Practice and Roster Update and Some This 'N That

 

It will be a slow week as the Allen Americans take the longest break between games (November 27 to December 5) all season with the exception of the Christmas break (December 18 to December 29). Not sure what will be covered in the blog but hopefully I will find something to hold your interest. I recently noticed the blog will reach a big milestone in the next six to eight weeks when the 2,000,000th unique page view happens. I don't say thanks enough for all of you that make comments on the blog post itself, on Facebook, Twitter, email, text or at the games. Any affirmation is always encouragement to keep the blog going during the tough times.

 

- With so many days between games I am always reminded of a quote from Steve Martinson years ago when he talked about so many practice days between games, "After three days of practice I get tired of yelling at the players and they get tired of me yelling at them." What Martinson does during these long practice weeks is have a fun scrimmage to start the week where the team is divided in various ways, I have seen the team divided by left shots vs right shots, young guys vs old guys, WHL vs the rest, college guy vs junior guys and Canada vs USA. Couldn't have Canada vs USA this season since the split in players favors Canada 17-7. The teams usually play for lunch or more importantly bragging rights.  

 

- Steve Martinson tells the story of how much bragging rights makes for competition in these fun games. When he was playing in Hershey in 1985-86 he led the team with 432 PIMS and the team total was 2849. In 1986-87 the Bears set the record for most team penalty minutes in a single season (2872), a record that still stands today. In one of these "fun" games for bragging rights, Martinson had a fight with future Hall of Fame goalie Ron Hextall, who played in Hershey before starting his NHL career with Philadelphia.  

 

- Later in the week there might be an optional skate or a short practice but don't be fooled, there will be some tough practices and to quote Martinson, "We have plenty to work on to improve team defense, cut down on turnovers and get better on special teams."

 

-  I was reading some comments about San Jose Barracuda coach Roy Sommer on Patrick William's Twitter feed. Patrick covers the AHL for NHLcom and TheAHLcom. The comments reminded me of the similarities between Sommer and Steve Martinson. They are the same age, worked hard to make it to the NHL (Martinson 48 games, Sommer 3 games) and played most of their pro careers in several different leagues in the minors. They were both tough guys and they both have had long successful coaching careers. Sommer has been coaching since 1987-88 and became a head coach in 1991-92. Most of his career has been in the AHL, he has been with the San Jose organization for 16 years. Sommer's only pro championship was in the ECHL with the Richmond Renegades in 1994-95. Martinson was never an assistant coach and won the first of his 10 championships in 1995-96 as a first year coach with the San Diego Gulls in the WCHL.

 

- I had a chance to meet Sommer when he visited Allen for a few games when the Americans were affiliated with San Jose. The similarities in their coaching styles were apparent in the brief time I spent listening to them talk hockey in Martinson's office after a game. They even reminisced about the fight they had back in the day.

 

- That is a long way of saying when I saw the remarks about Sommer from Patrick Williams it made me think they could apply to Martinson. Do you agree?

"Roy Sommer rules the roost with the Barracuda."

"He could care less who you are -- NHL Star or a PTO hanging on by a thread."

"He is also in that great stage of life where he doesn't have to take anything off anyone."

"What I am saying is that there isn't going to be much that he hasn't seen or that will faze him after almost 50 years in hockey. 

 

- The latest from coach Martinson on the roster is all of the players that have been out on COVID protocol have been cleared. The injured players (Bibeau, Combs, Dudek) have doctor appointments this week so their status will be determined after they see the doctor.

 

- Here is the Americans Weekly which revisits the road trip to Idaho and previews the week ahead:  https://allenamericans.com/media/news-americans-weekly/  

- It is still a ways off but a date to remember is February 15, 2022. That is the date players must return from overseas and still be eligible to play in the ECHL. 

-  Defenseman Kris Myllari leads the Americans in game winning goals with two. Spencer Asuchak and Gavin Gould have the other two game winning goals. Allen's fifth win was in a shootout and game winning goals aren't credited but Chad Costello scored the only goal in the shootout to win the game. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here are the ECHL’s highest scoring forward tandems this season:

 

49 points - TJ Hensick & M. Berry, Toledo

42 points - P. Watling & N. Hutchison, Wheeling

35 points - Z. O’Brien & M. Power, Newfoundland

34 points - B. Winiecki & J. McCarron, Florida

34 points - C. Costello & S. Asuchak, Allen

 

    

The Stats Say 80% of the 2022 ECHL Playoff Teams Are Already Decided - Who Are They?

 

 A change of pace today as I look ahead at the 2022 Kelly Cup playoffs.

- It has been a couple of years since I have posted about playoff teams being decided by Thanksgiving. Because the season ended early in 2019-20 with no playoffs and the season started late (December) in 2020-21 it wasn't possible but now it is back.  It is time for the "Thanksgiving Day Playoff Theory" blog which predicts the 16 ECHL playoff teams based on the standings as of today. Because the ECHL season started a week later than normal I included the games over the weekend in the calculations. No need to worry about the fate of your favorite team because it is already decided. A little overstated but not by much.



- I have talked about this subject in the past after reading numerous articles about its history in the NHL. Over a five year period (2013-2018) in the NHL, 62 of 80 teams in the playoffs (77.5%) at Thanksgiving wound up qualifying for a playoff spot. The last two seasons I did this for the ECHL the results were 77% (12-16) in 2017-18 and 81% (13-16) in 2018-19.

  

- It is strange to think with just over 20% of the ECHL season completed you can predict who will be in the playoffs with close to 80% accuracy. Nothing ventured, nothing gained so here are the 2022 ECHL playoff teams strictly by the numbers, plus where I think the "Thanksgiving Day Playoff Theory" might be wrong. The number in parenthesis is the team's current winning percentage.

 

NORTH DIVISION
1. Newfoundland (.867)
2. Reading (.567)
3. Maine (.500)
4. Trois-Rivières (.500)


The North Division didn't compete last season and is the only ECHL division with six teams, only two teams miss the playoffs. The entire ECHL is chasing Newfoundland with little luck. The Growlers look like a lock for the regular season championship and are on record points percentage pace. The two teams outside the fourth playoff spot are Adirondack (.433) and Worcester (.393). Adirondack is a perennial strong team that has struggled all season but could be a team to make the top four. It will be hard to catch Trois-Rivières who had a slow start but has won four of the last five games and has a lot of contracted players as well as access to players living in the Montreal area. Worcester looks destined for another last place finish in the North Division. 

 


SOUTH DIVISION
1. Florida (.656)
2. Orlando (.594)
3. Atlanta (.571)
4. Norfolk (.567)


The South Division is the tightest division in the league with the points percentage ranging from the lowest first place (.656) to the highest last place (.433). Two teams in the final four for the Kelly Cup last season, Greenville and the Cup runner-up South Carolina are on the outside looking in for the playoffs. Norfolk is in a playoff position but never makes the playoffs. I could see two of the three teams currently not in a playoff position (.536 - South Carolina, .529 - Jacksonville, .462 - Greenville) cracking the top four.



CENTRAL DIVISION
1. Fort Wayne (.667)
2. Toledo (.667)
3. Kalamazoo (.615)
4. Cincinnati (.600)

Of all of the divisions the Central looks to be the one where the top four will remain the top four all season. The only issue is who takes the top spot. Indy (.333) and Iowa (.353) are already eight points out of a playoff spot and will not recover. Wheeling (.571) is the only team with a chance to gain a top four spot. The Nailers are on a three game win streak so have gained some ground recently. Kalamazoo is the team that might be at risk. The Wings have historically finished just in or just out of the playoffs. The question is whether they will be able to hang on to a playoff spot. 



MOUNTAIN DIVISION
1. Utah (.656)
2. Wichita (.633)
3. Idaho (.588)
4. Tulsa (.577)

The three teams on the outside looking in have winning percentages of .469 (Rapid City), .433 (Allen), and .433 (Kansas City) and will have a tough time making the playoffs. This is the division where the #4 team (Tulsa) might be overtaken. Tulsa has cooled off after leading the division early in the season. Tulsa has lost four straight and watched its point percentage fall from .750 to .542 in the last week. Based on performance over the last two seasons, Allen is the most likely to defy the odds and make the playoffs. Allen finished #2 and #3 the last two seasons in ECHL points percentage. Rapid City finished #12 and #14. Kansas City finished #11 and #24.    



- History says if you are more than five points out of the playoffs at Thanksgiving the chances of making it into a playoff spot are almost nonexistent. That is bad news for Worcester, Indy, and Iowa because if history is correct they can start making plans for next season now.

- Historically, teams more than five points clear of the final playoff spot at this point can start selling playoff tickets as they rarely miss the playoffs. There are only two teams in this category,  Newfoundland is 12 points clear of fourth place in the North Division and Utah is six points clear of fourth place in the Mountain Division.

    

- Remember this is all done in fun and I will definitely revisit these predictions at the end of the season. If your favorite team is currently out the playoffs, remember even with 80% accuracy, three teams not in a playoff spot will make it by the end of the season.

DID YOU KNOW:  - The bottom line is most playoffs teams are already decided but as important it is to make the playoffs it is a myth that once you make the ECHL playoffs any team can win the Kelly Cup. While 16 teams will make the playoffs, since the 2004-05 season the Kelly Cup champion has never finished worse than seventh in the regular season.

