He's Back!! - Steve Martinson Returns to the Allen Americans

 

 

Steve Martinson, Myles Jack, Michelle Martinson

Team owner Myles Jack and the Allen Americans just announced that Steve Martinson, a familiar face, has signed a three-year deal as coach and general manager. Martinson spent 10 seasons in Allen from 2012 to 2022, including winning four straight championships (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). He has won a total of 10 championships in his coaching career in four different leagues (WCHL, UHL, CHL, ECHL). Martinson won championships in his first year of coaching (San Diego), his first year in Allen, and the first year the Americans joined the ECHL. He knows how to build a competitive team quickly. This past season, Martinson coached a first-year franchise in the FPHL (Athens Rock Lobsters) and was selected as the Coach of the Year.

 

- In addition to Steve Martinson, Allen fans will be reunited with Michelle Martinson, who will manage the Americans Team Store, just as she did when the Martinsons were in Allen before. Michelle managed the Team Store in Athens this past season.

 

- When Martinson left Allen after the 2021-22 season, he had 1123 wins as a professional coach. Scotty Bowman is the only North American coach with more wins (1244). If you add his 43 wins in the FPHL this season, his total is now 1166 wins as a pro coach.  

- Here is the Allen Americans' regular season record since the 2012-13 season, when Martinson first arrived in Allen, through last season. The three numbers following the year are points, rank, and point percentage. Games played are 72 unless otherwise noted:

• 2012-13: 87 points, #1, .659  (66 games)
• 2013-14: 83 points, #3, .629  (66 games)
• 2014-15: 106 points, #2, .736
• 2015-16: 89 points, #5, .628
• 2016-17: 104 points, #2, .722 
• 2017-18: 78 points, #14, .542
• 2018-19: 56 points, #26, .389
• 2019-20: 88 points, #3, .710 (62 games)
• 2020-21: 94 points, #1, .653
• 2021-22: 79 points, #10, .549
  
• 2022-23: 77 points, #12, .535
• 2023-24: 70 points, #18, .486  
• 2024-25: 43 points, #29, .299

 

- If you look at the regular season stats above, and think about each season, a few things stand out:

• Steve Martinson finished in the top five in the league in points in seven of his 10 seasons.
• Allen has declined in points every season since 2020-21. 
• In addition to winning four championships, Martinson lost to the eventual Kelly Cup winner in 2016-17 (Colorado) and 2020-21 (Fort Wayne).
• Martinson's playoff record in Allen is 70-45 (.607).
• Martinson has played 20 playoff series as the coach in Allen and won 16 of them.
  

 

-  Having a team capable of winning the Kelly Cup and winning one are two different things. There is a reason in the 37 year history of the ECHL, which has had close to 200 coaches, only eight, including Steve Martinson, have won more than one championship. What team owner Myles Jack has tasked Steve Martinson to do is "get back to winning."

 

- It is ironic Martinson was the reigning ECHL General Manager of the Year when his contract was not renewed after the 2021-22 season. What is Steve Martinson's secret to recruiting? Have as many tools in your recruiting tool kit as possible. With the salary cap, competing based on salary is not the key to success, as a player can always find a team willing to pay $50 or $100 more per week. The key to getting the best players is having other reasons to have them want to play for your team. Here are some of the many tools Steve Martinson uses when making a pitch to players.

- Allen has won four championships and missed the playoffs just twice in franchise history. You can count on additional weeks of pay from the playoffs. This can total  $15,000 or more in compensation over a team that does not make the playoffs. The culture in Allen is not merely to make the playoffs, but to make a deep run in the playoffs.

- You will play an upbeat, aggressive offensive system in Allen that is also dedicated to defensive hockey. Points you score in the ECHL won't keep you in the American Hockey League (AHL), but points will get you noticed. You have to be able to play without the puck, and you have to understand the game and that is what we will help you with in Allen. With our system, you will have plenty of opportunities to get points. We won't handcuff you in the third period with a lead. We will take less risk, but we will keep our foot on the gas. If you want to play in a system where you can score a lot of points, come to Allen.

- You will play for a great organization, and you will play in a great facility in the CUTX Event Center, which is surrounded by shopping and restaurants.  


- Playing in the Dallas Metroplex, you have access to whatever interests you may have, including the Stars, Cowboys, Mavericks, and Rangers. Playing where you have a major international airport makes it easier for you and your friends and family to travel in and out of DFW and for players to get to AHL cities quickly if called up.

- You can play golf year-round. The average high temperature during the hockey season is 79 in October, 66 in November, 57 in December, 55 in January, 61 in February, 69 in March, 77 in April, and 84 in May. It is a great place to live, whether you're single or married.

- If you like to fish, there are plenty of opportunities within fifteen minutes of your apartment. Fishing is great.

- We will help with whatever your post-hockey career interests are through our intern program.  

- There is a great fan base that supports the team and the players.



- Because Steve Martinson has been around minor pro hockey for so long, he has a real advantage when it comes to recruiting. Even with the contacts he has developed over the years, he spends many hours going over data to determine who to recruit. He has a couple of techniques that he uses to find those diamonds in the rough, players who have underperformed, but will thrive in his system, and players who have not been used in the right way on their current teams. It is no coincidence that each year, several players come in and have career years in Allen.   
 


- One thing is certain: Steve Martinson will have the same type of team as he has always had. They will compete hard, be physical, and be difficult to play against. The team will be tough but also skillful. He recruits guys who understand you must work hard, be in great shape, follow the system, be a team guy, and finish checks. I am sure you have heard him say many times that his team is the same every year; the only thing that changes is the names on the back of the jerseys.

 

- I had the chance to talk to Martinson after he was selected, and here is what he had to say about returning to Allen:

"We are fortunate to have an owner in Myles Jack, who is now 100% in control of the team and understands from his NFL experience what it takes to win. He wants to do everything he can to do things right. He wants the players to have a good experience and have a good place to play. He understands the importance of having the right culture. He will provide the resources needed to win."

"My top priority is securing an affiliate that will help the team. You have to prove yourself as a place where teams can send their players for development."

( FYI, Allen lost three affiliations in three seasons, San Jose twice, and Minnesota. San Jose pulled their players midseason. None of these were related to the affiliates being displeased with the development of players. All were related to off-ice financial issues.)

"I am not afraid to ask potential affiliates for what I need and expect. I am not looking to get a job with the affiliate like some of the younger coaches around the league. I have already contacted all of the AHL teams, letting them know I will be coaching in Allen and am looking for an affiliate. I know the teams that don't have an affiliate, but there could be some that are unhappy with their ECHL affiliate and might be looking for a change. It won't be easy, but it is my top priority right now. Having an affiliate identified and AHL training camp slots available is key to recruiting.

"I have made it clear to the AHL teams I contacted that Allen has a new owner who is committed to bringing back a winning environment, great apartments, practice rink, upgraded equipment in our training room, and a goalie coach."

"I will start talking to players from last season this week, but I still need to watch the video on them before I start that process."

"I have already started reaching out to players who are coming off AHL contracts and have a list of veterans or players who will be coming veterans."

