Thank You, Thank You, Thank You - A Work in Progress

 

The suddenness and sadness that comes with the end of the Allen Americans season always hits me very hard. From watching the players linger on the ice after the loss on Sunday to the tears shed in the locker room knowing this group that has given their all to this team, will disperse quickly. What is certain is this team will be gone. Some will return next season, some will retire, some will go to Europe and some will not be invited back, but the team I wrote about almost every morning, talked to at practice and watched every game will no longer exist. 

 

- Everything will happen very quickly this week. Tonight is the end of season party with fans (7:00 pm at Northside Drafthouse). Player physicals, exit interviews, and locker clean out will all get done this week and the players will start to head home. Some will stay longer than others, some will stay because they need medical procedures, but it will get lonely quickly in the locker room.  

The day has arrived for the blog to say goodbye to the 2023-24 season and go into the summer hiatus. One year ago (May 16, 2023) when I wrote my thank you blog after Allen lost in the second round of the playoffs to Idaho the title was, "Thank You, Thank You, Thank You - A New Era in Allen." This year the apt title is Thank You, Thank You, Thank You - A Work in Progress." Chad Costello, in his second season as coach and general manager, had to deal with a record number of injuries, little help from Allen's affiliate and a new ownership/management group. The season ended too soon but to make it from last place in the division earlier in the season to third place and into the playoffs was a big accomplishment.   

 

- Thanks to Chad Costello and his staff for always taking the time to talk to me, share information and educate me. A special thanks to coach Costello and coach Gens for allowing me to stop by the coaches office after every game and every practice to ask questions, talk about the team and observe them work. It is this 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 you know it is appreciated. His surprise presentation to me of a framed Allen Americans jersey acknowledging by 2500th blog was extra special. 

 

- While many ECHL teams will declare the season a success if they make the playoffs that is not the culture or expectation in Allen. Here are a couple of Costello quotes about one year apart that capture that sentiment:

May 18, 2022 - "I have high expectations. Here in Allen, it is championship or fail and that expectation will not change. That is something coach Martinson has left. Looking forward, I will strive to keep that expectation in Allen".....Chad Costello

May 5, 2023 and April 28, 2024 - "I feel the same way now as when I took this job, it is championship or fail. That is the culture in Allen and that is how I feel going into the playoffs every season. That is the expectation. It doesn't mean if we don't win the championship the season is a failure. But it means we will die trying to win the championship and are in no way are we satisfied with what we have accomplished thus far.".....Chad Costello

 

- When the final chapter of the 2023-24 season is written given some time to reflect, from my perspective  it will be seen as a big success. Two years ago Chad Costello was plucked out of the locker room and promoted to the coach's room into a job he didn't even apply for. I am sure Chad would be the first to say he grew and learned a lot this season under some trying situations. It was his leadership that brought the team from last place to the Kelly Cup playoffs in his first two seasons. The foundation Costello has built and the experience he has gained this season will make the Allen Americans expectation of championship more likely in 2024-25.  

   

- My utmost thanks go to you, the readers of the blog. 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. Information that is hard to get elsewhere. From a meager start in 2012, the blog has reached 2,591,224 unique page views as of this morning. 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. Ironically, I was his last between periods guest this season, after the second period on Sunday. I was talking to Tommy and Maurice Fitzgerald about the game and the season and at the end of the discussion they congratulated my on my 2500 blog milestone. Tommy asked me about the very first blog I had published. 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

 

- It is quite an undertaking to write about the team seven days a week 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!

 

 - During the off season I will still publish a blog on an as needed basis as new information becomes available. I plan on sitting down with coach Costello sometime this week for a Q & A on the 2023-24 season and recruiting for the 2024-25 season. 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 Costello 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, Allen Americans connections to 3ICE and Ashley Costello's role as a hockey wife and hockey mom are all in that bucket list.

 

- 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.

 

 

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. If you consider only one team has the pleasure of winning the last game of the season each year, 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
  

 

Allen's Season Ends in Disappointment, Reflections on 2023-24, Looking Ahead, Myles Jack Comments and More

 

 For the second straight Kelly Cup playoffs the Allen Americans season has come to an unceremonious end at the hands of the Idaho Steelheads. The final score yesterday was 5-3 which gave Idaho a 4-1 series win and a spot in the Mountain Division finals against Kansas City.

- The loss yesterday was similar to the loss on Saturday. In both games Idaho scored first, Allen responded quickly and the Steelheads won the second period 2-0 to put the game away. Ironically Allen outshot Idaho 37-32 yesterday, the first time in the 16 times these teams have met this season the Americans have had the edge in shots. 

 

- I won't bore you with the blow by blow details, but when you give up the first goal of the game to a team with a record of  37-3-1-2 when scoring first it is not a good sign. When you trail 3-1 after the second period to a team with a record of  39-1-1-0 when leading after the second period your fate is pretty much sealed.

- If you are interested in the goal by goal details here is the game recap issued by the Idaho Steelheads: https://idahosteelheads.com/news/2024/04/steelheads-advance-to-second-round-defeating-americans-in-five-games

- Here are the video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/idaho-steelheads-vs-allen-americans-april-28-2024-game-5

 

- A lot of factors contributed to Allen losing this series 4-1:

• In the Americans one win they gave up one goal, in the four losses they gave up 21 goals (5.25 per game average).
• Allen didn't score a power play goal in the last four games of this series.
• After Allen's 5-1 win on Friday the Americans never had the lead in the final two games.
• Idaho's top scorers all out performed their regular season points per game average, it was just the opposite for Allen.

