The Allen Americans extended their winning streak to seven games last night with a 5-3 win over the Wichita Thunder. The last time Allen had a winning streak as long as seven games was in 2016-17. That season, Allen won 15 of its last 16 games to overtake Colorado to win the division. It was almost a 16-game win streak; the Americans won seven straight, lost in overtime, and then won the last eight games of the season. This season reminds me of 2016-17, when I predicted Allen would not catch Colorado and was proven wrong. A couple of weeks ago, I predicted Allen would not be able to catch Idaho for second place. A seven-game win streak by the Americans, combined with a three-game Idaho losing streak, means Allen controls its own destiny. If they win the last five games, the Americans will finish in second place, no matter the outcome of Idaho's last three games of the season in Tulsa this weekend.
- Allen scored five goals last night and improved its league-leading average goals per game to 3.70. A win is a win, but Allen overcame some odds last night. Here are some of the good and the bad:
- Allen outshot Wichita 42-25.
- Allen gave up the first goal of the game and still won. The Americans' record when giving up the first goal is not good, 12-21-2-0 (.371)
- Allen outplayed Wichita in the first period, measured by shots (17-6) and puck possession, but trailed 2-0 at the first intermission. Allen overcame its record when trailing after the first period of 5-17-2-0 (.250) to win the game.
- Allen outscored Wichita 3-0 in the second period to turn the game around. Allen's second period has been the best by far all season. The Americans' goal differential by period is -5 (1st), +41 (2nd), +14 (3rd).
- Allen had a 3-2 lead after the second period, and that has been golden this season. The Americans' record when leading after the second period is 28-0-2-0.
- Allen won despite losing the special teams battle. The game pitted the #1 home penalty kill in Allen against the #28 road power play in Wichita. Allen was 0-4 on the power play, Wichita was 1-3.
- The bottom line is Allen got an important win against a depleted Wichita team. If Allen wants to keep the winning streak going, the Americans will have to play better tomorrow night against Tahoe. FYI, Allen's win over Wichita last night clinched a playoff spot for Tahoe. The Knight Monsters can't improve on their fourth-place position in the standings. Could that help Allen this weekend?
- Goals scorers for Allen were Colby McAuley (25), Jax Dubois, (2), Landon Hookey (1), Danny Katic (36), and Harrison Blaisdell (27). Sam Sedley led the team with three assists, and Hookey led the team with seven shots. Here are the video highlights with all of the goals and the game recaps from both teams with the goal-by-goal details:
- Video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/wichita-thunder-vs-allen-americans-apr-8-2026
- Allen Americans recap: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/04/americans-storm-back-to-beat-wichita
- Wichita Thunder recap: https://wichitathunder.com/news/2026/04/thunder-suffer-5-3-loss-at-allen
- I will have a complete preview tomorrow of the two-game series with Tahoe (Friday and Saturday), but here are a couple of stats. Allen is 1-2-0-0 against Tahoe this season. They played the three games in Tahoe at the beginning of January. Currently, Allen is on a seven-game win streak, and Tahoe has lost four of its last six games.
- The Allen offense continues to click. The totals for the seven-game win streak are 42 goals scored (6.00 average) and 15 goals allowed (2.14 average). Here are some of the individual accomplishments:
- Brayden Watts has an assist in eight of the last nine games. He is #2 in the league in assists (47) and #3 in points (69).
- Danny Katic leads the league in goals (36). He has a goal in 11 of the last 15 games for a total of 14 goals in 15 games.
- Colby McAuley had at least one point in every game of the winning streak and was a plus player as well. His totals for the seven games are 12 points (6G, 6A) and +11.
- Michael Gildon has points in seven of the last eight games. His totals are 15 points (4G, 11A)
- Harrison Blaisdell has points in six of the last eight games. A total of 11 points (7G, 4A).
- Sam Sedley has points in five straight games, eight points (2G, 8A). He is #3 in the ECHL in power play assists (24) and #4 in power play points (24).
- Colton Hargrove has 10 points (6G, 4A) in the seven-game win streak and is +11.
- Anthony Costantini +15 and Andre Anania +13 led the team in plus/minus during this seven-game winning streak.