"When I am recruiting players, I tell them to look at hockeydb on my rosters from the past, and you will see many of them had their best statistical season playing for me, because of our high offense style of play.  

- One thing is certain: the 2025-26 Allen Americans team will be exciting and entertaining. A combination of a high-powered offensive team that will be hard to play against. Just making the playoffs will not be considered a success. Myles Jack will provide the resources to have a winning team and it will be up to Steve Martinson to make it happen. 

 

Welcome back Steve and Michelle!       

 

Here is the press release issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/05/steve-martinson-returns-to-the-americans    

 

 

My Trip to Malta and Italy, Allen Americans Update, Status of Coach Search, Recruitment Tool Kit, Playoff Update, New ECHL Franchise, Draft Schedule and More

 

Nancy and I just returned from our almost three week trip to Italy with our good friends from Minnesota, Dave and Lin Carter. Dave, Lin and myself went to high school together (Bloomington, MN High School class of 1965). Dave and I have been hunting together since we were 15 (going on 63 years) and will make it 64 years this fall. I often get asked about our trips so please indulge me with the following which is way too long, but something I wanted to share along with a photo:

We had a wonderful trip starting in Malta, traveling to Sicily and then up the Adriatic Sea on the eastern coast of Italy ending our trip in Venice. It is such a history lesson when you visit Europe and learn about countries that date back to thousands of years BC and visit so many spectacular churches that were built 1000-2000 years ago. While many have been destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries, some have not.

Maybe the most impactful to me as veteran when visit European countries is the significant role so many of them played in World War II. That was the case with Malta and Sicily. We visited the Lacaris War Rooms in Valletta, Malta which are an underground complex of tunnels and chambers that housed the War headquarters and where the invasion of Sicily was planned.  We heard Malta was the most bombed country in the war if you factor in the size of the country (roughly the size of Rhode Island). Over two years, Malta suffered 3000 bombing raids with 6700 bombs. I found this description of the role Malta and Sicily played in the war, which makes the point.

At a critical moment in the Second World War, thousands of American, British and Canadian troops dashed ashore after a massive naval bombardment of enemy positions.

Hours before, American and British airborne troops had landed by glider and parachute to seize key locations behind enemy coastal defenses.

Specially-trained units climbed cliffs to knock out artillery batteries.

For months, Allied bombers had pounded strategic targets, disrupting ports and roads.

A deception exercise had kept Hitler uncertain about when and where the Allied blow would fall.

You probably think this is about Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of northern France (Normandy) on 6 June 1944.

In fact it’s the story of the start of Operation Husky — the invasion of Sicily and the beginning of the Italian campaign – almost 12 months earlier than the Normandy invasion

D-Day in Normandy is rightly remembered as a turning point in the war. But it would have been impossible without the lessons the Allies learned in Sicily the previous summer. 

Operation Husky, which Dwight Eisenhower planned in Malta and included Generals Omar Bradley and George Patton, who are much more known for battles later in the war.

How big was Operation Husky? 

On July 10, 1943, the Allies (American, British, Canadian) launched Operation Husky before sunrise, a massive amphibious assault on the southern shores of Sicily. For the next three days it involved more than 3,000 ships landing over 150,000 troops, 7000 vehicles and 300 tanks covered by more than 4,000 aircraft. It took 38 days for the allied troops to take Sicily from the German/Italian troops. There were an estimated 23,000 allied causalities and 6000 killed. 

 

 - We had such a good time stopping at many ports as we headed north ending up in Venice. If there is one photo to represent our trip it would have to be a gondola ride on the grand canal in Venice:

 

 

 

- While I was in Italy I was able to keep up with the happenings related to the Allen Americans. I was able to communicate with all involved via text and also read all of the comments (over 200) on the blog. I want to share my thoughts on the many issues that I have seen raised since the end of the season.

 

Q: What is the financial situation of the team? 

A: The team has never been on a more solid footing than right now. Owner Myles Jack has consolidated his ownership, now has the fianl say on everything and no other outside consultants are involved. Despite the Americans having the worst record in the league (16-45-8-3) including the second worst home record in league history (7-24-4-1), average attendance this season was an all time record 4573. Yes, the team provided free tickets to some games for college students, teachers, first responders, etc., but it was nothing like in the past when 1000's of free tickets were given to local retailers to hand out to customers. 

If you don't like the attendance numbers comparison, revenue this season was also the highest in team history. The top two revenue producing games in team history happened this season. #1 was Star Wars night and #2 was Wizard night. How has this been possible? There has been much more emphasis the last couple of seasons on group sales and corporate sales where wins and losses are not the driving factor. I saw some figures during the season on group sales and Allen was way ahead of prior years.

 

Q: What are the plans going forward?

A: If you have heard Myles Jack talk about the upcoming season his singular focus is having a winning team. He will provide the resources to help make that happen. From housing to the locker room, to the front office to the season ticket holder experience, after talking to Myles at length, he will provide more resources to each component. Here is a reminder of what he said to the season ticket holders after the last game of the season:

"Allowing the fans to understand the direction this organization is going is my first priority. It has been hectic this year with all of the consultants, but at the end of the day the blame falls on me, not on the team, and not on the front office or anyone else."

"Me as an owner, learning and progressing through this experience, my job is to put the correct people in position and allow them to do their jobs to the fullest capacity. That is what I am looking forward to doing this off season."

"The people that have endured this season deserve to see the good side as well. I am a fan and enjoy coming to the games and watching the entire arena turn red. Holding up trophies and having fun is what this is all about."

"This time next year we are talking playoffs, that is the pressure I am putting on myself. If we achieve that the credit will all go to the team. I am just putting the right pieces together to make sure we get to where we need to get."

"In am little 29 years of life I understand money is a byproduct of doing good things. It you give people what they want, give them a reason to come out, you earn it. I played football where you go out there and do what you are supposed to do and you get paid. All that is to say you can't get to the "yellow brick road" until you do the work, put all of the pieces together and allow people to do what they need to do."

 "I feel around here there have been too many hands in the pot. I am cutting that out and allowing everybody to do their job. My job is to literally give people resources to be great and let them be great."

 

Q: What is the latest on hiring a new coach?   

A: If you have spoken to or listened to Myles Jack you know he is well aware of the urgency in naming a new coach as soon as possible. Here is my take on the process.

• Myles wanted to and did meet with his finalists for the job in person which took some time.
• As of today nobody has been signed as the coach or assistant/associate coach. Once Myles comes to a verbal agreement it takes some time to put it in writing with all of the legal details, get the contract reviewed and signed. There is always a potential for issues in this process.
  
• As soon as there is a signed contract I expect there will be an announcement. A formal press conference might come later. There are no specific dates, but the announcement will be soon.
• All the speculation on who will be the next coach is just that, speculation.
  

 

- Allen has a big advantage when it comes to recruiting players. Here is a partial list of the recruiting pitch:

• You will play in a great facility which is surrounded by shopping and restaurants.  

• You will stay in first class housing with new furnishings and televisions (last season). 

