Allen Falls in Overtime, Game Recaps, Coach's Comments, Video Highlights, Stat Update, All-Time ECHL Winless Streaks and More

 

The Allen Americans played their best game of the season last night in a back and forth affair that ended in a 5-4 overtime loss. The announced attendance was 4104 and I noticed several comments about that being overstated. The Allen Americans, as do all ECHL teams, announce tickets sold, not the number of people that come through the door. For every game, especially weekday games, some season ticket holders and many corporate sponsors do not use their tickets.

- Allen got off to a great start scoring two goals on its first five shots and had a 2-0 lead midway through the first period. Wichita cut the score to 2-1 on a power play goal late in the period. It was the first of two power play goals for the Thunder (2-3) who came into the game with one of the worst power plays in the league (5.9%) and 16 straight power plays with out a goal. Allen ended the night 0-3 on the power play. 

 

- Allen took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission and extended the lead to 3-1 early in the second period. Then the ECHL's leading scorer, Michal Stinil scored twice in just over three minutes to tie the score 3-3. The second period has been Allen's weakest for a while. Last season 40% of the goals Allen allowed were in the second period (110). So far this season the Americans have scored one second period goal while allowing 11.

 

- With the score tied 3-3 heading into the third period you knew the next goal would be huge. Just 69 seconds into the period Wichita took a 4-3 lead on a power play goal. To Allen's credit after blowing a 3-1 lead and trailing 4-3 it fought back on Easton Brodzinski's second goal of the game. Allen had a chance to win the game in regulation when Wichita took a delay of game penalty with 54 seconds remaining in the game. The Americans had a couple of shots but did not score.

 

- Overtime was advantage Allen, starting with the remainder of the delay of game penalty (1:06) carrying over to overtime. The Americans dominated the overtime period with a 7-2 shot advantage, but could not get the puck past Aaron Dell. With 12 seconds remaining in overtime Wichita scored the game winner. While the loss was disappointing, the Americans took a big step forward.

- Goals scorers for Allen were Brayden Watts (1), Easton Brodzinski (1, 2), Will Gavin (1). 

- Here are game recaps from both teams and video highlights. The recap from Wichita has lots of details:

• Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/10/americans-earn-a-point-in-overtime-loss
• Wichita Thunder: https://wichitathunder.com/news/2024/10/finnegan-nets-ot-winner-tonight-in-allen
• Video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/wichita-thunder-vs-allen-americans-oct-30-2024
  

 - I had a chance to ask coach Adams about the overall performance of the team and specifically if he has any concerns with the penalty kill that gave up two goals in the game. Here is what he had to say:

"It was a big step in terms of how we played overall tonight. There were still moments when we reverted back to the past weekend and that’s where they got their chances and goals. Overall our style of play was a lot better and a step in the right direction."

"I'm not concerned with the penalty kill. Coming into tonight we were 80%. We have been pretty good in our structure on the penalty kill, but have made a couple errors in the last couple of games that cost us goals. We were seconds away from killing both those off tonight and just had a couple of mental lapses. Our clears were way better tonight than the past few games which was a main focus during our meeting today."

 

- Here are some of the stat changes based of the results of the game last night:

• Allen scored four goals after scoring just two in the first three games. The Americans raised their goals scored average from 0.67 to 1.50.
• Allen's shot differential last night was -2 (33-35) after having a shot differential of -14, -22 and -33 in the first three games.
• Allen's goals allowed average improved from 7.00 to 6.50, but is still the worst in the ECHL To give you an idea how far Allen has to go defensively to be a playoff contender, 19 ECHL teams have a goals allowed average of 3.00 or lower.
• Both the power play and penalty kill dropped after Allen went 0-3 on the power play and 2-3 on the penalty kill last night. The Allen power play is now ranked #27 at 8.3% (1-12). The penalty kill is ranked #24 at 72.2% (5-18).
• Despite earning a point Allen is still last in the ECHL in points, tied with Rapid City.
• Allen and Rapid City have point percentages of .125. Every other team in the Mountain Division is at .600 or above.

 

- The Americans caught an early flight this morning headed to Salt Lake City for games with the Grizzlies on Friday and Saturday. By leaving early the Americans will be able to have a practice once they arrive in Utah. There will a complete game preview tomorrow, but it should be noted the game on Friday will be the home opener for the Grizzlies. Utah has a record of 2-1-0-0, but have played all three games on the road. The two wins came in Rapid City and the loss in Idaho.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Florida extended its record to 4-0 last night with a 4-3 overtime win in Atlanta. Colton Hargrove was the #1 star of the game with a goal and an assist including the overtime game winner with 45 seconds remaining. In four games Hargrove has six points (2G, 4A) and is +7.

 

- Goal differential is a good proxy for identifying good teams. 14 ECHL teams currently have a positive goal differential. It is still very early in the season, but here the teams at the top and bottom of the goal differential list:

Top Teams

• +16 Kansas City
• +10 Florida
• +10 Kalamazoo
• +10 Tulsa 

Bottom Teams

• - 20 Allen
• -13 Rapid City
• - 9 Maine

DID YOU KNOW: Three teams (Allen, Cincinnati, Rapid City) have started the 2024-25 season with four game winless streaks. Had a question about the ECHL longest winless streaks of all-time. Here is the answer.

 

Overall

20: Victoria, 2004-05

16: Dayton, 2006

16: Huntington, 1995

16: Roanoke, 1992-93

 

Home

13: Johnstown, 2009-10

12: 6 times, most recent Toledo, 2014

 

Road

26: Roanoke, 1992-93

20: Iowa, 2022-23

20: Knoxville, 1996-97

 

 

FYI, the longest winning streak all-time is 23 games, set by South Carolina in 2015. The Stingrays made it to the Kelly Cup finals that season, but lost to the Allen Americans.

 

    

Allen vs Wichita Preview, Chaz Smedsrud Traded, Former Allen Players on ECHL Leaderboard, Best and Worst ECHL Shooting Teams and More

 

It's game day for the Allen Americans as the Wichita Thunder are in town for one game before the team heads to Salt Lake City for games against Utah on Friday and Saturday. Before going into tonight's preview I wanted to mention Chaz Smedsrud was traded to Rapid City on Monday for future considerations. The futures are for a player to be named later. Chaz got caught up in a numbers game as the Americans had too many forwards once Harrison Blaisdell reported after being acquired from Fort Wayne. I thought Smedsrud had a bright future in Allen after joining the team last season at the end of March after his collegiate career. He had seven points in nine games (3G, 4A) and was a +1 which was fifth best on the team. He added a goal in the playoffs as the Americans were swept by Idaho. Smedsrud enters the 2024-25 season as a rookie and didn't have a great start, but you can say that about every player on the team. He had no points in three games, just one shot and was -4. The stats don't sound so bad when you consider only five players on the team have a point and 10 players have a plus/minus greater than -4. 