 

- The bottom line is Idaho has been a better team than Allen the last two seasons and by a wide margin. It is not just in the playoffs where the Steelheads have excelled, eliminating Allen 4-1 both years. The Americans overall combined record against Idaho, regular season and playoffs in 2022-23 and 2024-24 was 5-23-1-0 (.189). The goal differential was -59. 

 

- The poor ending against Idaho should not take away from what the Americans were able to accomplish under some trying circumstances this season. As I mentioned yesterday there were only 61 games played in Allen by players assigned by its affiliate, Ottawa/Belleville. Here is a breakdown of the 61 games by position:

• 42 games - Goalies
• 15 games - Forwards
• 4 games - Defensemen

61 games played from affiliate assigned players is a pittance compared to other ECHL teams. Seven teams in the league had over 400 games played by affiliate players and another three had over 300. 

 

 - The Allen Americans used 48 different players this season. When Colton Hargrove went down with a season ending injury on November 22 he was the 11th player on the injured reserve list. I haven't computed total games Allen lost to injury this season but top players Hargrove, Crone, Finlay and Gagnon missed a total of 160 games. 

 

- Given the lack of help from Ottawa/Belleville and the numerous injuries, Chad Costello had to remake the lineup a couple of times during the season season. With a great end of season run, Allen finished third in the Mountain Division and made the playoffs. 

- Allen, Idaho and Kansas City are the only Mountain Division teams that have made the playoffs in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. As a reminder here is how the three teems were seeded in the playoffs in 2023 and 2024:

• 2024
• #1 - Kansas City
• #2 - Idaho
• #3 - Allen

• 2013
• #1 - Idaho
• #2 - Allen
• #3 - Kansas City

- If Allen is going to compete for the top spot in the division the team has to find an affiliate that will be more supportive. There is so much more to a great affiliate relationship than the number of players provided even though that is very important. It has to be a two way relationship that includes information sharing, training camp spots, player development and mutual respect. It sounds simple but building a relationship is not easy. 

 

- I had a chance a talk to Allen Americans owner, Myles Jack, after the game and came away with two thoughts. First, being a professional athlete he understands the obstacles the Americans faced this season and is pleased with the team's performance given those obstacles. Secondly, he is committed to helping Chad Costello overcome those obstacles. It is easy to forget Myles didn't buy the team until September and his learning curve was interrupted when he went back to the NFL, signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the end of November. I would describe Myles Jack as a players' owner who will be very supportive in helping Chad Costello close the gap to compete for the top spot in the Mountain Division in 2024-25. 

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- As much as Allen fans wanted the Americans to win against Idaho it is fitting the two best teams in the Mountain Division will compete for the division championship. Kansas City and Idaho are not only the best teams in the division, they are arguable the best two teams in the ECHL and certainly in the top three. It should be an excellent series to watch and the winner will be battled tested for the conference finals. The series opens in Kansas City on May 4.

 

- Three first round series are still being contested. All four Western Conference division finals teams have been determined (Kansas City, Idaho, Toledo, Wheeling) but only one in the Eastern Conference (Norfolk). The final three teams will be decided no later than Wednesday.

 

- The ECHL summer meetings will take place in Las Vegas June 25-27 and typically some news related to teams, rules etc. are discussed. The Board of Governors meet during the week and that is where the news typically comes from. Here is the ECHL news release on the meeting. https://echl.com/news/2024/04/2024-echl-hockey-summer-meetings-presented-by-fevo-are-june-25-27-in-las-vegas     

 

- There was a lot of discussion about the attendance figures I posted yesterday. FYI, as long as I have been writing the blog the official attendance reported to the ECHL has been the number of tickets issued (sold plus free tickets) not the number of people in the arena. The turnstile count (number of tickets scanned) is always lower because some tickets that are sold or given away are not used, especially for corporate accounts. 

 

   

DID YOU KNOW: In the 2022 and 2023 Kelly Cup playoffs seven of the eight #1 seeds (division champions) advanced to the 2nd round. The one exception was in 2023 when the #1 seed in the South Division, South Carolina, lost to the #4 seed Florida. Florida went on to win the Kelly Cup. Will all #1 seeds advance this season (2024)? Here is where they stand:

Mountain Division

#1 Kansas City beat #4 Tulsa 4-0

 

Central Division

#1 Toledo beat #4 Kalamazoo 4-0

 

North Division

#1 Adirondack leads #4 Maine 3-2

 

South Division

#1 Greenville trails #4 Orlando 3-2

Allen at the Brink, Game Recap, Video Highlights, It's Not Over Yet, Lesson From the Past, Today's Lineup, Playoff Attendance and More

 

I have started the blog many times over the last month with the phrase "must win game" and for the most part the team came through. I have never said "must win game" with such certainty, as this morning, after the Americans lost 5-1 to the Idaho Steelheads last night and now trail 3-1 in the series. It is win or go home time for Allen starting this afternoon (4:10 pm CDT).

 

-  When Allen lifted the puck out of play for a delay of game penalty 27 seconds after the opening puck drop yesterday you knew the game was going to be different than Allen's 5-1 win on Friday night. When the best power play team in the league converted on that early penalty just 89 seconds into the game the odds were already heavily stacked against the Americans. Idaho has rarely lost this season when scoring first. The Steelhead's record when scoring first is 36-3-1-2 (.893).

 

- Allen responded quickly (3:38) to tie the score 1-1 on Bennett MacArthur's second goal in as many nights. Grant Hebert and Hank Crone got the assists. It would turn out to be Allen's only goal of the game as the Americans played the last 56 minutes of the game without scoring. Idaho scored at the 8:25 mark to take a 2-1 lead and that is how the period ended.