• While playing in the DFW Metroplex you have access to whatever interests you may have including the Stars, Cowboys, Mavericks and Rangers. Playing where you have a major international airport makes it easier for you and your friends and family to travel in and out of DFW and for players to get to AHL cities quickly if called up.

• You will live in a place where you can play golf year around. Average high temperature during the hockey season is 79 in October, 66 in November, 57 in December, 55 in January, 61 in February, 69 in March, 77 in April and 84 in May. It is a great place to live whether your are single or married. 

• If you like to fish, there is great fishing all over the area. 

• The winning culture the Allen Americans are noted for will be back no matter who is signed as the new coach. You add that to Myles Jack's experience as a NFL player and his upgrading equipment in the locker room to help with recovery and also upgrading some player equipment. Myles wants to make the locker room more like an NHL locker room which will give the new coach a major recruiting advantage. 

 

-  It will be an exciting time in Allen once again and fans should expect an immediate turnaround in 2025-26. The regular season points have declined in each of the last four seasons seasons reaching an all time low of 43 in 2024-25. If Allen earns 80 points next season, an increase of 37 points, it would be the highest point total since 2020-21. A stretch goal for sure, but a realistic one, given the caliber of coach that will be hired. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- The Kelly Cup playoffs are down to the final eight (Division Finals). Once again the regular season champions (South Carolina) fell victim to the Brabham Cup curse. The Stingrays fell to Orlando 4-3 in the first round, removing what I thought was a big obstacle to a Florida "fourpeat." Florida won its opening round 4-0 vs Jacksonville and is ahead of Orlando 2-0 in the Division Finals. 

- Former Allen captain, Colton Hargrove, has scored a goal in four straight games for Florida and leads the team in goals. Hargrove has a shooting percentage of 23.5%.

 

- Florida goalie Cam Johnson, who has been the Everblade's goalie for their three championships has just tied Riley Gill for the most career playoff wins at 53. Johnson will have a chance to break Riley's record when Florida plays in Orlando tomorrow night. 

 

- Another former Allen American having a great playoff is Grant Hebert, who plays for Norfolk. Grant leads Norfolk in points with nine, averaging 1.29 points per game. Norfolk's #3 in points is yet another former Allen American, Hank Crone who has six points. Norfolk leads the playoffs in average goals allowed (1.57). They are tied 1-1 in the Division Finals against Trois Riviéres.

 

- The ECHL announced last week that a new franchise will join the ECHL in 2026-27. The franchise will be in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, a northern suburb of Albuquerque. The team will be owned and operated by REV Entertainment who had brief relationship with the Allen Americans along with Zawyer. Rio Rancho was the home of the New Mexico Scorpions from 2006-2009 and they played in the Central Hockey League.They ceased operations in 2009, one season before the Allen franchise joined the CHL in 2009-10. Here is the press release announcing the new franchise: https://echl.com/news/2025/05/expansion-membership-approved-for-new-mexico 

- The draft ECHL schedule has been sent out for teams to review. This is an opportunity for teams to try and make changes to the schedule based on what will make the schedule better from a front office perspective and also hockey travel and game related issues. Can't always fix the problems, but can try.

 

- Allen's home record was 7-29 this season, so the record by jersey was bad no matter which jersey the Americans wore. Last season Allen had the best record when wearing the "Texas" jersey and "Red" jersey  with a 7-3 record for both. No surprise the worst record last season was when the team wore a specialty jersey (2-7). This season Allen again had the best record when wearing the "Texas" jersey (1-3) and the worst record when wearing a specialty jersey (1-5). 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here is my ECHL Stats post about the playoffs:

Some ECHL playoff teams have great offenses and some have great defenses. Some fall in the middle. Which style will win the Kelly Cup? Here are the average goals scored, average goals allowed and goal differential for the eight teams remaining in the playoffs:

 

Average goals scored

5.50 - Tahoe

4.33 - Fort Wayne

4.33 - Toledo

3.67 - Florida

3.60 - Trois Rivières

3.22 - Orlando

3.17 - Norfolk

2.83 - Kansas City

 

Average goals allowed

1.33 - Norfolk

1.40 - Trois Rivières

1.83 - Kansas City

2.00 - Florida

2.00 - Tahoe

3.22 - Fort Wayne

3.33 - Orlando

3.33 - Toledo 

 

Goal differential (Ave. goals scored minus goals allowed)

+3.50: Tahoe

+2.20: Trois Rivières

+1:84: Norfolk

+1.67: Florida

+1.11: Fort Wayne

+1.00: Kansas City

+1.00: Toledo

-0.11: Orlando

  

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You - A Season to Forget

 

It seemed like it took forever for this season to come to an end once it was clear Allen was going to finish in last place in the ECHL. Now that the season is over the players will disperse quickly and this team will be gone. While some will return next season, some will retire, some will go to Europe and some will not be invited back, the team I wrote about almost every morning, talked to at practice and watched every game will no longer exist. 

 

- This morning the team will start the year end process of exit interviews, exit physicals, locker stall/equipment clean out and travel home logistics. By midweek players will already be heading for home.

 

- The day has arrived for the blog to say goodbye to the 2024-25 season and go into the summer hiatus. Today I am taking my proofreader (aka, wife Nancy) on a small ship (50 passenger) adventure starting in Malta and cruising up the eastern coast of Italy. One year ago when I wrote my thank you blog the title was "Thank You, Thank You, Thank You - A Work in Progress." Little did I know what would transpire from the end of last season to the end of this season. I think the best title the year is, "A Season to Forget."    

 

- There are so many people to thank for helping with the blog. It is quite an undertaking to write about the team almost everyday during the season and it does indeed take a village to make it all possible. It seems like as the years go by more and more blog readers help me out with information, ideas for stories, ask questions and let me know they appreciate the work I do. It is hard to put into words my appreciation whether you read the blog every day or are a casual fan that stumbles across my daily musings. It has been my pleasure to meet many of you and your words of encouragement in person, comments at the end of each blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, message boards, in email and texts have been very satisfying and inspiring. Thanks to you, the readers!

 

- Thanks to Brett Ferguson and his staff (Jordan Dutton, Jeff Fink, Matt Miletich) for always taking the time to talk to me, share information, educate me and answer my text messages at all hours of the day. A special thanks to coach Ferguson for allowing me to stop by his office after every game and every practice to ask questions and talk about the team. It is his openness and trust that has allowed the blog to have information you can't find anywhere else. Thanks also to the players who have never said no to a single request I have made of them for a chat, an interview or a question. 

 

- A special thanks to team president Jonny Mydra for his support this season. He reaches out all of the time to share information and helps publicize the blog. Jonny both seeks and listens to feedback. He is available early in the morning when I am writing the blog and late at night when I am planning the blog. It is nice to know the president of the team supports and reads the blog and lets me know it is appreciated. 

 

- .As most everyone knows the blog is a labor of love for me, not a business. The only reason for its existence is to share stats and information about the Allen Americans with an insider's perspective. Providing information that is hard to get elsewhere. From a meager start in 2012, the blog has reached 2,976,778 unique page views as of this morning. Looking forward to the 3,000,000 milestone which will happen during the off season. The blog reaches people all over the US and Canada as well as the hockey hotbeds in Europe. It proves fans of the Allen Americans are all over the world.