If there is a silver lining in this trade it is Smedsrud in going to a team that is also struggling and he should get plenty of playing time. Even better, he will be playing closer to home, which is a small town in the southwest corner of Minnesota (Laverne). As a young boy growing up on the eastern border of South Dakota, Luverne (population 4000) was a big town 40 miles away that my family would visit. For Chaz, it will be a five hour drive for his friends and family to see him play in Rapid City. I wish him the best in Rapid City. He won't have to wait too long to prove to the Americans they made a mistake. Allen visits Rapid City for three games at the end of November. I have seen so many times over the years when Allen trades a player to another team in the division, that players kills the Americans. The most recent example is Zane Franklin.  

I see a lot of stats writing the blog, but will always remember Smedsrud's high school stats. As a junior in high school he played in 25 games and had 92 points (33G, 59A) only to top that as a senior when he played in fewer games (23) and had 93 points (37G, 56A). Averaging a point per game in hockey is special, but averaging 1.21 goals per game as Chaz did his last two years in high school is off the charts.

 

 

- Tonight begins the first of 13 games (6 home, 7 away) this season against Allen's biggest rival, the Wichita Thunder. The rivalry was set in stone back in the CHL days (2013) when Allen beat Wichita in game seven of the finals to win its first championship. Allen trailed 2-0 in the third period and scored at the 7:13 mark (Jarret Lukin) and 17:41 mark (Trevor Hendrikx) to send the game to overtime. Todd Robinson scored the championship goal at 2:47 of overtime. Since that win in 2013 the teams have been involved in many donnybrooks on the ice, but not much of a rivalry when it come to results. Since 2013 Wichita has made the playoffs just twice and lost in the first round both times. Since that 2013 championship Allen has won three more championships and has made the playoffs in nine of ten seasons. Allen's regular season record against Wichita since joining the ECHL, if my old records are correct, is 79-32-5-7 (.691). In 2015-16, when Allen won its second Kelly Cup, the Americans regular season record against Wichita was 13-0-0-0. Last season Allen was 8-1-0-0 against Wichita.

 

- While it is great to reminisce about Allen's dominance over Wichita over the years, past is definitely not prologue given the start the Americans have had this season. It will take an extraordinary effort for Allen to get its first points of the season tonight. Here are the game results for both teams this season:

ALLEN

• Lost to Tulsa 8-2 (outshot 37-23)
• Lost to Kansas City 4-0 (outshot 38-16)
• Lost to Kansas City 9-0 (outshot 51-18)

WICHITA

• Lost to Kansas City 5-3 (outshot 33-23)
  
• Lost to Kansas City 5-4 (outshot KC 36-31)
  
• Beat Tulsa 4-3 OT (outshot TUL 35-34)
  
• Beat Tulsa 6-2 (outshot 32-22)

- With the Americans getting off to such a poor start, Wichita has much better goals and shots stats:

• Goals scored average: Allen (0.7) - Wichita (4.3)
• Goals allowed average: Allen (7.0) - Wichita (3.8)
• Shots for average: Allen (19.0) - Wichita (29.0)
• Shots against average: Allen (42.0) - Wichita (32.5)

 

- Special teams typically play a big role when Allen plays Wichita so you can expect both teams will have several power play opportunities tonight and Allen has the advantage. While both teams are below average on special teams the Americans are ranked higher on the power play and penalty kill. Allen is ranked #22 on the power play (11.1%) and Wichita is ranked #27 (5.9%). Allen is ranked #17 on the penalty kill (80.0%) and Wichita is ranked #28 (60.0%). Neither team has scored a shorthanded goal, Allen has allowed one. 

 

- I talk all the time about the importance of scoring the first goal of the game which Allen has yet to accomplish. Wichita has scored first in three of its four games. FYI, the ECHL teams that have scored first this season have a record of 37-11-6-0 (.741). The Americans, however, have a much bigger challenge than scoring first. Allen hasn't scored a goal yet in the first or second period. The Americans only two goals came in the third period of the opening day game in Tulsa after the Oilers had taken a 5-0. lead.

 

- For Allen to be successful against Wichita, it will need huge improvements at both ends of the ice. The Americans need to generate a bunch more offense and play a lot better defense. Yes, Kansas City is one of the best teams in the league but giving up 13 goals and scoring none over two games while being outshot 89-24 is not acceptable. Tonight will be the best opportunity this week to get back on the right track. 

 

- I should get the lineup later today and will post it on social media, but based on what I saw at practice yesterday, there will definitely be some line changes for the game tonight. Newly acquired forward Harrison Blaisdell looked good in practice so would expect he will get his first start as a professional. It also seems like the prefect game to give tough guy, Dakota Seamans, an opportunity if he has his visa issues resolved that coach Adams mentioned in a recent interview. Tucson's goalie coach, Jeff Hill, is in town working with the two contracted goalies that are assigned to Allen (Wells and Thornton). Given the results of Allen's first three games, I would expect Thornton will get the start tonight.  

 

- A player to keep an eye on for Wichita is #22 Michal Stinil who is the current ECHL Player of the Week. In two games against Tulsa last week, Stinil had seven points (3g, 4A). Dating back to last season he is on a nine game point streak (6G, 10A). He currently leads the ECHL in scoring with 10 points (5G, 5A). He has more goals and assists than Allen has as an entire team (2G, 4A). And of course it would be great if Aaron Dell got the start in goal for the Thunder. How ironic that would be since Dell was the winning goalie in the 2013, seventh game, overtime CHL championship game against Wichita.   

- The game tonight is another one of the 50% of home games where two referees are assigned. The referees will be Tyler Hascall (#8) and Tyler Spott (#32). The linesmen will be Daniel Barnes (#76) and Trent Williams (#62). You can never tell what can happen when Wichita comes to Allen. There have been multiple fights in warmups and there was one game last season with just three power plays. Hascall has worked Allen games many times and as a rule, as a single referee, he lets the players play. Back in 2022 he was the referee for an Allen road game in Toledo in which the Americans were outshot 44-20 but won the game 4-3. It was one of those very rare games with no penalties and even more rare for the Allen Americans to be involved in a zero penalty game.