Here are the last 16 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. 

2021 - Fort Wayne (5th)
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)

Allen Wins, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Steve Martinson's Comments, Kelly Bent Leaves Team For Law Enforcement Job and More

The Allen Americans defeated the Idaho Steelheads 4-2 last night before another sellout crowd (5182) at the Idaho Central Arena. It was one of the Americans more complete games of the season. Allen scored first, never gave up the lead, won the special teams battle with two power play goals, played good team defense, held the Steelheads to 27 shots and played a physical game. The one disappointment was giving up another shorthanded goal, the eighth of the season which is double any other team in the ECHL.

- Chad Costello led the way for the Americans scoring the first goal and assisting on the other three. Chad and Spencer Asuchak are now tied for the team lead in points with the exact same stats. They both have 17 points (6G, 11A) in 15 games. 

- Gavin Gould had three assists in the game and now has a total of 10 assists which leads all ECHL rookies. Gavin is tied for third in points (17) among rookies. 

 

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Chad Costello (6), Ben Carroll (1), Kris Mylarri (2) and Zach Hall (1). The game included 18 penalties for a total of 54 minutes (25 Allen - 29 Idaho) and six fighting majors.

 

 

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap-americans-beat-idaho-4-2/

 

 

- Here is the game recap from the Idaho Steelhead: https://www.idahosteelheads.com/en/articles/steelheads-comeback-bid-falls-short-in-4-2-loss-to-allen  

 

 

- Here is a link to the video highlights: youtu.be/ekh2Xttq6kE

 

 

 

 

 

COACH'S CORNER

 

- I had a chance to catch up with coach Martinson at the Boise airport as the team was waiting to catch their 7:00 am flight home. Here is what he had to say: 

 

"The team played a much better game last night. Our passing was crisp and fluid."

 

"We scored two goals on the rush which is more of our style of play. You will see more of that going forward."

 

"It was a good team win, a good outing for Marotte and the team showed its toughness in the fights."

 

"We now have eight days before we play again so we will have some time off, some fun practices and also time to work on areas we need to improve.

 

"Zach Hall arrived in Allen after midnight on Monday, practiced with the team and flew to Idaho on Tuesday and then played three games in four days because we needed him. It was good to see him get a goal." 

 

"I wasn't happy with the officiating on Friday night, I thought it was much better last night." 

 

"Kelly Bent will be leaving the team to go back home to become a police officer. I have several friends from college that went into law enforcement and all were tough guys. When they did a background check on Kelly and called about him I had a feeling they would take him ASAP. He is exactly what you would want in a police officer. I am sure he will be the same person he is as a player, honest, hard working and tough. Kelly was hoping this job offer would come later in the season so he could play but they wanted him now." 

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS 

- If you track the Mountain Division closely you have noticed Wichita is the hottest team in the division after a slow start. The Thunder lost five of their first seven games but have won six of the last seven and the one loss was in overtime. Wichita now has the second best points percentage in the division (.607). Utah leads the division with a points percentage of .667 and has won three straight games. Tulsa is the team that has cooled off after leading the division early in the season. Tulsa has lost four straight and watched its point percentage fall from .750 to .542 in the last week. 

 

 

- If you look at the last 10 games, five ECHL teams have won seven or more games with three of them from the Mountain Division (Utah, Idaho, Wichita). The one team with more than seven wins in the last 10 games is Newfoundland (8-2-0-0). The Growlers are threatening to run away with the regular season championship. They are on a record pace with a points percentage of .857. The next closest teams (Fort Wayne, Toledo, Utah) are at .667.

 

 

- Last season Les Lancaster scored 26 goals in 72 games, the most goals scored by an ECHL defenseman in over 20 years. It is still early in the season but another defenseman is on pace to surpass Lancaster's 26 goals. Utah defenseman Charle-Edouard D'Astous leads all ECHL defensemen with 18 points (10G, 8A) in 15 games. At his current pace D'Astous would score 48 goals over a 72 game season. Lancaster's situation was unique in that he played every game and was never loaned to the AHL. D'Astous in on a two (AHL/ECHL) contract with the Colorado Eagles so the likelihood he will go all season without being injured or recalled is remote. No doubt he is off to a great start. 

 

 

- After 196 games, ECHL attendance is averaging 3784 per game but the range is very wide. Two teams (Toledo and Fort Wayne) are averaging over 6800 per game while three teams (Iowa, Wheeling, Newfoundland) are averaging less than 2000 per game. Newfoundland is a special case since because it was not allowed to use its home arena for the first six home games and had to play in a neighboring town's facility. The Growlers had six sellouts but just 1168 per game. 

 

 

- There are 12 ECHL teams with average attendance between 2600 and 3650 including the Allen Americans with an average attendance of 3244 over six home games. That ranks Allen #17 in average attendance. 

 

 

- If anyone is interested in two glass seats ($25 each) for the Allen home games in December let me know. I am heading to North Dakota on a late season pheasant hunting trip so will miss the games. Email me (janssenfamily@msn.com) if interested or with questions. 

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: There has been some excellent goalie play in the ECHL this season. Here is the ECHL Stats post for the day with the details:

 

The last ECHL goalie to finish a season with a GAA below 2.00 was in 2017-18. Goalie of the Year, Parker Milner (South Carolina) finished with a 1.86 GAA. So far this season six qualified goalies (240 minutes played) have a GAA below 2.00:

 

1.60: Keith Petruzzelli, Newfoundland

1.70: Parker Gahagen, Florida

1.77: Daniel Mannella, Tulsa

1.77: Kaden Fulcher, Toledo

1.80: Samuel Harvey, Fort Wayne

1.96: Tyler Parks, Atlanta

 

The best single season GAA by an Allen goalie since the Americans joined the ECHL in 2014-15 was by Riley Gill. In 2016-17 Riley finished with a GAA of 2.22.

 

 

  

Overtime Loss Game Recap, Video Highlights, Coach's Corner, Today's Preview, ECHL Penalty Kill Percentage Leaders and More

 

Spencer Asuchak's second shorthanded goal in a week, late in the third period last night led an Allen comeback and forced overtime but the Americans lost 3-2 to the Idaho Steelheads. Allen had no answer for Idaho rookie, Yauheni Aksiantsuik, who scored all three Idaho goals and now leads all ECHL rookies in goals (8). 

 

- It was another poor start for Allen as Aksiantsuik scored his first goal just 24 seconds after the opening puck drop. Allen replied at the 3:57 mark of the first period on Jackson Leppard's fifth goal of the season. That was the extent of the goal scoring until midway through the second period when Aksiantsuik scored his second goal on the power play. Idaho's 2-1 lead after the second period was a bad omen as Allen has lost all six games this season when trailing after the second period.

 

- The third period was scoreless until the Americans were killing their eighth penalty of the game and Asuchak scored an unassisted shorthanded goal to tie the score 2-2 and send the game to overtime. Aksiantsuik, the sixth round draft pick of the Dallas Stars in 2020, ended the game at 2:45 of overtime to complete his hat trick and send the sellout crowd of 5178 home happy. 

 

- Allen was able to scratch out a point which it sorely needed but still has some work to do. Recently, every time the Americans play well defensively and keep the goals allowed low, their offense fails them. Last night Allen did a great job in holding Idaho to just two regulation time goals but it took a heroic shorthanded goal to get a tie and one point. The Americans managed only 20 shots on goal, Idaho had 32.

 

- Part of the reason for the low shot total was Allen spent almost an entire period on the penalty kill. The Americans gave up a season high eight power play opportunities to Idaho but to their credit, Allen allowed just one power play goal. It is hard to generate offense when spending so much time killing penalties. 

 

- Allen's power play was 0-4 last night after going 0-3 in game one of the series. Idaho had a power play goal in both games which they proved to be the difference.

 

- Allen has been a good 3-on-3 overtime team with a record of 17-9 over the last two seasons. After last night's loss Allen is 0-3 in overtimes this season. 

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap/game-recap-americans-lose-in-overtime-3-2/  

- Here is the game recap issued by the Idaho Steelheads: https://www.idahosteelheads.com/en/articles/aksiantsiuk-hat-trick-steals-show-in-steelheads-3-2-ot-win

 

- Here is the link to the video highlights: youtu.be/uDJRDMryJQE

 

- It is imperative Allen scratch out a win tonight in the third game of the series against Idaho. It is easy to say the team is playing without some key players but each loss digs the hole deeper that Allen must crawl out of. With 20% of the season already in the books, you can't keep saying the team will be okay when everyone gets healthy.

 

- The difference between winning and losing is such a fine line. A few more shots, a few less turnovers, a little better special teams play is all it will take to come out the winner. After the game tonight Allen will have a week off until it plays Rapid City at home on Sunday, December 5. It will be time to recover, get healthy and practice. It would be nice to have a win tonight going into next week. 

 

- The referee scheduled tonight is Riley Yerkovich (#7) who was the referee in the first two games of this series. In game one, each team had three power play opportunities. Last night Utah had eight power play chances, Allen had four. 