 

- Tommy Daniels deserves the credit or blame for the blog as I had never given it a thought until he encouraged me to write about the team because I attended so many practices. Tommy has been a great help over the years. I spent the first period on Saturday chatting with Tommy and Maurice Fitzgerald on their broadcast about the season and the past. We reminisced about the championship years and how lucky we have been to be involved in this team.

 

- When I started the blog the intended audience was Allen fans where I live, a resort style active adult retirement community called Heritage Ranch. It was an inauspicious beginning and it is obvious when looking back I had no idea what I was doing. I thought you might get a laugh from blog #1 and #2. FYI, yes I was that close to a pride of lions on a safari in Zimbabwe!

Blog #1 - Welcome to the Heritage Ranch Allen Americans Fan Club blog. This is a work in progress and hopefully both the content and design will improve over time. I wanted to get the site going as training camp gets underway. It was great to see all of the returning and new players at camp today along with Stars players Ericksson, Fistric, Daley, Robidas, & Bachman. Nice to see Jarret Lukin finally wearing his favorite number #32, so long #40 & #7.

Blog #2 - The Lions  are Ready for Hockey After a Lazy Summer

 

 

 - During the off season I will still publish a blog on an as needed basis as new information becomes available. I also have a bucket list of stories to choose from when I get the itch to write over the summer. Everything from the obstacles Allen faced this season, the story of affiliations, it's time to put Riley Gill and Chad Costello in the ECHL Hall of Fame, meet the CUTX Event Center staff and many more.

 

- If you are on Facebook or Twitter, you can see whenever there is a new post on the blog by liking my page on Facebook at "Allen Americans Blog" or following me on X/Twitter at @allenamericans1.  If you are not on social media, make sure you bookmark Allen Americans Blog and check in periodically. You can also check the Allen Americans website where all of the blogs are posted under the "Team News and Information tab.

 

DID YOU KNOW: I always end the last blog of the season with this list. Lots of memories good and bad when you look at the games on this list. When you consider only one team has the pleasure of winning the last game of the season, Allen fans are fortunate to have had that experience four times and they all happened at home. Here is the date of the last game played in each season of the Allen Americans  franchise along with the results.

• May 4, 2010: 4-3 loss at Rapid City in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
• May 8, 2011: 5-3 loss at Bossier-Shreveport in the CHL Berry Conference finals
• April 10, 2012: 4-2 loss at Texas Brahmas in the CHL Berry Conference semi-finals 
• *May 11, 2013: 4-3 OT home win over Wichita in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals*
• *May 10, 2014: 5-2 home win over Denver in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals*
• *June 14, 2015: 6-1 home win over South Carolina in the Kelly Cup finals*
• *June 9, 2016: 4-2  home win over Wheeling Nailers in the Kelly Cup finals*
  
• May 9, 2017: 4-3  home loss to Colorado, Mountain Division finals
• April 25, 2018: 4-1 loss at Idaho, Mountain Division semi-finals
• April 6, 2019: 4-1 loss at Wichita, out of playoffs
• March 7, 2020: 4-2 home loss to Tulsa, no playoffs, season canceled
• June 22, 2021: 3-2 OT loss at Fort Wayne, Western Conference finals
• April 30, 2022: 6-3 home loss to Rapid City, Mountain Division semi-finals
• May 14, 2023: 6-0 loss at Idaho, Mountain Division finals
• April 28, 2024: 5-3 home loss to Idaho, Mountain Division semi-finals
• April 12, 2025: 7-2 home loss to Tulsa, out of playoffs 

*Championship seasons

 

Myles Jack and Brett Ferguson Post Game Comments, Season in Review, Records Set, ECHL Playoffs and More

 

Team owner Myles Jack and coach Brett Ferguson met with the season tickets holders (aka STMs, aka Patriot Club Members) after the game last night. Here is what they shared with the group. 

BRETT FERGUSON

"On behalf of the players and myself, thank you for the support all season. Losing sucks and this will be the last of it. We will retool this summer, add some new players to the ones that we want to return and get a formula for success that I know you are accustomed to in Allen."

"On Monday I will meet with all of the players, one-on-one, to talk about this season, their summer plans, their summer jobs, who they workout with, who are their skating coaches and skill coaches if they have them, will they play in a summer league, when will they start skating. Every player is different and my goal is to be supportive."

"After I talk to the players they will see Jeff Fink and he will help them with the travel home which we pay for. Some are flying, some are driving. Jeff helps with flights and other logistic pays the player for travel home."

"The players then see our trainer, Jordan Dutton, for the medical issues. The will get physicals from our team doctor to get checked out. These guys have just finished a grueling season and everyone of them is dealing with some medical issue. Some guys will require post season surgery and will stay in Allen for a while."

"From Jordan the players will meet with equipment manager, Matt Melitich. He will get them in order with their sticks and equipment." (FYI, players will be given one of their jerseys, their sticks that have been taped and are on the stick rack as well as their pants and gloves and of course their skates).

"Then we will have to clear out of the locker room because the IIHF Under18 World Championships are coming to Frisco and Allen. They will take over. It is a great tournament I encourage you to take in some games either in Allen or Frisco. You will see many future NHL players. Every NHL general manager will be in the building (or in Frisco) as well as Directors of Player Personnel and Directors of Scouting. They are all here to watch these kids who are all going to be drafted this year."

"The players will be gone within a week with the exception of those staying for medical reasons."

MYLES JACK

"This year was definitely a learning experience for me. Being an athlete. I wanted to jump into new things like ownership and running businesses. Obviously I come from a football background and am not the smartest in hockey. I trusted people to point me in the right direction and my ignorance was preyed on a little bit to say the least. I don't blame anyone but myself  for what happened."

"Unfortunately, Brett had to deal with all of the consequences. I handed him a hurricane and told him to make a sunny day out of it. He has done a phenomenal job, he kept the ship afloat and I cannot thank him enough. What he was given was a complete disaster and that is on me. I take full blame for that."

"Moving forward I definitely want to see Brett in this building. We will talk about in what role and figure things out in the next couple of days."

"Allowing the fans to understand the direction this organization is going is my first priority. It has been hectic this year with all of the consultants, but at the end of the day the blame falls on me, not on the team, and not on the front office or anyone else."

"Me as an owner, learning and progressing through this experience, my job is to put the correct people in position and allow them to do their jobs to the fullest capacity. That is what I am looking forward to doing this off season."

"The people that have endured this season deserve to see the good side as well. I am a fan and enjoy coming to the games and watching the entire arena turn red. Holding up trophies and having fun is what this is all about."

"This time next year we are talking playoffs, that is the pressure I am putting on myself. If we achieve that the credit will all go to the team. I am just putting the right pieces together to make sure we get to where we need to get."

"In am little 29 years of life I understand money is a byproduct of doing good things. It you give people what they want, give them a reason to come out, you earn it. I played football where you go out there and do what you are supposed to do and you get paid. All that is to say you can't get to the "yellow brick road" until you do the work, put all of the pieces together and allow people to do what they need to do."