OTHER COMMENTS

- Tonight is a light one with six games on the ECHL schedule. Wichita at Allen is the only Mountain Division action. Florida is at Atlanta trying to extend its unbeaten streak to start the season to 4-0. Game time is 6:00 pm (CDT), so if you have FloHockey, time to checkout the Everblades and watch Colton Hargrove and Kris Myllari before the start of the Americans game. 

- There are only two ECHL teams other then Florida that remain unbeaten. Kansas City is 4-0, winning three of the four games on the road. The other unbeaten team in Adirondack (3-0), coached by former Allen player, Pete MacArthur. 

- How are Allen's NHL and AHL affiliates doing early in the season. Tucson has a record of 3-4-0-0 (.429) and is in sixth place in the 10 team Pacific Division. Utah has a record of 4-4-2 (.500) and is tied for fourth place with Colorado and St. Louis in the Central Division.  

 

- Some former Allen Americans on the ECHL leader board:

• Tyler Poulsen is tied for the league lead in goals (5).
  
• Dalton Gally leads the league in PIM (30).
• Jackson Leppard is #2 in PIM (29).
• Hank Crone is #6 in points (8).
• Jeremy Brodeur is #4 in save percentage (.981).
   

DID YOU KNOW: Here are the best and worst shooting ECHL teams thus far in 2024-25 by shooting percentage.

 

BEST

17.6% - Kalamazoo (15 goals on 85 shots)

15.0% - Kansas City (23 goals on 153 shots)

14.7% - Wichita (17 goals on 116 shots)

14.6% - Tulsa (24 goals on 164 shots)

14.0% - Reading (15 goals on 107 shots)

 

WORST

1.7% - Indy (2 goals on 116 shots)

3.5% - Allen (2 goals on 57 shots)

5.2% - Rapid City (7 goals on 135 shots)

5.3% - Atlanta (5 goals on 94 shots)

5.9% - Cincinnati (7 goals on 119 shots)

 

It will come as no surprise that all of the teams on the best list are in playoff positions and all of the teams on the worst list are not (by points percentage).

 

Allen Suffers Worst Loss in Team History, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Worst Allen Losses All-Time, Looking Ahead, Standings, Fun Facts and More

  

Not sure where to start in what was the worst, most embarrassing night of hockey since I started watching the Allen Americans in 2009. As if the worst loss in franchise history wasn't enough, I left immediately after the second period so I could get home in time to watch the third period. The stats line after the second period showed the Americans were out shot 41-10 and outscored 8-0. How could the night get any worse you ask? It took me 15 minutes to find my truck in the south parking ramp. I thought I knew exactly where I parked even though it was not near my normal spot because the parking ramp was pretty full when I arrived. I was about to seek out a policeman to say my truck had been stolen. However, after my third  around the second and third levels of the parking ramp I found my truck right where I left it. By the time I got home there were 14 minutes left in the game. The bottom line is both the Allen Americans and Barry the Blogger had an embarrassing night.

- It is hard to say this, but if you have been following the blog regarding the stats when a teams scores the first goal of the game, it was clear Allen was going to lose last night when Kansas City scored 16 seconds after the opening puck drop. When the dust settled the Americans were outshot 51-18 and suffered the worst loss in franchise history at 9-0. 

- The loss last night was the culmination of a disastrous opening week for the Allen Americans. In three games, Allen was out scored 21-2 and outshot 126-47. Here is where the Americans now rank in some key stats among the 29 teams in the ECHL

• #29 in winning percentage (.000) - Allen is the only team in the league without a point.
• #29 in average goals allowed (7.00) - Next closest team is at 5.00.
• #29 in goal differential (-19) - KC is #1 with a goal differential of  +16.  
• #29 in team save percentage (.833) - Adirondack is #1 at .955,
  
• #28 in average goals scored (0.67) - Allen has scored 2 goals and suffered back to back shutouts.
• #28 in shooting percentage (3.5%) - Kalamazoo is #1 at 19.7%.
• #23 in power play percentage (11.1%) - Kalamazoo is #1 at 57.1%
• #15 in penalty kill percentage (80%) - 5 teams (ADK, REA, SAV, FLA, CIN) are at 100%.
  

- Not only was the 9-0 loss last night the worst loss in franchise history (by two goals), the 8-2 loss to Tulsa on Thursday also makes the all-time list. In the 16 year history of the Allen Americans the team has lost a game by six or more goals just 10 times, two of those happened in the last week. Notice all but one on the list happened at home and Kansas City was the culprit four times. Here is the list of all-time worst losses (6 or more goals) in chronological order:

• 9-0: Kansas City - 10/26/24 (home)
• 8-2: Tulsa - 10/24/24 (away)
• 6-0: Tulsa - 3/10/24 (home)
  
• 6-0: Atlanta - 10/29/23 (home)
• 8-1: Kansas City - 1/8/22 (home)
• 8-2: Rapid City - 12/3/22 (home)
• 7-0: Wichita - 10/23/21 (home)
• 9-3: Kansas City - 3/18/19 (home)
• 6-0: Kansas City - 3/6/19 (home)
• 8-1: Colorado - 11/14/15 (home)

 

- If you want to see how the game and weekend was covered from the Kansas City perspective with phrases like "masterclass, steamrolling, commanding performance and offensive firepower" here is the story: https://allenamericansblog.blogspot.com/2024/10/allen-shutout-4-0-game-recap-video.html  

 

 

- If for some sadistic reason you want to suffer through the video highlights here you go: https://echl.com/videos/kansas-city-mavericks-vs-allen-americans-oct-26-2024  

OTHER COMMENTS

- It will be hard to recover from a week like the Americans just went through, but they will be back at it on Wednesday at home against Wichita and it won't be easy. Allen lost to Tulsa 8-2 on Thursday. Wichita beat Tulsa on the road last night 6-2. After the Wichita game, Allen finishes the week with two games in Utah on Friday and Saturday.

 

- It will be quite the full circle moment if Aaron Dell gets the start in goal for Wichita on Wednesday. He has been serving as the Thunder backup goalie recently so not sure if that will happen. Even if it doesn't it will be great to have the goalie that led Allen to its first ever championship (2013) and went on to an NHL career back in the building.

