Allen vs South Carolina Series Preview, 2015 Kelly Cup Finals Revisited, Tonight's Lineup, Defensemen Used By Each ECHL Team, Transactions Breakdown and More

 

Before I start the blog today, I wanted to let everyone know that if you access the blog on X (Twitter), my account has been suspended. I'm not sure why, and there's no way to talk to anyone. I have filed a written appeal and am awaiting a response from X. Here are the options for getting the blog.

• Bookmark "Allen Americans Blog" on Google or whatever search engine you use.
• Go to the Allen Americans website (allenamericans.com) and click on News & Info, and there will be a drop-down menu. Click on Janssen on Hockey, and it will take you to the blog.
• Facebook is still working, so Allen Americans Blog for those with Facebook.
• If you are on X, make sure you are following the Allen Americans (@AllenAmericans) as they will be posting the blog on their X account while I am trying to resolve this suspension.  

 

- Enough about social media, let's talk hockey. The Americans are in South Carolina to take on the Stingrays tonight (6:05 pm CDT), Saturday (5:05 pm CDT), and Sunday (2:05 pm CDT). The Allen Americans and their longtime fans have fond memories of the North Charleston Coliseum, where the Stingrays have played since it opened in 1993. In 2015, Allen won its third straight championship and its first Kelly Cup (first season in the ECHL), beating South Carolina in the finals in seven games. What many don't remember is that the series was a 3-3-1 series with Allen having home ice advantage.

 

- Allen opened the series at home, and it did not go well. The Americans lost game one (4-3), won game two (5-2), and lost game three (4-1). South Carolina headed home with a 2-1 series lead and needing to win two of three at home to win the Kelly Cup. Here is how the three games at the North Charleston Coliseum went in June of 2015:

• Allen won the first game 3-2 in double overtime to tie the series 2-2. 
• Allen won the second game in overtime to take a 3-2 series lead.
• South Carolina won the third game 4-1 to tie the series and set up game seven back in Allen.
• Allen made no doubt winning game seven 6-1. 
• Here is the blog after that win, which is a great trip down memory lane from how the league didn't want the upstart CHL team to win, to how the veterans dominated game seven. Many household names to this day on that team: https://allenamericansblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/allen-wins-kelly-cup-you-will-walk.html  

 

- Tonight will be the first time back in the North Charleston Coliseum since 2015, and it will be quite a challenge for the Americans. South Carolina had been one of the best teams in the ECHL all season. The Stingrays are ranked #4 in points (79) and #5 in points percentage (.669). Their home record is even better at .726 (22-8-0-1). South Carolina has been at or near the top for the most NHL/AHL contracted players assigned all season. As of this morning, that number is at a peak for the season. 16 contracted players are currently assigned to South Carolina

 

- Allen can't match South Carolina's numbers, but the Americans have added two contracted forwards who were assigned yesterday. Here is the press release with the details: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/03/news-americans-receive-two-ahl-contracted-players  

 

- Coach Martinson didn't make a move at the trade deadline, which was yesterday, because to get a good player in a trade, you have to give up a good player as part of the future considerations. Martinson didn't want to give up a player for next season to get a player this season. Instead, Martinson has been dealing with four different AHL teams to get players assigned this season, which could lead to an affiliation next year. I wouldn't be surprised to see General Manager Martinson working with more than one NHL/AHL team next season. The two players assigned yesterday are just the beginning of more players being assigned from now, all the way until the playoffs begin. In addition to the contracted players, look for Martinson to add college/junior players finishing their careers and looking to turn pro. 

 

- Every healthy player on the Allen roster made the trip to South Carolina, including all three goalies. The good news is Allen has a full lineup. Here is the lineup for tonight: 

Forwards

6 Crone - 7 Hargrove - 92 McAuley 

9 Katic - 91 Gildon - 29 Watts

77 Sillinger - 18 Blaisdell - 14 Gursoy

11 Barbashyov - 19 Maxwell - 44 Susuyev 

 

Defense

86 Anania - 22 Costantini

8 Prefontaine - 2 Warmuth

25 LeDonne - 21 Decker

 

Goalies

31 Parsons 

33 Costantini (backup)

  

- Here are some comparison stats between Allen and South Carolina:

• Allen's record is 32-21-5-0, South Carolina is 38-18-1-2. 
• Allen is 6-3-1-0 over the last 10 games, South Carolina is 7-1-0-2.
• Allen is 14-12-3-0 on the road, South Carolina is 22-8-0-1 at home.
• Allen's goal differential is +26 (198-172), South Carolina's is +24 (183-159).
• Allen's team plus/minus is +47, South Carolina's is +90.
• Allen's team save percentage is .915, South Carolina's is .910.