 "I feel around here there have been too many hands in the pot. I am cutting that out and allowing everybody to do their job. My job is to literally give people resources to be great and let them be great."  

        

THE GAME AND THE SEASON

- It was probably an appropriate ending to the Allen Americans season last night as the game was a reflection of so many home games in 2024-25. Allen gave up an early goal (52 seconds after puck drop), trailed 3-0 four minutes into the game and lost 7-2 while giving up 40+ shots. 

 

- The final three games of the season against Tulsa produced three losses. In those three losses Allen was outscored 22-9 and gave up 127 shots. It was quite a bookend to Allen's first three games of the season. Three losses, the Americans were outscored 22-2 and gave up 126 shots. 

 

- Most everyone who follows the Allen Americans, the Mountain Division and the ECHL predicted it would be a difficult season for Allen with the coaching change and player turnover. However, the Americans were a .500 club at the end of November. I don't think anyone, including myself, saw the wheels coming off to such historic proportions as the season progressed. 

 

- The franchise records set this season for ineptness will hopefully stand forever. Prior to this season the 2018-19 season was the worst in franchise history. Allen missed the playoffs and tied for the worst record in the ECHL. Here is a comparison of this season to the 2018-19, the worst season ever until this season. It gives you the proof  just how bad this season has been. The first number in each category is 2024-25, the second is 2018-19:

• Wins - 16 vs 25
• Home wins - 7 vs 15
• Points - 46 vs 56
• Points percentage - .299 vs .389
• Goals scored - 175 vs 208
• Goals allowed - 311 vs 269 

- There are many stats that I will remember forever to help describe how bad the 2024-25 season was, but this one covers Allen's futility at both ends of the ice. Allen lost the same number of games this season by six or more goals (8) than in the entire history of the franchise. Let me say it again. In the first 15 years of the Allen franchise the team lost by six or more goals eight times. This season (2024-25) Allen lost by six or more goals eight times.

 

- In addition to all the franchise records Allen has also made the ECHL official record book in several categories. The ECHL has been around for a long time (37 years) with many bad teams. To make the all-time list in any category is not easy. Here are records that will live in infamy for the Americans:   

 

• Fewest wins - Allen's 16 wins is tied for #6 all-time
• Fewest home wins - Allen's 7 home wins is #2 all-time
  
• Most home losses - Allen's 24 home losses is tied for #5 all-time
• Fewest shots on goal one game - Allen's 7 shots vs Indy (12/13/24) is #1 all-time
• Most games shutout - Allen's 9 is #10 all-time. 

- This is the last list, I promise. We looked at Allen's franchise records and ECHL all-time records. Here are most (but not all) of the stats in the ECHL daily report that Allen is ranked last. Let's call it the #29 list.

 

• #29 - Wins (16)
• #29 - Losses (45)
• #29 - Points (43)
• #29 - Point percentage (.299)
• #29 - Goals scored (175)
• #29 - Goals allowed (311)
• #29 - Home wins (7)
• #29 - Home point percentage (.264)
• #29 - Overtime point percentage (.214)
• #29 - Scoring 1st point percentage (.483)
• #29 - Fewest shorthanded goals scored (4) 
• #29 - Most goals allowed 1st period (99)
• #29 - Most goals allowed 2nd period (110)
• #29 - Average goals scored (2.43)
• #29 - Average goals allowed (4.32)
• #29 - Average shot allowed (38.43)
• #29 - Worst record when trailing after 2nd period (2-41-2-2)
• #29 - Worst record when outshooting opponent (3-9-0-2)
• #29 - Winless home streak (10 games)
• #29 - Winless road streak (12 games)
  

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 

- So much for home ice advantage. The last week of the Mountain Division season, with all the marbles on the table for some teams, the road teams clean up. There were 12 total games and the road teams record was 11-1-0-0.

 

• Wichita swept Tahoe on the road and rose to the #2 seed and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Tahoe fell from the #2 seed to the #4 seed.
  
• Kansas City swept Idaho on the road to eliminate the Steelheads from the playoffs.
  
• Tulsa swept Allen on the road to secure the #3 seed in the playoffs.
• Utah won two of three games on the road in Rapid City in a series that had no playoff implications.

 

 

- It was quite a weekend for two time Kelly Cup champion with the Allen Americans, Riley Gill. Friday night Riley was inducted into the Reading Royals "Wall of Fame" for his contributions to the Reading organization, which included leading the team to the 2013 Kelly Cup. Last night, Riley's collegiate team, Western Michigan, won its first NCAA championship in its first trip to the Frozen Four. Riley played for Western Michigan from 2006-10. Here is an article about the Western Michigan win last night: https://www.nhl.com/news/western-michigan-wins-ncaa-mens-hockey-national-championship  

- There are six ECHL teams with over 1000 penalty minutes this season. The Mountain Division has completed regular season play but the other divisions have games remaining today. Here are the ECHL teams with over 1000 penalty minutes plus those with more than 950 penalty minutes and a game to play today. It is striking that the Mountain Division has no teams on this list. The days of the tough Mountain Division and Western Conference seem to be long gone.

 

North Division

• 1198 - Worcester
• 1113 - Adirondack*
• 1034 - Norfolk
• 990 - Trois Riviéres*

South Division

• 1319 - South Carolina*
• 1129 - Florida
• 983 - Orlando*
• 980 - Jacksonville*

Central Division

• 1155 - Iowa*
• 959 - Indy*

Mountain Division

• None

*Teams with one game remaining

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: How do the 16 ECHL Kelly Cup playoff teams rank in their respective divisions in penalty minutes. It varies a lot. The top four teams in penalty minutes in the South Division made the playoffs. In the Mountain Division the two least penalized teams made the playoffs. Will higher PIMS teams prevail? Teams with over 1000 PIMS are marked with an asterisk:

 

North

3rd - Norfolk*

4th - Trois Rivières

5th - Wheeling

7th - Reading

 

South

1st - South Carolina*

2nd - Florida*

3rd - Orlando

4th - Jacksonville 

 

Central

1st - Iowa*

2nd - Indy

3rd - Fort Wayne

6th - Toledo

 

Mountain

1st - Kansas City

4th - Tulsa

7th - Wichita

8th - Tahoe

All Offense, No Defense, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Coach's Comments, Today's Preview, Team Leaders and More

 

The Allen Americans found their offense last night, but lost their defense. The Americans scored six goals and still managed to lose to the Tulsa Oilers 7-6. Allen has scored as many as six goals only three times all season and lost two of those games 7-6. 