 

 

- Toledo beat Idaho last night (5-2) to avoid a sweep. The Walleye had to use a 61 year old backup goalie (EBUG) after one of their goalies got called up to the AHL. This story is a fun read: https://www.flohockey.tv/articles/12942202-toledo-walleye-enlist-61-year-old-emergency-backup-goalie-in-idaho

 

 

- Here are the Mountain Division standings by points percentage to account for the difference in games played which varies from two (Tahoe) to five (Tulsa). I have added goal differential (goals for minus goals against) in parenthesis

 

• 1.000 - Kansas City (+16)
• .750 - Idaho (+6)
• .750 - Tahoe (+1)
• .700 - Tulsa (+10)
• .667 - Utah (-1)
• .500 - Wichita (+2)
• .125 - Rapid City (-13)
• .000 - Allen (-19)

- Here are a couple of other random stats for you stats freaks:

• There are 24 individual ECHL players that have scored more goals than Allen has scored as a team. There are five players that already have five goals; Stinil (WIC), Morrison (KC), Poulsen (TUL), Butcher (TUL) and Bird (ORL).
• Allen's back-to-back shutouts by Kansas City matches the total number of times Allen was shutout last season. Ironically, both shutouts last season were by a score of 6-0. 
  

 - There are four ECHL games on tap this afternoon: Here is the ECHL Today with the previews: https://echl.com/news/2024/10/echl-today-oct-27

 

- The second week of the ECHL season won't be completed until this afternoon, but the number of undefeated team is already down to four:

• 4-0: Kansas City
• 3-0: Florida
• 3-0: Adirondack
• 3-0: Kalamazoo

 

 

- Florida beat Atlanta 6-0 last night. Two former Allen Americans had big nights. Colton Hargrove and Kris Myllari both had a goal and two assists. Hargrove also led the team in plus/minus with +4. 

 

 

- Two former Allen players, Jackson Leppard (5 games) and Brandon Yeamans (2 games) were just suspended for actions last night. Here are the details: https://echl.com/news/2024/10/echl-announces-fines-suspensions 

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Fun facts on ECHL players this season according to Elite Prospects:

 

Oldest: 36

John Muse (WOR)

Mark Olver, (IDH)

 

Youngest: 20

Ty Young (KAL)

Mats Lindgren (WHL)

Matthew Henry (TUL)

Jackson Stewart (BLM)

Brody Crane (JAX)

 

Tallest: 6’9"

Joshua Karlsson (GVL)

 

Shortest: 5’6”

Charlie Combs (SC)

 

Heaviest: 238 lbs.

Justin Vaive (CIN)

Hugo Ollas (BLM)

 

Lightest: 146 lbs.

Griffin Loughran (WOR)

 

 

Allen Shutout 4-0, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Coach's Comments, Rematch Preview, League's Top Scorers and More

It was so good to see so many friends and blog readers at the game last night and chat about all things Allen Americans. You are my motivation for putting in the time to keep the blog going, so when you stop to share your opinions or ask a question it is reinforcement for me. Also, if you notice more errors in the blog this morning blame it on my lovely wife who opted to accompany our daughter to New Orleans for the Taylor Swift concert last night. I stayed up until midnight to get all the details so the 4:00 am alarm this morning was a struggle. Here we go:

 

- It is only two games into the 2024-25 season for Allen and things couldn't have gone much worse. The Americans are one of two ECHL teams (Indy the other) that have not earned a point. Allen is ranked #28 in average goals scored (1.00) having scored two goals in two games. The Americans are ranked #29 in average goals allowed (6.00) having given up 12 goals in two games. 

 

- Last night Allen was shutout by Kansas City 4-0 and it could have been worse without some outstanding goaltending by 21 year old goalie Anson Thornton who limited the Mavericks to one goal in the first two periods while facing 30 shots. The Americans were outshot in every period with a final tally of 38-16. The 16 shots were the fewest in the ECHL thus far this season as was the two shots in the second period. 

 

- Even though the Americans kept the game close, when Kansas City scored the first goal late in the first period it was an ominous sign. Since the beginning of last season Allen's points percentage when giving up the first goal is .286. When Kansas City scores first its point percentage is .818. 

 

- After the Mavericks took a 2-0 lead early in the third period the Americans had numerous opportunities to cut the score to 2-1 but could not get the puck in the net. Kansas City scored two goals in the final five minutes of the game to make the final score 4-0. The Americans had no answer for Kansas City's top line of Andreev (#44), Morrison (#9) and Borchardt (#28) who scored the Mavericks first three goals. All three had a goal and two assists in the game.

 

- Here are the games recaps from the perspectives of both teams:

Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/10/americans-fall-despite-strong-goaltending-from-anson-thornton   

Kansas City Mavericks: https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/ostman-gets-his-first-professional-shutout-mavericks-start-the-season-3-0/n-6159798

 

- Here are the video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/kansas-city-mavericks-vs-allen-americans-oct-25-2024

 

 - What will Allen have to do to be successful in the rematch with the Mavericks tonight? 

• Get off to a better start by scoring the first goal.
• Narrow the shot differential from last night.
• Win the special teams battle.
• Get another goalie performance like last night.
• Do a better job on Kansas City's top line.
• Even out the puck possession time.
• Avoid so many neutral zone turnovers.

     

COACH'S COMMENTS

- Coach Adams met with season ticket holders after the game to answer their questions. Here is what he had to say:

"I don't think there was a lack off effort tonight. We are still getting to know each other and learn each other. I am not making any excuses. We didn't play well in Tulsa. I thought our game was better tonight and grew as the game went on.We got hemmed in a few times because we didn't manage the puck in the defensive zone properly. I liked our third period resiliency and our push back even though we didn't score. The got some chances at the end because your going to give up opportunities when you are pushing to get back in the game."

"Dakota Seaman just got back in town as he had to get his visa done. He hasn't skated much the last few days. I don't want to put him in an unfair position in his first game. Obviously, toughness is a part of our division. We have some guys that are tough other than Seaman, but the opportunity hasn't arisen. I am not worried about that part of the game at all. 

 "We need more communication within the group to let each other know they have time and what they can do with the puck."

"I haven't seen the video but we came close to cutting the score to 2-1 in the third. I don't know if was lack of execution or puck luck around their net, but I am happy they way we played in the third period. It was more banging and north-south hockey. 

"Thornton was great in goal, especially early in the game when he made a couple of big saves.  That is a good team over there and tonight was a great test for us in game two of the season. When you think about it we had only one preseason game and half of our players didn't play in it." 

 

                                                                                                                                                                            OTHER COMMENTS                                                                                                                                                                        

- Hank Crone scored the overtime winner last night as Idaho beat Toledo 4-3. The Steelheads tied the score with a minute remaining in regulation. Hank has seven points (3G, 4A) in his first three games in Idaho.

