Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

 

The day has arrived for the blog to say goodbye to the 2020-21 season and go into the summer hiatus from writing. I will still post blogs periodically as news arises and time permits. 

 

To say the 2020-21 season was unusual would be a gross understatement with the team in a bubble because of COVID. Luckily, I was able to attend practice as the only member of the media that covers the team on a daily basis. Have to admit it was lonely sitting at center ice all by myself, with my required mask on, watching practice and unable to interact with players and coaches other than with hand signals. I didn't attend a game in person until after I was vaccinated in mid February.  

I am not going to go through the long list of everyone I thank each year in the "thank you" blog at the end of the season but want to mention two. First are the readers of the blog. As most everyone knows the blog is a labor of love for me, not a business, and the only reason for its existence is to share information about the Allen Americans with all of you. From a meager start in 2012, as of today there have been 1,887,797 unique page views that have reached people all over the US and Canada as well as the hockey hotbeds in Europe. It proves fans of the Allen Americans are all over the world.

It is quite an undertaking to write about the team seven days a week during the season and it does indeed take a village to make it all possible. It seems like as the years go by more and more blog readers help me out with information, ideas for stories, ask questions and let me know they appreciate the work I do. A special shout out for those of you that act as proofreaders and fact checkers so I can correct the many mistakes I make being a one man show. It is hard to put into words my appreciation whether you read the blog every day or are a casual fan that stumbles across my daily musings. It has been my pleasure to meet many of you and your words of encouragement in person, comments at the end of each blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, message boards, and email have been very satisfying and inspiring. Thanks to you, the readers!

With all of the stats and information included in the blog what makes it special is hearing from coach/general Steve Martinson. If there has been a positive from this strange season it has been Martinson's willingness to talk to me early every morning to share the latest information about the team. It is definitely above and beyond the call of duty and I am confident not matched by any other coach in the league. I have said for several years the blog started when Martinson arrived and will end (in its current form) when he leaves. Luckily, he was just re-signed for one year, so he will be in Allen for the 2021-22 season and hopefully many more years beyond.  Thank you, Steve Martinson.
  
  


I will still publish blog on an as needed basis as new information becomes available. I will be talking to Martinson a couple of times per week. If you are on Facebook or Twitter you can see whenever there is a new post on the blog by liking my page on Facebook at "Allen Americans Blog" or following me on Twitter at @allenamericans1. Remember, it is only 117 days until Allen Americans hockey starts again. The lucky 13th season is not far off.
 
 



DID YOU KNOW: One year after the earliest last game of the season, this season set the record for the latest last game of the season. Here is the date of the last game played in each year of the Allen franchise along with the results.

May 4, 2010: 4-3 loss to Rapid City in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
May 8, 2011: 5-3 loss to Bossier-Shreveport in the CHL Berry Conference finals
April 10, 2012: 4-2 loss to the Texas Brahmas in the CHL Berry Conference semi-finals
May 11, 2013: 4-3 OT win over Wichita in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
May 10, 2014: 5-2 win over Denver in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
June 14, 2015: 6-1 win over South Carolina in the Kelly Cup finals
June 9, 2016: 4-2 win over the Wheeling Nailers in the Kelly Cup finals
May 9, 2017: 4-3 loss to Colorado in the ECHL Mountain Division finals
April 25, 2018: 4-1 loss to Idaho in the ECHL Mountain Division semi-finals
April 6, 2019: 4-1 loss to Wichita, out of playoffs
March 7, 2020: 4-2 loss to Tulsa, no playoffs, season canceled
June 22, 2021: 3-2 OT loss to Fort Wayne, in the ECHL Western Conference finals

Q & A With Steve Martinson - This Season, Next Season, His Contract, Affiliation and More

 

On Wednesday morning after Allen lost to Fort Wayne 3-2 in overtime and was eliminated from the Kelly Cup playoffs, I started the blog with the following sentence. Last night was a disappointing ending, to a disappointing game, to a disappointing series, to a great season for the Allen Americans. 

 

Thursday morning I had a chance to sit down with coach and general manager Steve Martinson to talk to him about that final game, the series, the 2020-21 season, the 2021-22 season and other topics.

 

Question: What are your thoughts on the final game in Fort Wayne?

Answer: The most frustrating thing is we had a two goal lead in the game. They were pressing because they were behind and I thought our forwards should have been able to generate more offense. It was a combination of lack of communication, poor changes and turnovers that cost us.

Q: What are your thoughts on the series with Fort Wayne?

A: We had multiple times in the series where we went from full possession of the puck to a turnover to a goal. The frustrating part is many were unforced turnovers. It is one thing if you are pressured but too many times in the series we made bad decisions with the puck, which ended up with their guys in good scoring positions. The defensive breakdowns were uncharacteristic and cost us against Fort Wayne.

 

Q: It was a disappointing ending but you have to be pleased with the season overall?

A: We accomplished some good things during the regular season under difficult circumstances but it is hard for me to be pleased after the way it ended.

 

Q: With the loss of an affiliation with the Wild, more players getting opportunities in Europe and the AHL back to normal how much more of a challenge will recruiting be this off season?

A: It is a given there will not be as many players available. You have the players going to Europe but another big factor is most of the US college seniors are staying in school because they didn't play this season, so you have that whole group of players not available. 

I will be recruiting on the fact we were leading the league in offense and offense will get you noticed. Having the Defenseman of the Year the last two seasons, who led the league in scoring, will help in recruiting. There are a lot of benefits when recruiting players to Allen. We have an offensive and entertaining style, we have a goalie coach and skating coach, very nice housing, a major airport, a winning tradition and great weather. 

I will sign players as soon as I can (July 9) but a lot of players will be waiting to see if they get AHL deals. 

 

Q: Do you have any future considerations trades that have to be settled by the July 5th deadline?

A: No, all have been taken care of.

 

Q: You hear rumors every off season about the possibility of Chad Costello returning to Allen. Is there anything you can share regarding Chad?

A: All I will say is there is a possibility Chad will return.

 

Q: You just signed a contract extension, how long is that extension?

A: One year

 

Q: What are your thoughts on an affiliation for the 2021-22 season?

A: The key to an affiliation is getting one that will help Allen. You don't want an affiliate that only sees the ECHL as a place to park some players until they have injuries or call ups. The last two seasons I was involved in who our affiliate was signing as their depth guys and that is key. 

Before COVID the plan was for Iowa to send us nine players. The same things I mentioned in recruiting players helps when talking to potential affiliates. We have a skating coach, goalie coach, a major airport, a nice place to live and a history of developing players which all helps. From an on ice perspective, our affiliates have been happy with how we have developed their players.

There are NHL teams that need affiliates and I am trying to find one that will send the most good players to us. Unlike many ECHL coaches who are looking for a job with their affiliate, I am not looking for a job so I am not afraid to ask them for what will help us.  

Q: Is there anything you learned this season that will change your approach to the 2021-22 season?

A: When we were winning championships we had a core group of players whose primary goal was winning a championship, along with rookies and players looking to move up to the AHL. I think we need a bigger group of those guys that want to stay in Allen and win.

Q: What players that spent time in the AHL this season will you have the rights to next season?

A: Frank Marotte, Turner Ottenbreit and Will Lochead.

Q: How many players off the Allen roster do you think will go to Europe?

A: I don't know the exact number but it will be a lot. I know of several in addition to the five (Register, Lancaster, Mackin, Butcher, Paterson) that have been officially announced. We also have players whose rights go back to other teams in the ECHL, like Mackin and McAuley. They signed with teams that opted out of the 2020-21 season before signing with us.

 

Q: What are you most looking forward to this summer away from hockey?

A: The traits I have as a person go well with what I do as a job. I am not the kind of guy looking for a new thrill or adventure. When we are in Rockford, I tell people and I am dead serious, if I can't get there in my boat, don't invite me. I like the simple life of being on the river with the family. I like that our kids and their friends are always at our house, taking out the boat. We have bonfires several times a week. A the same time I think about hockey all day, every day and that is just the way I am built.

 

Q: Having played for the Montreal Canadiens what do you think winning the Stanley Cup would mean to your former team and Canada?

A: Obviously there is a ton of excitement. The newer younger fans haven't seen the domination the older fans have. So for them to see the team win will be amazing. The fan base there is all in and almost everyone is all in. It is like the Packers in Wisconsin, almost everyone is all in. 

 

Q: Minnesota Wild Assistant GM Tom Kurvers died this week. He is always described as a smart and genuine guy. I know you have been friends for a long time. When did you first get to know Tom. 

A: I met Tom at a conditioning camp in northern Minnesota. I had signed with the New York Rangers and Tom Kurvers and George McPhee were there. Tom was just out of college and I gave him a ride back to the Twin Cities after the camp. We would skate together in the summer and he would come out to Lake Minnetonka (where I lived) and we would spend time on our boat. His first date with his first wife was out on the boat with us. He came to our wedding reception that we had back in Minnesota after we got married. After Tom got hired by the Wild a couple of years ago we got reacquainted and talked strategy all of the time. He was a great guy and will be missed.   