COACH'S CORNER WITH STEVE MARTINSON

"We played better defensively and were closing in on players quicker."

"We need to improve our time of possession in the offensive zone. That is a stat that has gone down over the last couple of weeks with players out of the lineup."

"The power play is still not operating like I would like to see. We will make additional adjustments for the next game."

"I will make a lineup change for the final game but haven't decided the mix I want to have between defensemen and forwards."

"It's tough when you have to kill so many penalties (8) and have so few power play opportunities. Officially we had four but one was for 20 seconds."  

 

OTHER COMMENTS

-  Spencer Asuchak is Allen's all time leader in shorthanded goals. His shorty last night was his second of the season and 11th with the Americans. The shorty last night extended Asuchak's point streak to nine games, the second longest point streak in the ECHL currently. He also leads the Americans in scoring with 17 points (5G, 11A) in 14 games. 

 

- The game last night was the fourth straight sellout for Idaho and the fifth in seven home games this season. The Idaho Central Arena has a capacity of 5095 for hockey and the Steelheads average attendance this season is 4864. 

 

- Newfoundland beat Maine 4-2 on the road last night. The Growlers road record is now 8-0 which is top ten all time for consecutive road wins. The longest road win streak ever was set in 2015 by South Carolina who won 13 straight.

 

- There were a couple of one-sided games in the ECHL last night. Trois-Rivières beat Reading by eight goals (9-1), the second largest margin of victory this season. Worcester beat Adirondack by seven goals (8-1) which is the third largest margin of victory this season. 

 

- Allen has a team plus/minus of -89 which isn't a surprise given its record. Just one player has a positive plus/minus. Defenseman Darian Skeoch is +3.

 

- One way to look at how Allen is losing ground in the Mountain Division standings is in points earned in the last 10 games. Total points this season is in parenthesis:

14 points - Idaho (20) 

14 points - Utah (18)

13 points - Wichita (15)

12 points - Tulsa (13)

8 points - Rapid City (14)

7 points - Kansas City (13)

7 points - Allen (11)

 

- There are 11 games on tap tonight in the ECHL. Here is the ECHL Today with a preview of all of the games. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2021/11/echl-today-nov-27

 

DID YOU KNOW:  Special teams are so important to success. In the ECHL Stats post today I looked at the team's with the best penalty kill percentages. Allen's penalty kill percentage this season is ranked #20 at 78.9%. The Americans have never finished a season with a penalty kill percentage below 81.4%. In their Kelly Cup championship seasons the Americans penalty kill percentage was 86.4% (2016) and 87.5% (2015)  

In the last three ECHL seasons, no team has finished with a penalty kill percentage above 88%. Thus far this season, four teams have a penalty kill percentage above 88%:

89.3%: Cincinnati

89.3%: Wichita

89.2%: Idaho

88.3%: Newfoundland

Three Allen vs Idaho Game Previews From Barry the Blogger, Steve Martinson and Tommy Daniels Plus ECHL Rookie Scoring Leaders

 Before I get to the preview of the game tonight against the Idaho Steelheads here is a feel good Thanksgiving story about Ryan Lohin that he posted on Twitter and got picked up by the media in Charlotte. The back story on Lohin, he is on a one way AHL contract with Charlotte and has been a healthy scratch the entire season, He hasn't played a single of the Checkers 17 games. Luckily for him and the Americans, Ryan was assigned to Allen for a couple of weeks at the end of October, played in six games and tallied eight points (6G, 2A) before being recalled to Charlotte on November 9. At the time of his recall he was leading the Americans in scoring. 

- You can only imagine the frustration for a player as talented as Lohin to be a healthy scratch for so long and it is more exasperating by the fact that Ryan is living in a hotel on the road and in Charlotte. On Wednesday Lohin was waiting for an Uber outside of his hotel to take him to the rink for a game and noticed a women struggling to get some of her Thanksgiving meal items out of her car, so he pitched in and helped. His helping hand led to an invite to join her family for Thanksgiving dinner.  Lohin's caption with the photo below said, "When helping a stranger with her groceries turns into a Thanksgiving dinner invitation. Thanks you Vivian and Family for having me!! 

 

 

- I have said this before but it is hard to believe Seattle and/or Charlotte would prefer having one of its players not playing for such long periods of time. The Checkers have played eight games since recalling Lohin and he has been a healthy scratch in all of them. Why not send him to Allen where he can play and develop. C'MON, MAN!

 

ALLEN VS IDAHO PREVIEW

- It will be a little closer to normal tonight as Steve Martinson is back behind the bench and he will have two goalies and a full lineup of skaters. Allen will still be missing some key pieces of the roster (Combs, Roy, Bibeau, Troock, Butcher, Dudek) so it will take a big effort by the team to get a win against the Steelheads. 

- Here is a comparison of many stats between Allen and Idaho. If there is a number in parenthesis (#1 to #27) it represents the team's ECHL rank for that stat:

Points Percentage: Allen .385 (#24) vs Idaho .600 (12th)

Last 10 games: Allen 3-6-1-0 vs Idaho 6-4-0-0

Point Leader: Allen, Spencer Asuchak, 16 points, 5G, 11A vs Idaho, Will Merchant 13 points (6G, 7A)

Team Save Percentage: Allen .873 vs Idaho .911

Average Penalty Minutes: Allen 16.54 (6th) vs Idaho 10.33 (24th)

Record When Scoring 1st: Allen 2-3-2-0 (24th) vs Idaho 4-3-0-0 (18th)

Overall Power Play %: Allen 18.8% (10th) vs Idaho 22.4% (5th)

Home Power Play %: Allen 15.0% (19th) vs Idaho 27.6% (5th)

Road Power Play %: Allen 21.4% (7th) vs Idaho 17.2% (11th)

Overall Penalty Kill %: Allen 77.6% (23rd) vs Idaho 87.9% (4th)

Home Penalty Kill %: Allen 72.0% (26th) vs Idaho 93.8% (3rd)

Road Penalty Kill %: Allen 83.3% (10th) vs Idaho 82.4% (12th)

Shorthanded Goals Scored: Allen 2 (9th) vs Idaho 0 (27th tied)

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: Allen 7 (27th) vs Idaho 2 (12th tied)

Goal Differential 1st Period: Allen 0 vs Idaho +2

Goal Differential 2nd Period: Allen -6 vs Idaho +9

Goal Differential 3rd Period: Allen -12 vs Idaho -3

Shot Differential 1st Period: Allen -25 vs Idaho +20

Shot Differential 2nd Period: Allen -52 vs Idaho +52

Shot Differential 3rd Period: Allen -45 vs Idaho +7

Goals For Per Game: Allen 3.23 (7th) vs Idaho 2.93 (18th)

Goals Against Per Game: Allen 4.69 (27th) vs Idaho 2.33 (2nd)

Shots For Per Game: Allen 26.77 (26th) vs Idaho 31.60 (8th)

Shots Against Per Game: Allen 36.85 (27th) vs Idaho 26.33 (2nd)

Record When Trailing After 1st Period: Allen 0-4-0-0 vs Idaho 2-2-0-0

Record When Trailing After 2nd Period: Allen 0-5-0-0 vs Idaho 0-3-0-0

Team Shooting Percentage: Allen 11.8% vs Idaho  9.3%

Team Plus/Minus: Allen -90 vs Idaho -5

 

 

CONCLUSIONS

- Looking at all of the stats above and considering Idaho is at home, there is little doubt Allen will be the underdog in the game tonight, especially with so many key players out of the lineup. 

 

- The stats that standout are the ones related to shots and goals where Allen is at or near the bottom of the ECHL while Idaho is near the top. Average goals allowed is the most glaring but shot differential also stands out. Allen did a decent job on Wednesday holding Idaho to 28 shots but the Americans managed just 23 shots of their own and didn't generate enough offense.

 

- The one stat that stands out in Allen's favor is shooting percentage. The Americans 11.8% shooting percentage is #3 in the ECHL. Newfoundland (12.0%) and Toledo (12.8%) are the only teams with a better shooting percentage than the Americans. If Allen can keep the goal differential close tonight they will have a good chance of winning the game. 

 

- The other area to watch tonight is special teams. Allen has been hit or miss on the power play and needs more consistency. If they can win on special teams they will have a great chance of winning the game. This might be an area where having Steve Martinson back will have an impact. He told me yesterday to look for an emphasis on hockey 101, back to the basics approach to the power play.  

 

- Here is the game preview issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-day-preview-allen-at-idaho-810-pm-cst/  

 

COACH'S CORNER WITH STEVE MARTINSON

- I had a chance to check in with Steve Martinson. He had just finished his morning workout and was about to head to the rink for morning skate. It is clear it is back to normal for the coach. Here are a few of his comments as the team gets ready to take on Idaho tonight.

"Statistically we are the worst defensive team in the league and that has to change."

"We are not good on back pressure and our defensemen need to be better at the blue line so the opponents can't carry the puck into our offensive zone."

"We continue to have too many neutral zone and entry turnovers that create good scoring chances for the opposition.

"We have an extra player for the first time in three weeks which will give me some flexibility with the roster. After this road trip we will get more players back and I will have to make some roster decisions. 

"I plan to make some adjustments to the power play for the game tonight."