- There are two undefeated teams remaining in each of the four ECHL divisions. A couple of surprises, but most of these teams will be in the playoffs. Here are the eight undefeated teams:  

• North Division: Adirondack & Reading
• South Division: Florida & Savannah
• Central Division: Fort Wayne & Kalamazoo
  
• Mountain Division: Idaho & Kansas City 

 

- It will be a busy night in the ECHL tonight with 26 of 29 teams in action. If you have FloHockey a couple of games worth checking out:

• Kalamazoo at Fort Wayne in the battle of the two undefeated Central Division teams.
• Toledo at Idaho play the rubber match of a three games series between two of the top teams in the league. Idaho has won the first two games of the series, so expect some fireworks in game three.

Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2024/10/echl-today-oct-26

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here is ECHL Stats post for the day:

 

Talk about good starts! Yes it is very early, but four ECHL players are averaging more than two points per game:

 

4.00: *Alex Swetlikoff, Fort Wayne

2.33: Hank Crone, Idaho

2.33: Cade Borchardt, Kansas City

2.33: Michal Stinil, Wichita 

 

*Swetlikoff was assigned to Fort Wayne by its AHL affiliate, Bakersfield, on Thursday and had four points (1G,3A) on Friday.

 

Allen Loses Season Opener 8-2, Game Recap, Coach's Comments, Allen vs KC Preview, New Player Acquired, Best PP Goal Scorers Since 2020-21 and More

 

It was a tough Thursday morning for the Allen Americans as they lost the season opener to Tulsa by a score of 8-2 before a Kids Day crowd of 7208 at the BOK Center. It was the worst opening game defeat on the road in team history, but oddly enough Allen has had two opening day games at home that were worse. The most goals Allen ever allowed in a season opener was at home against Tulsa in 2014-15 when the Americans got beat 9-6. The worst defeat in a season opening game also took place at home in 2020-21 when Wichita shutout the Americans 7-0. Allen's opening day record is very symmetrical. The Americans overall record is 8-8 and includes 4-4 at home and 4-4 on the road.  

 

- It is hard to say the outcome was a surprise since Tulsa had gotten off to the best start in the league. The Oilers are now 3-0-0-0 and have scored 19 goals in three games while allowing just four goals. When you can average 6.3 goals per game and allow 1.3 goals per game you are not going to lose very often.

 

- Despite giving up the first goal of the game the Americans outshot Tulsa 9-8 in the first period. Tulsa took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. The second period was dominated by the Oilers who scored four unanswered goals while out shooting the Allen 17-8. Allen managed to score two goals early in the third period (Kyle Crnkovic & Artyum Kulakov) to cut the score to 5-2 before Tulsa rattled off three straight goals to make the final score 8-2.  Here are the video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-tulsa-oilers-oct-24-2024

 

- I touched base with coach Adams after the game and he was very straightforward in his assessment of the team's performance:  

"Our compete level was not at the level it needs to be."

"We tried to be too cute all over the ice."

"We need to simplify our game and play more straight lines." (north-south)

- It could be out of the frying pan into the fire as Allen returned home to face Kansas City tonight and tomorrow night. The Mavericks were the best regular season team in the league last season and have a team full of NHL/AHL contracted players. While Allen will be playing three games in three days, Kansas City is well rested having not played since last Saturday.

 

- As you might expect with Kansas City entering the two game series against Allen with as record of 2-0 and the Americans being 0-1, the stats heavily favor the Mavericks. The stats can't mean too much this early in the season, but nevertheless, here is a comparison:

• Goals for average: Allen 2.0 - Kansas City 5.0
• Goals against average: Allen 8.0 - Kansas City 3.5
• Shots for average: Allen 23.0 - Kansas City 32.0
• Shots against average: Allen 37.0 - Kansas City 29.5
• PP percentage: Allen 20.0% - Kansas City 37.5%
• PK percentage: Allen 80.0% - Kansas City 90.0% 

- Allen's record against Kansas City last season was 4-10-0-1. At home the Americans were 1-7-0-0. Over the last five seasons Allen's home record against the Mavericks is 12-13-1-0. 

 

- The keys to winning against Kansas City will be first and foremost getting off to a good start. Last season Kansas City had a points percentage of .857 when scoring first (34-4-3-1) and Allen had a record of 11-27-2-0 (.300) when giving up the first goal of a game. The Americans can't give up the first goal against the Mavericks and expect to win. 

- A second key to the game will be to win the special teams battle. Stay out of the penalty box by avoiding stick penalties and holding penalties. Half of Allen's home games will have two referees. The game tonight is one of those games. Referees Rocco Stachowiak (#28) and Ben Betker (#56) will work the game. It might be Betker's first trip to Allen while Stachowiak had several Allen games last season. In a game in Kalamazoo he called just two minor penalties. At the other end of the spectrum, working as part of a two referee game in Idaho, there were 19 penalties for 123 PIMS.  

 

- The final key will be goaltending. Whoever gets the start today, which I assume will be Thornton because he did not replace Wells yesterday after Allen gave up eight goals. In normal circumstances when Tulsa took a 5-0 lead in the second period the backup goalie would go into the game. That is unless the plan was to start Thornton tonight.  He will likely have to steal the game from Kansas City by making some saves that shouldn't be made. It will be a tall task and he will need a lot of help from the defensemen and forwards.  

- I was at pregame skate this morning but it was optional so I am not sure what lineup changes or line changes will be made for the game tonight. If I get the lineup card later this afternoon I will post it on Twitter and Facebook and update the blog. I did hear newly acquired forward, Harrison Blaisdell, is still on his way to Allen and will not play this weekend. I counted 16 players on the ice for an optional pregame skate which is very unusual for a three games in three days week. I was reminded many of the players had never been on the main rink ice so wanted to get a feel of it. The ice crew has been working diligently to get the ice ready for tonight. UPDATE: Here is the lineup tonight. The only changes in the lineup from yesterday is defenseman Hudson Wilson has been released from his PTO with Tucson and is back in Allen and will be in the lineup tonight, replacing Quinn Warmuth and Anson Thornton will get the start in goal:

Forwards

#92 Watts-#16 Crnkovic-#22 Brodzinski

#10 Gavin-#8 Duarte-#14 Guy

#84 Gorman-#26 Asuchak-#86 Hardie

#17 Ginnell-#28 Smedsrud-#11 Van Unen

 

Defensemen

#55 Nielsen-#3 Gagnon

#66 Kulakov-#44 Orzeck

#5 Wilson-#91 Adeniye

 

Goalie

#35 Thornton

#39 Wells (backup)

- If you watched the game in Tulsa the three players wearing an "A" were Gagnon, Nielsen and Watts. Coach Adams told me he would go with three "A" players for a while before handing out the "C" and would rotate the "A" players. Would assume they will stay the same for the game tonight but it is a wait and see.

