Allen Wins OT Thriller, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Costello Comments, The Week Ahead, Allen Connections to Frozen Four and Adirondack Storylines

 The Allen Americans salvaged two points in the series against Rapid City with a 4-3 overtime win over the Rush last night. After five straight games giving up the first goal of the game the Americans struck first at the 5:29 mark of the opening period on a goal by Liam Finlay. It was the only goal of the first period. A 1-0 lead after the first period was an encouraging sign since Allen's record when leading after the first period is 15-1-1-1. 

- The Americans took a commanding 3-0 lead early in the second period. Mikael Robidoux scored 17 seconds into the period and Liam Finlay scored his second goal of the game 58 seconds later. Less than two minutes after the Americans took the 3-0 lead Rapid City scored. By the 3:31 mark of the period three goals had been scored and Allen had a 3-1 lead. That is how the second period ended. 

- What looked like a comfortable 3-1 lead for the Americans late in the third period evaporated quickly when Rapid City scored twice in 35 seconds, at 14:51 and 15:26 mark. By the time the Rush tied the score 3-3, the third period shots were 11-1 in favor of Rapid City. Allen outshot the Rush 3-1 in the last two minutes of the game to make the final third period shot total 12-4 and force an overtime.

- At the 2:50 mark of overtime Colby McAuley was laying flst on the ice byt managed to make a pass to Ty Farmer. Farmer picked the far corner for the game winner and Allen had snapped its three game losing streak. 

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Liam Finlay (8,9), Mikael Robidoux (7) and Ty Farmer (5). Colby McAuley and Chaz Smedsrud each had two assist. Here are the video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-rapid-city-rush-march-30-2024  

- Here are the game recaps from both teams:

• Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/03/americans-beat-rapid-city-in-ot
• Rapid City Rush: https://rapidcityrush.com/news/2024/03/rush-gain-point-in-ot-loss-to-allen

 

- Here are some post game quotes from Chad Costello:

"The game tonight was a well fought win."

"It wasn't the week that we had hoped for but the two points we earned tonight keeps us alive for the playoffs. 

"The players still have the opportunity to do something special and I believe they can do it."  

- The overtime win last night was Allen's third of the season. The American have been involved in the fewest extra time games in the league. Allen and Atlanta have been involved in seven extra time games while Newfoundland has been involved in 17. Allen is 3-2 in overtimes and 1-1 in shootouts. 

 

- Ty Farmer didn't score a goal until the his 29th games of the season. Farmer's overtime goal last night was his fourth goal in the last eight games. Ty told me after practice recently he had changed something in his shot that has contributed to his goal scoring success. Farmer is tied with Liam Finlay for the team lead in goals over the last eight games with four.

 

- Allen has a big task ahead of them to make the playoffs. Utah won last night and Tulsa lost so the Americans are now six points behind both teams with seven games remaining. Next week will be make or break for Allen as they play four games in five days. The Americans play in Wichita on Wednesday in a morning game (10:30 am CDT) and then come home to play Adirondack on Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon (2:10 pm). 

 

- After next week Allen will end the season with three games against Tulsa on April 12, 13, 14 with the first two games at home and the last game of the season on a Sunday afternoon in Tulsa. It is highly likely the Americans playoff fate will be decided in the three game series against Tulsa.

 

- Allen has a great opportunity this week to cut into the six point lead Utah and Tulsa have over the Americans. Allen plays four games this week while Utah and Tulsa play only three. 

• Utah is at home for three games against Kansas City on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Even though Kansas City has clinched the Mountain Division title it still has something to play for. The Mavericks road record is 26-3-2-1 and they need one more road win to set the all-time ECHL record for road wins in a single season. 
• Tulsa's three games this week are against Wichita. They play at home on Friday and in Wichita on Saturday and Sunday. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- The hottest team in the ECHL right now is the Toledo Walleye who has won nine straight games. The Western Conference has arguably the three best teams in the league in Kansas City, Toledo and Idaho. It is likely the Western Conference champion will be one of these teams, but whoever emerges will be battle tested going into the Kelly Cup finals.

- The Adirondack series next week has many story lines to talk about. 

• Adirondack coach Peter MacArthur played 22 games for the Allen Americans in 2017-18 before suffering a season ending injury.
• MacArthur signed in Allen after being the captain in Adirondack to be closer to his family. His wife was the television host for Great Day San Antonio.
• MacArthur and Chad Costello both went directly from the locker room as captain to the head coach for their team the 2022-23 season.
• MacArthur and Costello first met when both played the first season of 3ICE after they had retired to become ECHL head coaches.
• Both spent time in Europe for a few years and both played in the top league in Germany (DEL) plus other countries.
• Costello is 37, MacArthur is 38.
• With such parallel careers they have become good friends.

- If you are following the NCAA Men's  hockey playoffs the tournament it is down to six teams. Denver and Boston University advanced to the Frozen Four yesterday and the winners today between Boston College vs Quinnipiac  and Michigan St.vs Michigan will advance.

Being a graduate of the University of Minnesota I was disappointed in the Gophers loss to Boston University 6-3 yesterday. I am sure there are many Allen Americans connections to the tournament but two particular came up in the Minnesota loss yesterday. The game was a lot closer than 6-3 as Boston U scored two empty net goals. The Gophers took a 2-0 lead in the first period. The first goal was scored by Jaxon Nelson who is a good friend of Caz Smedsrud. They played in high school together in a small town in Southwest Minnesota and are legends being the top two scorers in school history, Smedsrud averaged 3.21 points per game in high school and Nelson averaged 3.44. The Gophers second goal was scored by Bryce Brodzinski, the brother of Easton Brodzinski. 

There are actually four Brodzinski brothers; Jonny (30), Mike (28), Easton (27) and Bryce (23). All have played in the Frozen Four but it is a house divided. Jonny and Easton played for St. Cloud State University while Mike and Bryce chose the University of Minnesota. Jonny is still playing (New York Rangers) and has 153 NHL games played. Mike is retired, played for the Americans in 2016-17 and played in 63 AHL games. Easton is Allen's second leading goal scorer (22 goals) and has one AHL game played. Bryce just finished his collegiate career and will likely turn pro soon. His NHL rights are owned by Philadelphia who drafted him in the seventh round in the 2019 NHL draft.

 

-  With today being Easter Sunday there are no ECHL games scheduled, no games on Monday and just one on Tuesday. There will be nine games on Wednesday including the Allen morning game in Wichita. 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL stats post today is about shutouts. Allen has had one shutout this season. On March 1st Marco Constantini made 33 saves as the Americans shutout Tulsa 1-0 at home.

 

 

There have been 79 ECHL shutouts this season ranging from 16-44 saves. Here are the four shutouts with more than 40 saves:

 

44 - Kyle Keyser, MNE, 4-0 vs ADK

*42 - Nolan Maier, REA, 0-0 vs ADK (lost 1-0 in shootout)

42 - Nolan Maier, REA, 4-0 vs WHL

42 - Gustavs Grigals, ATL, 6-0 vs ALN

 

Breakdown of shutouts by score:

0-0: 1

1-0: 15

2-0: 4

3-0: 15

4-0: 26

5-0: 8

6-0: 6

7-0: 4

 

*In games that are tied 0-0 after regulation time both goalies are credited with a shutout.

  

Allen Loses, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Tonight's Preview, Allen Adds Chaz Smedsrud (ATO) and Kameron Kielly (Waivers) and More

 

The Allen Americans started the week hoping to sweep the last place Rapid City Rush and get back in the playoff hunt. After a 6-3 loss last night the Allen goal is now to avoid getting swept by Rapid City in the final game of the series tonight.