"We had a nice team Thanksgiving dinner last night provided by Mike and Debbie Holum from Advocacy Behavior Consulting." 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Gavin Gould's hot streak since joining the Americans, nine points (4G, 5A) in four games has him in the top four in rookie points in the ECHL. Here is the ECHL Stats post from today with rookie scoring stats:

ECHL rookie scoring leaders with average points per game in parenthesis:

15 points - Kris Bennett (1.67), Iowa

15 points - Brandon Cutler (1.15), Utah

13 points - Chad Yetman (1.08), Indy

12 points - Gavin Gould (1.33), Allen 

 

 

Here are the ECHL rookie scoring leaders by average points per game the last five seasons (minimum 35 games):

0.91 - Ben Finkelstein, Greenville (2020-21)

1.49 - Tyler Sheehy, Allen (2019-20)

1.27 - Jared Thomas, Tulsa (2018-19)

1.34 - Justin Danforth, Cincinnati (2017-18)*

1.15 - Tylor Spink, Toledo (2016-17)

 

*Currently in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Allen Loses 4-2, Game Recap, Reinforcements on the Way, ECHL Leading Scorers and More

 I want to start with the good news this morning. Coach Martinson, goalie Frank Marotte and forward Dawson Butt have all cleared COVID protocol and are on their way to Idaho. Hopefully they will arrive in time for practice today and will definitely be able to join the team for Thanksgiving dinner tonight. 

The Americans lost to the Idaho Steelheads last night by a score of 4-2 before a Wednesday night sellout crowd of 5095 at the Idaho Central Arena. With the loss Allen's record has fallen to 4-7-2-0 with a points percentage of .385. The game was close and the Americans played well considering the circumstances but moral victories don't mean much when it's Thanksgiving and your team is one of four in the ECHL with a points percentage below .400. 

 

- Allen got off to a good start, scoring the first goal of the game early in the first period (3:48) when Gavin Gould scored his fourth goal and seventh point in the last two games. Scoring first is usually a good sign as about 75% of the time the team that scores first will win, but not the case for Allen this season. The Americans have scored first in seven of their 13 games but have gone on to lose five of the seven. 

 

- After Allen took a 1-0 lead, Idaho scored three unanswered goals before Tyler Poulsen scored his first goal of the season to close the gap to 3-2 after the second period. Try as they did, Allen could not get the game tying goal in the third period. Idaho scored an empty net goal with 56 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

 

- I say it was a moral victory because the Americans were playing without their coach, two contracted goalies (Bibeau & Marotte), Jack Combs who leads the team in points per game (1.40) and defenseman Eric Roy who had six points in seven games before missing the last four games. Allen was also missing Chad Butcher, Branden Troock, Dawson Butt and JD Dudek.  

 

- Allen held Idaho to 28 shots, way below Allen's average in shots allowed (36.85) but the Americans managed just 23 shots, below their average of 26.77. Allen is now ranked #26 in average shots taken per game and #27 in shots allowed. The shot differential (shots for minus shots against) is the worst in the league at -10.08. 

-  Allen had a power play midway through the third period but managed just one shot on goal. The Americans were 0-3 on the power play, Idaho was 1-3. 

 

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/media/americans-lose-tight-battle-in-idaho/

 

- Here is the game recap from the Idaho Steelheads:  https://www.idahosteelheads.com/en/articles/steelheads-soar-over-americans-4-2-in-third-straight-sellout  

- The Americans will practice today and have a team dinner tonight before playing Idaho again Friday and Saturday. Allen will have to generate more offense, do better on special teams and reduce turnovers if they expect to win. With some reinforcements arriving and Martinson back behind the bench the Americans should be in better shape for the weekend.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 - The ECHL current streak list has Allen players in every category. Ryan Lohin (currently in Charlotte) is #2 on goals scored list at three games. Gavin Gould is #1 with a five game assist streak and Spencer Asuchak is #4 with an eight game point streak. 

 

- Newfoundland won its seventh straight road game last night beating Adirondack 6-3. The Growlers points percentage is .846 way ahead of second place Fort Wayne (.654). In the history of the ECHL just one team has ever finished the regular season with a points percentage above .800. In 2001-02 the Louisiana IceGators points percentage was .806 on a record of 56-12-4.

 

- Only two ECHL teams have won more than six of the last 10 games. Newfoundland is no surprise at 8-2-0-0 but the other is not so obvious. The Utah Grizzlies have a record of 7-3-0-0 in the last 10 games. 

 

- The top four point scorers (see below) in the ECHL this season have a combined 83 points. That is more points than three ECHL teams have; South Carolina (66), Tulsa (77) and Atlanta (82).  

 

DID YOU KNOW:

Four ECHL players already have 20+ points this season, haven’t missed a game and are on pace for 100+ point seasons. Here are the ECHL’s leading scorers:

 

22 points (8G, 14A), Matt Berry, Toledo*

21 points (9G, 12A), TJ Hensick, Toledo*

20 points (9G, 11A), Patrick Watling, Wheeling

20 points (9G, 11A), Aaron Luchuk, Orlando

 

*The last time two players from the same team had 100+ points was in 2009-10 when two brothers (Tyler & Justin Donati), playing for the Elmira Jackals accomplished the feat. Tyler had 114 points (38G, 76A) and Justin had 104 points (42G, 62A).

 

Only one player has reached the 100 point plateau since 2009-10, Chad Costello, who had 100+ points in three consecutive seasons. Playing for the Allen Americans, Costello had 125 points in 2014-15, 103 points in 2015-16, and 122 points in 2016-17.

 

Interestingly, the coach for all of these 100+ point seasons in Elmira and Allen was Steve Martinson, the present coach of the Allen Americans and the #2 in all-time pro coaching in wins (1052). Scotty Bowman is #1 all time with 1244 wins.

Allen vs Idaho Preview, Martinson and Marotte Out Tonight, Allen Signs Zach Hall, Anatomy of a Hockey Puck and More

 The Allen Americans hit a couple of snags yesterday because of delays in getting COVID test results back. I don't pretend to know all of the ECHL COVID protocols and will definitely not try explaining them but the bottom line is Frank Marotte is not in Idaho and with Antoine Bibeau sidelined with an injury, the Americans are down to one goalie. Tonight Hayden Lavigne will be in goal and the back up will be an EBUG. If all goes as planned Marotte will join the team for the games this weekend.

- Coach Martinson will also miss the game tonight so bench duties will fall to Jack Combs again, with help from player/assistant Chad Costello. The duo did well last week as the team won two of three games in Rapid City. It will take a big effort against Idaho tonight, the Steelheads have won five of their last seven games. Martinson will join the team for the games on Friday and Saturday.

- Here is the updated roster for the game tonight which includes one goalie (plus EBUG), seven defensemen and nine forwards.

Goalies

#35 - Hayden Lavigne 

# ?? - EBUG

Defensemen:

#3 - Darian Skeoch

#4 - Kris Myllari

#15 - Josh Burnside

#20 - Ben Carroll

#23 - Ben Owen

#24 - Nolan Kneen

#25 - Philip Beaulieu

 

Forwards

#5 - Gavin Gould

#10 - Jackson Leppard

#13 - Chad Costello 

#19 - Jared Bethune 

#26 - Spencer Asuchak

#28 - D-Jay Jerome

#29 - Kelly Bent

#41 - Tyler Poulsen 

#?? - Zach Hall

 

Zach Hall

 

- Former Allen player Zach Hall was officially announced yesterday and after one practice with the team will be in the lineup tonight. Hall played 56 games for Allen over two seasons (2016-18). As a rookie in 2016-17 he had 28 points (11G, 17A) in 33 games. Zach has only played eight games in the ECHL since the 2017-18 season. When I asked Steve Martinson about signing Hall he noted he has been in contact with Zach since last summer. Zach has made some changes in his life, has a business back home in developing young hockey players and spends a lot of time on the ice. Hall's strength as a player is his skating, playmaking and vision. To quote Martinson, "Zach has great vision on the ice and that is a skill that is hard to teach."  

- I went back to the blog archives to look at the player profile on Zach when he joined the Americans as a rookie. He was traded to Allen as a rookie (for Matt Willows) after playing two games with the Reading Royals. Here are a few facts from that player profile:

Zach is from Belleville, Ontario and played his junior hockey in the OHL (Barrie Colts) where he played for five seasons and had 224 points (68G, 156A) in 221 games. 

Zach's favorite number is #28 which he wore during his junior career and #8 which he had in Allen. While #28 is taken (D-Jay Jerome) the #8 may be available. 

His preferred nickname is "Hallsie"

He started skating at the age of two in full hockey gear. He has video to prove it.

Away from the rink he likes to play video games and go fishing. 

As a 15 year old, playing minor midget AAA, his team played over 100 games (regular season and playoffs) and won the championship against a team they hadn't beaten all season. 

 

ALLEN VS IDAHO PREVIEW

 - Allen makes just one trip to Idaho during the regular season, for the three games this week (tonight, Friday, Saturday). Idaho will visit Allen twice for a total of five games. The Steelheads will be in Allen for three games on New Years Eve, New Year's Day and January 2. They will return to Allen for two games on March 4 and 5. 