   

HARRISON BLAISDELL

- The Allen Americans traded for forward Harrison Blaisdell yesterday. The rookie had signed with Fort Wayne in August but never played for the Komets. He was on the 3-day injured reserve before he was activated and traded to Allen for cash considerations. Fort Wayne was assigned a player from its AHL affiliate (Bakersfield) yesterday which likely required the Komets to reduce its roster. Here is a report from the local TV station:

 

- Blaisdell has an interesting background. He is from Saskatchewan but was born in England (Sheffield). His dad (Mike) finished his pro playing career in Great Britain and was a long time head coach in the EIHL (Nottingham & Sheffield). His dad's playing career included 343 NHL games (Detroit, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh, Toronto). His grandfather (Wally) played for Fort Wayne (IHL) for one season in 1954-55.

 

- Harrison Blaisdell was the 5th round (#134 overall) pick of the Winnipeg Jets in the 2019 NHL draft. He is 25 years old, 5"11", 181 pounds, left shot center/forward who completed his collegiate career at the University of New Hampshire last season. He played two seasons at the University of North Dakota from 2019-21 before transferring to New Hampshire for the last three seasons. In his NCAA career he played in 140 games and scored 42 points (16G, 26A). 

 

- When you read scouting reports about Blaisdell from his junior years before he was drafted the one consistent trait in all of the reports is about his fire, emotion, passion and motor. Being the son of a former NHLer and a hockey coach, he is the type of player that gives it his all every time he is on the ice or in the weight room. One quote said, "He can play in all situations, never wastes a shift and can provide a spark." 

 

- Here is a story about Blaisdell's family connection to the Komets. I am sure it is disappointing he never got to play a game in Fort Wayne and never get his 89 year old grandfather to watch him play with the Komets, but DFW is a great place to visit in the winter. 

  

 

 

- Here is the Allen Americans press release on the trade for Harrison Blaisdell: https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/10/americans-acquire-forward-from-fort-wayne

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- As the second week of the ECHL season begins there are 11 undefeated teams remaining led by Reading and Tulsa at 3-0. The number of undefeated teams after the weekend games will be much smaller. The last two years have seen some long win streaks to start the season. In 2022 Worcester set the all-time ECHL record winning nine straight games to start the season, but missed the playoffs. Last season Atlanta won eight games to start the season (#2 all-time). After the 8-0 start Atlanta went 15-45-3-1 the rest of the season to finish in last place in the standings (.347). Kansas City won seven straight to start last season (#5 all time) and went on to one of the best regular seasons in ECHL history, #5 at .792.  

 

-  There are 10 games on the ECHL schedule today. Here is a preview of all 10 games from ECHL Today: https://echl.com/news/2024/10/echl-today-oct-25

 

- It is still very early in the season but there are some interesting numbers and players among the ECHL stats leaders.

• The top three players in points are all with the Tulsa Oilers, six points in two games.
• Former Allen forward Tyler Poulsen (Tulsa) leads the league with four goals.
• Two defensemen, Patrick Kudla (Idaho) and Andrew Lucas (Tulsa) lead the league in assists with five.
• Kansas City's Max Andreev leads the league with 16 PIMS.
• Two goalies, both from Atlanta, (Drew DeRidder and Ethan Haider) lead the league in save percentage at 100%.  
    

- There have already been four penalty shots this season and two of them have been successful. A 50% penalty shot success rate is off the charts. Here is the penalty shot success rate the last three seasons:

 

• 2023-24: 26%  (10/38)
• 2022-23: 24%  (7/29)
• 2021-22: 17%  (8/48) - The first 11 penalty shots this season were unsuccessful

DID YOU KNOW: Here is an interesting take on power play goals from my ECHL Stats post today. It looks at power play goals since 2020-21, but also factors in how many games each player played to score those power play goals. Notice three of the top four on this list scored their power play goals as members of the Allen Americans. 

Just 13 current ECHL players have scored 20 or more power play (PP) goals since 2020-21. Here is the list in PP goals per game order. (PP goals since 2020-21 divided by games played since 2020-21). PP goals and games played is in parenthesis:

 

.27 - Colton Hargrove, FLA (21 PP goals, 77 games)

.23 - Brandon Hawkins, TOL (53 PP goals, 228 games)

.18 - Hank Crone, IDH (20 PP goals, 111 games)

.14 - Spencer Asuchak, ALN (22 PP goals, 163 games)

.14 - AJ White, IDH (37 PP goals, 275 games)

.13 - Justin Vaive, CIN, (31 PP goals, 235 games)

.11 - Cody Sylvester, ATL (25 PP goals, 228 games)

.11 - Justin Taylor, FW (24 PP goals, 226 games)

.11 - Mikael Stinil, WIC (21 PP goals, 186 games)

.11 - Alex Kile, FLA (21 PP goals, 184 games)

.10 - Alex Aleardi, FW (20 PP goals, 206 games)

.09 - Jay Dickman, WIC (25 PP goals, 277 games)

.08 - Anthony Petruzzelli, FW (21 PP goals, 257 games)

The Season Begins, Allen vs Tulsa Preview, Coaches Comments, Will Gavin Player Profile, Opening Day Past Results and More

 

The wait is finally over for the start of the 2024-25 season for the Allen Americans. The team left yesterday for Tulsa and will play the Oilers this morning in a Kids Day Game with a puck drop at 10:30 am. 

 

- Allen is one of only two ECHL teams that has yet to play a game (Tahoe the other). Tulsa played Rapid City twice at home last weekend and beat the Rush by scores of 7-1 and 4-1. The Oilers have always been known to have a hard working team, but this season might have the roster to go along with that work ethic. By my count Tulsa has seven NHL/AHL contracted players assigned compared to four for Allen. Forward Will Gavin was loaned to Allen by Tucson on Tuesday and will be playing his first professional game in Tulsa.

 

- Will Gavin is a 25 year old, 5'10" 194 pound forward who signed a one year contract with Tucson in July. Gavin is a graduate of the Air Force Academy who has the opportunity to delay his five year military commitment while pursuing a professional hockey career. He already knows eventually he will be working in Space Force Acquisitions, negotiating with defense contracting firms for the Space Force, mainly for satellites. Here is an article about Gavin's hockey and Air Force Academy careers. https://www.ncdchockey.com/alumni-profiles-gavin-air-force-academy   

 

- Gavin is from Connecticut and played his junior hockey in New Hampshire for the Northern Cyclones (NCDC) where he was captain of the team in 2019-20. Here is a video from 2023 when the Cyclones interviewed some alumni about their junior experience. It is worth watching the several clips throughout the five minute video of Gavin talking about his junior hockey experience: 

   

- Last season the Americans were 9-6-1-0 against Tulsa including 3-2-1-0 in Tulsa. Three of the six games went to overtime. Over the last five years Allen's record in Tulsa is 15-12-3-0. 