 

- It is hard to find the positives from the game last. Here is the formula for success from the preview yesterday with the results from last night. - All Allen needs to do to guarantee a win is score first, outshoot the Rush, don't allow a power play goal and hold Rapid City to two or fewer goals. Allen went 0-4.

• Score first - Rapid City scored first at the 6:59 mark of the first period. Allen has now given up the first goal in five straight games. 
• Outshoot Rapid City - Allen had 42 shots on goal which was the first time the Americans have managed more than 30 shots since the beginning of the month. Unfortunately Allen gave up 53 shots. The Americans had another 20+ shots allowed period, they were outshot 21-9 in the third period.
• Don't allow Rapid City a power play goal - The good news is Allen did a good job of staying out of the penalty box giving the Rush just two power play opportunities. The bad news is Rapid City scored on both of them. Allen had four power play opportunities and did not convert on any of them.
• Hold Rapid City to two or fewer goals - Allen allowed six goals last night after allowing five in the loss on Wednesday. Allen has now lost nine of its last 11 games. In those nine losses Allen has given up an average of 4.78 goals per game while scoring an average of 1.78 goals per game.  

 

- I share these stats a lot because they are so compelling. Last night Allen gave up the first goal of the game, trailed 3-1 after the first period and 5-2 after the second period. Here is Allen's record that shows how big a difference there is in these three categories when the Americans are on the right side or wrong side of the stat:

• Scoring First
• Yes: 20-7-1-1 (.724)
• No: 7-27-1-0 (.214)
  

• Lead After 1st Period
• Yes: 14-1-1-1 (.882)
• No: 4-17-0-0 (.190)

• Lead After 2nd Period
• Yes: 22-2-1-1 (.885)
• No: 3-27-1-0 (.113)
  

- Just like in the loss on Wednesday the Americans fell behind early trailing 2-0, 3-1 and by the mid point of the game 5-1. The Americans scored two goals to cut the score to 5-3 but that is as close as they were able to get before Rapid City made the final score 6-3. 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Grant Hebert (9), Chaz Smedsrud (1) and Mikael Robidoux (6). Smesdrud, playing in his first pro game, also had an assist and was the only Allen player with a multi-point game. James Hardie assisted on the Robidoux goal to keep his point streak alive. Hardie has played four games since being acquired from Rapid City and has at least one point in all of them for a total of six points (3G, 3A). Here are the video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-rapid-city-rush-march-29-2024 

- Here are game recaps from both teams with all of the goal by goal details. The headlines say it all. The Allen headline says "Rush Jump on the Americans Early" and the Rapid City headline says "Rush Blast Americans."

• Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/03/rush-jump-on-the-americans-early-in-6-3-win-on-friday
• Rapid City Rush: https://rapidcityrush.com/news/2024/03/rush-blast-americans-for-6-3-win

 

- If Allen is going to salvage any points in the series with Rapid City the Americans have to get off to a better start tonight. Playing from behind is not going to work well for the Americans. It is not a matter of better defense or better offense. When you are giving up 4.78 goals per game and scoring 1.78 goals per game as the Americans have done in their last nine loses, both offense and defense have to be a lot better tonight. Winning the special teams battle would be a big help. The Americans have given up a power play goal in every game against Rapid City this season. The Rush were 2-2 on the power play last night and Allen was 0-4. That will have to change tonight to earn points. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 

-Here are the Mountain Division results from last night:

• Tulsa beat Wichita 3-1 and now leads Allen by eight points,
• Utah beat Idaho 5-4 and now leads Allen by six points.
• Rapid City beating Allen 6-3 has the Rush tied with the Americans in points (57).
• Kansas City beat Iowa 4-2 and clinched the division title.
   

 

- It is likely the Mountain Division will have a team make the playoffs with a losing record. It is mathematically possible they could have two. Allen would have to win its last eight games to reach the .500 mark. Since Allen joined the ECHL in 2014-15 just one team has made the playoffs with a losing record. In 2017-18 Atlanta made the playoffs in the South Division with 69 points and a .479 points percentage. Five non-playoff teams had more points than Atlanta. FYI, Atlanta was swept 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs by Florida.  

  

 

- Allen added two players yesterday, forward Chaz Smedsrud was signed to an amateur tryout (ATO) and Kameron Kielly was claimed off waivers from South Carolina. Smedsrud played his first pro game last night while Kielly will meet the team in Allen. Here is a short player profile on both players:

 

CHAZ SMEDSRUD

 

Chaz Smedsrud

 

 

Chaz in another in a long list of small town Minnesota hockey players that have played for the Allen Americans. Here are three that won multiple championships with the Americans:

• Riley Gill - Northfield, MN, population 20,790
• Brain McMillin - Roseau, MN, population 2730 
• Aaron Gens - Baudette MN, population 966
• Chaz Smedsrud - Laverne MN, population 4946  

Smedsrud just finished his collegiate career at Union College. The 6’2” left shot, 195 pound forward is 25 years old and led his team in goals this season. In 37 games he had 22 points (14G, 8A). He was an assistant captain this season. He has been on his conference (ECAC) all-academic team every year of his collegiate career. He earned his Bachelor's degree in managerial economics.

 

Chaz played four years of high school hockey and had some staggering stats. He comes from the southwest corner of Minnesota where hockey isn't as strong as in the Twin Cities and the northern part of the state. In 98 games he tallied a school record of 315 points (128G, 187A) for a points per game average of 3.21. After high school he played three years of junior hockey and then spent five years at Union College. He played 141 college games and had 62 points (29G, 33A).  

 

If you are big, can skate and have good vision on the ice you can be successful in the ECHL. Smedsrud checks all of those boxes according to the scouting reports I have read and from a conversation I had with coach Costello after he watched video.  

 

KAMERON KIELLY

  

Kielly was claimed off waivers and will be returning to Allen after playing 32 games for the Americans as a rookie in 2020-21. The 6'1" 190 pound, right shot forward is in his fourth pro season and has played for Allen, Indy, Atlanta, Toledo and South Carolina in the ECHL and spent a very short time in England (Sheffield) at the beginning of this season. Here are his stats:

 

• Five seasons in junior (QMJHL) where he totaled 202 points (77G, 125A) in 306 games.
• Three seasons in college (USports) where he totaled 127 points (45G, 82A) in 90 games.
• Four seasons in the ECHL where he has totaled 87 points (33G, 54A) in 147 games. 

 

 Kielly's scouting reports from his junior days all talk about his ability to play in all situations. He can produce offensively but plays both sides of the puck. He has good vision and works hard in all three zones. He played both right wing and center in juniors. 