- If you like seeing a lot of goals the game was very entertaining. There have only been four ECHL games all season with more combined goals than the 13 goals Allen and Tulsa scored last night. The teams went back and forth scoring throughout the game. Tulsa scored first so Allen did most of the catching up, but the Americans led 4-3 in the second period and 6-5 in the third period. Here is the scoring sequence in the game. Don't ever remember a game with so much back and forth:

• 1-0 Tulsa
• 1-1
• 2-1 Tulsa
• 2-2
• 3-2 Tulsa
• 3-3
• 4-3 Allen
• 4-4
• 5-4 Tulsa
• 5-5
• 6-5 Allen
• 6-6
• 7-6 Tulsa 

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Trevor LeDonne with his first pro goal, Tyler Burnie (7), Jared Westcott (9), Brayden Watts (19) and Mark Duarte (22,23). Here are the video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/tulsa-oilers-vs-allen-americans-apr-11-2025

 

- Here are the game recaps from both teams:

• Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/04/game-recap-americans-lose-wild-7-6-affair-to-the-oilers
• Tulsa Oilers: https://tulsaoilers.com/news/2025/04/oilers-clinch-playoff-berth-with-win-in-highest-scoring-game-of-the-season 

Here are some stats from the game last night, the series and the season:

• Tulsa is 9-2-0-0 against Allen, but needs a win tonight to possibly avoid ending up as the #4 seed and having to play Kansas City in the first.
• Tulsa has scored first in seven of the 11 games and won them all.
• Allen is 2-2 in the four games it has scored first.
• Allen will finish the season with the second fewest home wins in league history. If the Americans win tonight they will be tied for the record, if they lose they will hold the record alone.
• If Allen loses tonight it will finish with a point percentage below .300 (.299).
• Tulsa has had 95 shots and 15 goals in the first two games of this series.
• Allen penalty kill percentage in the first two games of the series is 50% (6-12).
• With one game remaining in the season Allen has a total of 16 wins. The next lowest total is 24 wins (Utah).
• Allen gave up seven goals last night and became the first ECHL team to pass the 300 goals allowed mark (304). 
• Allen's six goals scored last night allowed the Americans to catch Indy for the fewest goals scorerd (143). Ironically, Indy is tied for last in goals scored, but has qualified for the playoffs because the Fuel is top six in goals allowed (185).  

 

- You could come up with a lot of reasons why the game tonight is important for the Americans, however, in reality it is meaningless as the die has already been cast. I hope the guys stay healthy, just play hockey and enjoy what will be another big crowd there to support them.

 

- If you didn't like how the game was officiated last night, you probably won't like it tonight. The same referee has worked all three games against Tulsa. He worked with a partner on Wednesday and they called 10 penalties. He called 14 penalties last night. Last night he called five tripping penalties, four slashing penalties and a hooking penalty. He didn't let much go, so would expect the same tonight.

 

COACH'S COMMENTS

"It was a funny game tonight. Tulsa put three of the seven goals in the back of the the net. The other four  were tipped and one went off our defenseman's butt, right to their guy who put it in the open net."

"It was a ping pong type of game where you felt the last team to score would win. There were 13 goals scored and neither team had more than a one goal lead." 

"Mark Duarte played unbelievable tonight. The team, the fans and the building feeds off is energy as he is out there working his pants off." 

"I was proud of how our group never gave up and just kept fighting. The message on the bench was just keep going, forget about the last shift and just look forward. That happened a lot giving up seven goals." 

"In our last 25 games, everyone except the three in Utah have been against teams in the playoffs or fighting for playoffs. Even though we are out of the playoffs it has been a good experience for our young guys to play in these "for men only" games down the stretch where every inch of ice is contested."

"Luke Richardson will get the start in goal tomorrow."

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 - Haven't listed the top Allen players by category for a while. Some of the top three are no longer with the team."

 

Games Played

• 67 - Brayden Watts
• 66 - Mark Duarte
• 64 - Hudson Wilson

Points

• 52 - Brayden Watts
• 44 - Kyle Crnkovic
• 39 - Mark Duarte

Goals

• 23 - Mark Duarte
• 19 - Brayden Watts
• 18 - Spencer Asuchak

Assists

• 33 - Brayden watts
• 33 - Kyle Crnkovic
• 20 - Spencer Asuchak

Plus/Minus

• +4 Trevor LaDonne
• +2 Ayden MacDonald

PIMS

• 88 - Cole Fraser
• 82 - Nick Isaacson
• 79 - Colin Jacobs

Power Play Goals

• 7 - Spencer Asuchak
• 6 - Brayden Watts
• 5 - Mark Duarte

Power Play Assists

• 15 - Brayden Watts
• 14 - Kyle Crnkovic
• 8 - J.C. Brassard
  

Points Per Game

• .78 - Brayden Watts
• .76 - Kyle Crnkovic
• .72 - Easton Brodzinski

Shots

• 171 - Mark Duarte
• 152 - Brayden Watts
• 130 - J.C. Brassard  

Game Winning Goals

• 4 - Kyle Crnkovic
• 3 - Mark Duarte
• 3 - Brayden Watts

Shooting Percentage (minimum 50 shots)

• 16.8% - Spencer Asuchak
• 13.9% - Easton Brodzinski
• 13.5% - Mark Duarte

Points by Defensemen

• 23 - J.C. Brassard
• 17 - Quinn Warmuth
• 13 - Artyom Kulakov

Goals by Defensemen

• 7 - Quinn Warmuth
• 5 - J.C. Brassard
• 5 - Artyom Kulakov

Assists by Defensemen

• 18 - J.C. Brassard
• 10 - Quinn Warmuth
• 8 - Artyom Kulakov
• 8 - Hudson Wilson

Goalie GAA (minimum 20 games played)

• 3.80 - Dylan Wells
• 3.99 - Luke Richardson
• 4.35 - Anson Thornton

Goalie Save Percentage

• .896 - Dylan Wells
• .895 - Luke Richardson
• .888 - Anson Thornton

 

- The only thing that remains to be decided in the Mountain Division is the #3 and #4 seeds with the #4 seed taking on Kansas City in the first round of the playoffs. Wichita is currently the #3 seed, one point ahead of Tulsa and has the outcome in its own hand. A Thunder win in Tahoe tonight earns Wichita the #3 seed. Tulsa owns the tie breaker so a Tulsa win and a Wichita loss in overtime/shootout will give both teams 88 points and Tulsa will be the #3 seed. Both teams can be reassured no matter what happens tonight they are in the playoffs.

 

 

- Idaho has to especially disappointed in missing the playoffs. The Steelheads were on the outside of the playoffs looking in most of the season and under performed expectations. Idaho went on a good run starting with a sweep of Allen at home in March. The Steelheads were 8-2-0-0 going into the series this week at home against Kansas and they had fought themselves into a playoff spot. It was all for naught as Idaho lost 4-2 on Wednesday after taking 2-0 lead and lost 4-1 last night and the Steelheads lone goal was scored late in the game. Most people had Idaho making the playoffs, but it was not to be.

 

 

- South Carolina won the Brabham Cup last night as the regular season champion with a 6-3 win over Norfolk. The Stingrays have two games remaining and have won 16 straight. Only four ECHL teams have ever had a win streak longer than 16 games. 

 

 

- There is only one playoff team yet to be decided and you couldn't ask for a better way to decide who will make the playoffs. In the North Division, Worcester and Reading are separated by just one point. Even better they play each other tonight in the last game of the season for both teams. The game is in Reading. They played last night and Reading won in a shootout (4-3) to make the game tonight an all or nothing game. Last night Reading took a 3-0 lead, but Worcester came back to send the game to overtime. Reading has the a record of 6-2-0-0 against Worcester this season and playing at home has to give them the advantage. 

