Allen Wins, Takes 3-2 Series Lead, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Costello Comments, Contract Players on ECHL Rosters and More

 

The Allen Americans beat the Kansas City Mavericks last night 4-3 in a game that was not as close as the final score but still had plenty of drama. It was a critical game for the Americans after the Mavericks tied the series 2-2 on Friday. Historically, good things usually happen for whichever team wins game five of a best of seven hockey series. With a 3-2 series lead and two home games remaining you have to like Allen's chances in advancing.

 

- It wasn't a good start for Allen as Kansas City scored the first goal of the game early in the first period. Thus far in the Kelly Cup playoffs the team that scored first has won 75% of the games. As it turned out last night was the opposite of Friday night when Allen scored first, and Kansas City scored late in the first period. Last night Kansas City scored first but Allen tied the score late in the period on Kris Myllari's second goal in as many nights.

 

- Allen blew the game open in the second period outscoring Kansas City 3-0 on goals by Eric Williams, Colton Hargrove and the eventual game winner by Liam Finlay. It was the kind of fast and furious offense Allen fans are used to from the regular season. The first two goals were scored 16 seconds apart. The big four factored in all three goals. The group's second period numbers were five points (2G, 3A). 

 

- Kansas City fought back with two goals in the third period to cut the score to 4-3. The Mavericks third goal was scored with 12 seconds remaining in the game after the Americans seemed more interested in scoring an empty net goal than running out the clock. Allen iced the puck three or four times trying to score into the empty net. The Mavericks used one of the faceoffs to score their final goal. It was a meaningless goal other than goalie Kevin Mandolese deserved better.

 

- The offensive contribution of the defensemen was also notable last night. Kris Myllari score Allen's first goal of the game after doing the same on Friday. Eric Williams scored Allen's second goal and Zachary Massicotte assisted on Finlay's game winner. 

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Kris Myllari (2), Eric Willimas (1), Colon Hargrove (3) and Liam Finlay (1). Here are the video highlights: https://www.echl.com/en/video/2023/4/kansas-city-mavericks-vs-allen-americans---apr-29-2023-5y0Tt4jq    

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/americans-take-game-5-lead-the-series-3-2/

 

- Kevin Mandolese had another great game for the Americans. Here are his playoff stats with his ECHL rank (some are tied):

• #1 Games played (5)
• #2 Shutouts (1)
• #2 Wins (3)
  
• #3 Minutes played (303)
• #5 GAA (1.98)
• #5 Saves (155)
  
• #5 Save percentage (.935)
  

 

CHAD COSTELLO COACH'S COMMENTS

"It is great to get that win and take a 3-2 lead in the series. It was once again a pretty evenly matched game."

"We got four goals and opened up a three-goal lead which neither team has been able to do in this series. That was big for us."

"It was another great game by Mando who made a couple of miracle saves late in the game."

"We have some bumps and bruises which we will use tomorrow to heal up and hope to end the series Monday night."

" I told the guys we need to recognize how we had success in the second period. We kept it simple, we skated, we competed, and we got to the net. It was very simple, we got the puck in, we didn't make any trick plays."

"The Hargrove goal was a very nice rush goal but for the most part we got the puck below the goal line and worked east to west high which allowed the defensemen to get the puck through with traffic in front."

"We are a skilled team but, in the playoffs, we have to learn throwing the puck on net, getting the rebound and then making a skillful play in tight is still showing skills. We don't have to skate the puck all the way up the ice and skate around everybody. A good example is the Finlay goal. We threw the puck at the net three or four times, we rimmed it around to Hargrove, he catches the puck off the boards on his backhand, has vision and hits Finlay in the high slot. They made a mistake by not covering Finlay and he showed poise and waited the goalie out and roofed it."

"It is a big plus we are getting scoring from our defensemen in this series. It is typical with playoff hockey because you have to chip the puck in more and earn net front. The defensemen are getting way more shots. In the beginning of the year we didn't get many goals from the defense. It is great to see Myllari pitching in and Williams and those guys getting shots through.      

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- After five playoff games Allen has scored a total of 11 goals. Seven players have goals. Here are the goal scorers:

• 3 goals - Colton Hargrove
• 2 goals - Kris Myllari
• 2 goals - Jack Combs
• 1 goal - Liam Finlay
• 1 goal - Stefan Fournier
• 1 goal - Chad Butcher
• 1 goal - Eric Williams

 

- Kansas City's two late goals kept the streak alive of all five games in the series being one goal games:

• Game 1: 3-2 Allen
• Game 2: 3-2 Kansas City
• Game 3: 1-0 Allen
• Game 4: 2-1 Kansas City
• Game 5: 4-3 Allen

 

- Hats off to team President Jonny Mydra and the entire Allen sales and marketing team. There are a lot of obstacles in selling first round playoff tickets. Allen was unlucky in having to start the playoffs with three road games despite being the higher seed but were lucky in getting two weekend games for games four and five at home. The net result was two great crowds. Allen averaged 4667 for the games this weekend. Last season Allen averaged just 3287 per game in the playoffs (3 games}.

 

- I mentioned yesterday that Wichita coach Bruce Ramsay has been given a contract extension. I found out after I posted the blog that it was a two-year contract extension.

 

- Two teams (Toledo and Reading) have already advanced to the second round of the playoffs. The other six series are at the point of elimination games. There are two games today. Newfoundland leads Adirondack 3-1 and is at home. Cincinnati leads Fort Wayne 3-1, and the teams will play in Fort Wayne. Here are the previews from ECHL Today: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/4/echl-today-april-30

 

 

There is a big disparity in number of NHL/AHL contracted players on ECHL playoff rosters. Ranging from almost a full team to hardly any. Having a lot of contracted players doesn’t guarantee playoff success but it sure helps. Here are the NHL/AHL contracted players on ECHL playoff rosters (active & reserve). Does not include playoff eligible players still in the AHL.

 

18 - Newfoundland

10 - Reading*

9 - Toledo*

9 - Indy

8 - Fort Wayne

8 - Maine

7 - South Carolina

7 - Florida

6 - Utah

6 - Idaho

6 - Greenville

5 - Jacksonville

5 - Kansas City

4 - Adirondack

2 - Cincinnati

2 - Allen 

 

*Have already advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

 

Allen Loses 2-1, Series Tied 2-2, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Coaches Comments, Road Teams Excel in Playoffs and More

 

Allen was on the wrong end of the fourth one goal game of the series last night as the Kansas City Mavericks came out on top by a score of 2-1. A big crowd of 5306 went home disappointed after the Americans scored the first goal of the game early in the first period (5:58) but couldn't find the back of the net the rest of the game. The series is now tied 2-2 with game five tonight (7:05 pm).

 

- The Allen offense has dried up in the last three games scoring just four goals (1.33 average). Allen has lost two of the last three games and the lone win was a 1-0 shutout. Allen scored more power play goals than any other team in the league during the regular season but haven't cashed in against Kansas City since the second period of game two. After a 23.9% power play percentage during the regular season the Americans are now at 12.5% (2-16) in the series. On the flip side the penalty kill has been flawless not giving up a power play goal in the last three games and limiting the Mavericks to 1-13 for the series. That is penalty kill percentage of 92.3% which is ranked #2 in the playoffs, just behind Toledo at 92.9%. 

 

- Allen's opponents know in order to beat the Americans they have to shut down the big four players (Combs, Crone, Finlay, Hargrove). Teams have had limited success when you consider that all four averaged 1.30+ points per game during the regular season. The group had 60% of Allen's goals and 63% of Allen's game winning goals in the regular season. Kansas City had no answer for the group in game one of the playoffs. All had points, they scored all three goals and added four assists in Allen's 3-2 win. However, in the last three games the group has one goal and one assist. The one goal was a big one as Jack Combs had the game winner in Allen's 1-0 overtime win in game three. Based on their regular season production this group would have 16 points in three games. In the last three games they have had two points. The bottom line is Allen will need more scoring from the big four to win tonight and close out this series on Monday.  

 

- This series has certainly seen great goaltending and team defense but the lack of offense by both teams sticks out. It is a given both goalies have been outstanding. Kevin Mandolese has a 1.73 GAA and .942 save percentage. Shane Starrett has a 1.72 GAA and .938 save percentage. Here is a look at total goals by both teams in the eight first round playoff series. All teams have played four games with the exception of Reading vs Maine who have played five games.

• 14 goals - Allen vs Kansas City
• 18 goals - Cincinnati vs Fort Wayne
• 22 goals - South Carolina vs Florida 
• 23 goals - Jacksonville vs Greenville
• 24 goals - Idaho vs Utah
• 24 goals - Toledo vs Indy
• 35 goals - Reading vs Maine
• 40 goals - Newfoundland vs Adirondack  

 

- Some stats from the game:

• Allen was outshot 33-25 including 12-8 in the third period.
• Allen was 0-4 on the power play, Kansas City was 0-6.
• Allen took eight penalties for 16 minutes, Kansas City six for 12 minutes.
• Kansas City scored its first goal with 39 seconds remaining in the first period and the game winner with 106 seconds remaining in the game.
• Allen's only goal was scored by defenseman Kris Myllari.

 - Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/series-tied-2-2-after-2-1-loss-in-game-4/

 

- Here are the video highlights: https://www.echl.com/en/video/2023/4/kansas-city-mavericks-vs-allen-americans---apr-28-2023-ZraMYJlR

 

COACHES COMMENTS

- Coach Costello and coach Gens addressed the season ticket holders in a post-game press conference. Here is what they had to say:

"We had a good crowd and great playoff atmosphere tonight. This is a very tight series. They didn't shoot a goal in with their stick so that is kind of a weird way to lose but we lost.".....Costello 

"I thought we had our "B" game tonight. It was a good effort, but we weren't clean and didn't have the rushes we normally do.".....Costello

"We have to stay positive and get ready for tomorrow. The locker room is not down, and I know they will bring it tomorrow.".....Costello

"They haven't really scored a normal goal against us all series but in the playoffs bounces like that are going to happen.".....Gens

"At the end of the game we had a good push but not good enough to get the equalizer. We will be ready tomorrow.".....Gens

"We took three straight penalties in the second period so spent a lot of time on the penalty kill. Crone doesn't kill penalties and I didn't have Hargrove killing penalties to try and save his legs for offense. I used Hebert and Novak on the penalty kill and they did a great job. If it seemed like Crone and Hargrove didn't get as much ice time it is because of the penalties. They both got over 20 minutes of ice time.".....Costello

"McAuley missed part of the game with a little injury. We will find out tomorrow if he will be in the lineup.".....Costello

"Once we took all those penalties it was hard to get the momentum back. The ice was tilted a little bit in their favor tonight. That was not the case in the prior games, even in the loss in Kansas City. We have had more offensive zone time until tonight. That is something we will definitely take a look at.".....Costello

"They had two lucky goals tonight, but we have to give them credit. They funneled more pucks to our net then we did to their net. We have to learn from tonight and find a way to get more pucks to their goalie.".....Costello

"We have changed up our defensive pairings for this series. With the addition of Ty Farmer, we have the flexibility to do that, and we are pleased with how that has worked.".....Gens

"Our lack of power play production is a mixture of how they are playing us and lack of execution on our part. I think we need to be a little less cute with the puck and take what they give us a little more. I like when we get an early shot with net front presence because of the way the defense is forced to react. Our power play passing has been a little off, but I will stick with both power play units as I believe in them. I remind them before every power play that they have scored more power play goals than any team in the league. We will keep trying.".....Costello

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Idaho evened up its series with Utah (2-2) last night with a second straight road overtime win against the Grizzlies. Utah had Idaho on the ropes but have now let the Steelheads back in the series. Last night Utah had leads of 3-1 and 4-2 but couldn't hang on. The teams play game five tonight in Utah before returning to Idaho for game six and seven (if necessary).

 

-  Wichita announced yesterday that coach Bruce Ramsay has agreed to a contract extension. Ramsay was the ECHL Coach of the Year on 2020-21 but the Thunder have missed the playoffs the last two seasons. The press release does not say the length of the contract extension. Here is the press release: https://www.wichitathunder.com/en/news/thunder-extends-head-coach-bruce-ramsay    

  

- There are five games on the ECHL schedule tonight. Only one is an elimination game. Reading plays at home against Maine and can advance to the second round with a win. Here are the previews from ECHL Today: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/4/echl-today-april-29

 

- Had a fan point out to me last night after the game that Allen has lost its last five home playoff games. Checked it out and sure enough it is a five-game losing streak. The loss to Kansas City last night, three straight losses to Rapid City in 2022 and the excruciating overtime loss to Fort Wayne in 2021. I rarely predict game outcomes, but I will predict the Americans five game home playoff losing streak comes to an end tonight and the victory will be led by the big four.  

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: During the 2022-23 regular season 23 of 28 ECHL teams had home points percentage above .500. Just 12 were above .500 on the road. Playing at home is a clear advantage.

 

However, thus far in the Kelly Cup playoffs (33 games) road teams have a winning record. After going 4-1 last night road teams now have a record of 17-16 (.515) and have outscored home teams 102-94 goal.

 

 In the Mountain Division series featuring #1 seed Idaho vs #4 seed Utah the series is tied 2-2 and the road team has won all four games.

Allen vs Kansas City Preview, Why Allen is Special, Toledo First Team to Advance, Scoring First Playoff Stats and More

 

Before I talk about the game tonight and the rest of the series against Kansas City, I want to thank everyone for all the messages on social media, email and texts welcoming me back after our trip to the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). It was quite a history lesson visiting ruins from the Phoenicians dating to the 12th century BC to the tunnels inside the Rock of Gibraltar last used during WW II and everything in between. In addition to visiting beautiful cites from Barcelona to Lisbon we spent a day in the life of a Spanish Bull Farm that supplies bulls for the most prominent bull rings in Spain. We learned all about the farm's breeding and selection program and also the controversy that surrounds this centuries old custom. We have now visited all seven continents and over 70 countries but for some reason Nancy's bucket list only gets longer, go figure.

 

- Allen has a great opportunity to take a commanding lead in the series with Kansas City tonight. Getting a win in game four with a 2-1 lead in a seven-game series has proven difficult over history (NHL). While the odds of winning the series with a 2-1 lead is around 70%, the odds for winning game four has been less than 50%. Stats are just stats and Allen fans will remember both sides of beating the odds:

• In 2015 on the way to its first Kelly Cup, Allen was down 3-1 in the series playing the Ontario Reign. The odds said Allen had less than 10% chance of winning the series. The Americans won three straight games (6-2 in Ontario, 2-1 and 3-1 at home) to advance to the finals. 
• In 2018 Allen took a 3-0 series lead against Idaho. The Americans had a 98% chance of winning the series according to the odds.  Idaho won four straight games (2-1, 2-1 in Allen and 6-3, 4-1 in Idaho) to advance.

The moral of the story is ignore the stats, ignore the odds and just play one game at a time. 

 

- As you would expect in a series as close as this one the stats are very close starting with the scores. Allen won game one 3-2, Kansas City won game two 3-2 and Allen won game three 1-0 in overtime. It has been the lowest scoring series in the playoffs. Here are some other stats:

• The team scoring first has won all three games.
• Allen is averaging 29.0 shots per game, Kansas City 29.3.
• Allen has scored six goals, Kansas City five.
• Colton Saucerman leads Allen in PIMS (4), Joshua Lammon leads KC (6 minute).

 

- This series has been distinguished by outstanding goalie play from both teams and you can expect both teams will stick with the same goalies throughout the series unless something unusual happens. Here are the stats:

• Kevin Mandolese - GAA 1.63, save percentage .943 (3 games, 88 saves).
• Shane Starrett - GAA 1.95, save percentage .931 (3 games 87 saves).

 

- Special teams will likely play a bigger role tonight and in the other games in Allen. Neither team has matched its power play percentage from the regular season. Allen's power play percentage in the regular season was 23.9% compared to 16.7% (2-12) in the playoffs. Kansas City was 18.1% during the regular season and is 14.3% (1-7) in the playoffs. The Allen power play could be the difference maker tonight.

 

-  I haven't received the starting lineup for the game tonight but after attending practice yesterday I would expect it will likely be the same as the last game in Kansas City. I will post the starting lineup on social media and update it on the blog if I receive it later today.

 

- Teams that win in the playoffs have to be special teams and you never know if a team is special until late in the season. The locker room is the deciding factor in how special a team can be. If you remember back to the end of December, Allen was dead last in the division with a record of 5-12-1-0 and a points percentage of .306. Since that low point the Americans fought back to finish second in the division on a record of 32-20-1-1 and a points percentage of .611. In retrospect that poor start and what the team had to do to make the playoffs could be the reason this team so special. There will certainly be obstacles going forward in the playoffs, but this team as knocked down plenty of them this season. you have to like their chances.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Toledo beat Indy last night 5-3 to sweep the series against the Fuel and advance to the division finals against the winner of the Cincinnati vs Fort Wayne series. The #1 seed Cyclones lead in the series 2-1. A Toledo vs Cincinnati Central Division final would be a great series pitting the #2 and #3 teams in the league during the regular season against each other.

 

- There are five games on the schedule tonight, however none are elimination games. All five series are 2-1. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/4/echl-today-april-28 

 

DID YOU KNOW: How important is scoring the first goal of an ECHL game? 

- ECHL teams scoring first in the regular season had a big advantage, winning 71% of the points.