Here is a get to know you video interview Tommy Daniels did with Kielly during his first stint in Allen three years ago during Covid:

 

 

 

 

- There are 13 games on the ECHL schedule tonight. Jacksonville is the only team that can clinch a playoff spot tonight and join the six teams that have already qualified. Here are the previews: https://echl.com/news/2024/03/echl-today-march-30

 

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The gap between the ECHL #1 and #28 teams in the following stats is very wide:

 

Goals For Gap - 112

#1 Idaho: 280

#28 Atlanta: 168

 

Goals Against Gap - 100

#1 Jacksonville: 167

#28 Allen: 267

 

Points Gap - 58

#1 Kansas City: 102

#28 Atlanta: 44

 

PIMS Gap - 770

#1 Norfolk: 1304

#28 Jacksonville: 534

 

1st Period Goals For Gap - 34

#1 Norfolk: 80

#28 Worcester: 46

 

2nd Period Goals For Gap - 67

#1 Idaho: 114

#28 Atlanta: 47

 

3rd Period Goals For Gap - 59

#1 Kansas City: 107

#28 Iowa: 48

 

 

Allen vs Rapid City Preview, Playoff Quest, Steve Martinson Inducted into Rockford IceHogs Ring of Honor, ECHL 20+ Goal Scorers and More

 

The Allen Americans have another chance to get back on the winning track tonight in Rapid City when they take on the Rush in the second of a three game series. With the 5-2 loss to Rapid City on Wednesday Allen has now lost eight of its last 10 games. The Americans 2-8-0-0 record over the last 10 games is the worst in the ECHL. Meanwhile Rapid City's record over the last 10 games (6-3-1-0) is the second best in the Mountain Division matching Idaho. How much ground has Allen lost over the last 10 games? Here are the points earned in the last 10 games for each team in the Mountain Division (20 points maximum). Games remaining in the regular season is in parenthesis:

• 16 points - Kansas City (8)
  
• 13 points - Rapid City (8)
  
• 13 points - Idaho (7)
  
• 10 points - Utah (7)
  
• 9 points - Tulsa (8)
  
• 8 points - Wichita (9)
  
• 4 points - Allen (9)

- There is still plenty of time for Allen to claim the fourth and final playoff spot in the Mountain Division which is currently occupied by Utah. Allen is four points behind Utah, but the Grizzlies play their final seven games against Idaho (4 games) and Kansas City (3 games). While making the playoffs might be attainable the more important goal for the Americans is making the playoffs while playing better hockey and not backing into the playoffs. 

 

- Allen and Rapid City have split four games this season and the head to head stats tell the following story:

• Allen was outshot in all four games.
• Allen scored first in just one of the four games.
• Power play goals were scored by both teams in all four games.
• Allen never had more power play opportunities than Rapid City.
• In three of the four games the losing team scored just two goals. 
• Only one of the four games was close (3-2), the other three had scores of 10-5, 7-2 and 5-2.
   

 

- You look at the info above and the formula for success tonight for the Americans seems very clear. All Allen needs to do to guarantee a win is score first, outshoot the Rush, don't allow a power play goal and hold Rapid City to two or fewer goals. Easier said than done but certainly doable and meeting three of these four goals would likely translate to a win. 

 

- Neither one of these teams is having stellar year. Allen is ranked #24 in points and points percentage and Rapid City is ranked #26. Both teams struggle defensively. Rapid City is ranked #26 is average goals allowed per game (3.89) and Allen is ranked #28 (3.98). Allen has a third period goal differential of -20 (65 goals for, 85 goals against). Rapid City is even worse with a third period goal differential of -38 (61 goals for and 99 goals against). Despite the stats both teams have a chance to make the playoffs which makes the game tonight a must win. This game shapes up to be more about will than skill and who wants it more.

     

- Just like the game on Wednesday there will be two referees tonight. #34 Michael Zyla (#34) worked the game on Wednesday. #17 Tatu Kunto will be the second referee. Kunto played junior hockey in San Diego and is from the same hometown as Leevi Meriläinen, Oulu, Finland. Zyla played high school hockey in New York. Kunto played forward and Zyla played defense.     

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- The ECHL Stat post today (see DID YOU KNOW below) is about 20+ goal scorers. In researching that info I was struck by the difference from last season to this season for the Allen Americans in goals and points. Injuries and retirement have made a big difference. Here are the top four in goals and points from last season and this season:

• 2022-23 - Points
  
• 105 points, Hanks Crone
• 95 points, Jack Combs
  
• 85 points, Colton Hargrove
• 70 points, Liam Finlay
  

 

• 2023-24 - Points (9 games remaining)
• 56 points, Colby McAuley
• 48 points, Hank Crone
• 43 points, Kris Myllari
• 41 points, Blake Murray

• 2022-23 - Goals
  
• 49 goals - Hank Crone
• 39 goals - Colton Hargrove 
• 36 goals - Jack Combs
  
• 33 goals - Liam Finlay 

• 2023-24 - Goals  (9 games remaining)
• 24 goals - Colby McAuley
• 22 goals - Easton Brodzinski
• 16 goals - Blake Murray
  
• 15 goals - Hank Crone

Even though three of the top four in points and goals from last season (Hargrove, Crone, Finlay) are on the Allen roster this season they have only played a combined total of  63 games with 73 points (28G, 45A). Last season this trio played a combined total of 187 games with 260 points (121G, 139A). 

 

- It will be a big weekend around the ECHL with 27 games on the schedule tonight and tomorrow. Just four of 16 playoff spots have been determined (Kansas City, Idaho, Toledo, Adirondack) and one division champion (Toledo) has been crowned. Look for both lists to grow this weekend. Norfolk and Greenville can clinch playoff spots tonight and Kansas City can clinch the Mountain Division title. Here is the ECHL Today with previews of the 14 games on the schedule tonight: https://echl.com/news/2024/03/echl-today-march-29 
 

 

- Steve Martinson won four championships in Allen and five in San Diego. His 10th championship was with the Rockford IceHogs in 2007 in the United Hockey League. The Rockford IceHogs were part of the UHL from 1999-2007 and have been in the AHL since 2007. The championship Martinson's team won in 2007 is the one and only championship ever won in Rockford. Martinson was inducted this week into the Rockford IceHogs Ring of Honor. Here is the coverage from three of the Rockford television stations. 

   

   

DID YOU KNOW: Number of players with 20 or more goals for each ECHL team:

 

5: *IDH, *KC, *TOL

4: FW

3: ADK, FLA, NFL, RC, SC, WHL, WIC

2: ALN, CIN, GVL, IND, JAX, KAL, ORL, TUL, UTA

1: ATL, MNE, NOR, SAV, TR, WOR

0: IA, REA

 

*Top three ECHL teams in points and points percentage.

 

The ECHL currently has nine players with 30 or more goals led by Brandon Hawkins (Toledo) with 37.

A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

 

Every once in a while I have a day that makes me think about a children's book we had in our house when our kids were young back in the 1980's. The name of the book was "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Nothing goes right for young Alexander from the time he wakes up in the morning with gum in his hair. At breakfast his brothers find prizes in their cereal while Alexander does not. He doesn't get to sit by the window in the carpool on the way to school. At school his teacher disapproves of his picture of an invisible castle (a blank sheet of paper), at recess his best friend replaces him with another friend and his mother neglects to put dessert in his lunch box. After school he goes to the dentist and of course has a cavity and afterwards he goes to the shoe store and he is made to buy plain white sneakers. Things don't get better in the evening with lima beans for dinner, a scene of kissing on television, bath time, his brother takes his pillow, his Mickey Mouse night light burns out, he bites his tongue and when he goes to sleep the family cat opts to sleep with his brother.

 

- I can't say my day  yesterday was as bad as Alexander's but it was close. I over slept so got a late start on the blog. When I did get the blog posted I had not one, not two, but three big errors which you, the readers, let me know about. I appreciate knowing about my errors so I can make corrections. For the record (to confess by guilt/mistakes) I had Andrew Jarvis not traveling with the team because he is on reserve. What a surprise to see him in a nice suit behind the bench helping the coaches last night, oops. 