Allen Eliminated With OT Loss, What Went Wrong, Reflecting on a Great Season, Lancaster Signs in Finland, Best Playoff Goal Scorers and More

 

Last night was a disappointing ending, to a disappointing game, to a disappointing series, to a great season for the Allen Americans. The Fort Wayne Komets defeated Allen 3-2 in overtime to advance to the Kelly Cup finals for the first time, where they will take on the South Carolina Stingrays.

 

- In my opinion the Americans could never recover from the disastrous loss at home in game two where it looked like they would take a 2-0 series lead. Allen had a 4-1 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the game and managed to turn it into a 5-4 overtime loss. A ten game win streak turned into a three game losing streak and the Americans were ousted by the Komets 3-1.

 

- Credit and congratulations goes to Fort Wayne but the three loses in this series after an opening game win were uncharacteristic for the Americans. Major breakdowns in team defense led to all three loses and the Americans couldn't hold on to a lead, something that was a strength all season. 

 

- Allen scored first in all four games of the series. During the regular season the Americans record when scoring first was 33-8-2-0. In this series their record was 1-3.

 

- Allen's record during the regular season when leading after the first period was 24-2-2-1. In two of the three losses in this series Allen had the lead after the first period.

 

- Allen's record during the regular season when leading after the second period was 30-2-2-0. In two of the three losses in this series Allen had a lead after the second period.

 

- Last night Allen took a 2-0 lead on a power play goal (Scott Conway) and shorthanded goal (Corey Mackin) and it looked like things were back to normal. Special teams were clicking, the team was playing well defensively and C.J. Motte was great in goal. The Americans had a 2-1 lead until Fort Wayne tied the scored with less than five minutes remaining in the game. On the goal that tied the game the Komets player (Boudens) was standing all alone in front of Motte for at least four seconds before he got the puck and put it home. The overtime game winner was similar to game two. Allen had full possession of the puck in its offensive zone and turned it over for a wide open shot. Fort Wayne won two overtime games with wide open shots after two bad turnovers. It took combined total of only four minutes of overtime for the Komets to secure two comeback wins.

- In the span of this series, Allen went from a team that was one of the best at closing out games to one that couldn't hold a lead. You never know what would have happened and it is a whole lot of woulda, shoulda. coulda, but if Allen had not imploded in the third period of game two and held on to win that game, I think they would have swept the series. Instead the Americans gave Fort Wayne all the confidence and momentum it needed to win three straight and take the series 3-1.

 

- It has been a tough season with all of the pandemic issues but Allen played all 72 regular season games and once again made a deep playoff run, winning four playoff games. Allen led all teams with 45 wins in the regular season. When it is all said and done the Americans will have won more games this season (49) than any other team in the league. The Americans have provided much needed entertainment when it was needed most. 

 

- There will be many players not returning next season but thankfully Steve Martinson will be back to put together another top notch team. Martinson overcame many challenges this season and despite the loss to Fort Wayne, I believe the 2020-21 season will go down as the best of his nine seasons in Allen.

 

- Many of the issues from this season, like loss of affiliation, will carry over. The change in recruiting to Europe, which has increased due to COVID, means more top players from the ECHL will make the jump. The AHL will be back be back to normal and looking to sign more players who were in the ECHL this season. It all means off season recruiting for ECHL teams will be tougher than normal. It is in this environment that Steve Martinson excels. 

 

- I will have Steve Martinson's thoughts on the series loss to Fort Wayne and the season along with some odds and ends tomorrow.     

OTHER COMMENTS

- Look for the Allen Americans to disperse quickly now that the season is over. The players that are signed in Europe don't have much time before they will report for training camps which will start in July. You can add Les Lancaster to the list of players that have been announced as moving to Europe for the 2021-22 season. Lancaster has signed to play in the top league in Finland (Liiga) which is rated by some as the fourth best pro league in the world after the NHL, KHL (Russia) and SHL (Sweden). A great opportunity for Les to get paid for his historic season in Allen by playing in one of the best pro leagues in the world. The team Lancaster signed with is Ilves which means Lynx in Finnish. The team is located in Tampere, Finland which is the second largest urban area in Finland. It is a gorgeous city wedged between two lakes about 100 miles north of Helsinki. The team was founded in 1931 and has won 16 championships. It is one of the most successful teams in the league but its last championship was in 1985. 

 

- The official list of players heading overseas in now up to four. Corey Mackin and Chad Butcher will play for the same teams in the second highest pro league in Sweden. Jake Paterson will play in Norway's top league. There are others heading to Europe as well but not officially announced yet. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: After missing out on a chance to win the Kelly Cup I thought today would be a good one to look back at some of the great playoff goals scorer from the the past. I knew Greger Hanson was clutch in the playoffs but didn't realize he averaged more goals per game than any other player over the last 20 years. 

 

Some all time greats on this list of players with the best average goals per game in the playoffs over the last 20 seasons (minimum 55 playoff games played):

 

Most Playoff Goals Per Game in ECHL since 2000:

0.51 - Greger Hanson

0.49 - Kyle Bonis

0.48 - Milan Gajic

0.44 - Wes Goldie

0.43 - Gary Steffes

0.43 - Mike Scott

0.42 - Andrew Rowe

0.42 - Kevin Baker

0.42 - Lance Galbraith

0.39 - Trent Daavettila

0.39 - Alex Belzile

0.38 - Joe Devin

0.38 - A.J Jenks

0.37 - Olivier Labelle

0.37 - John McCarron

0.34 - Shawn Szydlowski

0.33 - Chad Costello

0.33 - Yannick Tifu

 

Allen's Comeback Falls Short in Loss, Game Recap, Coach's Corner, Game 4 Preview, Rookie Playoff Leaders and More

 

The scoreboard showed the Allen Americans lost 4-3 to Fort Wayne. The score doesn't do a very good job of telling the story of what happened in the game. The 3919 fans at the Memorial Coliseum saw Allen score first (Les Lancaster) just 77 seconds after the opening puck drop. The lead didn't last long as the Komets scored four unanswered to take a 4-1 lead after the first period as the Allen defense broke down time and time again. It was another uncharacteristic period for the Americans who have allowed a total of seven goals in just two periods (last period of game two and first period of game three). The total goals allowed by Allen in the other 16 periods they have played in the playoffs this season is nine. The two bad periods led to two defeats and has put the Americans in a deep hole. Trailing 2-1 in the best of five series they will have to win tonight and tomorrow night in Fort Wayne to advance.

 

- To their credit the Americans never gave up in the game and for a while it looked like Allen might flip the script on the Komets and come back from the 4-1 deficit. Allen played solid defense the final two periods and with the help of goalie C.J. Motte held Fort Wayne scoreless. Tyler Sheehy cut the score to 4-2 with the only goal of the second period. When Les Lancaster scored his second goal of the game on the power play early in the third period (2:43) it looked like the comeback was on. The Americans had a great opportunity to tie the game with a late power play including some 6-on-4 time after pulling the goalie. Allen struggled getting organized on the power play and Fort Wayne did an excellent job killing the crucial penalty. 

 

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/general/komets-take-game-three-as-americans-face-elimination/

 

- All the cliches apply tonight, win or go home, do-or-die, backs against the wall, last chance, one last shot, last stand, pick your favorite. Despite the two bad periods in the last two games when they were outscored 7-1, the Americans won the other four periods 6-1 and outscored Fort Wayne in all but one which was scoreless. The final two periods last night showed what Allen can do and that is the mindset they need to take into game four.

 

- Allen has scored first in every game in this series but doesn't have much to show for it with a 1-2 record. The team that scores first wins close to 80% of the time and stats have a way of regressing to the mean. You have to like Allen's chances if they get the first goal again tonight. 

 

- Both teams had a power play goal last night and they were key to the game. Fort Wayne converted on its only power play of the game. It was an ill advised retaliation penalty early in the game that allowed the Komets to tie the score 1-1. Allen was 1-4 on the power play as Les Lancaster scored early in the third period to cut the Fort Wayne lead to 4-3. Special teams played a key role last night and there is no doubt they will again tonight. 

 

COACH'S CORNER

"We have played two bad periods in this series and it has cost us two games. We have outplayed/outscored them in seven of nine periods."

"We talk all the time about not trying to make a play that isn't there. We had several goals scored in the bad two periods when we turned back into our offensive zone trying to make a play. I always use the football analogy of sometimes you just have to punt and get the puck out of the zone."

"I told the team after the game Fort Wayne is up one game in the series, that is it. All we have to do is even the series and the way we played in the final two periods will get it done."

"We have tweaked the power play for the game tonight."