 

- Comparing records, Allen's overall record is 4-6-2-0 for a points percentage of .417 which is ranked #23 in the ECHL. However, Allen is 3-3-0-0 on the road. Idaho's overall record is 8-6-0-0 for a points percentage of .571, ranked #13 in the league. The Steelheads home record is 4-2-0-0.

 

- Allen has played well in Idaho in the past. In the last five seasons the Americans have a record of 7-3-3-1 in Idaho. 

 

- The key to this series can be seen in the stats. Allen scores enough to win games. The Americans average 3.3 goals per game compared to 2.9 for Idaho. The big difference is in goals allowed. Allen gives up an average of 4.8 goals per game compared to just 2.4 by Idaho. Better team defense will be a must to win tonight and in this series. Everything from goalie play to blocking shots to breaking out of the defensive zones to neutral zone turnovers to getting pucks in deep will have to improve to win this series. 

 

- It won't be easy to score against Idaho. The Steelheads have allowed a total of five goals in their last four games. Idaho goalie Jake Kupsky leads the ECHL in GAA (1.33).   

 

- As always, special teams will be key in this series. Rather than look at overall stats it is more instructive to look at home vs road stats. On the power Allen is 24.0% (6-25) on the road and Idaho is 26.9% (7-26) at home. On the penalty kill Allen is 85.7% (3-21) on the road and Idaho is 92.3% (1-13) at home. 

 

- Shorthanded goals have been a factor in many Allen games this season. The Americans lead the league in allowing shorthanded goals, having given up seven so far. Allen has scored two shorties including one by Spencer Asuchak in the last game. Idaho has given up two shorthanded goals but has yet to score one of its own.

 

- The line of Costello-Asuchak-Gould seems to work very well together. The threesome had 10 points in Allen's last game and a total of 17 in the series in Rapid City. The Americans will need their continued leadership in Idaho to be successful. 

 

- This series in Idaho is so important to show this team is headed in the right direction and to keep things trending up after winning two of three in Rapid City. There are plenty of obstacles in the way when you consider coach Martinson will miss the game tonight as will Jack Combs, Eric Roy, Branden Troock and two of three goalies. Even with the obstacles, getting at least four points from this series is essential.

 

- It is a busy Wednesday around the ECHL with 10 games on the schedule. Here is the ECHL Today with a preview of all of the games. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2021/11/echl-today-nov-24 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Allen fans spend a lot of time watching that black disc fly around during games. Here are some facts about the modern hockey puck. 

- The puck is made of vulcanized rubber. Vulcanization is a process to harden rubber.

- The puck measures one inch in thickness and three inches in diameter.

- It must weigh between 5.5 and 6.0 ounces.

- The puck has diamond textured edges to increase friction between the puck and stick for more control. 

- The NHL rule is pucks are kept frozen at a temperature between 14 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit to keep them from being too bouncy when they are put in play. 

- While pucks are made in several countries around the world if you look at the Allen Americans pucks you will see "Made in Slovakia" imprinted on the edge.            

Allen Roster Update for Idaho Trip, Americans Weekly and Historical Record When Scoring First

 

Not much new this morning but wanted to share the latest information I have regarding the roster status as the team leaves for Boise tonight. I wrote yesterday in could be a roster feast or famine as the Americans head to Idaho for three games, depending on the status of players who are out of the lineup because of injury and COVID protocol. It looks like it will be more famine than feast as of this morning but everything is not set in stone.

 

- I will have a complete game preview tomorrow as the Americans prepare to play the Steelheads on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday with all games beginning at 8:10 pm CST. 

 

- Here is the tentative Allen travel roster for the trip to Idaho. The team doesn't leave until tonight so there could be changes as the day progresses. COVID testing and medical assessments continue. Per coach Martinson, players that will not make the road trip include Roy, Troock, Butt and Dudek. Jack Combs will accompany the team but has not been medically cleared to play. Martinson also indicated no matter how things fall out today, the Americans will have a full lineup (16 skaters)  for the game tomorrow night. Martinson is also undergoing COVID testing. 

 

Goalies

#35 - Hayden Lavigne 

#40 - Francis Marotte

Defensemen:

#3 - Darian Skeoch

#4 - Kris Myllari

#15 - Josh Burnside

#20 - Ben Carroll

#23 - Ben Owen

#24 - Nolan Kneen

#25 - Philip Beaulieu

 

Forwards

#5 - Gavin Gould

#10 - Jackson Leppard

#13 - Chad Costello 

#19 - Jared Bethune

#21 - Jack Combs 

#26 - Spencer Asuchak

#28 - D-Jay Jerome

#29 - Kelly Bent

#41 - Tyler Poulsen 

#?? - ???? ????*

*Forward has arrived in Allen and he will accompany the team to Idaho. Announcement should be out today.  

- Here is the Americans Weekly issued by the Allen Americans with a look back at last week and look forward to this week. It also has plenty of stats (team leaders) and other notable items:  https://allenamericans.com/media/americans-weekly-21/

 

DID YOU KNOW: Historically Allen has been very good when scoring the first goal of the game but not thus far this season. In most seasons the Americans have been above the league average which is around .750.  Here is Allen's points percentage and record (in parenthesis) when scoring first, since joining the ECHL in 2014.

2021-22: .500  (2-2-2-0)

2020-21: .791  (33-8-2-0)

2019-20: .871  (26-3-1-1)

2018-19: .638  (16-8-4-1)

2017-18: .803  (26-6-1-0)

2016-17: .922  (40-2-2-1)

2015-16: .847  (29-4-1-2)

2014-15: .850  (32-4-2-2) 

 

 

 

A Big Week for the Allen Americans - The Roster and The Stats Plus Allen Goalies With Most Minutes Played in a Single Season and More

 

This week will be an important one for the Allen Americans team and players for a couple of reasons. The team plays Idaho on the road on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Will the Americans be able to replicate the success they had in Rapid City winning two of three games or will they be the team that was outshot in Rapid City 124-90, giving up an average of 41 shots per game and five goals per game and lose to an Idaho team with a home record of 4-2. 

 

- Allen has played 12 games thus far and has a record of 4-6-2-0. Of the 12 games the Americans have played, just two have been against the top three teams in the Mountain Division standings by points percentage. Allen hasn't played #1 Tulsa (.650), lost twice to #2 Utah (.643) and hasn't played #3 Idaho (.571). All of Allen's wins (4) and 10 of 12 games played have come against the bottom three teams (excluding Allen) in the division. 

 

- It will be a challenge for the Americans to go on the road and play one of the the better teams in the division, who has won three of its last four games and five of the last seven. While Allen allowed 15 goals in the three games in Rapid City, Idaho gave up a total of five goals in its last four games. If there is one stat that describes the challenge for Allen as they head to Idaho it is goals allowed. The Steelheads are ranked #2 in the ECHL allowing 2.36 goals per game, the Americans are ranked #26, allowing 4.75 goals per game.

 

- The Americans roster could go from famine to feast this week, from playing three forwards short last Thursday to having excess players for the trip to Idaho. It all depends on how many players that are currently out will return. Here is the Allen roster as it stands this morning. This list doesn't include a player that will be added today and the possibility of a player being assigned from Charlotte. 

 

Goalies

#34 - Antoine Bibeau (injured Friday)

#35 - Hayden Lavigne 

#40 - Francis Marotte (COVID protocol)

Defensemen:

#3 - Darian Skeoch

#4 - Kris Myllari

#7 - Eric Roy (COVID protocol)

#15 - Josh Burnside

#20 - Ben Carroll

#23 - Ben Owen

#24 - Nolan Kneen 

#25 - Phil Beaulieu

 

Forwards

#5 - Gavin Gould

#10 - Jackson Leppard

#11 -  Branden Troock (COVID protocol)

#13 - Chad Costello

#17 - Chad Butcher (unavailable, on reserve)

#18 - JD Dudek (injured Friday)

#19 - Jared Bethune

#21 - Jack Combs (injured 11/5)

#26 - Spencer Asuchak

#28 - D-Jay Jerome

#29 - Kelly Bent

#41 - Tyler Poulsen 

#49 - Dawson Butt (COVID protocol)

- A total of 24 players on the roster, three goalies, eight defensemen and 13 forwards. You can add to this list one additional player who should be announced today. You may have heard coach Martinson talk in interviews about bringing in a play making center and that is the player who was driving to Allen over the weekend. Haven't heard anything from Martinson about the return of Ryan Lohin to Allen but if you have been tracking the Charlotte Checkers, they just returned home from a long road trip. Charlotte played six road games between November 12-21. It made sense the Checkers might have wanted extra players on the road trip, so Lohin was recalled on November 9. Unfortunately Ryan didn't play at all on the road trip. Charlotte now plays 10 of it next 13 games at home between now and Christmas and there are 15 forwards on the roster. Seems like the Checkers would want to get Lohin some playing time, so why not send him back to Allen, where he led the team in scoring. 

- If everything falls right, Allen could have a roster of 26 in the next couple of days. What is uncertain is how many, if any, of the players out of the lineup (injured and COVID related) will make the trip to Idaho. The Americans flight to Boise is tomorrow night so not much time to sort things out. It could be a roster feast or a roster famine on this road trip to Idaho. 

