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:
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