- Thus far in the Kelly Cup playoffs, teams are close to unbeatable when scoring first. In the Allen vs Kansas City series, the team that scored first won all three games. Overall, after 28 first round games the record for teams scoring the first goal of the games is 24-4 (86%). Three of the four losses were in overtime. 

 

  

Allen vs Kansas City Playoff Stats, ECHL Playoff Stats, ECHL 30+ Goals and 40+ Assists Club and More

The crow eating blogger has returned from a cruise to Spain and Portugal just in time for the Allen Americans first round homes games against Kansas City.  I was able to follow the team throughout the cruise and was struck by how the team took a 2-1 series lead playing three games in Kansas City. During the last part of the regular season, when Allen was averaging five goals per game, coach Costello often talked about his desire to see how the team can play in low scoring defensive games they would encounter during the playoffs.

The Americans certainly answered that question in Kansas City. Three games, all one goal games with the losing team managing no more than two goals. Goal totals for the three games was Allen six and Kansas City five. Allen came away with two big road wins (3-2 and 1-0).

 

- The best example of how this first round series has been different than the high scoring regular season is goals for and against. Allen is ranked 12th of 16 playoff teams in goals scored (2.00). During the regular season Allen was ranked #8 of 28 teams scoring an average of 3.61 goals per game. For a long stretch (since February) the Americans averaged five goals per game. The Americans currently rank second of 16 playoff teams in goals allowed (1.63). During the regular season Allen was ranked #23 giving up an average of 3.65 goals per game. To me it says a lot about this team doing what it takes to win in the playoffs even if it means less offense and more defense. Allen's leading scorer in the playoffs is tied for #25 in the league in playoff scoring. Allen had three of the top six scorers in the regular season. I am sure you will see more offense as the playoff progresses, but this team is turning out to be something special in putting team above personal achievements. 

 

- Allen has turned a big home ice disadvantage of playing its first three games on the road into a big advantage for the rest of the series. With a 2-1 lead the Americans will be at home for the remainder of the series. Allen needs two wins from the games on Friday, Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. Kansas City must win three of four games in Allen, a tall task. 

 

- Relative to the other teams in the Mountain Division, Allen was the second-best road team behind Idaho but ranked fifth in the division at home. Allen's regular season home record was 18-15-2-1 (.542). Kansas City was ranked fifth in the division on the road with a record of 13-22-0-1 (.375).

 

- Road teams have fared well thus far in the Kelly Cup playoffs as evidenced by Allen's 2-1 road record. There have been 26 games played thus far in the first round of the playoffs and road teams have a record of 12-14. Road teams have actually outscored home teams 78-73.

 

-  Some other league wide playoff stats:

• 23% of the games thus far have gone to overtime (6 of 26). 
• One game (Greenville at Jacksonville) went two overtimes.
• 38% of the games thus far were one goal games (10 of 26).
• In the two Mountain Division series (six total games) no team has scored more than three goals and the losers in the six games had a total of eight goals (1.33 goals per game).
• Like Allen, Newfoundland had to play its first three games of the opening round series on the road despite being the #1 seed. Newfoundland lost game one in Adirondack 5-3 before winning the next two games 8-4 and 7-1. The Growlers lead the playoffs averaging six goals per game.  
• Mountain Division #1 seed Idaho beat #4 seed Utah last night in overtime but still trail in the series 2-1. The next two games are in Utah.
  
• South Division #1 seed South Carolina lost on the road last night in overtime to #4 seed Florida. South Carolina trails 2-1 in the series. The next two games are in Florida.
•  The only series that could be a sweep is Central division #2 seed Toledo vs #3 seed Indy. Toledo leads the series 3-0. Toledo is ranked #2 in the playoffs in average goals scored (4.00) and #1 in goals allowed (1.33).

 

- There have been two hat tricks thus far in the playoffs. Both took place on Tuesday.

• Carter Johnson, Maine (7-3 win over Reading)
• Derek Lodermeier, Jacksonville (7-4 win over Greenville)

 

- There have been five shutouts thus far in the playoffs:

• Trent Miner, Utah (43 saves in 3-0 win over Idaho)
• Cam Johnson, Florida (35 saves in 5-0 win over South Carolina)
• Clay Stevenson, South Carolina, (27 saves in 4-0 win over Florida)
• Kevin Mandolese, Allen (27 saves in 1-0 win over Kansas City)
• Ryan Fanti, Fort Wayne (35 saves in 3-0 win over Cincinnati)

 

- There are two games on the schedule tonight. Adirondack is at Newfoundland and Toledo is at Indy with a chance to advance to the second round of the playoffs. Here is the ECHL Today with the previews: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/4/echl-today-april-27   

 

- I will have a complete preview tomorrow for the upcoming home games against Kansas City. Here is the Americans regular season record against Kansas City.  Allen's regular season record against the Mavericks was 4-2-0-0. The Americans were 3-0 in Kansas City and 1-2 in Allen. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: An exclusive club of eight. The eight ECHL players who had 30+ goals and 40+ assists in the 2022-23 regular season:

 

49G, 56A - Hank Crone, Allen*

39G, 46A - Colton Hargrove, Allen

39G, 42A - Brandon Hawkins, Toledo*

38G, 48A - Cody Sylvester, Atlanta*

36G, 59A - Jack Combs, Allen*

33G, 43A - Charlie Gerard, Reading

32G, 41A - Zach Andrusiak, Cincinnati

31G, 48A - Michal Stinil, Wichita 

 

*Selected to All-ECHL Teams (1st or 2nd team)

 

Comeback Win, Playoff Clinched, Costello Comments, Award Season Rant. Most Power Play Goals by Team and More

 

 

 The Allen Americans long journey from last place at the end of December culminated with clinching a playoff spot yesterday. It is not the destination for this team, just the first of several more goals this team expects to accomplish. It is a tight group in the Allen locker room from the players to the coaches and staff. Congrats to all of them on this first big step on this long playoff journey. 

 

- The path to the playoff clinching win yesterday was not an easy one. The box score shows a 5-2 win over the Oilers in Tulsa before a crowd of 5098. What it doesn't say is Allen was playing its fourth game in five days and third within 48 hours and had travel to Tulsa on game day.  

 

- The first half of the opening period looked like Allen had run out of gas and the Americans six game points streak (5-0-1-0) was in jeopardy. By the 11:38 mark of the first period Tulsa had two goals on a shot advantage of 14-5 and that included an Allen power play. If it wasn't for the stellar play of goalie Luke Peressini the score could have been 4-0 or 5-0. Peressini stopped a wave of odd man rushes and breakaways to keep Allen in the game.

 

- The game turned around late in the first period in a way so many Allen comebacks have turned around this season. ECHL leading goal scorer Hank Crone scored on a breakaway (17:41) and ECHL leading power play goal scorer, Colton Hargrove, scored a power play goal (18:51). The first period ended with a big shot advantage for Tulsa (17-10) but a 2-2 score.

 

- Allen took command in the second period holding Tulsa scoreless and scoring two goals of its own. Stefan Fournier (5:44) and Jakov Novak (19:44) lit the lamp for Allen and the Americans took a 4-2 lead into the second intermission. Novak's goal was scored on a turnover in front of the Tulsa net with 15.2 seconds remaining in the period. At that point you had the feeling Allen would not be denied. There was no scoring in the third period despite a 21-7 Tulsa shot advantage until the Oilers pulled their goalie and Jack Combs scored an empty net goal to make the final score 5-2.

 

-  Goal scorers for Allen were Hank Crone (49), Colton Hargrove (39), Stefan Fournier (12) and Jakov Novak (5) and Jack Combs (36). Here are the video highlights: https://www.echl.com/en/video/2023/4/allen-americans-vs-tulsa-oilers---apr-9-2023-v6wHqGb2

 

-  Here are the game recaps from the teams:

Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/playoff-spot-clinched/

Tulsa Oilers:  https://tulsaoilers.com/oilers-fall-to-americans-2/

 

CHAD COSTELLO COACH'S COMMENTS

"I am so grateful to be able to coach this group. We have been through a lot together and for them to accomplish our first team goal of making the playoffs is very rewarding."

"They earned this together and there is something special about this group. Now we have an opportunity to see how special."

"We had a slow start against Tulsa. We were playing our third game in three days and four in five nights with travel the day of the game which is not ideal."

"The team dug deep and got the job done because everyone contributed."

"Peressini really hung in there and gave our guys time to find their legs."

"Our special teams have been great and need to stay that way moving forward."

"I am happy for them and proud of them as players and men."

 

- Coach Costello mentioned special teams play. It has been good for a long time but especially in the four games last week. Allen earned seven of eight points in large part to special teams. Allen had power play goals in all four games for a total of 7-16 (43.8%). The penalty kill was flawless (0-11). The Americans also did a great job staying out of the penalty box. In the four games Allen took just 13 penalties while the opponents took 19.