- Steve Martinson is now symptom free and in the process of being tested. His plan is to be on the trip to Idaho. It is clear by the time Allen returns from the Idaho trip, Martinson will have some decisions to make about a roster that is too big once everyone is healthy.  

 

DID YOU KNOW: I looked at ECHL goalies with the most minutes played this season. Teams have played as few as one goalie (Wichita) and as many as five goalies (Wheeling). Allen is on the high side having played four different goalies in 12 games (Marotte, Bibeau, Lavigne, Gravel). Wichita has gone old school as Evan Buitenhuis has played every minute in goal for the Thunder in their 11 games and leads the ECHL in minutes played (677).  I decided to look back at Allen's single season minutes played record since the Americans joined the ECHL. Here are the top five:

2868 - Riley Gill (2014-15)

2457 - C.J. Motte (2018-19)

2376 - Riley Gill (2016-17)

2136 - Joel Rumpel (2015-16)

1942 - Jeremy Brodeur (2017-18)

Gould Hat Trick Leads Allen to Game and Series Win in Rapid City, Game Recap, Roster Update, Martinson Tests Negative and More

It was a big ending to a big period to a big game to a big series for the Allen Americans as they beat Rapid City last night 5-4 before a crowd of 4237 at The Monument. Allen was led by recently acquired Gavin Gould who scored two goals, 81 seconds apart, late in the third period for an Americans come from behind victory. Here are some random thoughts and stats on this game:

- Gavin Gould, playing his third game for Allen since being traded by Greenville, scored the Americans first hat trick of the season. Gould now has seven points (3G, 4A) in three games. 

- Spencer Asuchak had a four point night (1G, 3A) and now leads the Americans with 15 points (5G, 10A). His 15 points is tied for seventh in scoring in the ECHL. 

- Allen won the game last night by winning the third period. After being outshot in eight straight periods plus an overtime period by the Rush by a total of 117-70, the Americans came up big when it counted last night. Allen outshot Rapid City 10-7 in the third period and outscored the Rush 2-1. 

- Allen won on special teams scoring a power play goal (Gould) and a shorthanded goal (Asuchak) while being perfect on the penalty kill (0-4). 

- Goals scorers for Allen were Jackson Leppard (4), Spencer Asuchak (5) and Gavin Gould (2,3,4), Players with multiple assists were Asuchak with three, Chad Costello and Nolan Kneen with two. It was a very successful return to the lineup for Kneen who had a goal an three assists in the three games, his first game action since last March. 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap-americans-rally-to-beat-rapid-city/

- Here is the game recap from the Rapid City Rush:   https://www.rapidcityrush.com/en/news/2021/11/rapid-city-edged-by-allen-5-4-in-front-of-season-high-crowd

- Hats off to Jack Combs who improved his record as a bench coach to 2-1 under some trying conditions. Combs wasn't even scheduled to make the trip to Rapid City as he was staying in Allen to skate and workout while recuperating from an injury from an uncalled slash that put him on injured reserve. When coach Martinson was diagnosed with COVID last Monday, Combs was drafted as the bench coach and along with player/assistant Chad Costello handled the team on the road trip. To say it was a tough assignment for Combs is an understatement. Playing with 13 skaters in your first game behind the bench with two defensemen playing forward is a nightmare even for an experienced coach, It wasn't pretty but Allen came away with a shootout win. The Americans lost game two of the series after a great start but fell apart in the third period to lose 6-1. I know Jack caught some grief for pulling the goalie late in the game with the Americans trailing by four goals. In talking to Steve Martinson after he had a chance to talk to Jack, what Combs was trying to do by pulling the goalie was instill confidence in the team, not score meaningless points. Combs said the key to the success of the series was a win on Saturday and the team came through with a win. Capturing four of a possible six points on the road while playing shorthanded in all three games for the first series win of the season is a job well done. 

- Martinson also noted, "Antoine Bibeau helped out on the bench last night running the defense. Having only been here a couple of games he could have just as easily sat in the stands with a sore knee. It shows the type of character he has. He just wants to help the team and will do anything he can to help out."

- Allen now prepares for its typical Thanksgiving road trip series as they head to Idaho for three games against the Steelheads next week (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday). It remains to be seen who goes to Idaho but it is possible Allen will have extra players available for a change. Coach Martinson tested negative yesterday so expects to be back at the rink when practice resumes on Monday. The three players on the Commissioner's Exempt List (Roy, Troock, Marotte) could return. Jack Combs is now eligible to come off injured reserve. The status of Antoine Bibeau and JD Dudek, who were injured in Rapid City, is uncertain but neither injury is considered serious. After a difficult week for the Americans, things are looking better.   

OTHER COMMENTS

- Last season Allen had two hat tricks but the first wasn't scored until March 12 when Jesse Mychan had a hat trick against Utah. Les Lancaster had the only other hat trick on May 17 against Kansas City. 

- Tulsa and Idaho lost last night which tightens the Mountain Division standings along with the Allen win. The Mountain Division has the lowest points percentage of any first place team (Tulsa - .650) and the highest points percentage of any last place team (Allen & Rapid City - .417). It means it won't take long for Allen to climb the standings if they continue to win. 

-  The only Mountain Division teams in action today are Kansas City and Utah. The Mavericks are at the Grizzlies for game three of their series. They split the first two games.

- Toledo is the highest scoring team in the ECHL with 55 goals in 12 games an average of 4.58 goals per game. That is close to a goal per game more than any other team in the league. The Walleye have the top two point scorers in the ECHL and #1, Matt Berry, has been on quite a streak. In his last three games, all Toledo wins, Berry has 10 points (3G, 7A).

- Odd stat of the day from the Mountain Division. Good team with a bad stat, Tulsa has the best points percentage in the division but the #26 ranked power play in the ECHL at just 10.8%. Bad team with a good stat, Rapid City has the worst points percentage (tied) in the division but the #4 ranked power play in the ECHL at 22.5%. 

DID YOU KNOW: From my ECHL Stats post today. Who’s hot and Who’s not, best and worst ECHL records based on last 10 games played:

BEST

8-2-0-0: Newfoundland

7-2-1-0: Fort Wayne

7-3-0-0: Utah

7-3-0-0: Toledo

WORST

1-7-2-0: Iowa

3-6-0-1: Jacksonville

3-6-0-1: Indy

Another Good Start and Bad Ending For the Allen Americans, Game Recap, Martinson's Assessment, Video Highlights, Rematch Preview and More

 The vast majority of nights since Allen joined the ECHL in 2014 you could chalk up a win when the Americans scored first, had a lead after the first period and won the special teams battle. Not the case last night as the Americans got blown out 6-1 by the Rapid City Rush before a crowd of 2226 at the Monument. 

- How unusual was the game last night? Just looking at last season, Allen won 80% of the points when it scored first, had a record of 24-2-2-1 when leading after the first period and that doesn't factor in winning the special teams battle. Yes, last night the team was missing players, was missing its coach and the starting goalie got injured but it is clear Steve Martinson has his worked cut out to get this defensive deficient team turned around. 

- Allen scored the first goal of the game at the 3:51 mark of the first period on the power play. Spencer Asuchak scored his fourth goal of the season, assisted by Chad Costello and Gavin Gould but that was all the offense Allen could muster. Rapid City out shot Allen in every period and 44-34 for the game. The Rush scored six unanswered goals after trailing 1-0 after the first period. It didn't help that starting goalie, Antoine Bibeau, left the game with an injury early in the second period but you aren't going to win many games allowing 44 shots on goal. The Americans have now lost seven of eight games this season when being outshot by the opponent. 

- Historically Allen has been a decent third period team but this season it has been the Achilles heal. The Americans have been outshot in the third period 139-95 and have allowed a league leading 22 goals in the third period while scoring only 10. Again, you will not win many games when scoring less than half the goals of your opponent in the third period. Not sure if it is a lack of conditioning but this season won't get turned around until the team plays better late in games. Allen fans are used to seasons like 2014-15 and 2016-17 when Allen was never out of a game no matter the score. The Americans outscored their opponents 92-68 in the third period in 2014-15 and 120-59 in 2016-17.   

- As long as Allen is the worst team in the league in shots allowed (37.82) and the second worst in goals allowed (4.82) this bleeding will not stop. The Americans are a long way from the best in the ECHL in shots allowed (Jacksonville - 24.50) and goals allowed (Tulsa - 2.11).

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/media/rush-put-the-game-away-in-the-third-as-the-americans-fall-6-1/ 

- Here is the game recap from the Rapid City Rush:   https://www.rapidcityrush.com/en/news/2021/11/rush-hammer-americans-6-1

- Here is the highlight link: youtu.be/ka7qy1H_Rzc 

COACH'S CORNER - STEVE MARTINSON

- Needless to say coach Martinson was not pleased with the team's performance last night. He hadn't seen the video or breakdown of the game when I talked with him early this morning but was interested in reviewing the play where Antoine Bibeau was injured and had to come out of the game: 

"Hayden Lavigne will start in goal tonight and the backup will be an EBUG."

"We had better puck possession and speed last night but we didn't capitalize on our opportunities and had too many turnovers." 