 

- The second period has been Allen's Achilles heel all season and it has been Idaho's best period. During the regular season Allen allowed a league high 110 second period goals and Idaho scored a league high 122 second period goals. Idaho outscored Allen 2-0 in the second period to take a 4-1 lead and the goals came early. Idaho scored 36 seconds into the period and again at the 3:13 mark. Idaho took a 4-1 lead into the second intermission and the die was cast. The Steelhead's record when leading after the second period is now 38-1-1-0. 

 

- Neither team managed to score in the third period until Allen pulled goalie Marco Costantini and Idaho scored an empty net goal to make the final score 5-1. It was the 13th time in the 15 times these teams have played this season the winning team has scored five or more goals. The last three games have all been one-sided. Idaho won 5-0 on Wednesday, Allen won 5-1 on Friday and Idaho won 5-1 last night. 

 

- Here are the links to game recaps from both teams and the video highlights: 

• Allen Americans game recap: https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/04/americans-facing-elimination
• Idaho Steelheads game recap: https://idahosteelheads.com/news/2024/04/idaho-captures-three-games-to-one-series-lead-with-5-1-victory
• Video Highlights:  https://echl.com/videos/idaho-steelheads-vs-allen-americans-april-27-2024-game-4
          

 - The Americans now have a tough task trying to come back from a 3-1 deficit. The historical data for seven game series put the odds at less than 10%. Allen will have to beat Idaho three straight times. In the last two years Allen hasn't won two games in a row against Idaho, let alone three straight.  

- One thing I know for sure is there will be no give up or give in from the team or the coaches. Anyone who says this team doesn't care or has given up is just wrong. They may get beat today but they won't go down without a fight. I wouldn't be surprised if Chad Costello and Aaron Gens don't draw on their own playoff experience as players. In 2015 Allen was in a more dire position than the Americans are in today. In 2015 Allen was shutout 5-0 in game four against Ontario to fall behind 3-1 in the series. Nobody gave Allen a chance  Playing on the road in game five, Allen was trailing until the middle of the third period before staging a miraculous comeback scoring five goals in the last 10 minutes to win the game and go on the win the series and eventually the Kelly Cup. The player that started that comeback from the brink of elimination was Chad Costello.   

 

- I won't go through all of the keys to the game which are the same as the first four games of the series. If there is one key among equals for the Americans it would be score the first goal and don't play from behind. It has taken five goals to win 13 of the 15 games between these teams this season so a good bet would be first team to five goals wins. 

 

- My advice is to sit back and enjoy this game win or lose. When you consider how little help Allen got from Ottawa/Belleville, 61 games of which 42 were goalies. Compare that to the seven teams in the league that had over 400 games played by affiliate players. Add in all the games Allen lost to players on injured reserve, which at its peak hit 11 players, and finishing third in the division was quite a feat by Chad Costello. The culture in Allen has never been to call making the playoffs a successful season. But it is worth noting as the puck drops at the CUTX Event Center this afternoon over half  (14 of 26) of all ECHL teams are already on summer vacation.

- Here is Allen's lineup for this afternoon.

 

Forwards

MacArthur-Murray-Finlay

McAuley-Hebert-Crone

Hardie-Kielly-Brodzinski

            Jacobs-Robidoux

 

Defense

Myllari-Williams

Allen-Farmer

Orzeck-Gagnon

 

Goalies

Sinclair

Costantini (backup)

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 

- There are four games on the schedule today. Idaho and Norfolk can advance to the second round with a win today. Here is the ECHL Today with the details: https://echl.com/news/2024/04/echl-today-april-28  

 

 

- Jacksonville and Kansas City are still at 100% on the penalty kill. They are also #1 and #2 in playoff goals allowed per game. Kansas City is #1 (1.50) and Jacksonville is #2 (1.60). If defense wins championships watch out for these two teams. Kansas City has already advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Jacksonville lead Florida 3-2 in the first round in the South Division.

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: ECHL playoff attendance is averaging 4574 per game over the first 35 playoff games, ranging from 7894 to 1426. Here are the top and bottom teams:

 

TOP

7894: Toledo

7649: Orlando

6541: Jacksonville

5822: Allen

5646: Norfolk

 

Bottom

1426: Wheeling*

2907: Trois Rivières

3097: Kalamazoo

3162: Indy

3577: Greenville

 

*Average attendance was reduced because Wheeling had to play one game at a practice facility which drew 800 fans.

 

- Average attendance during the 2023-24 regular season was 4944.

 

- Average attendance during the 2022-23 playoffs (81 games) was 4661.

 

Allen Wins Big, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Costello Comments, Today's Lineup, Playoff Update and More

 

It was a must win game at the CUTX Event Center last night and the Allen Americans came through with flying colors defeating the Idaho Steelheads 5-1. A crowd of 6012 watched the Americans flip the script on the Steelheads after being shutout by Idaho 5-0 on Wednesday. Not much time to savor the victory as the teams play game four this afternoon (4:10 pm CDT) and Allen still trails 2-1 in the series. As great as the victory was last night to avoid going down 3-0 in the series, a loss today would put Allen in a 3-1 hole for which it be will very difficult to escape. 

- The Americans had great performances up and down the lineup last night. Here are some that stood out to me. Some games there are a lot of greasy goals and some games there are a lot of pretty goals. Last night was a pretty goal night. Check them all out in the highlights.

 

- Allen's first goal started and ended with Colin Jacobs. He took a shot from the point and headed toward the net. His shot was blocked and went to Liam Finlay on the side boards. Finlay passed the puck through two defenders right back to Jacobs, who immediately passed the puck to James Hardie at the side of the net. Hardie probably could have scored but instead passed the puck back to Jacobs who had a wide open net to finish the play he had started. It was a super play by all three linemates to give Allen a 1-0 lead at the 3:16 mark of the first period.