 

- Later in the blog I wrote with confidence the only Mountain Division teams in action last night were Allen at Rapid City and Idaho at Utah, wrong! How about Iowa at Kansas City where the Mavericks not only won the game but reached the 100 point mark, oops #2.

- Proving bad mistakes come in threes, I posted the lineup for the game which read "Allen Americans lineup tonight against Kansas City." I hadn't forgotten Kansas City after all, just had them playing Allen. This was a case of make sure you change the team when you cut and paste from a previous lineup, oops #3. 

- I won't bore you all the details of my non hockey problems. I was dealing with numerous issues from having our roof replaced from hail damage. Then there was my neighbor putting a port-a-potty between his house and ours because of a six week out door remodeling project. He kindly told me I could use it if need be. Then painters and furniture delivery guys showed up at the exact same time and the driveway was blocked because the neighbor's project was pouring cement. At that point I was wishing I could talk to Alexander. 

- My dinner was fine except my lovely wife forgot to tell me she had adjusted the toaster dial which meant the bread I use for toast was burnt to a crisp. Luckily the smoke alarm only chirped once. Oh, there was that piece of lead shot I found in my pheasant/venison chili.

- Little did I know my terrible, horrible, no good very bad day was going to get worse after dinner. I should have known better when I heard Tommy Daniels say not once but twice that Rapid City is playing out the season and the players are playing for jobs for next season.

 

- To say the Allen Americans performance last night was disappointing is an understatement. With their playoff life on the line, playing the last place team in the division, the Americans lost 5-2 in a game that was not as close as the score. Here are the stats that tell the story:

• Rapid City scored the first goal of the game. Allen is 7-26-1-0 (.221) when giving up the 1st goal.
  
• Rapid City led 1-0 after the 1st period. Allen is 4-16-0-0 (.200) when trailing after the 1st period.
• Rapid City led 4-0 after the 2nd period. Allen is 3-26-1-0 (.117) when trailing after the 2nd period.
• Rapid City out shot Allen 30-13 over the first two periods .
• Rapid City had seven power play opportunities to just three for Allen.
   

- Allen did mange two goals in the third period to cut the score to 4-2 but the game was never in doubt. Easton Brodzinski scored his 22 goal of the season and James Hardie scored his third goal and fifth point in three games since being acquired from Rapid City last week. The Rush regained their three goal lead late in the period to make the final score 5-2. 

- Allen has now lost eight of the last 10 games and in those eight losses has scored more than two goals just once. In the eight losses Allen averaged just 1.6 goals per game. Allen doesn't deserve to make the playoffs if it can't generate more offense. The only thing keeping the Americans in the playoff hunt is the mediocrity of the Mountain Division. Other than the top two teams who could be the top two teams in the league the rest of the division struggles.  Allen has 57 points with nine games remaining. If the Americans were in any other division they would already be out of the playoff race. Allen's 57 points would have them in last place in the North Division, last place in the Central Division and sixth place in the South Division. 

 

- There are 10 ECHL teams with a losing record (points percentage below .500). Of the 10 teams, five of them are in the Mountain Division. No other division has more than two.

 

- With all of the losing the Americans are still in the thick of the race for the fourth playoff spot. Allen trails Utah by just four points with two games in hand. Utah has just seven games remaining, but all are against Kansas City and Idaho. Utah is 2-8-0-0 against Idaho and 2-4-0-0 against Kansas City. Allen needs to get back on the winning track this weekend in Rapid City. 

 

- The final reality check of the night was looking at the standings and seeing the team that is playing out the season and for jobs next year (Rapid City) is now two points behind Allen with a chance to tie the Americans with a win tomorrow night. Allen is now closer to last place in the division (3 points) than to fourth place (4 points). I hope Allen can win the next two games in Rapid City and Tommy Daniels doesn't have to eat crow like I am so fond of doing. On the other hand if Rapid City sweeps Allen I know some good places to hunt crows to help Tommy out.  

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- To continue my Debbie Downer blog here is a story with the details about the possibility of Trois Riviéres and Newfoundland ceasing operations. The two franchises are majority owned by the same ownership group. The group also owned the Iowa Heartlanders franchise but sold it prior to the 2023-24 season. https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/03/echl-newfoundland-trois-rivieres-may-not-finish-season.html 

- Here is Allen's record and points percentage by month. There are two more games left in March and even if the Americans win on Friday and Saturday in Rapid City they will finish the month with a losing record, something they haven't done since September.

• October: 1-3-0-0 (.250)
• November: 4-7-1-0 (.375)
• December: 7-7-0-0 (.500)
• January: 6-4-1-1 (.583)
• February: 4-4-0-0 (.500)
• March: 5-8-0-0 (.385) 

DID YOU KNOW: I swear my theme for the blog today (terrible, horrible, bad day) came to me after I had already decided what the ECHL post would be, however, it is fitting:

Season ending and late season injuries can have a big impact on team success. Here are the number of players currently on injured reserve for each ECHL team:

 

9: TUL

8: IND

7: RC, CIN

6: ALN, UTA, *ADK, WOR

5: MNE, REA, IA, *FLA

4: *GVL,TR, *JAX, ORL

3: FW, *IDH, KAL, NFL, SC, *TOL

2: ATL, *KC, *NOR

1: SAV, WHL

0: WIC

 

*Teams with points percentage above .600

 

Allen vs Rapid City Preview, Playoff Challenge Stats, Franchises in Trouble Rumors, NHL Contracted Players in ECHL and More

 

It is game day for the Allen Americans as they begin a three game series in Rapid City. Allen has 10 regular season games remaining against four different teams. After the three games in Rapid City the Americans play one game in Wichita. They then play three games against Adirondack and two against Tulsa at home before traveling to Tulsa for the last game of the season. 

- The Americans current points percentage is .460 after 62 games. Allen will have to play much better than that over the last 10 games. Six of the 10 remaining games are against teams with a better point percentage than Allen. Here are the opponents points percentages compared to Allen's:

• .421 - Rapid City (3 games)
• .429 - Wichita (1 game)
• .460 - ALLEN
  
• .492 - Tulsa (3 games)
  
• .667 - Adirondack (3 games)

- This season the schedule called for just six games between Allen and Rapid City, the fewest in memory. In 2020-21 these teams played 16 times and the Americans took three trips to Rapid City. This season the first three games these teams played was in December in Allen. The Rush won the first game 10-5 and the Americans won game two (7-2) and game three (3-2). 

- It seems like all season Allen catches teams on the upswing. That is the case with Rapid City. The Rush went from January 13 to March 22 without winning a home game. They have now won two straight beating Utah twice over the weekend. Between early February and early March, Rapid City's overall record was 1-11-0-0. Since March 8 the Rush's record is 5-2-1-0 including wins at Utah and at Kansas City.

 

- Allen has had the opposite results. From early February to early March, Allen's record was 7-2-0-0. Since March 8 the Americans record is 2-7-0-0. 

 

- This series in Rapid City will pit one team (Allen) desperate for points in an effort to make the playoffs against a team (Rapid City) that has to pass three teams and gain eight points to make the playoffs. Rapid City has a mathematical chance but is basically playing out the season. That could make them even more dangerous in this series.

 

-  Roster update: 

• Filip Forsmark was released from his amateur tryout contract (ATO). Because of his immigration status he was limited to five games or 10 days with Allen. He is headed back home to Sweden, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the rookie back in Allen in the fall.
• Andrew Jarvis is on reserve, but is in Rapid City with the team. 
• Johnny Walker is on injured reserve but will be eligible and should be ready to return to the lineup after the Rapid City trip.
• Hank Crone is getting closer to returning to the lineup. Hopefully he will be ready for the Adirondack series (April 3) but definitely by the Tulsa series to end the regular season. 
   