"C.J. Motte will get the start tonight and Jake Paterson will start in game five. I liked the way Motte played after the first period and held us in the game."

"Sam Laberge and Dyson Stevenson will be game time decisions but could both be in the lineup tonight." 

OTHER COMMENTS

- South Carolina, who was the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and the #7 ranked team in the ECHL during the regular season advanced to the Kelly Cup Finals last night with a 2-1 win at home over Greenville. The Stingrays won the series 3-1. They have played all of their playoff games in a practice rink that holds just 550 fans. It is already determined the final series will start in the Stingrays practice facility (Ice Palace) whether they face Allen or Fort Wayne. The first two game will be on Friday (June 25) and Sunday (June 27). Allen or Fort Wayne will get the last three games of the best of five series at home. 

- Here is a story from the local paper (The Post and Courier) that tells the story of the South Carolina Stingrays season which has been remarkable as they were barely able to sneak into the playoffs after a poor start to the season. It is pretty amazing when the Kelly Cup finalist happens to have the longest winless streak in the ECHL this season (10 games). It is a great story and worth the read:  https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/minor_leagues/sc-stingrays-slip-past-greenville-to-earn-kelly-cup-finals-berth/article_7785e1fc-d2e6-11eb-99e4-e3e62295cb36.html

 

- Here is the ECHL Today with its preview of the Allen vs Fort Wayne game tonight: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2021/6/echl-today-june-22  

- My final thought for today is something I have said before. Tonight could be last game of the season though I personally think it will not. Allen has enough talent to win every night and has a history of winning must win games. Win or lose, have fun watching the game tonight. It has been a tough season with all of the pandemic issues but Allen played all 72 regular season games and once again has made a deep playoff run. There are only three teams still playing hockey in the ECHL. The Americans have provided much needed entertainment when it was needed most. Be thankful Steve Martinson will be back next season and reflect on what I believe will go down as the best of his nine seasons in Allen as a general manger, whether the Americans win or lose tonight. Martinson had to deal with losing two affiliations and had to basically rebuild the team when he lost nine players in one week including five in one day when San Jose pulled its players. Trades, free agents, college players, talking to AHL teams, talking to players sitting at home, Martinson left no stone unturned. Martinson's ability to recruit is unparalleled.     

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Rookies have played a big role in Allen this season. It is hard to believe but 50% (26) of the record 52 players that played in Allen this season were rookies. Here is the ECHL Stats post from today that highlights leading ECHL rookies in the playoffs:

 

 

Rookies are playing a big role in the Kelly Cup playoffs. Here are the rookie leaders:

 

Points (8) and Assists (7)

Steven Harper, Fort Wayne

 

Goals (4)

Brett Neumann, Allen 

 

Shooting Percentage (60%, 3 for 5)

Oliver Cooper, Fort Wayne (leads all players)

 

Shots (24)

Ben Finkelstein, Greenville 

 

Plus/Minus (+5)

Sam Ruopp, Allen 

 

Game Winning Goals (2)

Brett Neumann, Allen

Greg Meireles, Greenville 

 

Save Percentage (.941) & GAA (1.79)

John Lethemon, Greenville (leads all goalies)

         

Game Three Preview, Coach's Corner Including Lineup Changes, Best Playoff Save Percentages, Average Attendance and More

 

The Allen Americans are in Fort Wayne for game three of their best of five series which is tonight (6:30 CDT). It is not a must win game or a win or go home game but if the Americans lose tonight the hole they have dug will be as deep as it can go. Allen is looking for a response to the disappointing loss at home on Saturday when they literally gave the game away and allowed Fort Wayne to tie the series 1-1. Over the seasons the Americans have played well after bad losses and they have rarely lost back to back games this season (five times in 77 games.

 

- Both teams have now played enough playoff games to see strengths and weaknesses that don't show up looking at regular season stats. Here is an Allen vs Fort Wayne comparison looking at playoff only stats.

Goals Scored (average per game)
4.00 - Allen
3.00 - Fort Wayne

Goals Allowed (average per game)
2.60 - Allen
3.29 - Fort Wayne

Goal Differential (goals scored minus goals allowed)
+7:  Allen
 -2:  Fort Wayne

Shots For (average per game)
33.40 - Allen
31.86 - Fort Wayne

Shots Against (average per game)
31.20 - Allen
32.00 - Fort Wayne

Shooting Percentage (goals as a percent of total shots)
12.0% - Allen
9.4% - Fort Wayne

Power Play Percentage
11.1% - Fort Wayne
8.0% - Allen

Penalty Kill Percentage
88.9% - Allen
88.9% - Fort Wayne

Power Play Goals Scored
 3 - Fort Wayne
 2 - Allen

Plus/Minus
+33:  Allen
-9:  Fort Wayne  

Goals Against Average (GAA)
2.36 - Allen 
3.25 - Fort Wayne

Save Percentage
.917 - Allen
.905 - Fort Wayne


Playoff Record
4-0-1 - Allen
4-3-0 - Fort Wayne 

 

- Allen has to like their chances given most of the numbers above. If the Americans play to their potential you have to like their chances.

 

- The stat that is hard to explain is the power play percentage. These teams have gone from the top two teams during the regular season (25.9% - Fort Wayne, 20.5% - Allen) to the bottom two teams in the playoffs (11.1% - Fort Wayne, 8.0% - Allen). A power play goal played a big part in Fort Wayne's big comeback win on Saturday. Special teams will likely determine the winner tonight. There were 23 power play attempts in the first two games but just two goals (one for each team). There is little doubt both teams will get some power play opportunities tonight, the question is which team will execute the best. In the first two games of the series the team with a power play goal won.

 

- Scoring first is always important even though it didn't work for Allen on Saturday. With that one exception both Allen and Fort Wayne have won every game in the playoffs when it scored first. 

 

- Even though they have played several fewer games than their competitors, Corey Mackin is the ECHL overall leader in playoff points (8) and Les Lancaster leads all defensemen (5). Brett Neumann is second in goals (4). 

 

- Referees scheduled for tonight are Alex Normandin (#26) and Andrew Bruggeman (#25). It is Normandin's third conference finals and Bruggeman's second. I know coach Martinson is looking for consistency in what is called a penalty and hopes it is the same for both teams.  

COACH'S CORNER

"C.J. Motte will get the start in goal, Jake Paterson will be the backup."

"Frank Marotte and Darian Skeoch did not make the trip but we could fly them in if we need them."

"Dyson Stevenson has not been cleared so he will be helping me on the bench."

"Kris Myllari will go into the lineup tonight, Phil Beaulieu will be out."

"We need to play better defensively tonight and make better use of our speed."

"With Fort Wayne you know you will get power play chances, we need to convert on our chances."

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- The Eastern Conference Finals could end tonight. South Carolina leads Greenville 2-1 in that series with game four tonight in South Carolina. The Stingrays are playing in their practice facility (capacity 550) which could be an advantage. If Greenville wins tonight, game five will also be in the practice facility on Wednesday.

 

- Here is the ECHL Today with previews of both games on tap tonight: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2021/6/echl-today-june-21

 

- Average playoff attendance for the four conference finalists with rank among the eight playoffs teams:

#2:  3348 - Fort Wayne

#5:  2217 - Greenville

#6:  2067 - Allen

#8: 550 - South Carolina (playing in practice facility)

 

DID YOU KNOW: Best playoff goalies by save percentage (minimum 120 minutes). Playoff GAA and record is in parenthesis:

 

.949 - John Lethemon, Greenville (1.68, 2-0)

.929 - Ryan Bednard, Greenville (2.44, 2-3)

.927 - C.J. Motte, Allen (2.00, 2-0)

.914 - Billy Christopoulos, Indy (2.39, 1-2)

.911 - Jake Paterson, Allen (2.56, 2-1)

  

Allen Gives One Away, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Coach's Corner, South Carolina takes 2-1 Lead and More

 

Words are hard to find for what happened at the Allen Event Center (AEC) last night as a crowd of 2530 watched Allen lose to Fort Wayne 5-4 in overtime. It was certainly one for the ages and defied all odds. For much of the game it looked like Allen would cruise to a 2-0 series lead. In game one on Friday night Allen out shot Fort Wayne 18-11 in the first period and came away with a two goal lead. Last night Fort Wayne outshot Allen 18-9 in the first period but the Americans had a 2-1 lead at the first intermission.

 

- The second period was all Americans as they outshot Fort Wayne 16-12 and outscored them 2-0 and had one goal disallowed that many thought was a good goal. Instead of a 5-1 lead after the second period Allen had a lead of 4-1. I am sure most everyone saw this game in the win column for Allen when you consider in its 10 game win streak dating back to May 28 the Americans allowed three goals in an entire game just once let alone in one period. If truth be known, though I am sure they would never admit it, the Komets also thought the game was lost. With the score 4-1 going into the third period, Fort Wayne inserted former Allen goalie, Justin Kapelmaster, into the game presumably to give starter Dylan Ferguson a rest. Kapelmaster hadn't played a single minute in Fort Wayne's first six games of the playoffs. To his credit, Justin did his job stopping all eight shots that came his way but the game turned on what was happening at the other end of the ice.