- Allen's second goal was a goal scorers goal scored by Hank Crone. Hank is playing with a cage after losing some teeth when he took a high stick in Idaho. He gave Allen a 2-0 lead, scoring on a backhand from the goal line. Assists went to Grant Hebert and Kris Myllari.

 

- A key moment in the game happened shortly after Allen took its 2-0 lead. Ty Fournier dropped the gloves with Idaho's rookie Connor Mylymok, who spent part of his early childhood in Idaho as his dad, Jeremy Mylymok, played for Idaho from 2000-2006. There was a lot more meaning to this fight than entertainment for the fans. Stick taps to Fournier for stepping up and changing the game with that fight.   

 

 

- Allen took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. A first period lead didn't happen very often to the Americans during the regular season, just 26 % of the time (19 of 72 games). Allen's regular season record with a first period lead was 16-1-1-1.

 

 

- This game may very well have turned in a 12 second sequence early in the second period. Idaho captain and points leader in the regular season, A.J. White, found himself all alone in front of Allen goalie Marco Costantini. There wasn't an Allen player within 20 feet. White had time to make several forehand to backhand moves and what looked like a sure goal was either stopped or fired over the top of the net. Allen transitioned down the ice and just 12 second later Blake Murray made a perfect pass from the side boards to Easton Brodzinski who was driving the net and deflected the puck into the goal. What looked like a 2-1 game 12 seconds earlier became a 3-0 Allen lead.

 

 

-  The dagger for the Americans came with 96 seconds remaining in the second period. Allen was on the penalty kill when Bennett MacArthur picked up an Idaho turnover at their blue line and was off to the races. MacArthur was uncontested as he skated in all alone and scored a shorthanded goal. It was quite a night for the Allen penalty killers as they outscored the Idaho power play 1-0. The final tally showed Idaho 0-4 on the power play with one shorthanded goal allowed. 

- Allen took a 4-0 lead into the second intermission and the only question left was could Allen get a shutout. That question was answered early when Idaho scored just 19 seconds after the third period puck drop. Any hopes of an Idaho comeback were squashed when Easton Brodzinski scored his second goal of the night to make the final score 5-1. It was yet another pretty goal. Blake Murray took the puck behind the net and found Brodzinski trailing the play in the slot all alone. A perfect pass by Murray and the puck was in the back of the net. 

- Sorry for the long explanations on the goals. I found myself watching each and everyone one over and over and when you watch a goal 10 times you see all the the great work. Here are the video highlights and use that 10 second rewind button liberally to really enjoy these highlights. https://echl.com/videos/idaho-steelheads-vs-allen-americans-april-26-2024-game-3

 

 

 

- If you look at the big picture the difference in this game was great team defense by the entire team, but two performances deserve special recognition. First, goalie Marco Costantini stopped 35 of 36 shots for a .972 save percentage. If you watched the game you noticed coach Costello made the decision to go toe-to-toe with his top line versus Idaho's top line. Allen has last change at home so Costello could dictate the matchup he wanted. Idaho's top line (Murphy-Rassell-Pelton-Byce) was unstoppable in the first two games of this series. In the two wins in Idaho they had a total of seven goals, 10 assists, 20 shots and had a plus/minus of +12. Last night Allen's top line of McAuley-Murray-Brodzinski were matched up against Idaho's top line all night. What were the results? Idaho's top line, unstoppable in the first two games of the series, had no goals, no assists, no shots and were -9. Allen's top line not only shutdown Idaho's top line, it contributed two goals and three assists and was +6.

 

 

- What will it take to win again this afternoon. You would think if Allen can duplicate the performance from last night it will lead to victory. While that is true it won't be easy. The odds of  holding Idaho's top line to zeros across the board this afternoon are slim to none. To hold the top power play unit in the league scoreless and score a shorthand goal will be tough to duplicate. Idaho's road record the last two seasons was 50-19-1-3 (.712) and they were embarrassed last night. The Steelheads will be a formidable foe this afternoon. If Allen can weather the storm, play great defense, continue to score and tie the series 2-2 it will be game on. If Idaho wins and takes a 3-1 series lead, the Americans will be in a very big hole.

 

 

- Here is the game recaps from both teams:

• Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/04/americans-earn-5-1-victory-in-game-3
• Idaho Steelheads: https://idahosteelheads.com/news/2024/04/steelheads-suffer-5-1-loss-in-game-three-lead-series-2-1 
   

 

COACH'S COMMENTS

 

 

I had a chance to check in with  the coaches after the game and as usual they do not spend much time enjoying the victory. They were looking at stats, talking to players and making plans for the early start today. Here are a couple of quotes I got from coach Costello.

 

"We played really fast tonight. We have had a lot of chances to score, even in the shutout in Idaho, tonight our chances were going in the net."

 

"Fournier got us going a lot when he stepped up to drop the gloves. He showed we are not going anywhere and we are all pulling on the rope. Every single player on the bench did something in that game to help us win and that is a good sign."

"Costantini was great in goal. The stop he made right in front of the net was big as was the goal we scored 10 seconds later. We were looking at a score of 2-1 but instead it was 3-0. 

 

"We made some really nice plays on our goals tonight. It reminded me how we played in game one only we defended much better and made more saves."

 

 

 

TODAY'S LINEUP

 

-When you play like Allen played last night and everyone contributes you can't take anyone out of the lineup so it will remain the same this afternoon. Healthy scratches: Kielly, Orzeck, and Robidoux:

 

Forwards

McAuley-Murray-Brodzinski

MacArthur-Hebert-Crone

Hardie-Jacobs-Finlay

Smedsrud        Fournier

 

Defense

Myllari-Williams

Allen-Farmer

Jarvis-Gagnon

 

Goalies

Costantini

Sinclair (backup)

 

 

 - Here is the game four preview issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/04/game-day-preview-looking-to-even-it-up

 

 

- The referees scheduled to work the game are the same as last night. Hunter Mottinger (#9) and Marc-Olivier Phaneuf (#23). 