"It was a double whammy in we didn't covert on our offensive chances and played poor defensively."

 

"I haven't reviewed the game yet but my guess is Rapid City had a big advantage in blocked shots again and we missed the net a lot. Both contributed to the shot discrepancy."

"I have never had a team with so many players that need to be converted to being smart defensive players. If it doesn't start at the top you need to move the top line down to play against the other teams second or third line. It is not about how much you score, it is about whether you are out playing the line you are playing against."   

"We have too many players in the lineup that aren't in position to be the best players they can be because of conditioning."

ALLEN VS RAPID CITY REMATCH

- Allen was fortunate to get the shootout win on Wednesday being outshot 45-23. If the Americans want to come home tomorrow on a winning note they must play better defensively tonight. Giving up 89 shots in two games is not the formula for success. If Allen gives up another 40+ shots tonight it will lose. The team leadership should set one goal, play well enough defensively to outshoot Rapid City. The Americans haven't lost this season when outshooting their opponent, unfortunately it has only happened twice in 11 games. When the Americans have been outshot this season their record is 1-6-2-0.

- Darian Skeoch will be back in the lineup tonight after sitting out last night serving the second of his two game suspension. The ECHL approved postponing his suspension on Wednesday because Allen was short three players. The league apparently thought it was okay for Allen to play short last night (one short) since they made Skeoch sit out.

- Here is the game preview from the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/media/190681/

OTHER COMMENT

- Every team in the Mountain Division with the exception of Allen and Tulsa earned points last night. Games played varies from nine (Tulsa) to 13 (Idaho) so points percentage is the best way to look at the standings:

.722 - Tulsa

.615 - Idaho

.583 - Utah

.545 - Kansas City

.500 - Wichita

.455 - Rapid City

.364 - Allen

Something to keep in mind is Allen has struggled thus far but has still not played the top two teams in the division. Allen's three wins have come against Wichita (2) and Rapid City (1). 

- Newfoundland won again last night beating Reading 3-2 on the road. The Growlers remain the class of the league despite not having a home rink and not having certainty where they will play home games. Newfoundland is undefeated on the road in five games and leads the ECHL in points percentage at .818. The Growlers visit Allen for three games in January (28, 29, 30) and it will be an opportunity for Allen fans to see what will likely be the best ECHL team at the time and a certain Kelly Cup contender.

  

DID YOU KNOW:  Allen's third period goals for and goals against since joining the ECHL:

2021-22:  10-22 (thru 11 games)

2020-21:  72-65

2019-20:  86-64

2018-19:  68-97 

2017-18:  79-88

2016-17:  120-59

2015-16:  76-65

2014-15:  92-68

 

Allen vs Rapid City Preview and More

  

It is game day for the Allen Americans as they take on the Rapid City Rush in game two of a three game series. The team is playing without coach Martinson and four players who are back in Allen on COVID protocol. Unlike the Americans victory on Wednesday when they played short three players the team will have a full lineup tonight. Jack Combs with help from Chad Costello will try to improve on their fledgling managerial career which is perfect at 1-0.

- It was an emotional victory on Wednesday and well deserved given all that happened to the team but there will have to be improvement to expect a win tonight. Team defense has been an issue all season and is reflected in many ways. Allen allowed 45 shots on Wednesday and is ranked #26 allowing an average of 37.20 per game. The Americans gave up five goals on Wednesday, it was the fourth time in the last five games Allen has allowed five or more goals. Allen is ranked #26 in goals allowed giving up an average of 4.70 goals per game. Turnovers in the neutral zone have contributed to these stats. Allen was outshot on Wednesday 45-23 and much of that difference was the fact blocked shots were 28-9 in favor of Rapid City.

- Playing good team defense is a lot more about will than skill. It is hard work, takes a real commitment and leaders have to lead to get team buy in. With Antoine Bibeau in goal and Rapid City averaging just 2.80 goals per game this season, there is no reason Allen should allow more than two or three goals which will put the Americans in a position to win.

- Allen's record when it outshoots its opponent is 2-0-0-0. When the Americans get out shot their record is 1-5-2-0. 

- Allen will definitely miss the offense provided by Jack Combs, Eric Roy and Branden Troock who are out of the lineup this weekend. It means a bigger role for players new to the lineup including Nolan Kneen, Gavin Gould, Tyler Poulsen and JD Dudek.

- Defenseman Ben Owen has also arrived in Rapid City ahead of the game tonight and will be available if needed.   

- Special teams will be key and it was a mixed bag in the Americans win on Wednesday. The good news is Allen had two power play goals for only the second time all season. The bad news is the power play unit gave up another shorthanded goal, the seventh of the season. The penalty kill gave up a goal for the fifth straight game. If Allen can win the special teams battle tonight they will win the game.

- The Americans won on Wednesday despite giving up the first goal of the game. It was the first time all season they have won a game when allowing the first goal. Their record when giving up the first goal of the game is now 1-4-0-0. A good start tonight will be important for the Americans.

- When COVID hit the Americans Steve Martinson was able to get two players from Worcester on short notice for future considerations. Unfortunately when Martinson made the trade, Worcester was on a road trip in Canada and logistical problems prevented the players from getting to Rapid City in time for the game on Wednesday. What is impressive about acquiring Tyler Poulsen and JD Dudek is they are proven ECHL players. It may not be apparent from this season since they have played a total of three games thus far.  Worcester is one of those ECHL teams that has a double affiliation so they get a lot of AHL contracted players that push players like Poulsen and Dudek out of the lineup. Tyler Poulsen has played 117 ECHL games since turning pro at the end on the 2018-19 season and has 56 points (30G, 26A). Dudek turned pro last season and has 12 points (2G, 10A) in 27 games. 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Had a question about how unusual it was that Darian Skeoch was allowed to play in the game on Wednesday when he was supposed to be serving the second of his two games suspension. It is unusual for a suspension to be delayed when a team is shorthanded but not unprecedented. Last season the same thing happened when Matt Register had a suspension delayed when Allen was shorthanded. The question remains when Skeoch will have to serve the one game suspension he has left now that Allen has some additional players.

- Over the last five seasons Allen's record against Rapid City is 29-10-0-0. The record when playing in Rapid City is 13-6-0-0.   

- You may have noticed a recent pattern with players going on the COVID related Commissioner's Exempt List. Kansas City placed players on the list shortly after playing Allen. Then Allen placed players on the list shortly after playing Wichita. Yesterday Wichita placed players on the list. To a layman it looks like Allen got its outbreak from Kansas City and Wichita got its breakout from Allen.   

- It is a big weekend around the ECHL with 12 games on Friday and Saturday and four on Sunday with a lot of interdivision games of importance. Here is the ECHL Today with a preview of the 12 games tonight: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2021/11/echl-today-nov-19

DID YOU KNOW: Hat tricks seem to come in bunches. There have been a total of 12 hat tricks in the ECHL this season but there have been multiple hat tricks three different times. There were two hat tricks on October 22 and November 7. However, the biggest night for goal scoring was November 12 when there were three hat tricks including Maine's Lewis Zerter-Gossage who tallied five goals. 

A Script Hollywood Would Reject, Shootout Win Recap, Steve Martinson's Comments on Unique Game and More

 

In a script Hollywood would reject as unrealistic, the Allen Americans, against all odds, beat the Rapid City Rush in a shootout last night by a score of 6-5. Here are the characters in this unlikely script. The story opens with the team heading on the road nursing a four game losing streak. Just before the team is scheduled to fly to South Dakota the coach and four players test positive for COVID. The coach, while dealing with COVID, scrambles to find players so the team has enough to play the game. He trades for two players from a US based team but the team is on a road trip on Canada. The two new players have plenty of time to meet the team in South Dakota but get delayed in a line of 500+ at the Montreal airport getting COVID tests to get back into the US and don't arrive in time to play. 

- The team plays the game with an injured player as the bench coach. The roster is 13 skaters and just seven forwards rather than the typical 16 skaters and 10 forwards. Of the 13 skaters one is playing their first game with the team and another (a defenseman) is playing his first game in 248 days. For extra drama let's have the defenseman score a goal and have an assist. For good measure the goalie will be playing his second game for the team after a long career in the AHL. 

- The story line continues as this shorthanded team gives up yet another shorthanded goal, the league leading seventh they have allowed in 10 games. The team gives up the first goal of the game but battles back time and time again. They come back after trialing 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 4-3 and 5-3 to tie the score and send the game to overtime. Just what a shorthanded team needs is to play an extra seven minutes after working their tails off for 60 minutes. The team gets outplayed in overtime and out shot 9-3 but the AHL goalie stands on his head stopping one quality scoring chance after another. The game goes to a shootout.

- The story ends with the only shootout goal being scored by a future Hall all of Fame player who has returned to the team after four years in Europe and coming back from a serious injury. And the AHL goalie stops all three shootout attempts.