 

- As Fort Wayne beat writer, Justin Cohn, posted after the game, The Komets had one of the most remarkable victories of their 69 year history." The Americans self destructed defensively and Fort Wayne came roaring back. The first goal at the 7:56 mark cut the score to 4-2 but the gut punch was two goals within 54 seconds to tie the game. To add insult to injury the goal that tied the game came on the power play, the only power play of the game. Allen had plenty of opportunity to put the game away on the power play but failed to convert on seven attempts. Fort Wayne wasn't much better missing on its first five power play attempts but came up big when it counted. Allen's power play is now dead last in the playoffs at 8.0% (2-25).

 

- The way the Americans played in the third period was predictive on how this game would end. A costly turnover from behind the net gave the puck to a Fort Wayne player in the slot and the game was history. A game Allen should have never lost has now put them in a hole. With the series tied 1-1 the Americans will have to win two of three in Fort Wayne to advance.

 

- A lot of hard work went down the drain in that loss and it is easy to look back at the lost opportunities to win that game. That's playoff hockey. Time to look forward.

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Sam Laberge (2), Scott Conway (3), Brett Neumann (4) and Corey Mackin (3). 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-blow-third-period-lead-as-komets-even-the-series/  

 

COACH'S CORNER

"On the disallowed goal the officials told me the puck appeared to cross the goal line but it was because of distortion of the camera angle so they disallowed the goal. I disagreed, the puck clearly changes direction from bouncing on the ice while on its side, not due to camera parallax."

"The defensive breakdowns in the third period and overtime were just gifts that ended up in goals."

"When you give away a game like that all you can do is look ahead. Instead of winning one game in Fort Wayne, we have to win two." 

"We had the chance to increase our lead with the seven power play opportunities but could not convert. The one power play they scored was the difference in the game."

OTHER COMMENTS

- Fort Wayne wasn't the only road comeback winner last night. In the Eastern Conference Finals, South Carolina was trailing Greenville 2-0 at the second intermission and scored three unanswered goals in the third period to defeat Greenville 3-2 and take a 2-1 lead in the series. The Stingrays scored the game tying goal with just over three minutes remaining in the game and the game winner with just 20 seconds remaining. The series now moves back to South Carolina for game four and if necessary, game five.

 

- It is times like this, after a very tough loss, a team needs veteran leadership to step up and Allen has plenty of guys that fill that role.. It is up to them to get the team focused and ready to play Monday night. When I talked to coach Martinson this morning he told be he said very little to the team after the game other than "we gave the game away" and "we need to be ready to go in Fort Wayne" to win two of three. Dyson Stevenson, one of those veteran leaders, will make the trip to Fort Wayne but it remains to be seen if he will be in the lineup or behind the bench. 

 

- The Americans will rest up this morning and reassemble this afternoon for their flight to Fort Wayne. The Komets left right after the game on their team bus for the 1000 mile trip home. With the way the Komets came back to win the game, getting on the bus for that long ride was probably enjoyable.  

- A reminder the next game is tomorrow night and the teams will play every night next week until one them wins three games. Remember, start time for games in Fort Wayne is 6:30 CDT.

 

DID YOU KNOW: Allen is no stranger to winning on the road on the way to the Kelly Cup. In 2016 Allen was 2-1 on the road in the second round (Missouri), 2-0 on the road in the conference finals (Fort Wayne) and 2-1 on the road in the Kelly Cup finals (Wheeling).  

What a Night! - Martinson Re-Signed, Allen Wins 5-2, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Game Two Preview, Playoff PPG Leaders and More

 

Last night was a big one at the Allen Event Center (AEC) and the excitement started before the opening puck drop. Allen Americans owner, Jack Gulati, announced via a video message during the pregame ceremonies, coach and general manager Steve Martinson has been signed to a new contract. Here is the press release issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/general/americans-steve-martinson-agree-to-contract-extension/

 

- Hall of Fame sports writer Rick Gosselin posted this story about Martinson getting a new contract and recaps Martinson's career: https://www.si.com/nfl/talkoffame/hof-interviews/echl-legend-steve-martinson-gets-new-contract

 

- I know from talking to Steve Martinson after the game last night and in years past he doesn't like the focus on himself so he couldn't wait for the opening puck drop. It didn't take long for the team to celebrate Martinson's new contract. The Americans came out buzzing in the first period and by the 11:46 mark had a 3-0 lead. When the dust settled on the first period Allen had amassed 18 shots on goal and held a 4-2 lead. It was a good sign when you consider Allen's record this season when leading after the first period now stands at 25-2-2-1. 

- Allen stretched its lead to 5-2 in the second period and there was no scoring in the third period as the Americans played solid defense down the stretch. Allen now leads the Kelly Cup playoffs in both average goals scored per game (4.00) and average goals allowed per game (2.00). 

- Goals scorers for Allen were Josh Lammon (2) Scott Conway (2), Corey Mackin (1&2), Spencer Asuchak (3). 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-big-first-period-leads-to-game-1-win-over-fort-wayne/

 

- Here is a game recap from Justin Cohn of The Journal Gazette: https://www.journalgazette.net/sports/professional/komets/20210619/miscues-costly-in-opener

 

- Steve Martinson was obviously pleased with the team's performance especially in the first period. He noted the Americans had many great scoring chances in the final two periods that they were unable to capitalize on. The power play still needs to improve. Martinson will stay with the formula that has been working as Allen won its 10th straight game last night. A rested Jake Paterson will get the start in goal tonight with C.J. Motte taking the night off. Frank Marotte will be the backup. No injuries to report other than the normal bumps and bruises so everyone except Dyson Stevenson will be available tonight.

 

- Special teams are a case of good news bad news. The good news is Allen had a power play goal last night which doubled its power play goals in the playoffs. The Americans were 1-6 last night and are now 2-18 (11.1%) so far in the playoffs.  The power play goal last night was scored 5-on-3. This is an area that will need to improve as the playoffs move on. Allen has the talent to be a 20% plus power play unit as they proved in the regular season, they just need better execution.

 

- Offsetting Allen's low ranked power play percentage (7 of 8) is its top ranked penalty kill unit which is now at 91.7%  (1-12). 

 

- Fort Wayne had by far the best special teams in the ECHL during the regular season ranked #1 in both power play and penalty kill. One way to measure special teams is add the power play and penalty kill percentages together. Anything above 105% is considered excellent, below 100%  means needs improvement. Fort Wayne's combined percentage was off the charts at 112.7%. Allen's combined percentage in the regular season was a respectable 102.2%. The playoffs have been a different story as Fort Wayne's power play is ranked last (9.5%) and the penalty kill is #5 (86.2%) for a combined total of just 95.7%. Allen is ranked #1 on the penalty kill (91.7%) and #7 on the power play (11.1%) for a combined total of 102.8%. 

 

- There were 10 power play opportunities last night (6 Allen - 4 Fort Wayne) and with these teams you would expects there will be plenty more tonight. Whichever team makes the adjustments to get better execution on the power play will have a big advantage.

 

- Here are the keys to the game for the Komets that Justin Cohn (@SportsiCohn) posted on Twitter. You could change the heading to "Keys for the Americans tonight" and be spot on with the exception of energy on defense as the Allen blue line showed plenty of energy last night. 

"Keys for the Komets tonight: 1) Play more physical, with more energy, on defense. 2. Get puck deep on offense, emphasize forecheck. 3. Get the power play going. 4. Stay out of the penalty box."

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Both playoff games last night had identical 5-2 scores with Greenville beating South Carolina at home to even up the Eastern Conference finals 1-1. Game three is in Greenville tonight before the teams return to South Carolina's practice facility for game four and if necessary game five. 

 

- Was asked last night to look at what percentage of games during this regular season went to overtime compared to prior seasons. My friend, Robert Moore, observed there seemed to be more overtime games this season than in the past and was wondering if the stats backed up his observation. Good call Robert as the percentage of games that went to overtime was 25% in 2020-21, compared to 20% in 2019-20 and 21% in 2018-19. A few percentage points may not sound like a lot but over the course of a full season with all teams playing a five percent difference would equate to close to 100 additional overtime games.  

 

- Speaking of overtimes, the fastest overtime goal all time in a Kelly Cup playoff game is 11 seconds and that has happened twice. In 2009, Mark Derlago (Bakersfield) scored 11 seconds into overtime as the Condors beat Las Vegas 4-3. It was Derlago's third goal of the game. It also happened in 2011 when Josh Aspenlind of the Victoria Salmon Kings scored 11 seconds into overtime to beat the Utah Grizzlies 3-2. 