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 

- Several of you asked me about the odds now that Allen has cut Idaho's series lead to 2-1. In close to 2000 seven game series over all of the major professional sports the odds of Allen winning today is just slightly under 50% and the odds of Allen winning the series has climbed to 30%. If Allen loses today and falls behind 3-1 the Americans odds of winning the series drops under 20%.

 

 

- Allen and Idaho have now played 14 times this season, 11 regular season games and three playoff games. Here are some telling stats:

• The winning team has scored five or more goals in 12 of the 14 games, including all three of the playoff games.
• The home team has won 12 of the 14 games. 
• The team that has scored first has won 11 of the 14 games.
• Of the 14 games there were only three one goal games and two of them were in overtime.
• In nine of 14 games the winning margin was three or more goals.
   

- Toledo swept Kalamazoo last night and joins Kansas City advancing to the second round of the playoffs. Kansas City last played on April 22 and won't play again (winner of Idaho vs Allen) until May 4th. Toledo finished its series last night and will play the winner of the #2 Indy vs #3 Wheeling series. The second round series will start on May 3. Wheeling is leading 3-1 over Indy with a chance to advance tonight. Unfortunately, because of arena availability, Wheeling will play its home game tonight at the Pittsburgh Penguins practice facility in Cranberry, PA. From what I can determine the rink can accommodate less than 1000 fans unless they include a lot of standing room only.     

 

- All six undecided series will be in action tonight with three teams (Jacksonville, Norfolk, Wheeling) having a 3-1 series lead and a chance to advance. Here is the ECHL Today with the previews and series status: https://echl.com/news/2024/04/echl-today-april-27   

 

 

- Matt Register went scoreless last night and remains one point away from tying the all time ECHL career playoff points record of 117 points. It is a record that has stood since 1996. Toledo's win last night tied the all time record of 18 games for win streak including playoffs which was set in 2007 by Las Vegas. Toledo will have a chance to break the record in its opening game in round two at home. 

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The two best ECHL teams during the regular season and only two with point percentages above .700 were unbeatable in the first round of the playoffs. The Kelly Cup could be headed back to the Western Conference this season. The last time a Western Conference team won the Kelly Cup with all teams participating was Colorado in 2018. Here is the first round status of the #1 seeds in all four ECHL divisions:

 

Western Conference

Central Division

#1 Toledo swept #4 Kalamazoo 4-0

 

Mountain Division

#1 Kansas City swept #4 Tulsa 4-0

 

 

Eastern Conference

North Division

#1 Adirondack trails #4 Maine 2-1

 

South Division

#1 Greenville trails #4 Orlando 2-1

 

 

Allen vs Idaho Preview, ECHL Stats, All-Time Career Playoff Point Leaders and More

 

To start I want to say thanks to all of you that reached out to congratulate me after I posted the photo yesterday of the framed jersey given to me by the Allen Americans for reaching 2500 blog posts. It was a trip down memory lane to hear from so many former and current players, coaches, team employees, front office staffs, bloggers, fans and friends from Allen and around the ECHL.  

 

- The Allen Americans have faced numerous must win games over the last month just to make it into the Kelly Cup playoffs. Earning 13 of 14 points over a 10 day period at the end of the season vaulted the Americans into third place in the Mountain Division. Now the task for Allen is even taller. Trailing Idaho 2-0 in the series the Americans must beat the Steelheads four times in the next six days. It is a daunting task when you consider Allen has beaten Idaho just four times in the last two years and 26 games. 

- Tonight's game is a must win game because falling behind 3-0 in a seven game series reduces the chance of winning the series to less than 2%. It has happened twice in ECHL history which was founded in 1988. In 2010 Cincinnati trailed Reading 3-0 in the conference finals, came back to win the series, and went on to win the Kelly Cup by defeating Idaho 4-1 in the finals. A lot of Allen fans will remember the other time a team came back from a 3-0 deficit. It was in the first round of the 2018 Kelly Cup playoffs. The Allen Americans took a 3-0 series lead against Idaho before losing the series 4-3. Allen won the first two games of the series in Idaho (3-2 & 5-4), came back home and beat the Steelheads 5-3 and then lost four straight games to Idaho. FYI, in the second round Idaho played Colorado (the eventual Kelly Cup champion) and were swept 4-0.

 

- Here are the cumulative stats from the first two games in this series:

• Goals - Allen has been outscored 11-5 (Allen scored 5 goals in game one, none in game two).
• Shots - Allen has been outshot 77-60.
• Power Play: Allen is 2-8 (25.0%), Idaho is 3-11 (27.3%).
• PIM: Allen has taken 15 penalties for 61 minutes, Idaho 13 penalties for 36 minutes.
• Team Save Percentage: Allen .857 - Idaho .917  
• Team Shooting Percentage: Allen 8.3% - Idaho 14.3%

- Allen's scoring has been spread out with five different players scoring the five goals. Liam Finlay with a goal and an assist is the only Allen player with more than one point in the series. Idaho has three players with five or more points; Pelton-Byce (8), Rassell (6) and Kudla (5). Four Idaho players have two or more goals led by Rassell with four goals. 

- For the Americans to win tonight it is imperative they get off to a good start. Allen has given up the first goal of the game in nine of the 13 games these teams have played this season. The Americans lost eight of the nine games when giving up the first goal. 

