A Bunch of "This N That" While Waiting for Round Two of the Playoffs to Begin

 

Not much new to report, but with so many days off between Allen beating Idaho 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs and the beginning of the Division Finals against Kansas City next Saturday (May 9), I thought I would recap some old info and share some random information. Here goes: 

 

- Here is the schedule for the series with Kansas City:

 

 

 

- It was announced two days ago that the Mavericks will play games six and seven, if necessary, in their community rink with no spectators allowed. Most of you know the Kansas City arena is a twin of the Allen facility, so the community rinks hold around 300 in the limited bleachers. This is the Mavericks' statement to fans.

"Please know that this situation has been as difficult for the organization as it is for our supporters. However, adhering to strict occupancy limitations at the alternate venue (community rink), there is no fair or equitable way to accommodate the demand of our loyal fan base, so no fans will be allowed at the games. We recognize the disappointment and frustration this may cause and sincerely regret that we are unable to provide access to all who wish to attend.”

Seems to me they could find a fair way to let a few hundred season ticket holders attend using a drawing or some other criteria, but opted to have no fans attend.  Welcome to ECHL playoff hockey scheduling. FYI, had Tahoe won the series against Kansas City, Allen would have had some scheduling problems in the Division Finals. However, Allen was exploring options such as NYTEX and Comerica Center, as I am told by their leadership that playing without their home fans was "never a solution we were going to accept."

 

- Four of the eight teams that will advance to the Division Finals have already been determined, and the higher seeds advanced: 

• #1 Florida defeated #4 Savannah 4-0
• #1 Kansas City defeated #4 Tahoe 4-0
• #1 Wheeling defeated #4 Reading 4-1
• #2 Allen defeated #3 Idaho 4-1

 

- In the four series yet to be decided, the higher seeds are leading: 

• #1 Fort Wayne leads #4 Indy 3-1
• #2 Toledo leads #3 Bloomington 3-2
• #2 South Carolina leads #3 Atlanta 3-2
• #2 Maine leads #3 Adirondack 3-2

I looked back at the last 10 Kelly Cup playoffs, and there has never been a time when there wasn't at least one upset in the first round of the playoffs. In 2025, and 2024 there were three upsets each season. It sure looks favorable for all of the higher seeds to advance. 

 

 

- Here are some impressive team stats from the first round of the playoffs

 

• Wheeling gave up 4 goals in 5 games against Reading for a 0.80  goals per game average.
• Kansas City scored 17 goals (4.25 average) and allowed five goals (1.25 average) in its sweep of Tahoe for a goal differential of +12.
• Florida took only 20 penalty minutes in its sweep of Savannah, by far the lowest PIMS in the first round. The other team that swept (Kansas City) took 76 penalty minutes. Florida is the only playoff team with a 100% penalty kill percentage.
• Fort Wayne had the #2 penalty kill percentage in the regular season (24.7%) and is #1 in the playoffs (31.6%).

 

- Here are some impressive individual stats from the first round:

 

• Taylor Gauthier, Wheeling, leads all goalies with a 0.74 GAA and .979 save percentage. There have been six shutouts in the playoffs thus far, Gauthier has three of them.
• Danny Katic has the only playoff hat trick thus far and is the points leader with 10 (5G, 5A).
• Lucas Sowder, (KC), and Jade Miller (IDH) lead with a shooting percentage of 75% (3 goals on 4 shots).
• Connor Moore, South Carolina, leads all defensemen, averaging an assist per game (5 games, 5 assists).
• Charlie Combs, South Carolina, brother of former Allen player Jack Combs, leads the playoffs in goals (6) and has a goal in all 5 games played. 
• Sam Sedley is tied for the point lead among defensemen with 5 (1G, 4A). His lone goal was a short-handed goal (an empty-net goal).
• Cam Johnson, ECHL Goalie of the Year, played in all four games in Florida's sweep of Savannah with a GAA of 1.00 and a .963 save percentage.  

 

- Some stats don't change from the regular season. Even though Allen beat Idaho 4-1, the goal differentials by period are similar to the regular season: negative in the first period, positive in the second and third. Here are Allen's playoff goal differentials stats:

• -3: First period (3 goals scored, 6 allowed)
• +2: Second period (7 goals scored, 5 allowed)
• +6: Third period: (9 goals scored, 3 allowed) 

 

 

 

- One of the best things about the long layoff between games is time for all of the bumps, bruises, and worse to heal. Every member of the Allen playoff roster has been on the ice this week. Will have to see toward the end of the week if any players will be unavailable for the trip to Kansas City for games one and two.

 

 

- The Allen Americans' practices will get a little more intense this week after some days off sprinkled with "fun" practices until today. One practice was a player's only game with lunch provided by Coach Martinson to the winners. Another day was a practice completely run by the players with no coaches on the ice. The players had to decide the drills, timing, etc.

 

 

 

- Kansas City has only 21 of the 25 maximum players allowed on the playoff roster. They have saved four playoff spots for five playoff-eligible players playing in the AHL playoffs for the Mavericks' affiliate, Coachella Valley. They are the #4 seed and in the midst of a best-of-five series against the #1 seed in the division, Ontario. The first two games were in Ontario, and they split. The next two games are in Coachella Valley on Tuesday (5th) and Thursday (7th). If the series goes to a fifth game, it will be in Ontario on the 9th. The Mavericks could add four additional players to their roster depending on how Coachella Valley fares in the playoffs. 

 

 

 

- What is known for sure is that Kansas City will be missing ECHL MVP Marcus Crawford for game one on Saturday. Crawford was suspended for three games for a game misconduct, elbowing penalty in the Tahoe series. Because Kansas City swept Tahoe, Crawford still has one game of his suspension to serve, which will be served on Saturday against Allen. 

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: This was my ECHL Stats post from yesterday. The numbers may have changed a bit after the games last night, but this makes the point:

 

The trend from the regular season continues in the playoffs. The Western Conference equals offense, and the Eastern Conference equals defense. Thus far in the playoffs, the top four teams on offense (average goals scored) are from the Western Conference. Four of the top six teams on defense (average goals allowed) are from the Eastern Conference:

 

Goals Scored Average

4.25 - Kansas City

4.00 - Allen

3.75 - Fort Wayne

3.60 - Toledo

 

Goals Allowed Average

1.00 - Wheeling

1.00 - Florida

1.25 - Kansas City

2.25 - Fort Wayne

2.40 - South Carolina

2.50 - Maine 

 

During the regular season, the top six teams in average goals scored were from the Western Conference. Four of the top five in average goals allowed were from the Eastern Conference.