- Not sure how much you can take from the preseason game these teams played at NYTEX on October 11. It took place early in training camp and the lineups will be different today. Tulsa came out on top 4-2 in the preseason game primarily on special teams play. Tulsa scored a shorthanded goal and was 2-3 on the power play while Allen was 0-5 on the power play. Coach Adams said at the time the team hadn't worked much on special teams so hopefully the Americans will have that cleaned up today. The good news from the preseason game is Allen out shot Tulsa 40-24. You could count on one hand the number of times Allen allowed 24 or fewer shots in a game last season.

 

-  Here is the roster for the game today. Missing are Robbie Baillargeon who was moved from the 3-day IR to the 14-day IR yesterday, as well as Marco Costantini and Dakota Seaman who stayed in Allen as healthy scratches. The players assigned by Tucson are marked with an asterisk.

Goalies

• #35 Anson Thornton*
• #39 Dylan Wells*

Defensemen

• #91 Ayo Adeniye 
• #3 Ryan Gagnon 
• #66 Artyum Kulakov 
• #55 Andrew Nielsen 
• #44 Nolan Orzeck 
• #21 Mike Van Unen 
• #2 Quinn Warmuth 

Forwards

• #26 Spencer Asuchak 
• #22 Easton Brodzinski 
• #16 Kyle Crnkovic*
• #8 Mark Duarte 
• *Will Gavin
• #17 Riley Ginnell 
• #84 Liam Gorman 
• #14 Brayden Guy
• #86 James Hardie
• #28 Chaz Smedsrud 
• #11 Rylan Van Unen
• #92 Brayden Watts 

- While Allen has a clean slate being today is its first game of the season, Tulsa was very impressive its two wins over Rapid City at home last weekend. The Oilers averaged 5.5 goals per game, allowed 1.0 goal per game, had a power play percentage if 20.0 percent and a penalty kill percentage of 100%. 

 

- A couple of Tulsa players to keep an eye on if you are watching the game today are two rookies who lead the league in rookie scoring. Andrew Lucas, #36, leads all rookies with five points (1G, 4A) and Ruslan Gazizov, #32, is second with four points (2G, 2A). And don't forget about former Allen forward, Tyler Poulsen, #11, who leads the league with three goals in two games.

 

- Here is the lineup for the game. Defenseman Mike Van Unen is the one player sitting out:

Forwards

• #92 Watts-#16 Crnkovic-#22 Brodzinski
• #10 Gavin-#8 Duarte-#14 Guy
  
• #84 Gorman-#26 Asuchak-#86 Hardie
• #17 Ginnell-#28 Smedsrud-#11 Van Unen

Defensemen

• #55 Nielsen-#3 Gagnon
• #66 Kulakov-#44 Orzeck
• #2 Warmuth-#91 Adeniye

Goalie

• #39 Wells
• #35 backup
  

 - There will be a a lot of screaming school kids at the game today, but attendance may not match Tulsa's first two games. The Oilers drew 13,180 on opening night last Saturday and had 5241 in attendance on Sunday afternoon.    

COACHES COMMENTS

I had a chance to talk to B.J. Adams and Brett Ferguson after practice yesterday and this is what they had to say:

"We will not name a captain for a while. We will have three "A's" and will rotate that for a little bit and see how it goes."....Adams

"The test on special teams will come tomorrow in Tulsa (the Oilers scored three special teams goals in the preseason game against Tulsa). I feel more confident because we have our final roster now and we have worked on it. We will see what happens this weekend.".....Adams

"We have our team now and we have dialed in on special teams the past week on what we are going to do. There are always adjustments based on what the team we are playing does, but we are ready and the guys are receptive and that is good.".....Ferguson

"When you get to this level all the guys have played on the power play at some point in their career, so it is pretty much plug and play if a player gets hurt. The penalty kill is more detail oriented where you have to know your spots, know your outs. It is like a pulley system where everyone has to work together. The only way you get good is through reps in practice and going over video.".....Ferguson

"As we talked in the summer, it will be a little different mindset this season. Giving up 24 shots in the preseason game was pretty good though I didn't like giving up four goals even though three were on special teams".....Adams"

"We had a lot of shots in the preseason game and I like the fact we got 40 shots. I would like to see some better shot opportunities from us and feel we could have gotten the puck to better parts of the ice to improve our chances of scoring"....Adams

"Will Gavin, who just arrived from Tucson, had 19 goals in 38 games for the Air Force Academy last season to lead the team and will be good help for us.".....Ferguson

"We are all excited to go, the players are excited to go. We can bang some other bodies and shoot against some other colors. It is about time. It has been a week to long for us to start playing and now we get three games in three days. Let's go play, that is our league, it doesn't matter.".....Adams

OTHER COMMENTS

- It didn't take long for Hank Crone to get to the top of the ECHL scoring list. He had  two goals and an assist last night in Idaho's 5-2 win over Toledo and was named the game's #1 star. After two games, Hank is averaging 2.50 points per game and is tied for the league lead in points with five (2G, 3A). Idaho is 2-0-0-0 and has two more games against Toledo on Friday and Saturday. If Idaho sweeps Toledo, which is a tall task, the Steelheads will be off to another great start with a favorable schedule through the end of November. Idaho will be favored in all 14 games that include six against Tahoe, five against Rapid City and three against Savannah. 

 

- To no surprise Steve Martinson and the new franchise, Athens Rock Lobsters, are off to a great start under some tough circumstances. Martinson has a history of performing well in his first year as a coach with a team. He won a championship in his first year in Allen (followed by three more). What is difficult this season for Martinson is he is in the midst of playing 11 straight road games because the Athens new arena is not complete. The Rock Lobsters first home game isn't until December 6. Not a problem so far as Athens has started the season with four wins and leads the league in points percentage (.917). They have been dominant thus far, scoring 23 goals in four games while allowing just eight. 

 

- Here is a video put out by ECHL Weekly that cover the affiliations for each team:

 

 

- It is still very early in the season with two teams (Allen & Tahoe) playing their first game today. Will they join their fellow Mountain Division teams that look like the Wild Wild West thus far. Three ECHL teams are averaging 5.00 or more goals per game, all come from the Mountain Division and have played two games.