- Idaho plays with the lead a lot because it averaged 4.21 goals per game during the regular season, almost a goal per game higher than Allen (3.24). Idaho had a second period lead 38 times during the regular season, no other ECHL team had more. In those 38 games the Steelheads record was 36-1-1-0. Allen does not want to be playing from behind tonight. 

-  Something to keep an eye on if you attend the game tonight or watch on FloHockey is the transition game. Both of theses teams are excellent in transition with skill and speed. The team that can break out of its defensive zone with speed and best controls the neutral zone will have a big advantage in transition. 

- Another game within the game to watch tonight is blocked shots and faceoffs. Idaho has had the advantage in the first two games of the series. Allen needs to turn that around tonight. 

- The referees scheduled to work the game are Hunter Mottinger (#9) and Marc-Olivier Phaneuf (#23). Mottinger was the lone referee for four straight games recently when Allen played Wichita and Adirondack. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- With Kansas City already advancing  to the second round of the playoffs there are seven first round series still to be decided. There are five games on the schedule tonight and all seven series are scheduled to be in action Saturday night. In the Central Division #1 Toledo leads #4 Kalamazoo 3-0 and can advance with a win tonight in Kalamazoo. Here is the ECHL Today with game previews and status on all of the series: https://allenamericansblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/allen-shutout-5-0-trails-2-0-in-series.html

 

- Four players are averaging more than 2.00 points per game in the playoffs, three of them play for Idaho.

• 4.00 - Ty Pelton-Byce, Idaho
  
• 3.00 - Mark Rassell, Idaho
• 2.50 - Patrick Kudla, Idaho
• 2.33 - Brandon Hawkins, Toledo
   

- It is not often long time ECHL records are tied or broken, but it could happen twice tonight. Matt Register is one point away from the all time ECHL career playoff points record of 117 points. It is a record that has stood since 1996. With a win tonight Toledo can tie the all time record for win streak including playoffs which was set in 2007 at 18 games.

 

- Allen is leading the playoffs in one category. Allen is #1, averaging 30.50 penalty minutes per game. The ECHL average penalty minutes per game is 15.21 and the range is from Allen's 30.50 to 4.67 (Jacksonville).  

 

- Three ECHL playoff teams still have a 100% penalty kill percentage;  Kansas City (0-12), Jacksonville (0-7) and Greenville (0-5). Allen's penalty kill is 72.7% (3-11). 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Today's ECHL Stats post is about career playoff points for players that played this season. Here is Allen's all time ECHL career playoff points leaders:

• 80 points - Chad Costello
• 60 points - Greger Hanson
• 52 points - Spencer Asuchak
• 42 points - Gary Steffes
• 36 points - David Makowski
   

Most career playoff points for players playing at least one regular season game in the ECHL this season. Players currently playing in the 2024 Kelly Cup playoffs are marked with an asterisk.

 

116: *Matt Register, IDH

78: Shawn Szydlowski, FW

68: *Brandon Hawkins, TOL

60: Zach O’Brien, NFL

56: Spencer Asuchak, ALN

43: Justin Vaive, CIN

41: *Justin Taylor, KAL 

 

Allen Shutout 5-0, Trails 2-0 in Series, Game Recaps, Video Highlights, A Look Ahead, All-Time Records and More

 

The Allen Americans were shutout 5-0 by the Idaho Steelheads last night before a sellout crowd of 5127 at the Idaho Central Arena. The game was over before many fans were settled in their seats. Idaho scored three goals by the six minute mark of the first period (1:36, 4:46, 5:54) and the die was cast. The Americans did manage to stop the bleeding in the second period by matching shots with Idaho (11-11) and goals (0-0) but it was not good enough. Idaho outshot Allen 15-8 in a penalty filled third period and added two more goals to complete the 28 save 5-0 shutout and take a 2-0 lead in the series. 

 

- Nothing went right for the Allen Americans in this game. Here are some of the examples:

• Idaho scored the first goal of the game 96 seconds after the opening puck drop. The Steelheads win 90% of its games when scoring first.
• Allen's goal was to stay out of the penalty box and the Americans gave up seven power play opportunities. Idaho was 1-7 on the power play.
• Allen was 0-4 on the power play.
  
• Allen was out shot 38-28 in the game.
• Allen had no answer for Mark Rassel (2G, 1A) and Ty Pelton-Byce (1G, 3A).
• Allen gave up five goals after allowing six goals in game one.
• Allen took 53 penalty minutes, the highest PIM total in the 2024 playoffs and 45 of the 53 PIMs were in the third period when the game had long been decided. 
  

- After two playoff games the Allen Americans are in a familiar spot, dead last in goals allowed per game. The Americans were last most of the regular season though they escaped the cellar with their seven game point streak at the end of the season. Allen was ranked #26 allowing 3.83 goals per game. In the playoffs Allen is last, ranked #16, allowing an average of 5.50 goals per game. 10 of the 16 playoff teams are allowing fewer than 3.00 goals per game and eight are allowing 2.00 or fewer goals per game. 

- I know the team believes it can play with and beat Idaho. However believing is one thing, but executing on that belief is quite different. Here are the facts over the last two regular seasons and playoffs combined:

• Allen's record against Idaho is 4-21-1-0 (.173)
• Three of the four Allen wins were with NHL contracted goalie, Leevi Meriläinen, in goal.

 

- Can Allen win on Friday and turn this series around, of course they can, but the odds are stacked against them. Based on NHL historical data Allen has around a 45% chance of winning game three and less than a 15% chance of winning this series. Right now the only goal for the Americans is to get a win on Friday.