 

- Here is a comparison of Allen and Rapid City:

• Allen's road record is 14-14-2-1, Rapid City's home record is 15-16-2-0.
• Allen is 3-7-0-0 in the last 10 games, Rapid City is 5-4-1-0.
• Allen's league rank is #24 (57 points), Rapid City is #27 (53 points).
• Allen has scored 205 goals and allowed 246 for a -41 goal differential
• Rapid City has scored 198 goals and allowed 247 for a -49 goal differential.
• Allen has a better power play percentage - 20.9% vs 16.3%.
• Allen has a better penalty kill percentage - 78.0%  vs 77.1%.
   

 

- Allen has been outshot by opponents in 84% (52 of 62) of its games this season. It will be something to track in this series. Allen is ranked #27 in average shots allowed per game (39.76), but Rapid City is not much better ranked #25 (34.62). To be successful Allen will have to keep the shots close in this series.

 

 

- Playing with the lead is always a key to winning. Allen's points percentage when scoring first is .724, compared to Rapid City at.591. If either team is leading after the period it is a big advantage. Allen's record when leading after the first period on the road is 9-0-1-1 and after the second period is 12-0-1-1. At home Rapid City is 8-3-0-0 when leading after the first period and 7-2-1-0 when leading after the second period. 

 

 

 

- December was a long time ago and both teams have made numerous roster changes since they played their first three game series in Allen. It is worth noting both teams had great power plays in that series. Allen had two power play goals in all three games and a total of 6-13 which is a 46.2% power play percentage. Rapid City was 4-15 (26.7%).  

 

 

- Allen and Rapid City have historically been high penalty minute teams but not so much this season. Allen has taken 1111 penalty minutes and Rapid City just 738. The totals are misleading when you consider Allen has many more 10 minute misconduct penalties (27 vs 6) and game misconducts (11 vs 2) which do not result in power play opportunities. Allen has taken more minor penalties (313-264) but Rapid City has more five minute major penalties (26-21) which are mostly fighting majors.   

 

 

 

- With every team in the Mountain Division have a losing record (below .500) except Kansas City (.778) and Idaho (,688) it is hard to say any series is a must win. The points percentage spread from second to seventh place is just .071 (.492 to .421). With that said, if Allen wants to make the playoffs it needs a minimum of four points against Rapid City. Allen already needs help from the teams ahead of them in the standings. Here are some numbers that help explain the challenge:

 

• Possible Points (if team wins all remaining games)
  
• 79 - Tulsa
• 77 - Utah
• 77 - Allen
• 72 - Wichita
• 71 - Rapid City
   
• Points/Average (points if team plays at current points percentage going forward)
  
• 71 - Tulsa
• 69 - Utah
• 66 - Allen
• 62 - Wichita
• 61 - Rapid City

To make the playoffs Allen needs to play above its season long points percentage (.460) or hope Tulsa or Utah plays below its season long points percentage. 

 

 

- The game tonight (8:05 pm CDT) will be one of the 25% of games that has two referees. The referees scheduled tonight are #38 Trevor Wohlford and #34 Michael Zyla.   

 

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 

- The only other Mountain Division game tonight is Idaho at Utah. There are a total of six games on the schedule. Norfolk has a chance to clinch a playoff spot and join the other four teams that have already qualified. Toledo can become the first team to clinch a division title. Here is the ECHL Today with the previews and details: https://echl.com/news/2024/03/echl-today-march-27 

 

- If you follow social media you might have seen some rumors about the future of the ECHL franchises in Newfoundland and Trois Riviéres. Some of these rumors even suggest one or both of these team may not make it to the end of this season without financial help. I have also heard the draft schedules for next season include ones with or without these teams. In talking to some of my fellow bloggers in Canada it is premature to say what will happen. The league could step in to make sure the 2023-24 season isn't impacted, a new owner could be found for next season or some other accommodation could be made for the current owners.

 

 

- With Filip Forsmark released, coach Costello could sign another college/junior player to an ATO in the next week or 10 days. It is a way to add depth to the roster and also take a look at a player for next season. 

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about NHL contracted players in the ECHL. Allen has two, Blake Murray is under contract with the Carolina Hurricanes and Bennett MacArthur is under contract with the Tampa Bay Lighting.

There are 40 NHL contracted players currently playing in the ECHL. 43% of them (17 of 40) are goalies. Here is the number of NHL contracted employees with each ECHL team:

 

3: FLA, IA, NOR, ORL, WHL

2: *ADK, ALN, MNE, NFL, SC, *TOL, TUL, UTA

1: ATL, CIN, FW, *GVL, IDH, JAX, REA, WIC, WOR

0: IND, KAL, *KC, RC, SAV, TR

 

*Division Leaders

   

Mountain Division Playoff Race Details, Allen's Home Record by Jersey and Day, Allen's Attendance and Rick Gosselin's Story About Myles Jack

 

The Allen Americans will be back at practice this morning as they prepare for a three game series in Rapid City on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. With just 10 games remaining in the season and the Americans four points out of a playoff spot, this series could not be more critical. The goal should be a sweep against Rapid City and that is not an unrealistic goal. The Rush did beat Utah yesterday and Saturday at home, but prior to these wins the last home win for Rapid City was January 13. I will have more details in a series preview on Wednesday.

 

- Allen lost two of three games against Kansas City over the weekend but got some help from the other teams in the division battling for a playoff spot. Here is the latest:

• Tulsa - The Oilers are in third place and have a six point lead over Allen. Tulsa's record over its last five games is 1-3-1-0. The Oilers have just eight games remaining, five straight against Wichita before their final three against Allen.
• Utah - The Grizzlies lost their last two games over the weekend in Rapid City but remain in fourth place in the standings, four points ahead of Allen. Utah lost 4-3 Saturday despite outshooting Rapid City 58-30. The Grizzlies have eight games remaining all against Idaho (5 games - 3H, 2A) and Kansas City (3 games at home). 
• Wichita - The Thunder have fallen three points behind Allen and seven points from a playoff spot so are unlikely to get back in the mix. Wichita can certainly play the spoiler role since they play Tulsa five times and Allen once in their remaining nine games.
   

- I get asked all of the time about Allen's home record based on which jerseys they are wearing or by day of the week. Thanks to team president Jonny Mydra for sharing this information. It is no surprise to Allen fans that the data shows what they have been saying for years. There is indeed a Saturday night, big crowd, specialty jersey curse in Allen. Here is the Allen Americans home record this season broken down by jerseys and day of the week with points percentage in parenthesis:

•  JERSEY
• Texas Jersey: 4-2 (.667)
  
• Red Jersey: 6-3 (667
• White Jersey: 2-6 (250)
• Specialty Jersey: 1-7 (.125)

• DAY
• Friday: 6-3 (.667)
• Wednesday: 4-2 (.667)
• Sunday: 2-3 (.400)
• Saturday: 1-9 (.100)
• Monday: 0-1 (.000)
  

   

- Allen's attendance has been over 6000 six times this season. Five of them have been on Saturdays. The Americans average attendance this season is 4221 with five home games remaining. The average attendance is up a substantial 705 per game from last season. That is one of the largest, if not the biggest increase in the ECHL this season.  