MARTINSON'S POST-GAME COMMENTS
"We didn't defend well on a couple of the goals. We practice defense in a 2-on-1 situation every day in practice, but we didn't play them very well in the game. We will go over some video with the defensemen to clean that up."
"I liked Hookey in the game. He is a big, strong guy with good hands and good vision. He will get stronger over the next 10 days by playing more minutes. He has been in and out of the lineup in Belleville.
"We have never had an affiliate that is willing to send as many players as Ottawa will send us for the playoffs. Even though Belleville is not going to make the playoffs, they can't send players now. They need them all because they don't have extra players."
"We can't look past Friday night, but I am excited about what we have coming for the playoffs."
"Because we were playing a team that was depleted, we talked before the game about playing the right way and the four important things. Working hard, being in shape, being a team guy, and finishing your checks."
"We didn't score on the power play, but we did some good things. When we work things from the left side, it is nice to have a right shot net front guy like Hookey, because he can step off on his forehand and have a passing lane."
"I didn't match lines at all tonight. With four games in five days, I am trying to keep the minutes even."
OTHER COMMENTS
- With his three assists last night Sam Sedley joins the exclusive group of defensemen with 40+ assists in a single season since Allen joined the ECHL:
- 48 assists - Aaron Gens (2014-15)
- 47 assists - Matt Register (2020-21)
- 44 assists - Alex Breton (2019-20)
- 43 assists - David Makowski (2017-18)
- 41 assists - Sam Sedley (2025-26) - 5 games remaining
- Danny Katic's 36th goal last night moved him up another notch on the all-time franchise list of 30+ goal scorers. With five games remaining, he has a four-goal lead as the top goal scorer in the ECHL:
- 49 goals - Hank Crone (2022-23)
- 44 goals - Gary Steffes (2014-15)
- 41 goals - Chad Costello (2014-15)
- 39 goals - Colton Hargrove (2022-23)
- 36 goals - Danny Katic (2025-26) - 5 games remaining
- 36 goals - Jack Combs (2022-23)
- 35 goals - Greger Hanson (2016-17)
- 34 goals - Bruce Graham (2010-11)
- 34 goals - Nino Musitelli (2010-11)
- 34 goals - Zach Pochiro (2018-19)
- 33 goals - Chad Costello (2016-17)
- 33 goals - Colton Yellow Horn (2010-11)
- 33 goals - Liam Finlay (2022-23)
- 31 goals - Bruce Graham (2009-10)
- 30 goals - Corey Mackin (2020-21)
- Kansas City lost to Tulsa 2-1 at home last night. The Mavericks' points percentage dropped to .809, which is the second-best all-time. If Kansas City wins its final four games, the Mavericks would finish with a points percentage of .8194, just shy of Idaho's all-time record of .8256 set in 2022-23. The difference is one point over a 72-game schedule.
- There is only one game on the ECHL schedule today: Chad Costello's Greenville Swamp Rabbits take on the Bloomington Bison. Greenville lost 4-3 to Savannah at home last night and was eliminated from the playoffs. The Swamp Rabbits have six games remaining (all at home). It is that time of the season when players are playing for jobs for next season and pride.
- Mathematically, only 10 teams have qualified for the playoffs, but realistically, the Central Division is the only one with playoff spots up for grabs. In the North Division, Reading and Adirondack will join #1 Wheeling and #2 Maine. In the South Division, Savannah will join #1 Florida, #2 South Carolina, and #3 Atlanta. In the Mountain Division, all four playoff teams are already decided. That leaves the Central Division with four teams vying for two playoff spots to join Toledo and Fort Wayne. Here are the points and games remaining for the four teams:
- 72 points - Kalamazoo (6 games remaining, 2 home, 4 away)
- 72 points - Indy (5 games remaining, all away)
- 72 points - Cincinnati (5 games remaining, 3 home, 2 away)
- 69 points - Bloomington (6 games remaining, 2 home, 4 away)
- Bloomington has the easiest schedule with all six remaining games against non-playoff teams.
- Kalamazoo and Cincinnati play each other three times.
- Which two teams make the playoffs?
Barry, if you can’t give us names, can you give us an idea of how many, what positions, and what kind of gameplay we should expect from incoming players? Hoping to stiffen up the blueline, and get a little bottom 6 toughness replenished… more scoring would be nice too though I’m not sure who fits where with the current forward group.
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