 

DID YOU KNOW:  Here is my ECHL Stats post for today if you haven't seen it. It shows the talent and depth on the Allen Americans roster. In addition to Mackin, who leads the league in points per game, the other Allen players averaging a point a game in the playoffs are Spencer Asuchak, Scott Conway, Sam Laberge, Les Lancaster, Matt Register and Steve Owre.

 

 

Just four ECHL players are averaging over a point per game in the Kelly Cup playoffs, all from teams in the conference finals:

1.75 - Corey Mackin, Allen

1.33 - Greg Meireles, Greenville

1.17 - Stephen Harper, Fort Wayne

1.17 - Graham Knott, Greenville 

 

 

If you include players averaging exactly 1.00 point per game to the four players listed above the total is 17. Here are the number of players averaging 1.00+ points per game for the conference finalists, the final four teams.

7 players - Allen

2 players - Greenville

1 player - Fort Wayne

1 player - South Carolina

  

Game Day Preview, Thoughts From the Other Side, Minnesota Switches Affiliation, Playoff MVP and More

 

After a week off it is game day for the Allen Americans as they take on the Fort Wayne Komets tonight (7:05 pm CDT) in game one of the Western Conference Finals. Ironically the last time Allen was in the Western Conference Finals was 2016 against Fort Wayne. It was a different time as the Americans had already won two best of seven series to get to the conference finals. They beat Idaho 4-3 in the opening round and eliminated the #1 seed Missouri Mavericks (Brabham Cup winner) in the second round before taking on the Komets in the conference finals. Fort Wayne reached the conference finals in 2016 defeating Cincinnati 4-3 in the first round and Utah 4-0 in the second round. 

 

- As a member of the media I was able to attended practice yesterday and the good news is this past week has helped the team get healthy. Every player was skating at practice and they have all been cleared to play tonight with the exception of Dyson Stevenson who will be behind the bench. Coach Martinson won't make final decisions on who will play tonight until after morning skate but it is clear from watching practice that Colby McAuley, Phil Beaulieu and Darian Skeoch, who missed the series with Utah, are ready to go. 

 

- I would describe the practice yesterday as intense, the players were working hard and it showed. By the same token you could tell the players were loose and having fun. One thing I have learned over the years is Martinson's approach to practice the day before the conference finals isn't any different from any other practice. Martinson believes the players are very aware of the situation and his role is not to build up the series. He sees each practice as another building block in getting better, nothing more or nothing less. 

 

- Martinson has alternated goalies in the playoffs and it is C.J. Motte's turn in goal tonight. At some point Motte or Paterson may get back to back games if they have a shutout or stand on their heads in a win but right now Allen is doing very well with the alternating system.   

 

- A start tonight similar to the start in game one in 2016 would be nice. In that game (played in Fort Wayne) Allen had a 3-0 lead midway through the first period on a shorthanded goal by Gary Steffes and power play goals by Greger Hanson and Casey Pierro-Zabotel. The final score was 5-3 but the game wasn't decided until Vincent Arseneau scored an empty net goal with 36 seconds remaining. 

 

- One thing you can take from the series Allen and Fort Wayne played in 2016 is special teams will play a key role in who wins this series. Thus far in the playoffs Fort Wayne is the most penalized team and Allen is the least penalized team. During the regular season the Komets (25.9%) and Allen (20.5%) had the top two power plays in the ECHL. In the first round of the playoffs Fort Wayne was 2-17 (11.8%) and Allen was 1-12 (8.3%). If either team can get its power play clicking it could make the difference.

 

- The Americans have been moving the puck well on the power play but haven't been able to finish. You will most likely see some new combinations on the power play tonight.

 

- I have talked about getting off to a good start in the earlier previews. During the regular season the combined record for Allen and Fort Wayne when scoring first was 51-11-4-0. In the first round of the playoffs neither team lost when they scored first. 

 

- I mentioned yesterday winning the first game of the series is very important as the four first round winners all won the first game of the series. This doesn't always hold true as I was reminded when doing research for this preview. In Allen's first championship season in 2013 it lost the first game of all three series.  In the first round Allen lost game one 2-1 to Denver but won the series 4-1. In the second round Allen lost game one 5-1 to Missouri but won the series 4-3. In the championship finals Allen lost game one 4-1 to Wichita and won the series 4-3. 

 

- The referees scheduled tonight are #24 Andrew Wilk and #4 Sean MacFarlane. These are two experienced referees, it will be Wilk's fifth conference finals and MacFarlane's second. Allen had Wilk five times this season and he called an average of 9.6 penalties per game ranging from six (twice) to 15. Allen had MacFarlane nine times and he called an average of 10.8 penalties per game ranging from six to 17. 

 

- Here is the ECHL Today with a preview of both playoff games on tap tonight: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2021/6/echl-today-june-18    

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 - In the worst kept secret since the ECHL approved a franchise in Iowa, the Minnesota Wild have officially switched their ECHL affiliation from Allen to the Iowa Heartlanders. Once Allen has a coach for next season the first order of business will be to find an NHL team to affiliate with. Finding an affiliate that will work with and help the ECHL team is not easy to find. Seems like the Wild lost interest in Allen once the new ECHL franchise in Iowa (Coralville) was announced. Here is the press release on the new affiliation: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2021/6/heartlanders-announce-affiliation-with-minnesota

 

- Justin Cohn, who is the senior sports writer for The Journal Gazette and covers many sports in Fort Wayne including the Komets has had some great tidbits of information in his Twitter posts (@SportsiCohn) leading up to the Western Conference Finals: Here are a few of his posts. If you are on Twitter, Justin is a must follow for this series:

"Steve Martinson against the Komets in the playoffs: He's won 3 of 4 series and 16 of 22 games, the loss being 2005 with Rockford when his team squandered a 3-1 lead."

"Allen's goalies vs. Komets: 

Jake Paterson: 2015-16, Toledo, 3-1-1 .916  & 2016-17, Toledo, 4-1-0, .925  

C.J. Motte: 2016-17, Quad City, 3-3-0, .913: 2017 playoffs, Quad City, 1-4, .912: 2017-18, Quad City, 1-2-0, .921"

"Looking at some film of Allen. Big takeaways are, they are finishers and they get a lot of traffic but they also take a lot of chances. A lot of the onus is going to be on the Komets' defensemen, not getting caught up, looking for steals, clearing front of net."

"Can we discuss the crazy schedule. Allen sacrificed home ice for first two games, presumably so they could get Friday and Saturday nights. But given a travel day, couldn’t they have had Games 3-5 not on three straight nights? I mean 5 in 6 days, in Texas and Indiana, rough." 

 

- My final thought for fans going into this series is do as the players talk about all the time, go out and have fun. It has been a tough season with all of the pandemic issues but Allen played all 72 games and provided much needed entertainment when it was needed most. Watch these playoff games and appreciate how fortunate the fans of the Allen Americans have been from the start of the franchise in 2009-10. It has been an on ice product second to none for 12 years. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Who will join this talented group of players as the 2021 Kelly Cup MVP? Some good candidates already emerging. There are 14 players from the final four teams averaging a point per game in the playoffs including two defensemen (Les Lancaster & Matt Register). Two goalies (John Lethemon & Jake Paterson) have GAA averages below 1.65. Here are the last five playoff MVP winners. Some future Hall of Famers on this list. There were no playoffs in 2020:

 

2019 - Zach O’Brien, Newfoundland

2018 - Michael Joly, Colorado

2017 - Matt Register, Colorado

2016 - Chad Costello, Allen

2015 - Greger Hanson, Allen

 

     

Allen vs Fort Wayne Preview Continues With Focus on Players, Regular Season Finish Dictates Who Wins the Kelly Cup, Playoff Attendance and More

 

Today I want to continue the Allen vs Fort Wayne series preview by looking at some of the players who will be involved in the series. 

 

- Special Motivation: Three former Allen players are on the Fort Wayne playoff roster and will have special incentive to win this series against their former team:

Zach Pochiro - Zach scored a team leading 34 goals with in Allen in 2018-19. He played in only 105 games over two seasons with the Americans but is ranked #12 all-time in goals with 52. Pochiro got off to a great start when Fort Wayne started its season in February scoring eight goals in the first seven games. Zach missed a month of the season with an injury which I heard was the result of a fight and is still not 100% from what I have read. He did not play in Fort Wayne's win in game five against Wichita. A pure goal scorer who will be more dangerous than normal if he plays against his old team. 

Nick Boka - Nick was under contract with the Iowa Wild (AHL) last season but was assigned to Allen. He suffered a season ending injury in January when he broke his leg. Nick has logged a lot of ice time with Fort Wayne playing in 44 of 51 regular season games and all five playoff games. His 130 penalty minutes (122 regular season, 8 playoffs) leads the Komets.