 

 

- Many Allen fans know linesmen Daniel Barnes from his playing days. Barnes played a few games for Allen in the Americans last Central Hockey League season (8 games) and their first ECHL season (4 games). Barnes was working the game last night and twice got crunched between players right in front of the Allen bench. He went down hard both time. He worked through what looked like a knee injury the first time, but had to leave the game after the second collision. The one remaining linesmen and the lone referee worked the rest of the game. 

 

 

    

- There are 13 games on the schedule tonight. Here are the previews: https://echl.com/news/2025/04/echl-today-april-12 

DID YOU KNOW: Here are the ECHL defensemen that lead their team in points, goals and/or assists. Two defensemen lead their team in points, one leads his team in goals and eight lead their team in assists:

 

Points

55 - Derek Dashke, Utah

38 - Gianfranco Cassaro, Reading

 

Goals

25 - Chas Sharpe, Cincinnati

 

Assists

51 - Matt Register, Idaho

49 - Connor Welsh, Worcester

39 - Derek Dashke, Utah

36 - Noah Laaouan, Jacksonville

33 - Derek Topatigh, Atlanta

32 - Parker Berge, Greenville (now with Idaho)

29 - Sam Sedley, Reading

26 - Zach Berzolla, Kalamazoo

Allen vs Tulsa Preview, MacDonald Suspended, My Rant on All-ECHL Teams, Riley Gill Honored in Reading, Playoff Race, Goalies Used and More

 

The Allen Americans are down to the final two games of the season, playing the Tulsa Oilers tonight and tomorrow night, to conclude the worst season in franchise history. These games are huge for Tulsa who is fighting for a playoff spot. 

 

- Other than playing the spoiler role the Americans need one win to avoid finishing the season with just seven wins at home and end up all alone with the second fewest home wins in the 37 year history of the ECHL. When you consider there have been close to 100 different teams in the 37 year history of the league and the storied Allen franchise could be all alone with the second fewest home wins in a season (7) it is a stark reality. As I have written before, even if Allen ends up with eight home wins the Americans will still be #2 all-time, but will be tied with four other teams. 

- I won't bore you with all of the stats on these games against Tulsa. You can look at the series preview from Wednesday if interested. It is worthwhile restating what Allen accomplished when the Americans beat Tulsa 10 days ago:

Allen scored first

Allen led after the first period

Allen led after the second period

Allen outshot Tulsa

Allen won the special teams battle

Allen got great goaltending

Allen allowed only two goals

 

- The Americans will be without forward Ayden MacDonald tonight because he was suspended by the ECHL for one game yesterday. MacDonald scored Allen's only goal in the 8-1 loss to Tulsa on Wednesday. He took a minor penalty for boarding in the first period. Minor penalties for boarding are not typically reviewed by the league for suspensions (major boarding penalties are automatically reviewed). Any team can submit video of  penalties for review. There is a form time frame for submitting a video and there is also a small fee ($75). When teams submit these videos they usually claim the player was injured and the penalty deserves a suspension. Not sure what happened in the MacDonald case, but the referee only called a minor penalty, the Tulsa player (Solag Backich) did not miss a shift and he scored a power play goal on the penalty that was called. Teams/coaches have different thresholds for submitting videos for review. Some submit very few and others submit many. 

 

- Based on coach Ferguson's post game comments you can expect more changes to the lineup tonight beside Ayden MacDonald. I will post the lineup later today. Colin Jacobs, who has been out injured the last three games, will return to the lineup.

 

- The game on Wednesday was worked by two referees. The game tonight will be worked by one of the two from Wednesday. Austin O'Rourke (#10) will be the referee and the linesmen will be Daniel Barnes (#76) and Michael Miggins (#47). On Wednesday there were 10 penalties, all minor penalties, five against each team. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- MY RANT

The ECHL announced its All-ECHL first and second teams yesterday. There are six players selected for each team, three forwards, two defensemen and a goalie. Unfortunately these teams are usually just the leagues top scorers and do not look at stats in depth. In my view the Mountain Division is over represented because it is the great offense, poor defense division. Five of the top 10 teams in the ECHL in goals scored are from the Mountain Division. The bottom three ECHL teams in goals allowed are in the Mountain Division. This is what you end up with when all you look at is points when selecting the teams:

• Five of the six forwards (83%) come from the Mountain Division.
• Of the six forwards selected, the #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5 in points were chosen plus the #1 in goals.
• The defensemen selected are #1, #3, #4, #5 in points. Interesting that #2 in points, Matt Register, who leads all defensemen in assists (51), is #2 among all ECHL players in assists, has a better plus/minus (+28) than the four defensemen selected, was skipped over. I know the three time Kelly Cup champion and three time ECHL Defenseman of the Year is a almost a decade older than the 20 somethings that made the All-ECHL teams, but he should have been selected.

I am not saying those selected are not deserving as they all having outstanding seasons. My point is if the All-ECHL teams are merely a list of the league's top scorers something is missing. When no Eastern Conference forwards are selected to the All_ECHL teams and the best teams in the league play in the  Eastern Conference, something is wrong.  Here is the ECHL press release with all of the details: https://echl.com/news/2025/04/all-echl-first-and-second-teams-announced          

 

- Congrats to Riley Gill who will have a special night tonight at the Reading Royals game. Reading has a Wall of Honor where it recognizes those who have made distinctive contributions to the success of the Royal's organization. Riley will be the 19th inductee to the Wall of Fame and will be honored with a permanent display on the concourse of the arena.

During his career Riley was in three Kelly Cup finals and won all three. Many Allen fans forget his first Kelly Cup (2013) was with Reading. Riley started the season in the SPHL and didn't join the Royals until the end of February. He went on to lead Reading to the Kelly Cup with a playoff GAA of 1.91 and save percentage of .930. His record was 13-3-1 and included four shutouts with two of the shutouts in the finals. For his effort he was named Kelly Cup playoff MVP.

FYI, I say this every year, but it is time to put Riley, the ECHL all-time leader in playoff wins by a goaltender (53), in the Hall of Fame. Maybe Allen should join forces with Reading and make a joint submission to the league. 

Riley Gill - Reading Royals Honoree

 

 - There are two ECHL teams with 100 points, both from the South Division. South Carolina (105 points) and Florida (102 points) are arguably the two best teams in the ECHL. While several other teams (Kansas City, Toledo and Trois Riviéres) have a chance to crack the 100 point milestone this weekend none of those teams have the combination of skill and toughness of South Carolina and Florida. South Carolina is the ECHL #1 team in point percentage (.761), goals for (267), goals against (154) and penalty minutes (1210). A perfect formula for a Kelly Cup champion. The only thing going against the Stingrays is the Brabham Cup curse that says the regular season champion won't win the Kelly Cup. South Carolina can avoid the curse if it loses its final three games (all on the road) and Florida wins its final two games, but that is not likely. 

