-4-1-1: Utah (9th)

4-6-0-0: Florida (2nd)

3-6-1-0: Indy (5th)

  

Allen Win Series Finale in Rapid City, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Steve Martinson's Comments, Average Attendance Decline for All ECHL Teams and More

 

One of Rapid City coach Daniel Tetrault's post game quotes, "You've got to burn that film and move on" best describes how Allen dominated the Rush last night. The Americans beat Rapid City 4-1 before a crowd of 3675 at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. Allen didn't pull away until the third period but the dominance started from the opening puck drop. The Americans had 20 shots on goal in the first period but managed only one goal. The game was tied 1-1 after the first period. After a scoreless second period the Americans exploded for three goals in the third period outshooting the Rush 15-3.

 

- The final tally showed Allen with two even strength goals, a power play goal and a shorthanded goal for a 4-1 victory while outshooting Rapid City 46-22.

 

- Allen struggled in the first two games of the series scoring even strength goals. They had twice as many last night (2) as combined in the first two games (1). 

 

- Allen's special teams played a key role in the win. Allen's power play goal (scored by Chad Butcher) was the sixth straight game the Americans have scored a power play goal. In the three game series against Rapid City the Allen power play was 50% (4-8). The penalty kill was perfect again (0-3) and has not allowed a power play goal to Rapid City in the last 10 games. Allen's penalty kill percentage against Rapid City this season (11 games) is now 97.4% (1-39). 

 

- The odd stat of the day is Allen's penalty kill unit has outscored Rapid City's power play unit in the 11 head to head games 5-1. That's right, Rapid City has one power play goal in the 11 games but Allen has five shorthanded goals. The Americans have seven shorthanded goal this season with five of them coming against the Rush. Rapid City has allowed the most shorthanded goals (11) in ECHL. 

- The goal scorers for Allen were Corey Mackin (20), Scott Conway (5), Les Lancaster (14) and Chad Butcher (3). Steve Owre and Mackin both had two assists. Here are the video highlights from the Allen Americans YouTube channel: 

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/americans-score-three-in-the-third-to-beat-rapid-city/

 

- You don't get to see game recaps written by the local newspaper very often. Here is the story from the Rapid City Journal with a complete story of the game including quotes from coach Tetrault, great photos and a slide show. This is worth the read: https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/rush-s-winning-streak-snapped-as-allen-special-teams-aid-in-4-1-win/article_4e52c79a-5951-50e5-bed8-7d053ff58621.html

 

- I had a chance to catch up with Steve Martinson this morning just before the team headed back to Dallas on an early flight (6:00 am departure). Here are some of his comments:

"We played the way we are capable of playing last night both offensively and defensively. Jake Paterson was good in goal."

"We didn't shoot the puck as well as we could with too many pucks right at the goalie. We dominated the first period with 20 shots but came away with only one goal."

"We will have a light practice on Monday before we play Wichita on Tuesday."

"Zane Franklin will be ready to go by Tuesday."

"Dyson Stevenson should be back in the lineup sometime this week."

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen's power play is up to 19.7% and is ranked #2 in the ECHL. The road power play is now the best in the ECHL at 22.9%.  Over the last 11 games the power play has scored at least one goal in 10 of the 11 and the power play percentage is 28.6% (14-49).

- Jake Paterson still hasn't qualified for the ECHL official stats because a goalie now needs 900 minutes to qualify and Jake has played 788 minutes. If Jake was qualified (he will be soon) his .928 save percentage would rank him #2 in the ECHL. FYI, #1 is former Allen goalie Jake Hildebrand (.929) and #3 is former Allen goalie Evan Weninger (.926).

- The top four teams in the Western Conference standings (Fort Wayne, Wichita, Allen, Utah) all won last night and the bottom three (Rapid City, Tulsa, Kansas City) all lost. 

- After the win last night Allen's record in the last 10 games (7-2-0-1) is the best record in the ECHL. The only other ECHL team with seven wins in their last 10 games is Wichita (7-3-0-0). It should be a great game when Wichita comes to town on Tuesday.

 

- With his goal (shorthanded) and assist last night Les Lancaster, who is playing hurt, extended his scoring lead among all ECHL defensemen. Les has 37 points, two more than second place Samuel Jardine (Greenville) and four more than third place Matt Register. Lancaster now has 14 goals, three more than Willie Raskob (Indy). No other ECHL defensemen have more than seven goals. 

 

-  You may have noticed Conner Bleackley, who was traded to Indy on Tuesday, was suspended by the team to retain his rights. What I understand is Conner decided to go home rather then continue to play pro hockey. Bleackley's stint in Allen was disappointing for the former 1st round (23rd overall) NHL draft pick. He was on a 22 game goal scoring drought when he was traded. Even though he wasn't scoring Bleackley played hard every shift, finished his checks, never was afraid of contact and created plenty of opportunities. Since turning pro in 2016-17 Conner has played for five AHL teams (some were loans) and Indy would have been his sixth ECHL team. If this is the end of his playing career I am sure it has to be disappointing at some level given the potential others saw in him. I was hoping to do a story about Conner after the pandemic but it will now be another story that won't get told. It is also a reminder of what a tough occupation pro hockey at the ECHL level can be. I am sure all Allen fans wish Conner the best no matter whatever endeavor he pursues inside or outside of hockey.

 

DID YOU KNOW: Allen's average attendance this season is down 2178 per game from last season which is better than most teams. Losing an average of 2178 fans per game is a big hit but seven ECHL teams have lost even more revenue from ticket sales. Here is the post from ECHL Stats today:

Average attendance compared to last season is way down for all ECHL teams in this pandemic season. Some teams have been hit much harder than others because of COVID 19 restrictions in their state. Lost attendance ranges from 842 to 5028 per game:

 

5028 - Fort Wayne

3340 - Orlando

3193 - Wichita

3096 - Utah

2821 - Kansas City

2736 - Jacksonville

2305 - Tulsa

2178 - Allen

2145 - Florida

2136 - Indy

1924 - South Carolina

1352 - Greenville

1284 - Wheeling

842 - Rapid City 

 

- ECHL average attendance is down from 4327 last season (26 teams) to 2186 (14 teams this season. An average loss of 2141 per game.