Justin Kapelmaster - Justin was released by Allen late in the season and if anyone is motivated to play well against his former team it would be Kapelmaster. He got caught up in a numbers game when Allen ended up with four goalies at the end of the season after Frank Marotte and C.J. Motte returned from the AHL. When Fort Wayne had one of its goalies get hurt with two games remaining in the regular season, they signed Kapelmaster. He started one game for the Komets, the last game of the season, and lost 6-0 to Utah. Fort Wayne's top goalie, Dylan Ferguson, was the only goalie used in the five game series against Wichita in the first round of the playoffs. This series with Allen has a schedule that calls for five games in six days with the only off day (Sunday) for travel from Allen to Fort Wayne. You have to assume Kaplermaster will get a start against his former team.

- Allen's strength is its depth and that starts in goal. Coach Martinson has been able to use two goalies in the playoffs, both veterans, and keep them rested. I would expect you will see that pattern continue against Fort Wayne. Jake Paterson started the first and third games against Utah and had a save percentage of .929. C.J. Motte started game two and had a save percentage of .931. Two solid, experienced goalies is a good foundation to build on. It will definitely be a contrast of two veteran goalies for Allen against two rookie goalies for Fort Wayne. Both approaches can be successful as Allen has won championships with a rookie goalie (Aaron Dell) and a veteran goalie (Riley Gill).

- Coach Martinson always says when it comes to playoffs your best players have to be your best players. Allen has the top two scoring defensemen in the ECHL in Les Lancaster and Matt Register. They finished #1 and #3 in the Defenseman of the Year voting. Register holds almost every ECHL playoff record for defensemen and true to form had a point in all three games against Utah (1G, 2A). Lancaster also had three points (1G, 2A) against Utah and his goal was a big one. Les scored the series clinching goal in overtime.

- The top forward for Allen this season was Corey Mackin who finished second in the league in goals with 30. A tireless worker, all Mackin has done in the playoffs is get four assists in three games in the first round. His four assists are tied for second in the playoffs but his assists per game (1.33) are #1.

- Rookies at this point of the season are no longer rookies and Steve Martinson has said consistently the rookies would get better and better as they played more games. Most of the rookies played very little hockey in the last year before arriving in Allen. Brett Neumann led all rookies in the first round with three goals in three games. Brett had the game winning goal in the first two games and scored the goal to send the third game into overtime. Sam Ruopp leads all rookies in plus/minus (+3). Zane Franklin didn't have a point in the first round but plays a vital role with his physical play. Ben Carroll has been an unsung hero on defense and Collin Shirley had two key assists in the first round. Bottom line is the rookies will have to play a big part if Allen is to advance.

 

- As fans you don't get to see inside the locker room but what happens in that room plays a big part in team success. The best teams have leadership that combines support for one another, accountability and having fun. You can't overstate the tradition of winning in Allen that Dyson Stevenson and Spencer Asuchak bring to the locker room. There is plenty of leadership in this group beyond the players wearing a letter as most of the players have been leaders on teams in the past. This is a team that is starting to show the whole is greater then the sum of the parts.

 

- Game one tomorrow night will be close to a must win game for the Americans. In the first round the team that won game one was the winner of all four series. FYI, South Carolina won game one of the Eastern Conference Finals last night beating Greenville 5-1. If the Americans lose Friday night it means winning two of three games on the road in Fort Wayne.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- South Carolina was ranked #7 in points percentage in the regular season and had to win its last six games of the season just to make it into the playoffs. All they did in the first round was win two road games to knock of the #1 seed, Florida. Next up for the Stingrays is the #2 team in the Eastern Conference, Greenville. The Swamp Rabbits had a record of 9-3-3 against the Stingrays during the regular season. South Carolina took a 1-0 series lead at home last night but the next two games are in Greenville. It remains to be seen which team will win this series but history is on the side of Greenville. It has happened just once in the last 15 seasons that a team finished as low as #7 in the regular season and went on to win the Kelly Cup.

Here are the last 15 Kelly Cup champions with their regular season finish in parenthesis. Anyone who says once you get in the playoffs anything can happen hasn't looked at ECHL history. In most of these seasons there were 14-16 teams in the playoffs.

2020 - No playoffs
2019 - Newfoundland  (3rd)
2018 - Colorado (4th)
2017 - Colorado (3rd)
2016 - Allen (6th)
2015 - Allen (2nd)
2014 - Alaska (1st)
2013 - Reading (2nd)
2012 - Florida (7th)
2011 - Alaska (1st)
2010 - Cincinnati (5th)
2009 - South Carolina (4th)
2008 - Cincinnati (1st)
2007 - Idaho (6th)
2006 - Alaska (1st)
2005 - Trenton (4th)   

 

- If you watched the Greenville vs South Carolina game on Flo Hockey last night you noticed the game was played in the practice rink. It was like watching a youth game with one camera located in the stands with the parents. No zoom, shooting through the glass and netting with plenty of blind spots. My understanding is the South Carolina main arena is being used by HBO to shoot a movie. It is an unfortunate situation for the fans, the team and the league. The good news is all three South Carolina home games thus far in the playoffs have been sellouts, the bad news is the per game average attendance is 550. The teams will play the next two games in Greenville and if necessary return to South Carolina for games four and five. 

 

- Wichita also had to play its two first round games in a practice facility and averaged 866 per game. Florida was eliminated in the first round by South Carolina but averaged a league high 3589 for its three home games. The ECHL average attendance after 18 playoff games is 2102.

 

  

DID YOU KNOW: Brett Neumann has a three game goal streak in his first three playoff games. The longest goal streak in the playoffs since Allen joined the ECHL is four games. When Allen won its first Kelly Cup in 2015 three players had four game goal streaks; Spencer Asuchak, Gary Steffes and Chris Crane. 

Allen vs Fort Wayne Series Preview Begins, Practice Update, Travel News and Final Four Stats

Preparation for the Western Conference Finals continues for the Allen Americans as they get ready to meet Fort Wayne on Friday. The four practice days this week started with a fun scrimmage on Monday between the right shots and left shots. The scrimmage actually had to be finished yesterday because they ran out of ice time on Monday. The "Lefties" came out on top. Obviously practice has ramped up as the week has progressed and the focus has centered on Fort Wayne.

- One good piece of news is the team will be flying to Fort Wayne rather than busing. Flying is more expensive and the plan if Allen had played the Komets in the first round was to bus the 1000 miles. With the short turnaround time in the upcoming series and the importance of the conference finals a decision was made to fly. 

 

- When I talked to coach Martinson this morning he was pleased with how practice has been going. He also mentioned defenseman Phil Beaulieu, who was injured on April 25, has been cleared to play. Colby McAuley is still listed as day to day.  

 

- Today I wanted to revisit the regular season comparison/matrix I put together for the first round of the playoffs which, incidentally, predicted Allen and Fort Wayne would advance. Here are the regular season stats plus I have added in parenthesis the playoff stats for each category. Playoff stats are a small sample given Allen played only three first round games and Fort Wayne played just five.

 

Goals Scored (average per game)
3.33 - Fort Wayne (2.80)
3.28 - Allen (3.67)

Goals Allowed (average per game)
2.67 - Fort Wayne (2.80)
2.72 - Allen (2.00)

Goal Differential (goals scored minus goals allowed)
+40 - Allen (+5)
+34 - Fort Wayne (0)

Shots For (average per game)
32.59 - Fort Wayne (30.40)
31.40 - Allen (30.67)

Shots Against (average per game)
25.22 - Fort Wayne (29.80)
31.67 - Allen (28.33)

Shooting Percentage (goals as a percent of total shots)
10.3% - Allen (12.0%)
10.2% - Fort Wayne (9.2%)

Power Play Percentage
25.9% - Fort Wayne (11.8%)
20.5% - Allen (8.3%)

Penalty Kill Percentage
86.8% - Fort Wayne (87.0%)
81.7% - Allen (87.5%)

Power Play Goals Scored
57 - Allen (1)
51 - Fort Wayne (2)

Plus/Minus
+114:  Allen (+23)
+49:  Fort Wayne (+1)  

Goals Against Average (GAA)
2.62 - Fort Wayne (2.42)
2.67 - Allen (1.74)

Save Percentage
.914 - Allen (.929)
.896 - Fort Wayne (.918)


Record Last 10 Games
7-2-1-0 - Allen (3-0 playoff record)
4-5-0-1 - Fort Wayne (3-2 playoff record)  

- Look for a tough and physical series between Allen and Fort Wayne. These teams finished #1 and #2 in fighting majors during the regular season. Allen led the ECHL with 41 fights followed by Fort Wayne with 37. When you consider the Komets played just 51 regular season games they fought at the highest rate in the league. You don't typically see a lot of fighting in the playoffs but roughing, scrums, physical play and big checks will be seen in abundance.