 

- The one stat that consistently makes you ask why, is shots allowed. In the four games last week Allen scored 16 goals and allowed 13. Allen took 122 shots but allowed 175. Allen gave up an average of 44 shots per game. I know type of shots is important and grade A chances make a difference. With that said, you have to wonder if Allen can be successful in the playoffs giving up 40+ shots per game. 

 

- Allen needs a win or overtime loss on Wednesday at home against Kansas City to clinch second place in the division and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. You have to like Allen's chances given the Americans have the longest point streak in the ECHL (6-0-1-0) and a 4-1-0-0 record against the Mavericks this season.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- I have heard from many of you since yesterday about where, when, and exactly how the crow meal I will be eating is going to take place. I don't have the details, but I am thinking this will be post playoffs and during the championship celebration. It will happen for sure (the crows are in my freezer) and it will be recorded. 

 

- On a personal note, we are leaving tomorrow on a trip to Spain and Portugal with our best friends and my hunting buddy of over 60 years. We have done a lot of hunting together but have never hunted crows. We will be back before the end of the first round of the playoffs. 

 

- Call this my "pre-rant" for the day. I wanted to comment on the year end awards that will be announced while I am gone. I have been watching this process for many years and in the last few years have spent a lot of time researching stats across the league each morning for my daily ECHL Stats post. There have certainly been surprises over the years, the most glaring in my view was the first year Allen joined the ECHL. Chad Costello had the best offensive season in the history of the league in 2014-15 when measured by the margin between first and second place in the scoring race. Chad had 125 points that season (41G, 84A) and won the scoring title by 45 points, the largest margin in ECHL history. Chad had more assists than any other player in the league had points. I have always chalked it up to bias against an upstart Allen team coming from the CHL that cost Costello the MVP award that season. He won the MVP award the next two seasons. His consolation prize 2014-15 was winning the Kelly Cup.

 

- My concern this season is Allen won't get its just due because the Americans have so many great players, and voters will be hesitant to recognize all of them. Hank Crone, Jack Combs, Colton Hargrove and Liam Finlay all deserve recognition. 

• Hank Crone leads all rookies by 17 goals and 25 points and leads the entire league by 10 goals and 12 points. Hank should be a lock for Rookie of the Year and MVP.
• Liam Finlay is third in rookie goals (31), fourth in rookie points, second in rookie points per game and second in rookie game winning goals. Liam has accomplished this playing in only 52 games. He definitely deserves to be on the all-rookie team.
• Jack Combs is second in the league in points (93), fourth in goals (36), and second in assists (57). He plays in every situation and hasn't missed a game because of injury. Jack deserves recognition on the All-ECHL teams.
• Colton Hargrove is second in the league in goals (39), first in power play goals (19) and fourth in points (85). Another player that plays in all situations. Hargrove was described by Tulsa coach Rob Murray in his pregame interview last night as the best all-around player in the ECHL. Colton deserves recognition on the All-ECHL teams.

All four players deserve recognition and in my judgement, it isn't even close. My hope is voters around the league didn't decide they couldn't vote for so many Allen players.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: ECHL teams with most and fewest power play goals this season:

 

MOST

73: Allen*

71: South Carolina*

69: Wichita

68: Newfoundland*

68: Fort Wayne*

 

FEWEST

35: Norfolk

38: Florida*

39: Wheeling

40: Iowa

 

*Playoff qualified

Allen Wins, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Costello Comments, Tulsa Preview, Today's Lineup, Standings Review, ECHL 100 Point Scorers, Bench Coaches and More

Allen extended its point streak to six games (5-0-1-0) last night with a 5-3 win over Savannah before a crowd of 3268 at the CUTX Event Center. Led by Hank Crone's third hat trick of the season and another great performance by goalie Chase Perry, the Americans took a big step toward finishing second in the Mountain Division. Allen garnered five of six points in the series with Savannah. The weekend work is not complete as the Americans travel to Tulsa this morning for a 4:05 pm game against the Oilers this afternoon:

Allen used the same recipe last night as it did in its 6-2 win on Friday. Here are the ingredients:

• Score first: Hank Crone scored the first goal of the game.
• Take first period lead: A Kris Myllari goal and Hank Crone's second goal gave Allen a 3-0 lead at the first intermission.
• Take second period lead: Hank Crone's third goal of the game gave him a hat trick before the game was half over. Allen took a 4-1 lead into the second intermission.
• Make the game interesting: Savannah cut the lead to 4-2 early in the third period before Kris Myllari's second goal of the game reestablished Allen's three goal lead.
• Stir in some special teams: Allen was 2-4 on the power play, Savannah was 0-4.
• Insert ATO goalie for first pro experience: This was a different ingredient, but Oskar Autio played the final 4:30 of the game, stopping five of six shots. 

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Hank Crone (46,47,48) and Kris Myllari (8,9). Hargrove, Combs and McAuley each had two assists. Here are the video highlights with all of the goals: https://www.echl.com/en/video/2023/4/savannah-ghost-pirates-vs-allen-americans---apr-8-2023-SzpfHhab

 

 - Special teams were a big part of Allen's success against Savannah. The Americans had two power play goals in all three games for a total of 6-13 (46.2%). The penalty kill did not allow a goal in the series (0-7). Allen now has the #1 power play percentage in the ECHL (24.8%) and the #7 penalty kill (82.3%). 

 

- Allen's six game point streak is tied for the longest in the ECHL right now. Allen is playing good hockey at the right time. Here is an update on the maximum points the teams in the hunt for a playoff spot in the Mountain Division can earn if they win their remaining games. The team's current points are in parenthesis:

• 81 points - Allen (73 points)
• 76 points - Kansas City (70 points)
• 74 points - Wichita (70 points)
• 74 points - Utah (68 points)
• 74 points - Rapid City (68 points)

Because Allen owns the tiebreakers the Americans need just one point from their last four games to make the playoffs and three points will clinch second place in the division. 

 

CHAD COSTELLO COACH'S COMMENTS

"I liked our game again tonight, especially offensively. The power play was clicking again."

"I think we can generate more greasy goals by throwing pucks to the net with traffic in front. I told the defensemen to keep shooting the puck and they did a really good job."

"Our defensemen seems to be clicking very well and Perry was great in goal again tonight."

"I am glad we could get Autio into his first pro game."

"Special teams have been a huge key to our turnaround this season and was great again tonight."

"Tomorrow is a good test for us. Tulsa has always given us fits. They always work hard and if you let them out work you it will be a game. Our work ethic has to match Tulsa's. 

"The game tomorrow is an important two points. If we can get the win, we will be in a very good position for the playoffs."

"Roster changes for tomorrow include Asuchak getting the game off. We didn't want him playing three games in three days just coming off injured reserve. Dalton Skelly will return to the lineup. Peressini and Perry will both be going on the trip. Peressini will get the start in goal."

 

ALLEN VS TULSA PREVIEW

- Tulsa has played Allen tough this season. The Oilers have a winning record against the Americans (4-3-1-0). Tulsa was shutout at home last night 6-0 by Kansas City, so the Oilers will be in a sour mood this afternoon against Allen. The Americans are a tired and banged up team playing four games in five days and three games in 48 hours. Tulsa is in the same boat playing four games in five days, but the Oilers were at home of Friday and Saturday.

 

- The stats favor the Americans. Allen scores more goals (3.7 vs 2.9) and allows fewer goals (3.7 vs 3.8) than Tulsa. The winning team in the last six games between these teams (dating back to December 23) has scored five or more goals with one exception. Allen and Tulsa last played at the end of January in a three-game series. The first two games were in Allen and the Americans won 5-4 in overtime and 6-0. The third game of the series was in Tulsa and the Oilers won 7-3.

 

- Special teams favor Allen. The Americans road power play is ranked #4 (23.8%) compared to Tulsa's home power play which is ranked dead last #28 (13.9%). The penalty kill percentages are much closer. Allen is rank #9 (82.0%) on the road. Tulsa is ranked #15 (81.0%) at home. 

 

- Costello is bringing seven defensemen and 10 forwards on the trip to Tulsa with Dalton Skelly coming off injured reserve today. Six defensemen have been logging a ton of ice time going back to the Rapid City series. Adding Skelly to the mix will help get some much need rest for the defense. 

 

- Here is the lineup for the game this afternoon:

• Crone-Hargrove-McAuley
• Combs-Hebert-Novak
• Fournier-Young-Robidoux
•                           Brown                  

• Myllari-Saucerman
• Williams-Farmer
• Skelly/Gally-Gagnon

• Peressini
• Perry(backup)

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Had a lot of questions/comments at the game last night about the two-game suspension to Darian Skeoch for the incident on Friday night. The reason the suspension wasn't more than two games is a review showed Skeoch didn't not leave the bench as was charged during the game. He made a legal change, so he was not suspended for leaving the bench. That left only the aggressor penalty and he got two games for that infraction. 