 

- Here are the game recaps from both teams:

•  Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/04/americans-shutout-in-game-2
• Idaho Steelheads: https://idahosteelheads.com/news/2024/04/jake-kielly-posts-28-save-shutout-in-5-0-victory-as-steelheads-capture-a-2-0-series-lead

 

- Here are the video highlights or the defensive breakdown highlights depending on your point of view: https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-idaho-steelheads-april-24-2024-game-2   

- Four players have killed the Americans in this series and limiting their impact was a point of emphasis before the series started. Here are their totals after two games:

• Ty Pelton-Byce: 8 points (1G, 7A)
• Mark Rassell: 6 points (4G, 2A)
• Patrick Kudla - 5 points (2G, 3A)
• Matt Register - 2 points (2G, 0A)
   

 

- The Americans now must get ready for game three at home tomorrow (Friday) night. Because the start of this series was delayed the teams must play four games in five days with the only day off (today) spent traveling between Boise and Dallas. Doesn't seem ideal for any Kelly Cup playoff series. The Allen contingent is split between a flight that left Boise at 6:30 this morning and one that that is scheduled to leave around 1:30 this afternoon. Most of the players will be on the later flight as will the Idaho team which should be an interesting dynamic.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Matt Register scored a goal last night and now is one point away from the all time ECHL career playoff points record of 117 points. It is a record that has stood since 1996. A very impressive record for any player but even more extraordinary that the all time career playoff points leader is about to be a defenseman. It will be ironic that Register will likely tie and/or set the record in Allen, the place he started his professional career. Matt's first professional point was a game winning power play goal against Rio Grande Valley on February 11, 2012.

 

- Toledo beat Kalamazoo 6-2 last night to take a 3-0 lead in the series. Toledo finished the regular season with a 14 game win streak and has now added three straight playoff wins. Toledo's 17 game win streak is the second longest win streak including playoffs in the history of the ECHL. Toledo can tie the record when they play Kalamazoo Friday night. The current record of 18 games was set by the Las Vegas Wranglers in 2007 when they finished the regular season with 13 straight wins followed by five straight playoff wins.

 

- The Belleville Senators beat the Toronto Marlies 3-1 last night to take a 1-0 series lead in their first round best of three series. Game two is in Toronto on Friday and game three, if necessary, will be in Belleville on Sunday.   

 

- There have been 24 games played thus far in the first round of the playoffs. The higher seeds (#1 & #2) have a record of 17-7. Of the seven wins by lower seeds (#3 & #4), three have been by #3 seed Wheeling against #2 seed Indy.

 

- On a personal note I wanted to share a big surprise I got yesterday. I know most of you have seen this on social media, but I have learned over the years a lot of you are not on social media or don't spend much time on social media so wanted to share here.

Allen Americans team President, Jonny Mydra, presented me with this framed jersey yesterday, signed by the front office staff, coaches, players and hockey operations staff, to recognize me reaching the milestone of publishing 2500 blogs. My thanks to Jonny and the entire Allen Americans organization.

 Congrats to Barry Janssen (Allen Americans Blog) on surpassing 2,500 team blogs! Widely respected across the league and the hockey world, we are fortunate to have Barry covering our team. 
 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about average playoff goals scored and allowed. Allen has averaged 2.50 goals in the first two playoff games and allowed 5.50 goals per game. 

Thus far in the playoffs (24 games) there have been five shutouts and seven times when a team scored five or more goals. Here are the top four playoff teams in goals scored and goals allowed:

 

Goals Scored

5.50 - Idaho

4.67 - Toledo

4.00 - Norfolk

3.75 - Wheeling 

 

Goals Allowed

1.00 - *Adirondack

1.50 - *Maine

1.50 - Kansas City

1.50 - Greenville

 

*Adirondack and Maine are playing each other with the series tied 1-1. In two games they have combined for a total of five goals. An average of 2.5 combined goals per game.

 

The only team that is top five in goals scored and goals allowed is Kansas City.

Allen vs Idaho Preview, 2nd Round Home Dates, Belleville Playoff Dates, Two Playoff Records at Risk, Playoff Roster Makeup and More

 

After a day off to rest, recuperate and relax which included a practice, the Allen Americans will try to get a split in Idaho tonight before returning home for three games this weekend. In a seven game playoff series it is important to not get too high or too low. After the disappointing 6-5 overtime loss on Monday the game tonight will be key for the Americans. If Allen falls behind 2-0 in this series the odds of them winning the series will drop to around 15%.

 

-  The scoring trend from the regular season continued in game one of the playoffs. Allen and Idaho have now played 12 times this season and the winning team has scored five or more goals in 10 of the 12 games. Allen's record in the 12 games is 3-7-2-0. The Americans scored five or more goals in all three of their wins.

- If you look at the analytics from the game on Monday the Americans did a lot of good things. Allen got off to a good start taking a 2-0 lead in the game, scored two power play goals (2-4), had more puck possession time than Idaho and had a 5-4 lead in the third period. On the downside Allen allowed two power play goals, surrendered two goal leads twice, gave up three goals in the second period and had half the blocked shots than Idaho.

 

-  There were 348 defensemen who played in the ECHL during the regular season. The #2 and #4 in points among the 348 defensemen play for Idaho. Matt Register was #2 with 64 points (10G, 54A) and Patrick Kudla was #4 with 60 points (10G, 50A). Allen had a plan to limit the impact of these two offensive defensemen but it did not work on Monday. With Idaho trailing 4-2 late in the second period they each scored a goal within 53 seconds to get the Steelheads back in the game. When Allen took a 5-4 lead in the third period Kudla scored his second goal to send the game to overtime. Allen will have to do a better job on these two defensemen tonight.

 

- Turnovers as always will be a key tonight because when Allen turns over the puck they miss the chance for a shot and give Idaho an excellent shooting opportunity. The Americans have to be smart with the puck because Idaho has an excellent transition game. 