 

- The ECHL  has announced the officials for the conference finals. Here is the press release from the ECHL with the names. I will have more info on the referees later in the week. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2021/6/officials-named-for-conference-finals

 

- I will have more series preview information tomorrow and will also look at the Eastern Conference Finals matchup between Greenville and South Carolina.  

 

DID YOU KNOW: The last time the Allen Americans appeared in the Western Conference Finals was in 2016 when they beat Fort Wayne in five games (4-1) on the way to their second consecutive Kelly Cup. The series was a lot closer than the final outcome. Two of Allen's wins were in overtime (6-5 and 3-2) and the Americans only loss was 2-1 at home. Here is some info on the four teams still vying for the Kelly Cup:

 

ECHL Final Four - reseed rank with regular season points percentage, last trip to Conference Finals and Kelly Cups:

 

Reseed Rank & Points Percentage

#1 Allen - .653

#2 Greenville - .632

#3 Fort Wayne - .618

#4 South Carolina - .579

 

Last Conference Finals Appearance

Allen - 2016 defeated Fort Wayne 4-1

Greenville - 2014 lost to Cincinnati 4-2

Fort Wayne - 2018 lost to Colorado 4-3

South Carolina - 2017 beat Manchester 4-3

 

Kelly Cups Won

South Carolina: 2009, 2001, 1997

Allen: 2016, 2015

Fort Wayne: None

Greenville: None

 

ECHL Final Four Set, Schedules, Previews, Familiar Faces and More

 

The ECHL final four was completed last night in dramatic fashion. Florida lost its second straight home game to South Carolina to prove once again the Brabham Cup (regular season champion) curse is alive and well. Only five times since the ECHL began in 1988-89 has the regular season champion gone on to win the Kelly Cup and the last time it was accomplished was 2013-14. South Carolina won the winner take all game by a score of 3-2 and will now take on its in state rival Greenville. The series format for the best of five series between the #2 seed (Greenville) and #4 seed (South Carolina) in the Eastern Conference Finals will be:

Game 1 - Greenville at South Carolina (Wednesday, June 16)

Game 2 - South Carolina at Greenville (Friday, June 18)

Game 3 - South Carolina at Greenville (Saturday, June 19)

Game 4 - Greenville at South Carolina (Monday, June 21)

Game 5 - Greenville at South Carolina (Wednesday, June 23)

All games start at 7:05 pm (EDT). You can see the higher seed (Greenville) has only two home games but they are the prime weekend games. These teams are 200 miles apart so traveling back and forth is possible. Arena availability is also a factor. My understanding is the South Carolina games will be played in its practice facility.

 

- Fort Wayne prevailed over Wichita in the other winner take all game last night to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Fort Wayne had a go ahead goal late in the game disallowed after video review (goalie interference) which sent to game into overtime. It took Fort Wayne just 65 seconds into overtime to score the series winning goal. It was a tough ending to the season for Wichita who faltered down the stretch in the regular season, relinquishing first place to Allen and then losing in the first round of the playoffs. Since May 15 Wichita's record is 5-8-1.

 

- The Komets will now take on the Allen Americans who are the overall #1 seed after Florida lost. The Americans opted to start the series with Fort Wayne at home for two games which means the final three games (as necessary) will be in Fort Wayne. I have had the question several times who makes this decision. I can report it was a joint decision between the front office and Steve Martinson and everyone was in agreement on the approach. Martinson likes starting the series at home and noted to me the winner of all four first round series won the first game of the series. There is certainly a business component as well to starting the series at home as the Americans will get prime Friday and Saturday dates.

 

- Here is the schedule for the series against Fort Wayne. I will have a complete preview the next two days but I think the schedule is advantageous to the Americans for several reasons. First, Allen was able to delay the start of the series to get prime weekend dates but more importantly buy some time for injured players to heal. Second, the schedule now calls for five games in six days which should benefit the Americans. Allen's strength is its depth with all four lines capable of scoring so Martinson doesn't shorten the bench very often which helps playing so many games in a few days. Allen has three goalies to call on and they are all playing well. The Americans have alternated two veteran goalies (Jake Paterson & C.J. Motte) at the end of the regular season and in the playoffs. Fort Wayne played goalie Dylan Ferguson exclusively in the playoffs. Motte (.931) and Paterson (.929) combined for a save percentage of .929 in the first round. Ferguson, who played all five games in the first round, had a .918 save percentage.

Game 1 - Fort Wayne at Allen (Friday, June 18, 7:05 pm CDT)

Game 2 - Fort Wayne st Allen (Saturday, June 19, 7:05 pm CDT)

Game 3 - Allen at Fort Wayne (Monday, June 21, 7:30 pm EDT)

Game 4 - Allen at Fort Wayne (Tuesday, June 22, 7:30 pm EDT)

Game 5 - Allen at Fort Wayne (Wednesday, June 23, 7:30 pm EDT) 

 

- Here is a preview of the Western Conference Finals issued by the ECHL. A good read: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2021/6/western-conference-finals-allen-americans-fort-wayne-komets-2021-echl-kelly-cup-playoffs

 

- Here is the Eastern Conference Finals preview: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2021/6/eastern-conference-finals-greenville-swamp-rabbits-south-carolina-stingrays-2021-echl-kelly-cup-playoffs

- There will be some familiar faces when Fort Wayne arrives in Allen. Former Allen players Zach Pochiro, Nick Boka and Justin Kapelmaster all play for Fort Wayne. The only other former Allen American player to make to the final four is Frank DiChiara, who plays for Greenville.

 

- It you watched the Stanley Cup playoffs last night and saw the Vegas Golden Knights defeat the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in game one of the semifinals series you saw former Allen Americans defenseman Alec Martinez score the game winning goal. Alec played three games for Allen during the NHL lockout in 2012-13 as he was living in Allen at the time. In those three games he had two points (1G, 1A). Martinez won the Stanley Cup the year before and year after he played in Allen but he was a gracious guy for those three games playing for the Americans in the old Central Hockey League. Maybe his championship pedigree rubbed off because Allen went on to win its first championship that season. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here is the ECHL Stats post for the day. Corey Mackin is a perfect example of the type of players that has done well with a new team but his rights revert back to his old team (Reading). In Corey's case he has already signed in Sweden for next season but Reading will hold his ECHL rights, not Allen.

 

Remember, because of the pandemic and teams opting out of the 2020-21 season, this rule on player rights is in effect. Many fan favorites will fall under this rule:

 

"Any player who originally signed with one of the 12 teams not participating in the 2020-21 season and went on to sign with one of the 2020-21 active teams, shall have his player rights revert back to the original team’s protected list."

  

 

Two ECHL Win or Go Home Games Tonight, What's Not Happening, Top Players Heading Overseas, Asuchak's Faceoff Stats and More

 

The Allen Americans will have a full on practice today for the first time in over a month. Not a fit a practice in the day before a game or a practice after playing four games in five days. The Americans will practice the next four days as they prepare for the Western Conference Finals.

 

- South Carolina beat the Everblades 4-2 in Florida last night to force a game five. There will be two winner take all games tonight with South Carolina at Florida and Wichita at Fort Wayne. Allen and Greenville have already punched their tickets to the final four. Greenville takes on the winner of the South Carolina vs Florida game in the Eastern Conference Finals and Allen takes on the winner of the Wichita vs Fort Wayne game in the Western Conference Finals.

 

- One thing Steve Martinson isn't doing right now that he would be doing if he was under contract for next season and Allen had an affiliate is talk to the affiliate and other AHL teams about signing players from the current Allen roster to AHL deals for next season or offering spots in AHL training camps. Allen is already behind in planning for next season because of the uncertainties.

 

- Another concern is three Allen players (Paterson, Mackin, Butcher) have already been announced as signed in Europe for next season and that is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

- There are a lot more opportunities in Europe for the 2020-21 season because teams aren't offering as much money because of COVID so more ECHL tiered players are getting offers than in the past. When you consider the income is tax free, the teams play on a larger sheet of ice, they don't play as many games, practice less and provide housing and transportation, getting an opportunity has plenty of allure. Because of the situation in Allen and in Europe you could see most of Allen's top players go overseas.

 

-  While a lot of players currently in the midst of the Kelly Cup playoffs have signed in Europe most will not be announced until have the playoffs are over. Players that have already been announced as heading to Europe include the following. ECHL MVP Anthony Beauregard will play Switzerland). Florida's top defenseman, Logan Roe, who has finished #1 or #2 in plus/minus for defensemen the last four seasons will play in Sweden. Corey Mackin, the ECHL's second leading goal scorer this season (30) will play in Sweden. Goalie Jake Paterson who was the #2 ECHL goalie in GAA (2.31) and save percentage (.927) will play in Norway. Michael Huntebrinker, Florida's third leading goal scorer (23) will play in Austria. Pascal Aquin, Jacksonville's third leading goal scorer (20) will play in Germany. These are just the first of many that will be announced in the next month.