 

- I also was asked again about the coaches on the Allen bench last night in addition to coach Costello and coach Gens. The other two coaches were Chris Meriney and Chris Brown. Meriney has been with Allen for several seasons and has an expanded role this season including helping on the bench. Meriney's title is Assistant Coach and Manager of Hockey Administration. He provides Costello with a lot of analytics and other stats and helps with video and other administrative paperwork. Chris Brown is a friend and former teammate of Costello's. They first met when they played together in Germany (DEL) in 2017-18. Brown still plays in the DEL but returns back to the DFW area in the off season. Brown grew up in Flower Mound. He is just helping out a friend at some Allen practices and behind the bench. 

 

-  There are only four games on the ECHL schedule today. Allen at Tulsa are the only Mountain Division teams in action. It could be a big day for the Americans. With a win, Allen will punch its ticket to the Kelly Cup playoffs, and I can officially put my gourmet crow chili meal on the calendar. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Allen’s Hank Crone had four points last night and now has 103 points with four games remaining in the regular season. Crone is the first player to reach 100 points since 2016-17. Here are the ECHL most recent 100-point scorers in a single season:

 

103: Hank Crone, Allen, 2022-23

122: Chad Costello, Allen, 2016-17

103: Chad Costello, Allen, 2015-16

125: Chad Costello, Allen, 2014-15

103: Ryan Kinasewich, Utah, 2009-10

114: Tyler Donati, Elmira, 2009-10

104: Justin Donati, Elmira, 2009-10

 

- Costello (Allen) and Kinasewich (Utah) are current ECHL head coaches.

 

- Crone has 48 goals with four games remaining and a chance to become to ECHL’s first 50 goal score since 2008-09 when Kevin Baker (Florida) scored 57 goals.

 

- Long time ECHL coach, Steve Martinson, was the coach for five of the seven 100-point seasons above. He was the coach in Allen when Costello had 100 points three straight seasons and he was the coach in Elmira in 2009-10 when the Donati twin brothers both reached 100 points.

Allen Extends Points Streak to Five, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Costello Comments, Tonight's Preview, Standings Update, 12 Playoff Teams Decided and More

 

It was a perfect setting for Allen Americans hockey last night. A sellout crowd (5959), specialty jersey night and the playoffs on the line created an atmosphere rarely seen in the regular season. To top it all off Allen defeated the Savannah Ghost Pirates 6-2 to take over sole possession of second place in the Mountain Division. In the process Allen extended its point streak to five games (4-0-1-0) which is the longest current point streak in the Western Conference. 

 

- As I said in the preview yesterday, if Allen got off to another good start like it did in the overtime loss on Wednesday the Americans would not be denied. Allen turned the game into a no doubter scoring the first four goals of the game. The first goal of the game was early in the first period (2:18) when Jack Combs scored off a great pass from Jakov Novak. Hank Crone scored late in the period, unassisted, when he knocked a clearing pass out of the air and put a backhander past the goalie. Allen led 2-0 at the first intermission.

 

- The Americans added two more goals in the second period. Colby McAuley scored the first of his two goals just 61 seconds into the period. At the 13:44 mark Hank Crone took at great pass from Jack Combs to score a power play goal, his record breaking 45th goal of the season. Allen took a 4-0 lead into the second intermission and the game was essentially over. The only question that remained was whether Allen could preserve a shutout for goalie Chase Perry who had stopped all 29 Savannah shots in the first two period.

 

- Savannah is a hard-working team and made a big push in the third period. A turnover led to a Savannah goal by Brent Pedersen, his fifth goal in the series. A second Savannah goal just 15 seconds later cut the score to 4-2. The Ghost Pirates had a 12-2 shot advantage before the Americans stemmed the tide. A rebound goal by Grant Hebert gave Allen a three-goal lead (5-2) and Colby McAuley scored his second goal of the game and fourth of the series to make the final score 6-2.

 

- The goal scorers were Jack Combs (35), Hank Crone (44, 45), Colby McAuley (10,11) and Grant Hebert (8). Hank Crone had two assists to go along with his two goals. Here are the video highlights. One of the things that makes it so much fun to watch the Americans is all of the pretty goals the team scores. Several examples in these highlights: https://www.echl.com/en/video/2023/4/savannah-ghost-pirates-vs-allen-americans---apr-7-2023-6leraV0O    

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap-americans-score-six-in-6-2-win-over-savannah/

 

CHAD COSTELLO COACH'S COMMENTS

"I loved the way we played tonight. The energy from the crowd was incredible. We could sense in the locker room after warmups it was going to be a special crowd. We thrived off the energy from the fans."

"It was an exciting game with a lot of pretty goals. Our compete level was very high. We are a very driven team right now and will get deeper tomorrow with Fournier returning to the lineup."

"Perry was outstanding tonight and so were our defensemen. I challenged them to be really stiff and hard to play against and they did that. We were a little short up front, so I put a lot of emphasis on our six defensemen, and they came through for us."  

 "I am so proud of Hank Crone. I talk about him to my kids and family all the time. He has grown so much during the season. The second I signed Hank I said to him here are the keys to the Lamborghini, I am going to help you keep it on the road. I haven't had to do much. That kid is exciting. He is a true talent, and we are blessed to have him on our team. I love watching him play. He competes harder defensively than he gets credit for."

"I really enjoy the way that referee handles the game. He doesn't get in the way of the outcome and handles himself really well."

 

 

TONIGHT'S PREVIEW

- Not a lot to say about the game tonight. Allen needs to keep the peddle to the metal as two points tonight will almost certainly put the team in the playoffs and take another giant step toward finishing in second place. I have all of the ingredients for crow chili ready to go which will make a great post season meal. 

 

- Allen has had great starts in the first two games of this series and that will be a key to the game tonight. The Americans win 70% of the games when they score first. A good start will be critical.

 

- Allen has had the best of the special teams in this series while staying out of the penalty box. The Americans power play is 4-9 (44.4%). The penalty kill is 100% (0-3). The referee tonight is the same referee as the first two games of the series. Each game is different, but it could be another game with few power play opportunities. If Allen wins the special teams battle tonight the Americans will have a good chance of winning the game.

 

- Team defense will also be a big key to the game. Allen gave up two goals last night. If Allen holds Savannah to less than four goals the Americans will win the game. Allen has won 16 of the last 18 games when allowing three of fewer goals.  

 

- Here is the lineup for the game tonight:

• Crone-Hargrove-McAuley
• Combs-Hebert-Novak
• Fournier-Asuchak-Robidoux
• Brown                   Young

•  Myllari-Saucerman
• Williams-Farmer
• Gally-Gagnon

•  Perry
• Autio (backup)
  

   

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Hank Crone is now the all-time leader in goals in a single season for the Allen franchise. It is a good day to post the Allen 30+ goal club that is full of players from this season It has been almost 25 years (1999-2000) since an ECHL team had four players with 30+ goals. It is also a record in Allen franchise history. In 2010-11 Allen had three players score 30+ goals. Here is an update of the Allen 30-goal club. This season's group of four still has five games remaining to add a few more goals. 

• 45 goals - Hank Crone (2022-23) 
• 44 goals - Gary Steffes (2014-15)
• 41 goals - Chad Costello (2014-15)
• 38 goals - Colton Hargrove (2022-23)
• 35 goals - Jack Combs (2022-23)
• 35 goals - Greger Hanson (2016-17)  
• 34 goals - Bruce Graham (2010-11)
• 34 goals - Nino Musitello (2010-11)
• 34 goals - Zach Pochiro (2018-19)
• 33 goals - Chad Costello (2016-17)
• 33 goals - Colton Yellow Horn (2010-11)
• 31 goals - Liam Finlay (2022-23)
• 31 goals - Bruce Graham (2009-10)
• 30 goals - Corey Mackin (2020-21)

 

- Hank Crone had four points last night and is now just one point away from the century mark. Hank will become the 70th player in ECHL history to score 100 points in a season, but the vast majority of the 100-point seasons took place in the 1980's and 1990's. 100 points has been accomplished only three times since 2009-10, all by Chad Costello. (2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17).   

 

- Allen added two power play goals last night and is now tied for the league lead in power play goals with 70. The Americans power play percentage moved up to 24.5% which is still ranked #3 in the league. South Carolina is #1 (24.8%) and Toledo is #2 (24.7%). 

 

- Former Allen defenseman Darian Skeoch leads the Ghost Pirates with 108 penalty minutes after adding 25 PIMS last night. Skeoch had the rare double game misconduct penalty late in the game when he jumped Mikael Robidoux. Skeoch was given a five-minute major, an aggressor game misconduct and a leaving the bench game misconduct. Skeoch has been suspended for two games for his actions last night.   