 

- If Allen can get off to another good start tonight, control Kudla and Register, limit the number of power play opportunities given to Idaho and cut down on puck possession losses/turnovers, especially in the neutral zone, they can win tonight. It is a tall task but it can be done. 

 

- The referees tonight will be the same as Monday,  Brendan Schreider (#12) and Tatu Kunto (#17). For the most part the duo let the players play on Monday. They called just seven penalties and three of them (high sticking & delay of game) are automatic penalties or close to automatic.

• 2 - hooking
• 2 - high-sticking
• 1 - tripping
• 1 - delay of game
  
• 1 - holding

 

OTHER

- Belleville's first round playoff series (best of three) begins at home tonight against Toronto. Game two is Friday in Toronto and if necessary game three will be in Belleville on Sunday. Belleville's roster has 21 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies. Makes you wonder why forward Tarun Fizer hasn't been sent to Allen unless he has earned a spot in the Belleville lineup.

- Of the eight first round ECHL series the higher seeds (#1 & #2) are tied or leading in all but one. The one possible upset is in the Central Division where #3 Wheeling beat #2 Indy 3-0 last night to take a 3-1 lead in the series. 

- Kansas City has already announced its second round home game dates which will be the same whether the Mavericks play Allen or Idaho. Here are the Kansas City dates for games one and two plus six and seven if necessary:

• May 4, Saturday
• May 5, Sunday
• May 14, Tuesday
• May 15, Wednesday

If you look at the dates above the second round home dates for Allen or Idaho will almost certainly be between May 8-12. Dates for the three home games, if Allen advances, would be on three of the following days depending on arena availability. A quick look at the CUTX Event Center schedule shows other events scheduled on the 10th (Collin College graduation) and 12th (concert). It is a little like counting your chickens before they hatch, but if Allen makes it to the 2nd round, my guess is the home games will be on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday:  

• May 8, Wednesday
• May 9, Thursday
  
• May 10, Friday
• May 11, Saturday
• May 12, Sunday

 

- Check out the ECHL Today that has a preview of the four playoff games tonight and the status of all eight first round series. FYI, no team can clinch a series tonight. Only Kansas City has advanced to the second round. The Mavericks advanced on April 22 and won't play again until May 4th. With 11 days off Kansas City will be very fresh or very rusty depending on the outcome of its first second round game on May 4th. 

 

- Five of the 20 (25%) playoff games played thus far have gone to overtime. All have been decided in the first overtime. The time of the overtime winning goal ranged from 23 seconds to over 12 minutes: Here are the details on the five overtimes by time of winning goal:

• :23 - Idaho 6-5 over Allen
• :30 - Wheeling 3-2 over Indy
• 2:29 - Toledo 3-2 over Kalamazoo
• 8:24 - Florida 2-1 over Jacksonville
• 12:22 - Orlando 1-0 over Greenville

 

- There are a couple of long time ECHL records, one individual and one team, that could be broken this week. Matt Register is two points from the most career playoff points and Toledo is two wins from the longest winning streak including playoffs. Here is the info from the record book. Longevity has payed off for Matt Register. Matt is playing in his 10th ECHL playoffs and has played in 147 playoff games. Notice Chad Costello is #5 on this list. Chad played in five ECHL playoffs and scored his 87 points (24G, 83A) in just 71 playoff games.

MOST POINTS, PLAYOFF CAREER
117 – Phil Berger (Charlotte and Greensboro - 1990-96)
115 – Matt Register (Ontario, Allen, Colorado, Toledo, Idaho - 2013-Present)
101 – John Spoltore (Louisiana - 1996-2000)
 94 – Jay Murphy (Louisiana, Richmond, Greensboro - 1995-2003)
 87 – Chad Costello (Colorado and Allen - 2013-22)

LONGEST WINNNING STREAK, INCLUDING PLAYOFFS
18 – Las Vegas Wranglers, Mar. 10-Apr. 22, 2007 (13 regular-season games, 5 playoff games)
17 – Florida Everblades, Mar. 21-May 3, 2018 (10 regular-season games, 7 playoff games) 
16 – Toledo Walleye, Mar. 15, 2024-Present (14 regular-season games, 2 playoff games)
10 – Columbia Inferno, Mar. 29-Apr. 27, 2003 (1 regular-season game, 9 playoff games)
    – Peoria Rivermen, Mar. 31-May 2, 2000    (2 regular-season games, 8 playoff games)
 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today covers team rosters. Allen currently has 22 of a max 24 players on the roster; four NHL/AHL contracted players (Sinclair, Crone, Murray, MacArthur), six rookies (Costantini, Allen, Farmer, Hardie, Smedsrud, Fournier and one veteran (Jacobs). Allen has two roster spots available for the two players on the playoff eligible list (Fizer, Meriläinen) currently playing in the AHL.

 

Makeup of ECHL playoff rosters. 1st number is NHL/AHL contracted players, 2nd is rookies, 3rd is veterans. Includes players on active roster (max 20 players) and reserve (max 4 players). Does not include any players currently in the AHL and on team’s playoff eligible list that could be added to the playoff roster at a later date (if teams have roster room).

 

Adirondack: 9-9-1

Allen: 4-6-1

Florida: 6-5-4

Greenville: 3-9-1

Idaho: 4-8-3

Indy: 10-5-4

Jacksonville: 5-6-3

Kalamazoo: 4-12-3

Kansas City: 10-9-0

Maine: 6-10-4

Norfolk: 4-7-1

Orlando: 8-10-3

Toledo: 5-11-1

Trois Rivières: 9-11-2

Wheeling: 10-14-1