- There you have it, a script to good to be true but one that played out in Rapid City last night.  A great win for the Americans who turned lemons into lemonade. Who played the roles in this script. Jack Combs was great as the injured player who became the bench coach. Nolan Kneen starred as the defenseman coming back from a serious injury to tally a goal and an assist in his first game since last March 14. Antoine Bibeau played the AHL goalie that help steal the game. Allen was out shot 45-23 for the game, 19-5 in the second period and 9-3 in overtime. When the game was on the line in overtime and in the shootout, Bibeau was outstanding. And the perfect ending had to be played by Chad Costello who has been the team hero ever since he arrived in Allen in 2014-15. 

- Every player on the team deserves acknowledgement starting with the goal scorers; D-Jay Jerome (4), Jared Bethune (2), Nolan Kneen (1), Spencer Asuchak (3) and Jackson Leppard (2). D-Jay Jerome had two assist to go with his goal and is now tied with Spencer Asuchak for the team lead in points with 10. Gavin Gould, playing his first game with the American, had two assists. 

- It was unfortunate the Americans gave up another shorthanded goal but the power play was key going 2-7 including the third period power play goal by Jackson Leppard that sent the game to overtime.  

- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/news/americans-win-in-a-shootout/

- Here is the Rapid City Rush game recap: https://www.rapidcityrush.com/en/news/2021/11/rush-drop-a-wild-one-in-a-shootout-6-5

 

- Here is a link to the video highlights: https://youtu.be/74_58DrJE90 

- The Americans will have a day to recuperate before they play the Rush back to back on Friday and Saturday with an expanded roster. Defenseman Ben Owen may be going to Rapid City and newly acquired forwards Tyler Poulsen  JD Dudek arrived late last night. 

- D-Jay Jerome is now tied for the ECHL lead in points among rookies. He has 10 points (4G, 6A) in 10 games.  

STEVE MARTINSON'S COMMENTS

- I talked to Steve Martinson this morning and asked about how the experience of watching the game from home was for him. He shared how difficult it was to watch from home. It was the first time in 26 years of coaching he missed a game because of sickness and the first time watching a game from home. He has missed a few games over the years when he was suspended but was always in the arena in those instances. You can only imagine the frustration for Martinson when he sees changes he would like to make but there is nothing he can do. He did talk to Jack Combs between periods. 

- He gave credit to Combs for dealing with a short bench with two defensemen playing up front. "It is very hard to manage a game with 13 skaters."

- Martinson gave credit to goalie Antoine Bibeau who made 40 saves in the game and stopped all three shootout attempts. "Bibeau was the difference in the game and was outstanding in the overtime and the shootout. He is a pro and in great shape, better shape than many of our skaters."

- "The positive thing is we won last night despite playing short three forwards and we have some players coming to give us more depth so we won't have to play two defensemen at forward on the weekend.

- "What stood out to me when reviewing the game this morning was blocked shots. They had 28 blocked shots and we had nine."

- "Kneen looked really good in his first game back. That isn't a surprise because he has been good in practice for some time."

OTHER COMMENTS

- After games last night five ECHL teams have winning percentages above .667. Will the Kelly Cup champion come from this list?

.800 - Newfoundland

.750 - Tulsa

.722 - Fort Wayne

.722 - Reading

.714 - Atlanta

 - If you need proof that defense wins here it is. The top three teams in points percentage (see above) are the top three teams in average goals allowed:

1.88 - Tulsa

2.22 - Fort Wayne

2.40 - Newfoundland

DID YOU KNOW: Allen has now won five of six shootouts going back to last season. Chad Costello won the shootout last night. Last season Allen was 4-1 in shootouts but the odd stats is four of the five shootouts were against Utah. The four shootout goal scoring winners were Zane Franklin who had the only goal in an eight round shootout against Wichita, Sam Laberge against Utah, Corey Mackin against Utah and Jesse Mychan against Utah.

48 Hours of Bedlam, Allen vs Rapid City Preview, 2009-10 Season Revisited and More

 

The nature of ECHL hockey (AA) guarantees lots of change under normal circumstances but the last 48 hours have been off the chart. Here is a recap:

- Goalie Antoine Bibeau was reassigned to Allen from Charlotte by the Seattle Kraken (November 15). It is the third time Bibeau has been in Allen though he was only with the Americans long enough to play one game. He was assigned on October 18 and recalled October 20, reassigned again November 2 and recalled November 5.  

- Allen traded forward Jackson Leef to Greenville for forward Gavin Gould. He arrived in Allen yesterday.

- Chad Butcher was placed on family leave and went home to deal with some personal issues.

- It was announced that coach Steve Martinson had tested positive for COVID and will miss the Americans road trip to Rapid City for games tonight, Friday and Saturday.

- It was announced that Jack Combs, who is currently on injured reserve, will be in charge on the bench assisted by co-captain Chad Costello.

- Goalie Frank Marotte, defenseman Eric Roy and forward Branden Troock were placed on the COVID related Commissioner's Exempt List. This list is for players ineligible to play based on the ECHL COVID-19 and return to play protocol. While on the exempt list players don't count as a roster spot or against the salary cap. My understanding is unvaccinated players cannot be placed on the Commissioner's Exempt List and must remain on the team's roster so the total number of players impacted could be more than the three on the list.

- Being so shorthanded, Steve Martinson made a trade with Worcester for two players for future considerations. He acquired forwards Tyler Poulsen, who played with the Americans briefly in 2017-18 and JD Dudek. Logistics of getting players relocated after a trade are complicated under normal conditions but Worcester is in the middle of a six game road trip in Canada so getting the players from Montreal to Rapid City with all the rules, presented more obstacles.

- When Allen takes the ice tonight it will be without coach Steve Martinson and will play one man short, with six defensemen and nine forwards, which is miraculous given all that has transpired in the last 48 hours. Defenseman Ben Owen will join the team on Thursday.  While Martinson will not be physically in Rapid City there is no doubt he will be very involved in the game. Everything from putting together the game plan, setting the lines, special teams and giving direction to Combs and Costello between periods based on what he sees as he watches the game from back in Allen. 

- Darian Skeoch is supposed to serve the second game of his two game suspension tonight. My understanding is because of the situation with the Americans, Skeoch's suspension will be postponed to a later date.

 

Nolan Kneen will play in his first game for the Americans since he suffered a season ending injury in a game in Utah last March 14. 

 

- Here is my best take on the players for the series in Rapid City, Allen's travel roster includes two goalies, seven defensemen and nine forwards. Jack Combs is on injured reserve but is with the team as the bench coach. Those not making the trip are Frank Marotte, Eric Roy, Branden Troock, Chad Butcher and Dawson Butt.  

 

Goalies

#34 - Antoine Bibeau

#35 - Hayden Lavigne

Defensemen:

#3 - Darian Skeoch

#4 - Kris Myllari

#15 - Josh Burnside

#20 - Ben Carroll

#23 - Ben Owen (arrives in Rapid City on Thursday)

#24 - Nolan Kneen 

#25 - Phil Beaulieu

 

Forwards

#5 - Gavin Gould

#10- Jackson Leppard

#13 - Chad Costello

#18 - JD Dudek

#19 - Jared Bethune

#26 - Spencer Asuchak

#28 - D-Jay Jerome

#29 - Kelly Bent

#41 - Tyler Poulsen

 

- With all that has happened off the ice you would assume it will be a tough night on the ice for the Americans. They have lost four straight games, four of the top seven scorers won't be in the lineup and three players will be playing their first game for the Americans. Throw in the fact Steve Martinson is back in Allen and the team will be coached by the players and it sounds like a recipe for a tough night. I rarely make predictions in the blog as I am usually wrong when I do but I have a feeling the team will over perform tonight. With Antoine Bibeau in goal and a  leadership group that wants to show the team can play well without Martinson, this team is going to come together and play well. It should be fun to watch. 

-  Allen and Rapid City are both trying to turn around poor starts. Allen's overall record is 2-5-2-0, with a road record of 1-2-0-0. Rapid City has an overall record of 3-5-1-0, with a home record of 2-3-0-0. These teams have the worst records in the Mountain Division so this three game series is key to avoid ending up in last place after Saturday night.

- Allen has the advantage in average goals per game (3.1 vs 2.6) but the Americans will be missing  players that have score 46% of their goals this season. Rapid City has the advantage in goals allowed (3.3 vs 4.7). 

- Rapid City has the better power play (28.6% vs 17.2%) and penalty kill (85.7% vs 73.5%). Shorthanded goals could be a factor in this series. Allen has given up twice as many shorthanded goals (6) as any other team in the ECHL, Rapid City just one. Allen has scored five power play goals this season and given up six shorthanded for a -1 when they have a man advantage. Special teams will have to improve if Allen expects to win in this series.

- Antoine Bibeau has played one game for Allen and it was the Americans best game of the season. They beat Wichita 3-1 on the road and allowed just 21 shots. If Bibeau can give the team confidence in goal and repeat his performance from his only ECHL start, Allen could be a surprise tonight. 

- The referee scheduled tonight is Trevor Wohlford (#38). 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Allen played Rapid City in the finals of the Central Hockey League (CHL) championship in the Americans first season in 2009-10. The Americans took a 2-1 lead in the series and took a 2-0 lead after the first period in game four before losing the game 4-2 and the series in six games. It was quite an initial season for the upstart Allen Americans. Allen forward Justin Bowers led all CHL players with 30 points (12G, 18A) in the playoffs.