Nothing beats game day when it is playoff hockey, especially when the Allen Americans have a chance to close out their best of five series against the Utah Grizzlies. Allen took care of business at home taking a 2-0 series lead with 3-1 and 4-2 wins. The series will now finish in Utah with games tonight (8:10 CDT) and if necessary on Saturday and Monday.
- A 2-0 lead in a best of five series seems commanding as the Americans need just one win in the next three games to take the series. Best for Allen is to close out the series tonight and have a couple of days to rest waiting for the next opponent (Wichita or Fort Wayne). It is going to be more difficult if Utah gains momentum by winning at home tonight..
- It is a small sample but the stats from the two playoff games show Allen with the lead in goals (7-3) but Utah with the edge in shots (59-45). Allen is 12.5% on the power play (1-8) while Utah is 14.3% (1-7).
- The Americans had slow starts in both games in Allen. They were outshot 26-14 in the first period but managed to score two goals and allow only two. Allen outscored Utah 2-0 in the second periods and 3-1 in the final periods.
- Coach Martinson has only one extra player on the trip to Utah. Frank Marotte (healthy scratch), Phil Beaulieu (still recovering from injury but close) and Colby McAuley (injured on Wednesday but listed as day) stayed home. Dyson Stevenson (who is injured) is on the trip but will not play, Dyson will be behind the bench and help as an assistant coach. Here are the players on the trip:
Goalies
#31 - C.J. Motte
#34 - Jake Paterson
Defensemen
#4 - Terrance Amorosa
#7 - Sam Ruopp
#14 - Les Lancaster
#16 - Darian Skeoch
#18 - Kris Myllari
#20 - Ben Carroll
#43 - Matt Register
Forwards
#8 - Steve Owre
#9 - Brett Neumann
#11 - Collin Shirley
#15 - Corey Mackin
#19 - Chad Butcher
#22 - Tyler Sheehy
#26 - Spencer Asuchak
#27 - Sam Laberge
#40 - Josh Lammon
#44 - Zane Franklin
#77 - Scott Conway
- The two referees scheduled tonight are #25 Andrew Bruggeman and #7 Riley Yerkovich. Bruggeman worked three Allen vs Utah games during the regular season which had a combined total of 22, 38 and 38 penalty minutes. Yerkovich worked 10 Allen games this season with three being against Utah. The combined penalty minutes in those three games was 14, 28, and 38. My guess is this referee tandem will not let the players get away with what what was allowed to do in the first two games of the series.
COACH'S CORNER
"We didn't have a good start in either of the first two games. I will continue to talk to the team about having a better start tonight. A better start means a few thing we have to do from the opening puck drop."
"A better start means fewer turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the game."
"Early penalties change momentum in the game, something we need to avoid. An early penalty cost us in game two."
"A good start also means doing a better job at finishing checks early in the game. We need more hits in the first 10 minutes."
"The players have to have a mind set that has them ready to play right from the start."
"I will continue to tweak our special teams both the power play and penalty kill. Playoff hockey is a game of adjustments reacting to all the variables in the game. It is easier to make adjustments at home when you have last change."
"Playoff hockey is no more than executing on all of the building blocks you have worked on all season."
"Jake Paterson will get the start in goal tonight."
OTHER COMMENTS
- All four playoff series will be in action tonight. Here is the ECHL Today with a preview of all four games: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2021/6/echl-today-june-11
- Greenville is up 2-0 against Indy with a chance to close out the series at home. This series is 1-3-1 so Greenville will have two chances at home to win the series. If the series goes to a game five it will be in Indy.
- Wichita and Fort Wayne are tied 1-1 with the final three games in Fort Wayne. Wichita was the best road team in the ECHL during the regular season so winning two of three in Fort Wayne is possible but will be a tough task. Wichita coach Bruce Ramsay, who was just named the ECHL Coach of the Year, has never won a playoff game at Memorial Coliseum in his long coaching career. With different teams and different leagues his record is 0-8.
- #1 overall top seed, Florida split two games in South Carolina and will be home for the rest of the series. Florida was 10-1-1-1 against South Carolina during the regular season but both teams are different in the playoffs because of the addition of some AHL players.
DID YOU KNOW: I have written about Matt Register's ECHL records many times in the blog. Matt is a three time ECHL Defenseman of the Year (2014, 2017 & 2018). In addition he finished 3rd in the voting this season, 4th in 2019 and 2nd in 2015. He wasn't in the ECHL last season as he spent the year with Iowa (AHL). Here is the ECHL Stats post today that talks about Matt's amazing Kelly Cup playoff history:
Allen Americans defenseman Matt Register is playing in his 8th Kelly Cup playoffs. Matt has been in the playoffs in every season (when playoffs were held) he has been in the league playing for four different teams (Ontario, Allen, Colorado and Toledo). Matt won three straight Kelly Cups in 2016 (Allen), 2017 (Colorado), 2018 (Colorado) and finished second in 2019 (Toledo). He is the only defenseman to ever win the playoff MVP award (Colorado 2017). Matt holds every all time playoff scoring record for defensemen and is the ECHL's all-time playoff leader in games played (126) and assists (70). He is 2nd in points (96).
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