 

- Faceoffs are so critical in the playoffs as winning in the defensive zone gets the team out of trouble especially when killing penalties and it sets up the offense/power play in the offensive zone. Spencer Asuchak has been one of the best in the ECHL in faceoffs for years but his performance in the Utah series was off the charts. In the current Stanley Cup playoffs, 50 players have taken 70 or more faceoffs thus far with win percentages ranging from a low of 35.7% (Matt Barzel - NYI) to a high of 61.5% (Casey Cizikas - NYI). Just three of the 50 NHL players with at least 70 faceoffs in the playoffs have hit the 60% mark, which is considered elite. In addition to Cizikas the other two are Nicolas Roy (VGS) at 60.8% and Gabriel Landeskog (COL) at 60.0%. The tops in the regular season was Patrice Bergeron (BOS) at 62.2%.

In the three game sweep against Utah here are Asuchak's faceoff percentages and stats:

76.2% - Game 1 (16-21)

69.6% - Game 2 (16-23)

70.8% - Game 3 (17-24)

72.1% - Series Total (49-68)

- I have had several questions about the second round series against Wichita or Fort Wayne and how the series will proceed. It has already been announced the first two games of the best of five series will be in Allen. That means the final three games of the series, if necessary will be on the road. The rule when the five game series were announced for the playoffs was the higher seed (Allen is #1 in the West) has the choice of opening at home or on the road. I assume because the league was tying to save travel costs, if a team chooses to open at home it means two home games and then three on the road. If the higher seed wants three home games they will start with two road games. If teams mutually agree to a different format because of arena availability they can do so. Since Allen has opted to start the next series at home (two weekend dates) they will play the final three games on the road. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Over the last two ECHL regular seasons just four players had a combination of 100+ points, 45+ goals and 55+ assists:

 

Peter Quenneville, Rapid City, 126 (52G, 74A)

Aaron Luchuk, Orlando, 124 (47G, 77A)

Corey Mackin, Allen, 108, (50G, 58A)

Adam Pleskach, Tulsa, 103 (46G, 57A)

 

Pleskach led all players in games played (132), Luchuk led in assists (77), Quenneville led in goals (52) and points (126). The leader in PIMS was Tulsa’s Mike McKee (258).

 

This N' That Including ECHL Individual Awards Top Five Players

 With no Allen Americans hockey until Friday and the guys enjoying today off I will cover a bunch of miscellaneous items today and each day this week. If you like the "This N' That" blogs, this week is for you. Not sure where to start and end each day but here we go.

- Greenville punched its ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals last night, beating Indy 3-2 to win the series 3-1. The Swamp Rabbits now await the winner of the South Carolina vs Florida series which the Everblades lead 2-1. Game four of the series is tonight. Greenville was under the radar much of the regular season but came on strong late. The Swamp Rabbits record since the beginning of May is 16-3-1-0. I know many assume Florida will win the East as the Brabham Cup champs but don't sleep on Greenville.

- Allen won't know until Monday who it will play in the second round. Wichita beat Fort Wayne 4-2 on the road last night to force a game five. Even though Wichita is the higher seed, game five will be played in Fort Wayne because of arena availability.

 

- Preparation for the second round of the playoffs will be quite different for Steve Martinson and the coaching staff depending on the opponent. Allen played Wichita 11 times in the regular season (7-3-1-0) and the teams are very familiar with each other. Even though Fort Wayne is in the Western Conference, Allen did not play the Komets in the regular season. There will be a lot more video review if the second round opponent is Fort Wayne. 

 

AWARDS

- Predicting who will win the ECHL individual awards each season is not very difficult. I hedged on the Goalie of the Year but nailed all of the others. Most of the voters (coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media members) go by stats because for the most part they don't see the players other than those in their division/conference. In most years all you have to do is look at the top of the stats for the category and you have the winner. Here were my predictions with the eventual winner and top five in voting in each category:

Prediction: Rookie of the Year - This award usually goes to the highest scoring rookie so look for Matthew Boucher from Utah to win.

Winners:

1. Matthew Boucher, Utah

2. Dean Stewart, Wichita

3. *Evan Weninger, Wichita

4. *Joe Garreffa, Orlando

5. Jay Dickman, Wichita

 

Prediction: Coach of the Year - This award usually goes to the coach that has improved his team a lot from the prior season. Wichita had a points percentage of .452 last season and is at .643 today under coach Bruce Ramsay. Greenville has improved from .492 last season to .632 this season under first year coach Andrew Lord and was the hottest team in the league around voting time. I am pretty sure Steve Martinson has never been Coach of the Year though he has won 10 championships. Everyone expects him to be good each year. Unless there is an East-West bias Ramsay should be the winner over Lord.

Winners:

1. Bruce Ramsay, Wichita

2. Andrew Lord, Greenville

3. Ben Boudreau, Fort Wayne

4. Brad Ralph, Florida

5. Steve Martinson, Allen

 

Prediction: Defenseman of the Year - This should probably be the most lopsided vote of all with Les Lancaster having twice as many goals (26) as his nearest competitor. You have to go back 20 years to find a defenseman with with as many goals. Lancaster has a 10 point lead (62-52) over his teammate Matt Register for most points by a defenseman.

Winners:

1. *Les Lancaster, Allen

2. *Samuel Jardine, Greenville

3. *Matt Register, Allen

4. Dean Stewart, Wichita

5. Willie Raskob, Indy

 

Prediction: Goalie of the Year - This vote could be close. The top two goalies in save percentage are both from Wichita (Evan Buitenhuis - .931 and Evan Wenininger - .925). The top two goalies in GAA are Buitenhuis (2.29) and Roman Durny of Tulsa (.2.31). The top two goalies in wins are Jake Hildebrand of Florida (23) and Clint Windsor of Orlando (23). The goalie with the most shutouts is Ryan Bednard of Greenville (3). Pick your poison on this one. 

Winners:

1. *Jake Hildebrand, Florida

2. Evan Buitenhuis, Wichita

3. *Evan Weninger, Wichita

4. Roman Durny, Tulsa

5. Ryan Bednard, Greenville

 

 

Prediction: MVP - The voters almost always pick the leading scorer as the MVP. This one is a little tricky because the leading scorer right now is Orlando's Aaron Luchuk with 74 points. However, when votes were being cast the leading scorer was Anthony Beauregard from Wichita who has been stuck on 71 points since being injured on May 21. Luchak has scored 10 points while Beauregard has been out of the lineup. Based on my theory that voters, who don't see many of the players, tend to go by the stats and the stats at the time of the vote had Beauregard in first place, he gets the MVP award. Call it a homer call but when a defenseman finishes top five overall in points and top seven in goals and has the best season by a defensemen in 20 years he should be the MVP of the league. Throw in the fact Les  Lancaster never missed a game all season, the only player on his team to do so, and you have a season for the ages. 

Winners:

1. Anthony Beauregard, Wichita

2. *Les Lancaster, Allen

3. John McCarron, Florida

4. Aaron Luchuk, Orlando

5. Evan Buitenhuis, Wichita

 

*Those players with an asterisk have a connection to Allen, either current or former players or in the case of Samuel Jardine a player who was acquired and moved on by Allen without ever playing for the Americans. 

 

- I have had a couple of questions about the number of skaters allowed in the playoffs. In my playoff preview I had mentioned the number of skaters for each game would go back to 18 from 17. The season started with 18 skaters allowed but was reduced to 17 part way through the season. While increasing the number of skaters to 18 for the playoffs was discussed it was never approved. Sorry for the confusion.

 

- The ECHL has a long playoff history dating back to the 1988-89 season. Most individual playoff records for a playoff game, series or season are held by players from the 1990's in the heyday of scoring in hockey. Chad Costello is an exception as he is at or near the top in several categories. Chad is the all-time leader in two categories, both set in 2016. Chad is #1 all-time in assists in one playoff year with 29. Second place has 26 assists. Chad is also the all-time leader in assists in a final series with 10. If you remember, when Chad set this record in the finals, in 2016, Allen defeated Wheeling in six games. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: With Allen’s first round win in the 2021 Kelly Cup playoffs, Steve Martinson has moved into second place all-time on the ECHL most career playoff games coached list. Here are the four coaches with over 90 playoff games coached. The number of ECHL championships (Kelly/Riley Cups) each has won is in parenthesis:

 

ECHL MOST CAREER PLAYOFF GAMES COACHED

 

108 - Matt Thomas: Atlantic City, Fresno, Stockton, Cincinnati (0)

95 - Steve Martinson: San Diego, Elmira, Allen (2)

94 - Jason Christie: Peoria, Utah, Ontario, Jacksonville (0)

94 - John Brophy: Hampton Roads (3)