 

- Here is the more traditional statistical comparison between the two teams. The league rank is in parentheses: 

• Goals scored average: Allen, 3.41 (#6) - South Carolina, 3.10 (#12)
• Goals allowed average: Allen, 2.97 (#14) - South Carolina, 2.69 (#9)
• Shots for average: Allen, 33.66 (#2) - South Carolina, 27.75 (#28)
• Shots against average: Allen, 35.07 (#28) - South Carolina, 29.54 (#10)
• Power play percentage: Allen, 19.9% (#10) - South Carolina, 19.5% (#13)
• Penalty kill percentage: Allen, 84.5% (#6) - South Carolina, 86.4%% (#3) 

 

- Looking at the stats above, they are surprisingly close. Allen scores a little more, and South Carolina has a little better defense. This is typical of the Western Conference vs. the Eastern Conference. The top seven ECHL teams in average goals scored are in the Western Conference. Eight of the bottom 12 in average goals allowed are in the Western Conference. 

 

- Special teams will play a big role in this series. Both teams have top-notch penalty kill units and they could be the difference. It should be noted that South Carolina is the most penalized team in the league (947 minutes) compared to Allen, ranked #7 (777 minutes). Here is how the teams compare by type of penalty. South Carolina leads in every category. The game tonight will be a two-referee game, so I would expect more than a few penalties.

• 271 vs 251 - minor penalties
• 35 vs 23 - major penalties (mostly fighting majors)
• 14 vs 10 - 10-minute misconduct penalties
• 7 vs 6 - Game misconduct penalties
• 2-0 - match penalties

  I did notice South Carolina must take a lot of chances on the penalty kill because they have given up 10 shorthanded goals and have scored five. Allen has given up six shorthanded goals and scored just two.

 

- Beware the team that scores the first goal in this series, as both teams are lethal when they score first.  

• Allen: 21-2-3-0 (.865)
• South Carolina: 22-4-1-1 (.821)

 

- Playing from behind is also a sure way to defeat. Here are the records with a lead after the second period:

• Allen: 22-0-2-0 (.958)
• South Carolina: 27-1-0-1 (.948)

 

 OTHER COMMENTS

- It is another big night in the ECHL with 14 games on the schedule. After tonight, teams will have between 10 and 14 games remaining in the season. If South Carolina wins tonight and Greenville loses in regulation  (they play in Savannah), the Stingrays will become the third team (Kansas City and Florida are the others) to clinch a playoff spot. Speaking of Kansas City, if the Mavericks win tonight and Idaho loses in regulation, the Mountain Division title will belong to Kansas City for the third straight season. Here is the ECHL Today with all the previews: https://echl.com/news/2026/03/echl-today-march-20  

 

- Here is my ECHL Stats post from a few days ago, showing the defensemen used by each ECHL team:

The ECHL has used 343 defensemen this season. Number used by each team:

18: MNE, UTA

17: RC, WOR

16: REA, SC

15: GSO, IA, ORL, TUL

14: ADK, CIN, FW, IND, JAX, NOR, TAH

13: ALN, *WHL*

12: ATL, *FLA*, IDH, SAV, TR, WIC

11: BLM, KAL

10: GVL, *KC*, *TOL*

 

*Division Leaders*

 

 

Last season (2024-25), four teams used 20+ defensemen:

24: Utah

21: Tahoe

20: Bloomington

20: Reading

 

   

DID YOU KNOW: There were 142 ECHL transactions in just the last two days. In addition to the many players moving off and on reserve and 3-day IR, here are some of the other player transactions affecting rosters. It is that time of the season when there are lots of roster moves, even though the trade deadline passed yesterday. Lots of players finishing their collegiate or junior careers are signing amateur tryout contracts (ATO) and standard player contracts (SPC). Here is the list, just for the last two days:

21: Players Signed (SPC & ATO)

11: Players Traded

11: Players Recalled

11: Players Placed on 14-day IR

10: Players Released

6: Players Assigned by NHL/AHL