 

- Here is another stat that shows just how good Idaho has been this season. Idaho has a team plus/minus of +545. The next best team (Cincinnati) is at +289. There are nine players in the ECHL with a plus/minus of more than +30. Eight of them play for Idaho including the top two players, Matt Register +53 and Cody Haiskanen +50.  

 

- Allen took a big step in its quest for the playoffs last night. Here is an update of the chart that shows maximum points for the five teams battling for three playoff spots if they win their remaining games. Six points in Allen's remaining five games will lock the Americans into second place for the playoffs no matter what the other teams do.

• 81 points - Allen
• 76 points - Utah
• 76 points - Kansas City
• 74 points - Wichita
• 74 points - Rapid City

 

-  There are 12 games on the ECHL schedule tonight. The Mountain Division teams in action are Savannah at Allen, Kansas City at Tulsa and Idaho at Utah. Here is the ECHL Today with the previews:  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/4/echl-today-april-8

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: 12 of 16 ECHL Kelly Cup playoff teams have been determined after three more punched their tickets last night. One team in the North and three in the Mountain still need to be determined. Here is the list of playoff teams in current standings order by points. Nine of the 12 teams were in the playoffs last season.

 

NORTH

Newfoundland, 94

Reading, 84

Maine, 82

??????

 

SOUTH

*South Carolina, 89

Jacksonville, 84

Greenville, 83

Florida, 82

 

CENTRAL

Cincinnati, 99

Toledo, 95

*Indy, 83

Fort Wayne, 73

 

MOUNTAIN

*Idaho, 113

??????

?????? 

??????

 

*Missed 2021-22 playoffs

 

Playoff Possibilities, Allen vs Savannah Game Preview, Roster Update, Fournier Signs in Australia, ECHL Highest Scoring Teams and More

 

The Allen Americans were idle last night but fell to third place in the Mountain Division. Wichita beat Rapid City 4-3 in overtime and jumped Allen in the standings (by points). The Americans have three games in hand over the Thunder and are still in second place by points percentage. Here are the standings by points and points percentage (2nd thru 6th place):

POINTS

• 70 - Wichita (3 games remaining)
• 69 - Allen (6 games remaining)
• 68 - Utah (5 games remaining)
• 68 - Kansas City (5 games remaining)
• 66 - Rapid City (4 games remaining)

 

POINTS PERCENTAGE

• .523 - Allen
• .507 - Utah
• .507 - Kansas City
• .507 - Wichita
• .485 - Rapid City

 

- Here are how the final standings would look if all teams got maximum points. It is impossible since teams play each other, but this is the potential maximum points for each team:

• 81 points - Allen
• 78 points - Utah
• 78 points - Kansas City
• 76 points - Wichita
• 74 points - Rapid City

Allen has the most room for error of the teams vying for the playoffs. Allen could go 3-2-1-0 over the final six games and still lock in a playoff spot even if Wichita wins out. 

 

- With five teams still in the hunt for three playoff spots there are so many combinations it is hard to track. The odds are very high some teams will be tied when the season ends. Remember the first tiebreaker is regulation wins. Here are how the five teams stack up in regulation wins. The second tiebreaker is regulation plus overtime wins. That number is in parenthesis:

• 23 - Wichita (31)
• 24 - Rapid City (29)
• 25 - Kansas City (30)
• 27 - Allen (32)
• 27 - Utah (30)

 

- The bottom line when you look at all of the numbers above, Allen is the best positioned of the five teams vying for the final three Mountain Division playoff spots. The Americans have the most games remaining and four of the six are at home. Allen is also best positioned if tiebreakers have to be used to determine the final standings/seedings.

 

- Making the playoffs is not the goal for the Americans so limping into the playoffs in fourth place is not what the team is looking to do. Allen needs to be playing well and that means earning a minimum of eight points in the last six games. Coach Costello set a goal back in December of winning two of every three games the rest of the season and the team has achieved that goal. If Allen is 4-2-0-0 in its remaining six games the Americans will almost certainly finish in second place and have home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.  

 

 

TONIGHT'S PREVIEW

-  When you look at the overtime loss on Wednesday the Americans generated plenty of offense, scoring five goals on 36 shots. The problem was the defensive end of the ice where Allen gave up 41 shots and six goals. Allen's record when giving up five or more goals this season is 2-18-1-0. It is very clear what Allen needs to do to beat Savannah tonight.

 

- Allen did a great job of staying out of the penalty box on Wednesday. The Americans took just one penalty in the entire game, Savannah took two. The referee tonight will be the same as Wednesday so it may be another low penalty game, but if you were betting it is likely there will be more power play opportunities tonight. That would play to Allen's favor given the Americans were 2-2 on the power play on Wednesday and have the #3 ranked power play in the league (24.4%). 

 

- Allen had a good start on Wednesday scoring the first goal of the game and taking the 1-0 lead into the first intermission. The Americans lost the game even though they scored the first goal and led after the first period. Keep in mind Allen is 21-8-2-0 when scoring first and 19-4-1-0 when leading after the first period. If Allen can repeat the good start tonight, they will win the game.

 

- Allen has to find a way to slow down Savannah's leading goal scorer, Brent Pedersen, who torched the Americans for five points (4G, 1A) on Wednesday. Pedersen tied the score to send the game to overtime and scored the winning goal in overtime. Allen's top line needs to outperform Savannah's top line, but depth scoring is a key to winning tonight. 

 

- Chase Perry will get the start in goal. Perry's record since joining the Americans is 12-6-0-1 with a 3.22 GAA and .916 save percentage. Mikael Robidoux is expected back in the lineup. Liam Finlay is day to day but not expected to play in the Savannah series. Chad Butcher will not play and is expected to be out a while. Stefan Fournier will not play tonight but is expected to play tomorrow night.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Had several questions about Stefan Fournier after a team in Australia announced he had signed for the 2023 season. The Australian pro hockey league (AIHL) plays in the summer and will start on April 15. Fournier will finish the season with Allen including the playoffs before reporting to the Sydney Ice Dogs. Former Allen forward Kale Kerbashian played in the AIHL one season after the ECHL season wrapped up (2016-17) and told me it was more for fun than anything else. Kale had 25 points (7G, 18A) in just 10 games.

 

- There are 13 games on the ECHL schedule tonight with a lot of meaningful games. The South Division can fill out all four playoff spots tonight. Jacksonville, Florida and Greenville can clinch a playoff berth and join South Carolina who clinched earlier. Also, Cincinnati and Newfoundland can clinch division championships tonight. Here is the ECHL Today with the previews: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/4/echl-today-april-7     

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about the top team each season in average goals scored. Allen finished #2 in 2016-17 averaging 4.08 goals per game. In 2014-15 was #1 in the ECHL averaging 4.06 goals per game and went on to win its first Kelly Cup.

Powerful offenses, the highest scoring ECHL teams (average goals per game) the last seven seasons:

 

4.07 - Idaho, 2022-23

3.91 - Newfoundland, 2021-22

3.38 - Florida, 2020-21

4.00 - Newfoundland, 2019-20

3.92 - Cincinnati, 2018-19

4.03 - Fort Wayne, 2017-18

4.19 - Toledo, 2016-17

 

None of these teams went on to win the Kelly Cup (in the year they led the league in scoring).

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

 

 

Overtime Loss, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Three Thoughts, Mountain Division Attendance and More

 

Before I recap the game last night, I wanted to mention a couple of inaccuracies in the early version of the blog yesterday. While they were quickly corrected, I know many of you read the blog as soon as it gets posted so over 100 of you saw the incorrect information. I reported Chad Butcher was going on injured reserve, he was actually put on regular reserve and is listed as day to day. I reported goalie Oskar Autio, who signed an amateur tryout contract (ATO) Tuesday would be the backup goalie last night, but Chase Perry was the scheduled backup. My apologies to the players and coach Costello for a day I clearly ran out of talent when writing the blog at 5:00 am. 

 

- I had a bad day yesterday morning and the Allen Americans had a bad day last night. It could have been worse as the Americans salvaged one point in a 6-5 overtime loss to Savannah. The one point kept Allen in second place in the division with 69 points followed closely by Utah, Kansas City, and Wichita who all have 68 points. 

 

- Allen got off to a good start when Colby McAuley scored the only goal of the first period, but then the Americans struggled in the second period. Savannah scored 42 seconds into the second period to tie the score 1-1. Allen regained the lead a couple of minutes later (3:05) on Colton Hargrove's league leading 18th power play goal. Allen's 2-1 lead didn't last long as the Ghost Pirates scored three unanswered goals to take a 4-2 lead. Allen managed a late period goal (18:02) to cut the lead to 4-3 at the end of the second period. After the dust settled, Savannah has won the second period outshooting the Americans 17-11 and outscoring Allen 4-2. 