- Here is Allen's average attendance for every season in the 15 year history of the franchise:

• 4221: 2023-24 (5 games remaining)
• 3516: 2022-23 
• 3220: 2021-22
• 1859: 2020-21 (COVID restricted)
• 4001: 2019-20 (shortened season)
• 4073: 2018-19
• 4082: 2017-18
• 4340: 2016-17
• 4571: 2015-16*
• 4096: 2014-15*
  
• 4216: 2013-14*
• 4157: 2012-13*
• 4336: 2011-12
• 3986: 2010-11
• 3810: 2009-10

*won championship

 

- ECHL teams have between 7-10 games remaining in the regular season and just four of the 16 teams that will make the Kelly Cup playoffs have been determined (Adirondack, Toledo, Kansas City, Idaho). There are so many close races with playoff implications and anything can happen. Ironically, only one team has won more than six games in its last 10 games (Toledo is 8-2-0-0). 

 

- Here is another great story about the Allen Americans from NFL Hall of Fame writer Rick Gosselin. This one is about Allen Americans owner Myles Jack's transition from NFL linebacker to ECHL ownership: https://rickgosselin.com/myles-jack-leaves-football-behind-for-hockey/

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stat post today is about how many players each team has used this season. Allen is a little above average with 46 players used. The Americans have used five goalies, 15 defensemen and 26 forwards. 

Players used by ECHL teams this season ranges from 63 to 34.

 

63 - CIN

57 - REA

49 - FLA

48 - ADK*

47 - FW, IA

46 - ALN, NOR, TUL, UTA

45 - IDH, WOR

44 - IND, MNE, ORL, RC, WHL

43 - SAV, WIC

41 - ATL, NFL, TR

40 - JAX

39 - KAL

36 - GVL*

35 - TOL*

34 - SC, KC*

 

*Division Leaders

 

Allen Americans Split Two Games, Recaps, Video Highlights, #13 to the Rafters and More

 

The Allen Americans earned a split last night. The Alumni Team, comprised of former players that go back as far as the team's first season (2009-10) and filled with 11 players that won championships in Allen (22 rings among them) defeated a group of DFW All-Stars. However, in the main event Allen lost to Kansas City 3-1. In between the two games Chad Costello had his #13 jersey retired.

-  I had a chance to talk to most of the alumni players after the game and everyone mentioned how much they enjoy getting together for these games. It is not just the game itself but the time off the ice, where they can tell stories, reminisce about their playing days, interact with their families, play some golf and visit with fans. 

 

- As for the actual game the Americans alumni were the victors over the DFW All-Stars. My unofficial scorecard had Jack Combs leading the Americans with four goals and a bunch of players with a single goal including Chad Costello (he played only one period), Jason Deitsch, David Makowski, Mathieu Aubin, Joel Chouinard, Brian McMillin and Daniel Tetrault.  

- I heard a lot of chirping in the locker room after the game and many agreed with one player pointing out the ice sheet has gotten a lot bigger since they retired. My impression in watching the game is yes the players have slowed down but the way they see the ice and the mental part of the game is still sharp. They can't always execute what they see, but there were lots of great passes to set up teammates.

 

- Some post game quotes. I asked some of the players what it is like coming back to the alumni games and to give me a kid update:

Tyler Ludwig: It was good to see the out of town guys like Milly, Tetsy and Booter again. We had a great time playing golf yesterday. When we all get together it is like we played with them yesterday. My daughter update: the oldest Sydney is 11 and playing softball and I help coach that. The middle one Hayden, is nine and plays soccer. I don't know anything about soccer but helping coach that too. The youngest is Bradley who is seven and stays active.

Trevor Ludwig: My daughter Lyn is going to be 10 in three weeks and my son, Beau is seven. Beau just finished his first season playing hockey. I like to say he is following in my footsteps but hopefully he is falling in his grandpa's footsteps. A number of us play together in a men's league (Aubin, Descoteaux, Deitsch, Chouinard) out of Farmers Branch.

Mathieu Aubin: It is fun to see everyone. I didn't know everyone so it was good to meet some of the guys from the past. I had a great time playing the game and at the golf tournament.

David Makowski: It was fun out there at least until I lost my breath. I told Costy I could help out on the power play but nothing else. We (wife Carrie) are still involved in dog rescue. Our two dogs are now 10 and five so we will probably get another one soon.

Brian McMillin: It is always fun to come back and get the old group back together. Our son (three and a half Eddie) is enjoying himself. Between the golf tournament and the game a lot of stories were shared. 

 Daniel Tetrault: Oh my goodness that was a good time. It was so much fun seeing my old teammates. We might not be in the best shape but there was a lot of hockey sense on the ice. Allen is extra special for me winning a championship here in my 14th season and you never forget those teammates.We have to do this more than every five years. 

Darryl Bootland:  It was a blast out there on the ice. I just don't have the energy anymore. The kids are now 18, 11 and 7. The 11 year old daughter is into volleyball. My seven year old daughter is doing karate and I think she is going to be MMA. She has a lot of me in her. All she wants to do everyday is fight. It is scary but fun if you know what I mean. 

Erik Adams: It is fun being back with the group and just to get out there and skate is great. My daughter Brooklyn was just 11 and because I am leap year baby I was 11 this year so we celebrated being 11 together. She is big into cheerleading competitions. Henrik is nine and plays hockey, football, baseball, basketball and does jujitsu so he stays busy. Both the kids also like to ski. 

Joel Chouinard: Tonight and the golf outing was a lot of ton. I still skate with some of these guys every week. Julien is five and a half and Luca is three. 

Jason Deitsch: I don't ever desire to play hockey anymore but when get out there it is fun and hanging out with the guys and passing the puck around. My daughter Charlie is 14 and her activities are volleyball, basketball, cheer and softball. My son Cohen is 12 and plays football, baseball, basketball and track. My youngest daughter, Cory, is into cheer and baseball. 

 

- I have to say it was also fun to chat a little bit with all the hockey wives many of which have now become hockey moms. Hannah Combs, Ashley Costello, Kelly Gens, Angie Gill, Holly Ludwig, Taylor Ludwig and Wendy McMillin.

 

- Just before the Allen vs Kansas City game there was a jersey retirement ceremony for Chad Costello and his #13 jersey. Chad's family, friends, and fans watched a video tribute and witnessed his #13 head to the rafters.  

- In the main event the Allen Americans finished their regular season against Kansas City with a 3-1 loss. The bad news is Allen's record against the Mavericks this season was 4-10-0-1 including 1-7-0-0 at the CUTX Event Center. The good news is Kansas City's home record is 20-8-2-1 with three of the eight regulation losses coming against Allen. 

 

- The game last night looked to be a high scoring affair when Kansas City scored on the first shot of the game just 17 seconds after the puck drop. Allen tied the score 1-1 on its third shot of the game at the 3:05 mark on James Hardie's second goal in his second game with the Americans. Hardie's goal turned out to be the only goal Allen scored in the game.

 

- The Allen offense sputtered again last night after exploding for six goals on Friday. Here are the stats from the game last night:

• Allen gave up the first goal of the game which they did in all three games in this series.
• Allen was out shot in every period by a total of 44-27. 
• Allen's penalty kill was excellent killing six power play opportunities while going 0-2 on the power play. 
• Kansas City had a 2-1 lead after the second period with a record when leading after the second period of 31-1-1-0.
   

