Allen vs Wichita Game Preview Plus Some This and That

 Opening night for the Allen Americans 2021-22 season has finally arrived. It has been 140 days since the Americans last regular season game. While that sounds like a long time it is exactly half the time fans had to wait between the end of the shortened 2019-20 season and the start of the 2020-21 season when it was an agonizing 280 days between games. 

- It is only fitting Allen opens the season against long time rival Wichita. You could write a book on the history between these teams from the game seven overtime win in 2013 when Allen won its first championship to the period of time the Wichita owners also owned the Allen franchise. Allen has clearly outshined Wichita since these teams joined the ECHL in 2013-14. The Americans have won two Kelly Cups and missed the playoffs just one time. Wichita has missed the playoffs four times and lost in the first round the two times it made the playoffs. Over the last five seasons Allen's record against Wichita is 29-14-4-2 and last season it was 7-3-1-0.

- Past is not prologue so what has happened in the past bears little resemblance to the possibilities this season. Most players on both teams have no idea of the history between these teams. Stats from the past don't mean much in 2021-22.

- Here is how the Allen and Wichita rosters compare as the season begins:

AHL experience: Allen has eight players with AHL experience and they have played a total of 432 AHL games. Wichita has three players with AHL experience and they have played a total of 289 AHL games. Defenseman Dylan Olsen has 222 games of AHL experience to go along with 124 NHL games played.

The players on Allen's roster have played a total of 1704 games for the Americans. The players on the Wichita roster have played 1041 games for the Thunder.

Allen in the heaviest team in the ECHL averaging 199 pounds per player. Wichita is ranked #17 at 191 pounds per player. 

The goalie advantage has to go to Wichita. Evan Buitenhuis had the best GAA (2.29) and save percentage (.931) in the ECHL last season and was runner-up for Goalie of the Year. 

It is hard to overstate the success that Chad Costello and Jack Combs have had in the ECHL. Since 2009-10, if you look at players with at least 200 ECHL games played, Chad Costello is #1 in average points per game (1.59) and Jack Combs is #2 (1.26). 

As I will say in most previews this season scoring first and special teams will be key. The team that scores first will win about 75% of the time. Last season Allen's point percentage win scoring first was one of the best in the ECHL at .791 and Wichita was not far behind at .775. First goal wins most of the time. 

It might take some time for Allen's power play to get up to speed but Chad Costello is a master at quarterbacking the power play. In his three previous seasons in Allen the power play was never below 21%. The power play was a key in Allen's second Kelly Cup win in 2016 when they had a playoff leading 27.2% power play. Allen scored 80 goals in the 2016 playoffs and 35% came from the power play. 

The referee scheduled tonight is Trevor Wohlford (#38). The linesmen will be Daniel Barnes (#76) and Trent Williams (#48). 

OTHER COMMENTS

- The chemistry between Chad Costello and Jack Combs is undeniable. Steve Martinson has described it as the best he has seen in AA hockey. They have played together for the Allen Americans, Colorado Eagles, Tulsa Oilers, Worcester Sharks, Bridgeport Islanders and Iserlohn Roosters (Germany). 

- Opening night has been a mixed bag since Allen joined the ECHL with a record of 3-4. Tonight will be the first time the Americans have opened against Wichita:

2014-15: Lost 9-6 at home to Tulsa

2015-16: Lost 2-1 at home to Quad City

2016-17: Won 6-3 at home against Kansas City

2017-18: Won 8-3 on the road in Rapid City

2018-19: Lost 5-1 on the road in Kansas City

2019-20: Won 3-2 in OT at home against Rapid City

2020-21: Lost 4-3 on the road in Tulsa

- Trois Rivieres lost to Newfoundland at home last night but all other home teams (Maine, Norfolk, Iowa, Rapid City, Idaho) won. Idaho had 11 power play opportunities in its 7-3 win over Utah and scored four power play goals, a power play percentage of 36.4%. Maine was 2-3 on the power play in its win 6-3 win over Worcester for a 66.7% power play percentage.  

- Two former Allen Americans goalies went head to head last night. Justin Kapelmaster played for Worcester and Jeremy Brodeur played for Maine. Brodeur had a great game stopping 51 of 54 Worcester shots including 25 of 26 in the first period as Maine beat Worcester 6-3. As a frame of  reference of Brodeur's effort, last season the most shots in the first period was 25 (Orlando) and the most shots in a game was 53 (Utah). Jeremy's great effort was only good enough for the #2 star of the game as his teammate, Eduards Tralmaks, had a hat trick and was named the #1 star of the game.

DID YOU KNOW: From my ECHL Stats post today: 

Last season the1st ECHL hat trick wasn't until three weeks into the season and the 2nd took a month. This season there were two hat tricks on opening night as Eduards Tralmaks (Maine) and A.J. White (Idaho) had hat tricks.