 

- It is never good trailing after the second period in any ECHL games and that is how it turned out for Allen. Going into the game last night these teams had a combined record when trailing after the second period of 10-47-2-0. Allen was fortunate to come away with a point.

 

- The third period started out looking like Allen was going to make a great comeback. Colby McAuley scored a power play goal to tie the score 4-4 followed by a Hank Crone goal to give Allen a 5-4 lead midway through the period. In the preview yesterday I talked about the player to watch on the Ghost Pirates was #10 Brent Pedersen. Allen had no answer for Pedersen who ended up with four goals and an assist. He scored the goal that tied the game 5-5 to send it overtime. His fourth goal of the night was the game winner 82 seconds into overtime. He single-handedly sent the sparse Allen crowd of 1712 home disappointed. 

 

- Allen's overtime record fell to 5-2 with the loss last night to go along with a 1-1 shootout record. The Americans still have one of the best overtime records in the league. After going to overtime just six times in the Americans first 63 games, Allen has had three straight overtime games. With the win last night Savannah's overtime record is now 4-9.

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Colby McAuley (8,9) Colton Hargrove (38) Jack Combs (34) and Hank Crone (43). Hargrove had three assists and Crone had two assists.  Here are the video highlights of the Allen goals: https://www.echl.com/en/video/2023/4/savannah-ghost-pirates-vs-allen-americans---apr-5-2023-Pmd0sgnu     

 

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans which includes this quote from coach Costello, "We let this one slip away. It was an important point, but we should have had two. We need to clean a few things up before Friday." https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap-americans-fall-in-ot/

 

- Some of my thoughts on the game last night. First, this team has to be tired. You can't play shorthanded by two, three and even four players game after game and not expect it to wear down the players. Throw in three straight overtime games and the minutes some of these players are logging is less than optimum. You can see why it is hard to play consistent hockey. Throw in three more games this weekend in less than 48 hours including a bus trip to Tulsa and the team will be playing on fumes. Hopefully Allen will get a couple of players back for the weekend.

 

- My second thought has to do with trying to outscore bad team defense. Allen is one of the deadliest offense teams in the league as evidenced by the Americans having the top three in the ECHL in points. Allen is ranked #6 in the ECHL in average goals scored per game at 3.61. Idaho is #1 and the only team averaging over four goals per game at 4.07. However, if you look at the last 30+ games since the end of January, Allen is averaging 4.75 goals per game. The problem for the Americans is 40% of the time, 11 of 27 games in the last two months, Allen has allowed five or more goals.

 

- Third, the Allen power play was 2-2 last night and is now ranked #3 in the ECHL at 24.4% just behind #1 South Carolina (24.7%) and #2 Toledo (24.6%). The Americans 24.4% power play percentage is tied with the 2016-17 Allen team for the best power play percentage ever.  Allen's power play will be a big help down the stretch and in the playoffs. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 - The Mountain Division points race could not get much closer as the regular season comes to a close. Here are the standings with games remaining in parenthesis:

• 111 points - Idaho (5)
• 69 points - Allen (6)
• 68 points - Utah (5)
• 68 points - Kansas City (5)
• 68 points - Wichita (4)
• 65 points - Rapid City (5)
• 51 points - Tulsa (6)

 

- The playoff picture will get clarified some this weekend. Allen will get back one of its games in hand this weekend so an opportunity to put some distance on the teams right behind the Americans. Here are the weekend schedules. It will make a big difference if any team sweeps the weekend.

• Allen: hosts Savannah Friday and Saturday, visits Tulsa on Sunday
• Utah: hosts Idaho Friday and Saturday
• Kansas City: visits Tulsa Friday and Saturday
• Wichita: hosts Rapid City Thursday and Friday

 

- How do the Mountain Division teams rank among all ECHL teams in average attendance? Here is the list with ECHL rank in parenthesis:

• 6871 - Tulsa (4th)
• 5156 - Utah (9th)
• 5134 - Idaho (10th)
• 4316 - Wichita (13th)
• 3567 - Rapid City (19th)
• 3432 - Allen (23rd)
• 3273 - Kansas City (24th) 

 

- There are just two games on the ECHL schedule tonight, but one of them has great interest to Allen. Rapid City is at Wichita in a game critical for both terms. If Wichita wins the Thunder will move from fifth place to second place in the standings (by points). It is a bit deceiving since Wichita will have just three games remaining after tonight, compared to Allen's six remaining games.  Here is the ECHL Today with previews: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/4/echl-today-april-6

 

 DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about top teams in goals scored and allowed. Allen meets the criteria of 3.50 goals scored with its 3.61 average. The Americans are far short of the goals allowed criteria of less than 3.00 goals allowed. Allen allows an average of 3.74 goals per game.

Just six ECHL teams average more than 3.50 goals per game and allow fewer than 3.00 goals per game. All are Kelly Cup contenders:

 

Idaho: 4.07-2.10

Cincinnati: 3.75-2.91

South Carolina: 3.67-2.70

Maine: 3.61-2.90

Reading: 3.58-2.93

Toledo: 3.53-2.44

 

- Idaho is #1 in average goals scored and allowed.

 

- All six teams on the list are #1 or #2 in points in its division except Maine (#3).

Allen vs Savannah Series Preview, Magic Number, ECHL Defensemen Used and More

 

It is game day for Allen as the Americans begin a three-game series against the Savannah Ghost Pirates tonight. Allen seems to go from one obstacle to the next this season and will play shorthand again. The team will play two skaters short tonight with six defensemen and just nine forwards. Here is the roster update:

• Dalton Skelly: On injured reserve since March 26. Unavailable for Savannah series.
• Chad Butcher: Listed as day to day. Will not play tonight. 
  
• Liam Finlay: Listed as day to day. Will miss the game tonight and is unlikely to play against Savannah.
• Mikael Robidoux: Listed as day to day. Will not play tonight but could possibly return Friday.
• Stefan Fournier: On bereavement leave. Will miss game tonight but should return Friday.
• Spencer Asuchak: Activated from injured reserve yesterday and will be in the lineup tonight. Asuchak was injured in the first game of the season (10/21) and has missed 64 games.
• Oskar Autio: Goalie added to roster yesterday after signing an amateur tryout agreement. Will not be in the lineup tonight.
  

 

- It is difficult to play two forwards short anytime but even more so tonight when you consider the team just came of a grueling three games in three days road trip. Two of the three games went to overtime and Allen played four or five players short for part of the series. The team is sore and tired going into this series. 

 

- The Americans and Ghost Pirates come into this series from totally different perspectives. Allen is in a fight for its life with the playoffs on the line. Savannah is locked in the last place spot in the South Division and has nothing to play for other than pride and jobs for next season. Teams already out of the playoff hunt are often very dangerous, playing a relaxed game against an opponent with everything on the line. To prove the point, last place Savannah is 8-3-0-0 in its last 11 games and has beaten playoff bound teams Florida, Jacksonville and Greenville. 

 

- Both teams come into this series feeling good about how they are playing as both are on three game winning streaks. It is also notable the overall records are not that much different. Savannah is in last place in the South Division with 62 points and a record of 26-30-9-1. Allen is in second place in the Mountain Division with 68 points and a record of 33-30-1-1. If Allen was in the South Division the Americans would be out of playoff contention. The top four teams in the South Division have 85, 82, 81 and 80 points. 

 

- It is always fun for Allen fans to see teams visit from the Eastern Conference and even more so given Savannah is a first-year team. The Ghost Pirates have made quite a splash in the first season. The logo has been a real hit and the team has become very popular very quickly. The team is averaging 6800 fans per games (#5 in the league). Even more impressive is Savannah has had sellouts in 32 of 35 games.

 

- Allen clearly has a better offensive team based on average goals scored per game. The Americans are ranked #7 averaging 3.58 goals per game and that number is closer to five goals per game in the last two months. Savannah averages just 2.86 goals per game, ranked #25 in the league. If you are looking for a game with a lot of shots this series should deliver. Allen and Savannah are two of the three worst teams in the ECHL in shots allowed. Combined they allow 75 shots per game. 

 

- It might be surprising a last place team like Savannah has one of the best special teams stats in the league but that is true. If you add power play and penalty kill percentages together anything above 105% is considered outstanding. Just a handful of ECHL teams meet this standard. Savannah and Allen are identical in this stat at 105.7%. Here is a breakdown of home vs road special teams which is a different perspective:

• 23.8% - Allen home power play
• 16.3% - Savannah road power play
• 81.8% - Allen home penalty kill
• 84.8% - Savannah road penalty kill 

Staying out of the penalty box will be key for Allen in this series. The Americans have given up 298 power play opportunities this season compared to 221 for Savannah.  