6.00 goals - Idaho

5.50 goals - Tulsa

5.00 goals - Kansas City

 

 

 

- Some ECHL teams have signed a tough guy with the extra skater that is allowed in 2024-25. Will this lead to more fights this season? It is a very very small sample size, but if the fights in week one of the season are annualized the recent downward trend in fights could be reversed. Here are the number of fights in the league the last three seasons which reflect the changes in fighting rules:

 

350: 2024-25 (annualized after one week)

333: 2023-24

378: 2022-23

449: 2021-22

 

 

 

- It’s that time of the season when all 29 ECHL teams think they can win the Kelly Cup. 11 teams are undefeated, eight teams haven’t earned a point, two teams haven’t played a game and the rest fall in between. That will all change soon. Most playoff teams (80%) will be decided by Thanksgiving! Here are the most recent ECHL champions:

 

2024, 2023 & 2022 - Florida

2021 - Fort Wayne

2020 - No Playoffs

2019 - Newfoundland

2018 & 2017 - Colorado

2016 & 2015 - Allen

DID YOU KNOW: I have kept this opening night game recap going forever and it is getting long, but if you like a trip down memory lane this is for you. The Allen Americans all time opening night record is 8-7. They are 4-4 at home and a 4-3 on the road. No matter when you started following the Americans, opening night games always bring back memories. Here is a recap of all opening night games. 

2009-10 - In the first game in team history Allen won 1-0 in Arizona. Christian Gaudet scored the only goal of the game late in the first period assisted by Bruce Graham and Nino Musitelli. Charlie Effinger was in goal for Allen and Chris Whitley was on the bench. Allen started on the road the first season because the Allen Event Center was not completed. The Americans played their first seven games in franchise history on the road. They returned to Allen after those first seven games 5-1-0-1.

2010-11 - Allen opens at home against Texas, scores three goals (Alexandre Quesnel, Dustin Donaghy, Judd Blackwater) in the first four minutes of the game and coasts to a 5-2 win.

2011-12 - Allen opens at home against Tulsa and gets beat 4-1 with Jim McKenzie getting the Americans only goal with just over a minute left in the game. Most notable in that game was a Gordie Howe hat trick by Tulsa's Gary Steffes who had a goal, an assist and a fight with Allen's Scott Langdon.

2012-13 - Allen opens the season at home and shuts out Arizona 4-0. Scott Howes had two goals in the game. The other goal scorers were Adam Pineault and Darryl Bootland. Steve Silverthorn was in goal and the backup was a rookie by the name of Aaron Dell. Dell would play sparingly the first few weeks of the season but eventually take over the starting role and lead the Americans to their first championship. What ever happened to that Dell guy?

2013-14 - Allen opened the season in Wichita and beat the Thunder 4-3 in a shootout. Allen had a 3-0 lead midway in the game on two goals by Darryl Bootland and one by Jonathan Lessard but let Wichita come back. The hero in the shootout was Kale Kerbashian who scored in the fifth round to win the game.

2014-15 - The worst opening night ever for Allen as they opened at home and got beat by Tulsa 9-6. Greger Hanson was the lone bright spot for Allen with a whopping 11 shots on goal, four points and a hat trick. Aaron Dell was in goal for the Americans and gave up seven of the nine goals. Whatever happened to that Dell guy? Actually, it was Dell's only regulation loss in the 12 games he played for Allen that season. By the end of January he was in the AHL on his way to the NHL.

2015-16 - Another opening night loss as the Quad City Mallards came to the Allen Event Center and beat the Americans 2-1. Allen's lone goal was scored by Garrett Clarke with assists going to Justin Courtnall and goalie Joel Rumpel. You didn't see those three in the boxscore very often let alone on the same play.

2016-17 - It was an opening night win as Allen was at home and beat Missouri 6-3. Kale Kerbashian had two goals and Riley Gill was peppered with 47 shots.

2017-18 - It was an opening night like no other as the Americans went on the road and beat the Rapid City Rush 8-3. The eight goals is the most ever scored by the Americans in a season opener. The five goal margin of victory is the largest ever in a season opener and the first goal of the season was a shorthanded goal scored by Jonathan Lessard. Lessard and Zach Pochiro each had two goals for the Americans.

2018-19 - Allen opened the season in Kansas City and took it on the chin with a 5-1 loss while being out shot 43-21. The game was tied 1-1 after the first period as Casey Pierro-Zabotel scored the Americans only goal of the game. Over the last two periods the Mavericks out shot Allen 32-14 and outscored the Americans 4-0. The #1 star of the game with a goal and two assists for the Mavericks was Jared VanWormer who would go on to become captain of the Allen Americans.

 2019-20 - Allen opened the season at home against Rapid City and came away with a 3-2 overtime victory. Jordan Topping tied the score 2-2 with 91 seconds left in the game and then got the game winning goal at 2:58 of overtime.

2020-21 - It was the latest opener in the history of the team as COVID delayed the season until December 12. Allen opened on the road and lost to Tulsa 4-3 before a restricted crowd of 2590 at the BOK Center which has a capacity of  of over 17,000. Allen scored first (Jake McGrew) but Tulsa took a 3-1 lead early in the second period. Allen tied the score 3-3 by the end of the second period on goals by McGrew and Zane Franklin. Tulsa scored the only goal of the third period to take the win 4-3. McGrew played 11 games in Allen and scored six goals after being loaned to Allen by its affiliate at the time (San Jose). He returned to San Jose after his great start in Allen and played the rest of the season with the Barracuda.      

2021-22 -  Allen opened the season at home against Wichita and got shellacked 7-0, the worst shutout in the history of the team. The excitement of having Chad Costello and Jack Combs back in Allen was quickly tempered as the Americans allowed 39 shots on goal, gave up three power play goals (3-5) and were 0-6 on the power play. 

2022-23 - Allen opened the season in Tulsa and lost to the Oilers 4-3. Allen never led in the game after giving up the first goal early in the opening period. Allen's first goal of the season was scored by Hank Crone giving fans a glimpse of what would be come a historic season (team record 49 goals). After falling behind 3-1 early in the third period the Americans came back to tie the score 3-3 on goals by Liam Finlay and Zach Pochiro but ended up losing the game 4-3.  

2023-24 - Allen opened the season in Idaho and came away with 5-2 win. Considering Allen's record against Idaho over the last two seasons 3-15-1-0 the opening night victory was huge. The game was highlighted by goalie Leevi Merilainen who stopped 43 of 45 shots which included shutting down Idaho in all eight of its power play opportunities. Meanwhile Allen scored five goals, but managed just 19 shots on goal. You won't find many games when your team gets out shot 45-19 and you win 5-2.