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans. https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/03/mavericks-take-the-series-with-3-1-victory  

 

- Here are the video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-kansas-city-mavericks-march-23-2024

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Friday night Allen won but gained nothing on the teams ahead of them in the standings because they also won. Last night Allen lost but the teams ahead of the Americans also lost. Tulsa lost 10-1 to Idaho, Utah had 58 shots but lost to Rapid City 4-3 and Wichita lost to Iowa 3-2. Allen remains six points behind Tulsa, four points behind Utah and three points ahead of Wichita. Today Wichita plays at Iowa and Utah is at Rapid City.

 

- It was another Saturday night, big crowd (6030), specialty jersey loss for the Allen Americans.  The specialty jersey curse seems real as the Allen record when wearing specialty jerseys this season is now 1-7-0-0.

 

- The Americans now hit the road for the next four games. Next week Allen will be in Rapid City for games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Americans play in Wichita on April 3 before they play Adirondack three games at home starting April 5.     

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Happenings around the ECHL last night. Some records, some season highs, a playoff qualifier and a jersey retirement:

 

- Kansas City tied the all time ECHL record for road wins (26) and has four road games remaining to break the record.

 

- Utah tied the ECHL season high with 58 shots which included 28 shots in the 3rd period. The 28 shots is four more shots by any team in any period this season. All that and Utah lost to Rapid City 4-3. 

 

- Idaho scored 10 goals and won by a ECHL season high nine goals in a 10-1 win over Tulsa.

 

- Three time ECHL MVP Chad Costello had his #13 jersey retired in Allen. 

 

- Toledo became the third ECHL team to qualify for the Kelly Cup playoffs with a 5-2 win over Indy, joining Kansas City and Idaho.

Big Win, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Tonight's Preview, Alumni Game, Costello's Jersey Retirement and More

 

A crowd of 5960 at the CUTX Event Center last night watched the Allen Americans get goals from six different players in a 6-4 win over the Kansas City Mavericks. It was just the third regulation road loss of the season for the Mavericks and prevented them from tying the ECHL all time record for road wins in a single season. 

 

- Kansas City scored the first goal of the game at the 6:49 mark of the opening period but Allen responded with the equalizer at 10:18 when Gavin Gould scored a shorthanded goal. Allen as a team has eight shorthanded goals this season and Gould has half of them. His four shorthanded goals is ranked #2 in the league. The teams swapped two more goals in the first period with Kansas City taking a 2-1 lead at the 13:33 mark before Colin Jacobs scored his fourth goal in the last five games to tie the score 2-2 at the 17:07 mark. The period ended with the score tied and  Allen having an 11-10 lead in shots.

- The Mavericks scored first in the second period to take a 3-2 lead but then the goal swapping ended. First, Blake Murray scored (10:42) to tie the game 3-3 and then James Hardie, playing his first game for Allen, scored a power play goal to give Allen it first lead of the game and the series. Allen took its 4-3 lead into the second intermission and that was a good sign. The Americans have been great this season when leading after the second period with a record of 22-2-1-1.

- Allen took a two goal lead (5-3) into the third period on a Ty Fournier rebound goal at 13:11. A two goal lead didn't seem safe against Kansas City when you consider the Mavericks have scored 17 more third period goals than any other team in the league. Kansas City has scored twice as many third period goals as they have allowed. 104 goals scored and 52 allowed for a goal differential of +52. 

- Kansas City scored a power play goal with less than five minutes remaining in the game (15:48) to cut the score to 5-4 and I am sure many fans thought  that the last minute Mavericks heroics were about to happen again. It was not to be as Liam Finlay took the puck away from a defender who had fallen down and put the puck in the net off a skate to give Allen its two goals lead back (6-4) with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Allen kept the pressure on, so the Mavericks had troubl get the goalie off the ice for an extra attacker. Allen tried one long shot for an empty net goal that went wide for an icing call. Kansas City managed just one shot on goal and the Americans came away with a 6-4 victory. The win snapped Allen's six game winless streak at home against Kansas City.  

- Goal scorers for Allen were Gavin Gould (10), Colin Jacobs (7), Blake Murray (18), James Hardie (12), Ty Fournier (8) and Liam Finlay (7). Here are the video highlights that show most but not all of the goals: https://echl.com/videos/kansas-city-mavericks-vs-allen-americans-march-22-2024

 

- The game was a huge win for the Americans against the best team in the league that had beaten Allen in all six games at the CUTX Event Center this season. Even more impressive is the Americans outplayed the Mavericks. Allen held Kansas City to just 28 shots, the fewest in the 14 head to head games this season. Allen won the special teams battle scoring one power play goal and a shorthanded goal. It was great to see the offense score six goals, especially considering in the Americans last six losses the total goals scored was nine. 

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/03/americans-hand-kc-rare-road-loss

 

ALLEN VS KANSAS CITY PREVIEW

- Allen will have its work cutout to get another win tonight. Kansas City has not lost back to back road games all season. The Mavericks are still looking for their 26th road win of the season which would tie the all time ECHL record. 

 

- Allen gave up four goals last night, but that is still under Kansas City's average for goals scored per game (4.29). Allen allowed Mavericks 28 shots, under their average of 33 shots per game. A far cry from Allen's first win of the season against the Mavericks in Kansas City. On November 7th the Americans beat Kansas City 4-3 in a 10:30 am game and were outshot 52-17. Mark Sinclair made 49 saves in the win. 

 

- Special teams will be a key again tonight. Allen has done a good job staying out of the penalty box against the second least penalized team in the league. In the first two games of this series Kansas City has had five power plays and Allen has had four. Kansas City's power play goal last night was really a 5-on-3 goal as it was scored one second after the 5-on-3 expired.

 

- Allen got away with giving up the first goal of the game last night and still won the game. The Mavericks record when scoring first is 31-4-3-1 (.846). Allen's record when surrendering the first goal of the game is 7-24-1-0 (.234). The odds of winning back to back against Kansas City when giving up the first goal of the game are less than slim.  

 

- Look for Easton Brodzinski to return to the lineup tonight after missing a couple a games with an injury. I haven't heard who will be in goal, but my guess would be Mark Sinclair. I will post the lineup when I receive it later today.     

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- The win last night was even more important because the two teams Allen is chasing both won. Tulsa won 4-1 in Idaho and Utah won 5-3 in Rapid City. Here is the latest in the Mountain Division standings with points, points percentage and games remaining:

• Kansas City - 96 points, .774 (10 games remaining)
• Idaho - 86 points, .683 (9 games remaining)
• Tulsa - 63 points, .500 (9 games remaining)
• Utah - 61 points, .492 (10 games remaining)
• Allen - 57 points, .467 (11 games remaining)
• Wichita - 54 points, .443 (11 games remaining)
• Rapid City - 49 points, .402 (11 games remaining)  

- Allen fans are in for a double treat today in addition to the game against Kansas City. The first event will be an alumni game celebrating the 15 year anniversary of the Allen Americans franchise. The alumni will play against a group of ex-pro players, ex-junior players and ex-college players that live in the area. The alumni game will start at 4:30 and from what I understand will be 15 minute running time periods. Here is the list of former Allen players scheduled to play:

• Erik Adams (2009-2012)
• Mathieu Aubin (2017-18)
  
• *Darryl Bootland (2012-14)
• Joel Chouinard (2016-19)
  
• Jack Combs (2014-15 & 2021-23)
  
• *Chad Costello (2014-17 & 2021-22)
  
• *Jason Deitsch (2011-13)
  
• *Nolan Descoteaux (2014-17)
  
• *Aaron Gens (2014-17)
  
• *Riley Gill (2014-18)
  
• *Trevor Ludwig (2011-15)
  
• *Tyler Ludwig (2011-15)
  
• *David Makowski (2015-19)
  
• David McKee (2009-10)
  
• *Brian McMillin (2010-15)
  
• *Daniel Tetrault (2013-14)

*Won championships with the Americans

L to R Allen alumni - McMillin, Gill, Descoteaux, Tetrault, Chouinard, Aubin

- After the alumni game and before the start of the regular game there will be a ceremony to retire Chad Costello's #13 jersey. Chad owns too many Allen and ECHL records to list but the future ECHL Hall of Famer will now see his number #13 in the rafters, joining Riley Gill (#30) and Gary Steffes (#12). I am sure the nine minute video put together for the occasion will be special. 

