It will be a brutal week for the Allen Americans with yet another four games in five days. Three home games starting tonight against Wichita, followed by Tahoe on Friday and Saturday. Then the Americans travel overnight to Wichita after the Saturday game, arriving around 5:00 am. They will have to be at the rink at noon for a 2:05 pm puck drop.
- How important are the four games this week? They got a lot more important last night when Idaho lost to Utah 3-1. Allen's fate is now in its own hands. Here are the facts:
- Idaho's regular season ends on Sunday after they play three games in Tulsa this weekend.
- Idaho has 87 points, and with a sweep in Tulsa will finish with 93 points.
- Allen has 81 points, and if the Americans win their final six games, they will finish the regular season with 93 points.
- If the teams end up tied, Allen holds the tiebreaker, which is regulation wins.
- Win or lose this week, if Allen is within four points of Idaho after the games on Sunday, the Americans' fate will be in their hands the final week of the season when they play Wichita on the road on the 17th (Friday) and Kansas City at home on the 18th (Saturday).
- It is great to know that if Allen wins the final six games of the season, they will finish in second place. That would give them home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. It would also mean just one trip to Idaho instead of two, saving the team $15,000.
- Right now, the only game Allen should be thinking about is tonight against Wichita. With Tahoe coming to Allen for two big games on Friday and Saturday, the Americans can't look past Wichita. It would be easy to do, considering Wichita has the worst record in the ECHL over the last 10 games (2-7-1-0), and they have lost all of their NHL/AHL contracted players. They have had nine different players assigned at some point this season; they currently have none. The only team in the ECHL with no assigned players.
- The game tonight will be the 8th of ten games against Wichita. Allen's is 6-1-0-0 against the Thunder. Here are the stats:
- Allen's record is 38-23-5-0 (.614), Wichita's is 25-30-7-4.
- Allen is 7-3-0-0 over the last 10 games, Wichita is 2-7-2-0.
- Allen is 21-9-2-0 at home, Wichita is 10-19-5-0 on the road.
- Allen's goal differential is +49 (243-194), Wichita's is -31 (180-211).
- Allen's team plus/minus is +139, Wichita's is -213.
- Allen's team save percentage is .915, Wichita's is .909.
- Here is how the teams rank in some key stats:
- Goals scored average: Allen #1 (3.68) - Wichita #21 (2.73)
- Goals allowed average: Allen #14 (2.94) - Wichita #21 (3.20)
- Shots for average: Allen #2 (33.64) - Wichita #11 (31.73)
- Shots against average: Allen #28 (34.42) - Wichita #27 (34.36)
- Power play percentage: Allen #8 (21.0%) - Wichita #18 (17.7%)
- Penalty kill percentage: Allen #9 (84.1%) - Wichita #11 (83.9%
- Here are some other relevant stats:
- Allen is ranked #13 in penalty minutes (851), Wichita is ranked #28 with 648 minutes.
- Allen has scored first in 48% of its games with a record of 27-2-3-0 (.891)
- Wichita has scored first in 47% of its games with a record of 16-11-2-2 (.581).
- Allen has been involved in 11 overtime games with a record of 3-5 in OT and 3-0 in shootouts.
- Wichita has been involved in 15 overtime games with a record of 3-7 in OT and 1-4 in shootouts.
- Allen is 27-0-2-0 when leading after the 2nd period, Wichita is 16-2-2-1.
- Allen is 5-17-2-0 when trailing after the 1st period, Wichita is 6-13-1-2.
- Conclusions from these stats tell you that the team that stays out of the penalty box, scores first, and plays with the lead has a big advantage. Neither team plays well from behind.
- Allen has a big special teams advantage when you compare home vs road percentages. Wichita has the second-worst road power play percentage (12.9%) in the league, and Allen has the #1 ranked home penalty kill percentage (89.1). If you look at the head-to-head stats, the Americans scored at least one power play goal in six of the seven games for a total of 9-31 (35.5%). Wichita scored power-play goals in three of the seven games for a total of 4-27 (14.8%).
- When it comes to who to watch for the Americans tonight, it is almost everyone. Allen has won six straight games and scored 38 goals in the six games (6.33 average). FYI, the defense has also been good, giving up just 12 goals (2.00 average), and five of them were in one game. The line with Watts, Katic, and Gildon is one to keep an eye on. Katic has a three-goal lead (35-32) in the goals race, Gildon is looking for his 20th goal, and Watts is #2 in assists and has a chance for #2 in points. I could see this line having a big game tonight, but any of the forwards could have a four-point night tonight.
- Here is the tentative lineup for tonight, always subject to change. Hookey will wear #55 and play center. Brett Mirwald will get the start in goal
- Here are the game notes issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/04/game-day-preview-final-visit-by-wichita-this-season
LANDON HOOKEY PLAYER PROFILE
- Allen's roster will get a boost tonight with the addition of Landon Hookey, who was just assigned by Belleville.