 

- Everyone knows the regular season doesn't mean much to Florida when it comes to the playoffs. The Everblades have won three straight Kelly Cups after finishing #8, #11 and #3 in the regular season. It looks like Florida will finish #2 in the regular season and the Everblades are #4 in penalty minutes (1110). A South Carolina vs Florida division finals would be epic. Hard to believe one of these teams will be eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. 

 

- Tulsa and Wichita can clinch playoff berths tonight. Wichita has three ways, Tulsa two. Here is how they qualify for the playoffs:

• If Wichita wins and Idaho loses or if Wichita loses in overtime/shootout and Idaho loses in regulation or if Wichita wins and Tulsa loses in regulation.
• If Tulsa wins and Idaho loses or if Tulsa loses in overtime/shootout and Idaho loses in regulation.

 

- There is a full schedule of 14 ECHL games tonight. In addition to Tulsa and Wichita, Worcester can also make the playoffs tonight. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2025/04/echl-today-april-11

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Number of goalies used this season by each ECHL team:

 

8: IND, NOR

7: BLM

6: ALN, ORL

5: ADK, GVL, IDH, IA, *KC*, REA, WHL, WIC

4: CIN, JAX, KAL, RC, *SC*, TAH, *TOL*, *TR*, WOR

3: ATL, FLA, FW, MNE, SAV, TUL, UTA 

 

*Division Champions/Leaders

Allen Loses 8-1, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Coach's Comments, Division Race, Worst Allen Losses, Tie Breakers and More

 

The best way to describe Allen's 8-1 loss to Tulsa last night is look at the keys to the game from the blog yesterday and how the Americans performed against those keys. Last night's results are in parenthesis.

- The keys to the games in this series would mirror Allen's performance in its win over Tulsa just eight days ago on on April 1st. If the Americans can match that effort against Tulsa, they will win.

• Allen scored first - (Nope)
• Allen led after the first period - (Nope)
• Allen led after the second period - (Nope)
• Allen outshot Tulsa - (Nope)
• Allen won the special teams battle (Nope)
• Allen got great goaltending (Nope)
• Allen allowed only two goals (Nope) 

- It was pretty clear it was going to be a long night for the Americans when they accomplished none of the keys to victory when Allen beat Tulsa on April 1. Last night Tulsa scored three goals on 13 shots halfway through the first period and the games was over. The Oilers scored three more goals on their first, fourth and seventh shots of the second period and the route was on. After trailing 6-0 the Americans finally got on the scoreboard at the 7:11 mark of the second period. Ayden MacDonald scored his ninth goal of the season (3rd since joining Allen 8 games ago). Tulsa tacked on two more goals to make the final score 8-1.

 

- Here are some other stats that help explain the loss:

• Allen had 38 shots on goal, but score just one goal. That is a shooting percentage of 2.6%. The Americans shooting percentage this season is 8.0%, the worst in the league.
• Allen was 0-5 on the power play and has fallen to #24 in power play percentage (16.6%).
• Tulsa was 2-5 on the power play.
• Allen gave up the first goal of the game. Tulsa has scored first six times against the Americans this season and won them all.
• Tulsa led after the first period, the Oilers record with a first period lead is 20-2-1-1.
• Allen trailed after the second period, the Americans record when trailing after the second period is 2-39-2-2.

 

- If you want the blow by blow scoring, here are the recaps from both teams:

• Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/04/game-recap-oilers-jump-on-the-americans-early-for-8-1-victory 
• Tulsa Oilers: https://tulsaoilers.com/news/2025/04/tyler-poulsen-scores-hat-trick-as-oilers-top-allen-in-largest-win-of-season 

- Here are the video highlights with all nine goals: https://echl.com/videos/tulsa-oilers-vs-allen-americans-apr-9-2025 

- To his credit, coach Ferguson stopped by after the game to talk to the season ticket holders, something that would not usually happen in the past when the Americans got embarrassed like they did last night. Here is what Ferguson had to say:

"It was a tough one tonight. We got behind the eight ball early. On the first goal our guy missed a pass right on the tape and they put it in the back of our net and then they scored two power play goals and it was 3-0 halfway through the first period."

"Obviously that team is fighting for their playoff  lives right now. Our guys need to realize they are fighting for their careers, they are fighting to play in this league next year, they are fighting to play for this team on Friday. Quite frankly it was very disappointing to watch. I feel sorry for you guys. You pay your hard earned money to watch pro hockey and quite frankly their is probably beer league game going on in the other rink where more effort was given. I want to apologize to you for how we played."

"We were just saying in my office there were two guys that were plus for us tonight. Mark Duarte and Ayden MacDonald. What they have in common is they play hard every single shift. there are others too, but these two players stood out tonight."

"The good news is we have responded before when we have had clunkers and Friday gives us a chance to respond. I am excited to see the fortitude our young men have."

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

-  Former Allen players always seem to come back to bite the Americans on the backside. Last night was an extreme example. The are four former Allen Americans on the Tulsa roster.  Easton Brodzinski (2023-25), Solag Bakich (2023-24), Tyler Poulsen (2017-18 & 2021-22) and Duggie Lagrone (2018-19). Here is what these former Americans accomplished last night:

• All four had a point and they combined for nine points (4G, 5A).
• One goal was scored by Bakich and assisted by Poulsen and Lagrone.
• Poulsen has been a one man wrecking crew against the Americans. Last night he had a hat trick and five points. Tyler has 22 goals this season in 62 games. He has eight goals in 10 games against Allen. In his other 52 games he has 14 goals. That computes to 36% of Poulsen's goals this season coming against the Americans. 
  

 

 - The Mountain Division race for the playoffs had one team win in regulation (Tulsa), one team win in a shootout (Wichita) and one team lose (Idaho) last night. With two games remaining here are the points

• 85 points - Wichita
• 84 points - Tulsa
• 83 points - Idaho

Tulsa was the only one of the three to win in regulation and now has 30 regulation wins compared to 27 for Wichita and Idaho. That means Tulsa now owns the first tiebreaker (regulation wins) over both Wichita and Idaho which could be the difference maker. 

 

- I posted this stat a month ago, but with a seven goal loss last night wanted to update. This stat captures just how bad the 2024-25 season has been for the Allen Americans. In the 16 year history of the Allen Americans franchise, prior to this season, the team had lost a game by six or more goals just eight times. That is eight loses of six or more goals in 15 seasons. With two games remaining in the 2024-25 it has happened eight times. Allen has now lost the same number of games this season by six or more goals than in the entire history of the franchise. Let that sink in. Here is the list of all-time worst losses (6 or more goals) in chronological order:

• 8-1: Tulsa - 4/9/25 (home)
• 7-0: Idaho - 3/20/25 (away)
• 9-1: Jacksonville - 3/6/25 (home)
• 9-2: Wichita - 2/8/25 (home)
• 8-2: Fort Wayne - 12/14/24 (away)
• 6-0: Indy - 12/13/24 (away)
• 9-0: Kansas City - 10/26/24 (home)
• 8-2: Tulsa - 10/24/24 (away)