- Here is a stat you don't hear about often that the off ice officials track. If you thought the first period last night went fast you were correct. The off officials track the number of whistles by period. In the first period last night there were just 12 whistles. A normal period has over 20. Very few icings, off sides and just one penalty.  

 

- It will be another big night in the ECHL with all 28 teams in action. While many teams are fighting for playoff spots two teams can clinch their spots in the playoffs tonight. Division leaders Adirondack and Toledo could punch their tickets tonight. Here are the previews of all 14 games: https://echl.com/news/2024/03/echl-today-march-23

 

- When I chat with players after practice or after pregame skate any number of subjects can come up. Yesterday after the pregame skate I told Gavin Gould good luck and mentioned how close he came to a shorthanded goal in the morning game on Wednesday. I rarely make predictions but for some reason I said to Gavin you are going to get a shortie tonight. When I ran into him in the locker room after the game he had a big smile and said, "You called it Barry." It was sweet.    

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The workhorses, only four ECHL goalies have played over 2000 minutes and made over 1000 saves this season: 

 

Tyler Gauthier, Wheeling - 2477 & 1196 (42 games played with .923 save percentage).

 

Cam Johnson, Florida - 2403 & 1118 (2.27 GAA)

 

Matt Radomsky, Rapid City - 2166 & 1257 (leads league in saves).

 

Nolan Maier, Reading - 2099 & 1110 (averages 32 saves per game).

 

Allen vs Kansas City Preview, Roster Update, Scoring Drought, ECHL Record Possible Tonight, Trade Deadline Deals and More

 It's game day for the Allen Americans as they take on the Kansas City Mavericks in the second game of a three game series. There are plenty of incentives for both teams to do well tonight. Allen is fighting for a playoff spot and is trying to get back on track after losing six of the last seven games. The Americans have fallen four points behind fourth place Utah and six points behind third place Tulsa in the standings. Allen has games in hand with 12 games remaining in the season compared to 11 for Utah and 10 for Tulsa.

- You might think Kansas City doesn't have much to play for given they have a 10 point lead over Idaho in the Mountain Division and could play .500 hockey over its final 11 games and still be the division champions. Kansas City and Idaho are #1 and #2 in the ECHL standings so Kansas City also has a 10 point lead overall and has all but locked up the Brabham Cup as the regular season champion. What will be motivating the Mavericks tonight is the chance to tie the ECHL all time record for road wins. The record is 26 and Kansas City won its 25th road game on Wednesday in the 3-2 win over Allen. 

- I won't bore you with long paragraphs on each key to the game tonight, but here are a few succinct stats that tell the story.

• Kansas City is 7-0-0-0 when scoring first against Allen this season.
  
• Kansas City has a combined record of 26-2-0-0 when leading after the 1st and 2nd period.
• Kansas City has outshot Allen by 154 shots this season (487-333).
• Kansas City has 565 penalty minutes, Allen has 1087.
• Allen has lost all six home games against Kansas City this season.
   

- Allen has lost six of its last seven games and of those six losses the Americans have scored two or fewer goals in five of them. In the game against Kansas City on Wednesday the Americans played with eight defenseman and just nine forwards. That will change in the game tonight. Forward James Hardie will get his first game action since being acquired in a trade with Rapid City. Hardie will be wearing jersey #86. Grant Hebert is listed as day to day but it is expected he will also be in the lineup tonight. Mikael Robidoux will be not play tonight as he will be serving the second of his two game suspension.

- Allen's offense has been struggling recently for a couple of reasons. Two top goal scorers, Hank Crone and Easton Brodzinski are out of the lineup and others are struggling to put the puck in the net. Liam Finlay scored goals in his first three games back after missing 48 games, but has just one goal in the last seven games. Bennett MacArthur has one goal in eight games, Blake Murray hasn't scored in his last five games and Colby McAuley, Allen's leading goal scorer, has just two goals in his last 14 games. 

- Allen's leading goal scorers over the last five games with three goals each are Colin Jacobs and Ty Farmer. No other player has more than single goal. 

- Considering Kansas City has a 41 point lead over Allen in the standings it is remarkable how close the team save percentages are. Allen has a team save percentage of .901 compared the Kansas City's .905. Allen gives up a lot more goals (239 vs 173) but faces so many more shots (2393 vs 1805), therefore the Americans have a decent save percentage.

 

- Here is another stat that shows the difference between Allen and Kansas City. Performance in the third period is critical to success. Allen has scored 61 third period goals and allowed 82 for a goal differential of -21. Kansas City has scored 103 third period goals and allowed 50 for a goal differential of  +53.  

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- What sets Kansas City apart from the other top teams in the ECHL is they are great at both ends of the ice. Three ECHL teams average more than 3.60 goals per game and they are all over 4.00 goals per game. Here is how the top three offensive teams rank defensively, by average goals scored and allowed per game.

• #1 Kansas City (4.30) is #3 defensively (2.84)
  
• #2 Idaho (4.18) is #17 defensively (3.44)
  
• #3 Toledo (4.11) is #12 defensively (3.13) 

- Allen didn't make any moves at the trade deadline, but that doesn't mean there weren't discussions throughout the day. If you look at the ECHL standings almost every team with few exceptions still has hopes of making the playoffs. Lot's of buyers but not a lot of sellers on trade deadline day. 

 

- One big trade at the deadline found 31 goal scorer Zack Andrusiak traded from Cincinnati to Florida to Fort Wayne yesterday. There were a lot of moving parts in this deal that also included former Allen defenseman, Stanislav Demin going from Florida to Fort Wayne. It is a big move for the Komets to get Andrusiak as they battle for a playoff spot. Andrusiak will be a veteran next year so this could end up being a rent a player if he doesn't re-sign in Fort Wayne. The Komets sent the rights to forward Matthew Wedman to Florida. He has spent much of the season in the AHL. He is qualified for the ECHL playoffs and could soon be sent to Florida. He is not a vet so Florida will retain his ECHL rights next season.

- It is a big night in the ECHL with all 28 teams in action with many teams battling for playoff spots. Adirondack is the only team that can punch its ticket to the playoffs tonight and become the third of 16 teams that qualify for the playoffs, joining Kansas City and Idaho. Here are the previews from ECHL Today: https://echl.com/news/2024/03/echl-today-march-22  

DID YOU KNOW: How are the final four Kelly Cup teams from 2022-23 faring in 2023-24? Who will make the final four again? Here is their record, points percentage and place in the division standings with three weeks remaining in the regular season:

 

North

Newfoundland: 26-24-8-2 (.517), 3rd place 

 

South

Florida: 33-19-7-2 (.615), 3rd place 

 

Central

Toledo: 38-14-4-5 (.697), 1st place

 

Mountain

Idaho: 41-17-2-2 (694), 2nd place