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Landon Hookey #55
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- Landon Hookey is a 22-year-old, 6''5", 223-pound, right-shot forward from Sarnia, Ontario. Landon is a rookie who has spent the year in Belleville where he has played in 49 games and totaled 12 points (5G, 7A). Last season, Hookey had 70 points (34G, 36A) in 68 games, playing his final year in juniors, for Owen Sound Attack (OHL). He led his team in points and goals, was 2nd in penalty minutes, and was captain of the team. A true power forward who can also play center, kill penalties, and being a right shot can help on the Allen power play. Here is a get-to-know-you video with Hookey after he was signed by Belleville last August:
- Hookey's coach last season in Owen Sound was Scott Wray. For you long-time Allen fans, that is a familiar name. In the first year of the franchise (2009-10), the Americans surprised a lot of people, making it to the CHL championship finals against Rapid City. Trailing in the series 3-2, with the final two games in Rapid City, Allen took a 3-0 lead in game six, but Rapid City scored two goals in the final five minutes of the game to send it to overtime. With 32 seconds remaining in the second overtime, Rapid City scored. Scott Wray was the player who scored the championship-winning goal. In my opinion, it was the most disappointing loss in franchise history.
- I digress. Here is what Hookey's coach, Scott Wray, had to say about him when he named Landon captain: "Landon has been nothing but a leader for us all season. He continues to help work with the young guys to develop into everyday OHL players. He takes pride in both ends of the rink and has really become a true power forward in this league. When Hooks speaks, everyone listens and follows."
- Sending Hookey to Allen is an important move and says a lot about Belleville's commitment to the Americans. He needs to play five games in Allen to qualify for the playoffs, so Belleville assigned Landon even though the Senators are still battling for a playoff spot and don't have extra players. I assume he will be here for the rest of the season. Belleville is all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. They will have to win their five remaining games and hope Rochester loses its six remaining games to make the playoffs.
- With the players Coach Martinson expects to get from Belleville, starting with Hookey, Allen will start to resemble the type of team Martinson is known for, lots of skill and toughness made for playoff hockey. Any players who get assigned by Belleville going forward are already qualified for the playoffs. What you will see happen over the next 10 days is two-fold. Belleville is really stepping up to help Allen have the strongest playoff roster possible, and the Senators' missing the playoffs gives their players a chance to play more games in crucial situations and develop for next season.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Surprise is an understatement; shocked is a better word to describe what I felt when I saw Brett Mirwald was not selected as the ECHL Goalie of the Week last week. Nothing against the Savannah goalie who won, but how does the ECHL pass up a 22-year-old goalie making his first two professional starts and recording back-to-back shutouts? The ECHL could have had all kinds of publicity on such a feat. To me, it was a baffling snub that felt like a missed PR opportunity. A master class in missing the obvious.
- Allen can do a favor for the idle Tahoe Knight Monsters tonight. Tahoe will clinch a playoff spot if the Americans beat Wichita tonight. The Mountain Division will become the first division to have all four playoff teams determined. Kansas City is locked in as the #1 seed, and Tahoe will be the #4 seed and play the Mavericks in the first round. Allen and Idaho will meet in the first round. Who gets the #2 seed and home ice advantage is still to be determined.
- It is a light Wednesday night schedule in the ECHL with only four games on tap. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2026/04/echl-today-april-8
- The ECHL had to extend the season a week to fit in the games that were cancelled because of the strike. Idaho made up those games during the season, so its final regular-season game is Sunday. That means the Steelheads will be sitting around for a long time waiting for the playoffs to begin. They could be waiting close to two weeks. Plenty of time to heal those bumps and bruises, but also time for the rust to form. It will be interesting to see how they play to start the playoffs.
DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about the mix of rookies and veterans on the top ECHL teams. I know Coach Martinson is a believer in the importance of veteran presence during the regular season and playoffs.
I completely agree re: Mirwald! He absolutely deserved Goalie of the Week - it would be great if they do an article on him.
ReplyDeleteNothing further from Springfield or Iowa, or Tucson?
ReplyDeleteIt's outrageous that he wasn't named Goalie of the Week! The ECHL should be ashamed. Has Katic been given any credit during this season? Seems a little suspect to me that Allen seems to be getting very little respect for some outstanding players.
ReplyDeleteGood grief …. Isabella Keating is back 🙄
ReplyDeleteEmergency Wednesday night fill on Flo listening to Tommy interview Isabella ….
Let’s interview the players….
I think she is an intern.
DeleteDoubt an intern, but she is terrible. Gracie beats her hands down every game. Not sure why Isabella is even here at the Americans.
DeleteYou should get out there and interview since you know so much. Don’t be a jerk.
Delete