 

- Allen has scored first in 46% of its games with a record of 21-8-1-0 (.717). Savannah has scored first in 49% of its games with a record of 19-9-4-0 (.656). That tells you all you need to know about the importance of a good start. Neither team should expect good results when playing from behind. Allen's record when trailing after the second period is 5-26-0-1 (.179). Savannah's record when trailing after the second period is 5-21-2-0 (.214).

 

- Allen has only gone to overtime eight times (including the last two games) this season the second fewest in the league. Savannah has gone to overtime 18 times the second most in the league. Allen has a big advantage in overtime with a record of 5-1 compared to Savannah's record if 3-9. However, if games go to a shootout the advantage switches to the Ghost Pirates. The Americans are 1-1 in shootouts, Savannah is 5-1 in shootouts.

 

-  Players to watch for Savannah would include points leader #12 Pat Guay who averages 1.08 points per game and the Ghost Pirates leading goal scorer #10 Brent Pedersen. Savannah's leader in penalty minutes is a familiar name for Allen fans, Darian Skeoch. He has been out injured since the beginning of March. Allen will see a lot of Savannah goalie, Michael Bullion who has taken over the top spot after the two goalies that played the majority of the games (53) both ended up in the AHL. Bullion was playing in the SPHL when he was loaned to Savannah. He has carried the load playing in eight of the last nine Ghost Pirates games. He has played in 13 games since arriving in Savannah with a record of 8-3-0-0, GAA of 2.75 and .920 save percentage.

 

- Allen will be shorthanded tonight but if you look at the leading scorers over the last seven games only Liam Finlay will be missing. Plenty of firepower for Allen to come away with a win tonight. 

• 10 points (4G, 6A) - Colton Hargrove (missed 2 games)
• 8 points (3G, 5A) - Hank Crone
• 7 points (2G, 5A) - Jack Combs (missed 2 games)
• 7 points (2G, 5A) - Colby McAuley
• 5 points (4G, 1A) - Jakov Novak
• 5 points (1G, 4A) - Colton Saucerman
• 4 points (2G, 2A) - Kris Myllari
• 4 points (2G, 2A) - Liam Finlay (missed 2 games)
• 4 points (0 G, 4A) - Grant Hebert

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Rapid City beat Kansas City on the road last night by a score of 3-2 in the only ECHL game on the schedule. That helped Allen keep its second-place position. Allen and Kansas City are tied with 68 points, but the Americans have played two fewer games. With Rapid City winning the gap between second place and sixth place in the division is just three points. 

 

- There are five games on the ECHL schedule tonight with Mountain Division teams involved in three of them. In addition to Savannah at Allen, Tulsa is at Wichita and Utah is at Idaho. Jacksonville is at Florida and will clinch a playoff berth with a win. If Idaho wins it will be the Steelheads 31st home win of the season and break the all-time ECHL record for most home wins in a single season. Five teams going back 20 years currently share the record with 30 home wins. If Idaho loses tonight it will have one more chance to break the record in the Steelheads last home game on Friday against Utah. Here is the ECHL Today with the previews: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/4/echl-today-april-5

 

- Fifth place Wichita has 66 points with six games remaining. If the Thunder win out and end up with 78 points, Allen would have to earn 10 points in its last seven games to make the playoffs. Any combination of Allen points earned, and Wichita points lost that equals 10 will put the Americans in the playoffs. However, Allen's goal is a lot higher than just making the playoffs. The journey continues tonight.

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about defensemen used by ECHL teams. Allen falls in the middle of the pack. Ty Farmer who was just signed by the Americans is the 13th defenseman that has played for Allen this season.

The ECHL has used 361 defensemen this season. Average per team is 13 ranging from 10-23. Teams with most and fewest defensemen used. Those in a playoff position have an asterisk:

 

MOST

23: Savannah

20: Indy*

19: Fort Wayne*

19: Kalamazoo

18: Iowa

18: Wheeling

 

FEWEST

10: Idaho*

11: Kansas City*

11: Maine*

12: Rapid City

12: Tulsa

 

 

 

 

Stats, Stats and More Stats, Rookie Coaches with Shared Experience, Best Shootout Goalies and More

 

It is back to practice today for the Allen Americans as they prepare for a three games series against the Savannah Ghost Pirates starting tomorrow night (Wednesday). Have had numerous questions asking what the roster will look when the Americans take the ice against Savannah. I will attend practice today, try to get some answers and provide an update in the series preview tomorrow. 

 

-  Took a look at Allen's points leaders over the last seven games. Nine players had four or more points in the last seven games. Several players missed some of the games but still made the list. 

• 10 points (4G, 6A) - Colton Hargrove (missed 2 games)
• 8 points (3G, 5A) - Hank Crone
• 7 points (2G, 5A) - Jack Combs (missed 2 games)
• 7 points (2G, 5A) - Colby McAuley
• 5 points (4G, 1A) - Jakov Novak
• 5 points (1G, 4A) - Colton Saucerman
• 4 points (2G, 2A) - Kris Myllari
• 4 points (2G, 2A) - Liam Finlay (missed 2 games)
• 4 points (0 G, 4A) - Grant Hebert

 

- Hank Crone and Liam Finlay are best of friends. They were college teammates (University of Denver), are roommates in Allen, room together on road games and are all over the ECHL rookie leader board:

• #1 & #2 - Rookie goals (42 & 31)
• #1 & #2 - Rookie power play points (31 & 26)
• #1 & #3 - Rookie points (92 & 78)
• #2 & #3 - Rookie power play assists ((20 & 20)
• #1 - Hank Crone, Rookie power play goals (14)
• #1 - Liam Finlay, Rookie shooting percentage (22.6%)
• #2 - Liam Finlay - Rookie game winning goals (7)
• #2 - Hank Crone - Rookie shots (218)
• #2 - Hank Crone - Rookie assists (50)

 

- Allen coach Chad Costello and Adirondack coach Pete MacArthur have become good friends. They have a lot in common including playing for the Allen Americans. MacArthur played 22 games in Allen in 2017-18 (the year Costello left for Europe) before suffering a season ending injury. They really got to know each other last summer when they both played in the 3ICE league. They had reason to seek each other out at 3ICE because both had been plucked from their respective ECHL locker room, where they were team captains, and selected as the head coach and general manager. It is a daunting task to move directly from the locker room to the coach's office so finding someone else going through the same process was a natural. 

 

- Another thing Costello and MacArthur have in common is their teams got off to horrible starts. At one point in December Adirondack's record was 5-14-3-1 (.304) and Allen's was 5-12-1-0 (.306). The playoffs appeared a long way off. Both teams have turned around the season in spectacular fashion and are on the cusp of making the playoffs. Since that low point in December Adirondack's record is 24-12-6-1 (.640) and Allen's is 28-18-0-1 (.606). Both teams have identical .523 points percentage and have a great chance to make the playoffs. Adirondack is 8-0-3-0 in its last 11 games and is one point out of a playoff spot. Allen is coming off a three-game road sweep in Rapid City and is in second place in the division, but just two points from fifth place. It would be a fitting ending for these two rookie coaches that have shared a unique experience this season and both make the playoffs.

 

- Talk about the tale of two seasons, Colton Hargrove is the perfect example. In his first 20 games while playing injured he scored four goals for a per game goal average of .20. In his last 37 games, Hargrove has scored 33 goals for a goals per game average of .89 per game. That is Connor McDavid level goal scoring. McDavid's average goals per game is .81. Yes, it is apples and oranges but very impressive all the same.

 

- Here is the Mountain Division Notebook for the week from the ECHL with info and the schedule for the week: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/4/mountain-division-notebook-april-3  

 

- Nine of the 16 teams that will make the Kelly Cup playoffs have already been determined. A reminder the last 15 Kelly Cup champions finished no lower than #7 in the regular season. Here are the nine teams qualified for the playoffs by current rank in the standings. Odds heavily favor one of the top five teams winning the Kelly Cup.

• #1 - Idaho
• #2 - Cincinnati
• #3 - Toledo
• #4 - Newfoundland
• #5 - South Carolina
• #6 - Indy
• #7 - Reading
• #11 - Maine
• #13 - Fort Wayne

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post is about the best shootout goalies this season. Over the ECHL years Allen has had two goalies with a 100% shootout save percentage. In 2020-21 Jake Paterson was 10-10 and in 2016-17 Riley Gill was 5-5.

2022-23 best ECHL shootout goalies by percent saved (minimum 5 attempts):

 

100%: 11-11, Trent Minor, Utah

100%: 6-6, Ryan Bednard, Greenville

88%: 7-8, *Ryan Fanti, Fort Wayne

88%: 7-8, Shane Starrett, Kansas City

86%: 6-7, *Henrik Tikkanen, Worcester

 

*Rookie

 

The last ECHL goalie with a 100% shootout save percentage and more attempts than Trent Minor was in 2016-17. Playing for the Quad City Mallards, C.J. Motte, was 12-12 in shootout attempts.