Player Profile - Amateur Signee Cain Franson

Cain Franson

Cain played his 1st professional game last Wednesday - photo by SceneByKimberly.com

The newest member of the Allen Americans is Cain Franson who just completed his junior career two weeks ago. Cain played four seasons with the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League and had a total of 181 points (89 goals, 92 assists) in 246 games. Franson finished this season with a career-high of 30 goals, 33 assists, and 63 points. Cain has played all three forward positions, is a left shot and just turned 21 years old on March 25. 

Cain is from a small community in southeast British Columbia by the name of Sicamous, located adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway where Mara Lake empties into Shuswap Lake via a short narrows. Sicamous is a resort town and is the eastern gateway to the Shuswap. With over 1,000 km of shoreline surrounding Sicamous it styles itself as the Houseboat Capital of Canada. It has a population of about 2500.

Cain started his junior career in Vancouver in 2010-2011 as a slight built  6' 2" 160 pounder and struggled his first year getting only 3 goals and 3 assists in 50 games. The article below was written in the summer of 2012 and describes what happened after Cain's first year in junior hockey with Vancouver.

Brotherly love, where would Cain Franson be without it?
The Vancouver Giants forward was pretty much a mess during his rookie Western Hockey League season in 2010-11. He was a fourth-liner, a frequent healthy scratch and a rare offensive contributor with just three goals and three assists in 50 games.
He admitted he had doubts about his ability to make an impact at the major junior level. But big brother Cody, a Giants alumnus and current Toronto Maple Leaf, was having none of it. He took Cain with him to Kelowna to train last summer at Crash Conditioning and whatever magic dust was sprinkled on Cain, it worked.
Cain improved from six points to 58 and provided vital secondary scoring for the Giants behind NHL draft picks Brendan Gallagher and Marek Tvrdon. Not surprisingly, Cain had no intention of changing his routine during the summer of 2012. So each week he traveled from the family home in Sicamous to Cody’s house in Kelowna for Monday-to-Friday workouts.
“No, ha, he didn’t charge me rent,” Franson chuckled this week at Giants’ training camp in Ladner. “And he helped me out with my training fee, which was pretty expensive. I still had to be accountable for my living expenses and whatnot but Cody has been really good to me. I wouldn’t be where I am without him.”
The Franson brothers are different in almost every respect on the ice. Cody, is a sturdy 6-5, 215-pound defenceman while Cain, is a slightly built 6-2, 176-pound left-winger. Cody was a third-round NHL draft pick of the Nashville Predators while Cain has twice been passed over as both a 17- and 18-year-old.

Cain's hard work during the summers made him stronger and faster and the hard work paid off as he was twice invited to the Vancouver Canucks' summer prospect camp. He has been better in traffic and more physical every season for the Giants. That's in part because he now has 183 pounds on his 6' 2" frame after checking in at 160 four years ago.

Cain is the youngest son of  Cal and  Karen Franson. He has a sister, Colbie, who is three years older, was a figure skater and taught figure skating but is now going to school to become a policewomen. His brother, (six years older) Cody, is a defenseman for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Cain's mom runs a meat shop in the nearby community of Salmon Arm. Cain's dad had the perfect job for a young hockey player as his dad has worked at the local ice rink for close to 30 years. When Cal Franson got a job at the Sicamous & District Recreation Centre he was not thinking that he would be cleaning the ice for future professional players like Cody and Cain. He was just trying to avoid getting a "real job." Over the years, the arena would become a second home for the family. Sometimes Cal would take the three kids out of school to skate on the ice. Often they would sit on his lap while he drove the Zamboni.  "It was pretty much like having a rink in your own backyard," Cal Franson says, Even better. Especially during the Christmas holidays, they would be on the ice four or five hours a day. They never ever got bored. Since Sicamous is such a small tight-knit community there was plenty of ice time for all of the kids. Besides Cody, NHLers Shea Weber, Colin Fraser, and Kris Beech all got their start at the rink.

Here are Cain's answers to a few get to know you questions.

Describe Your Style of Play: I am an offensive player but I think I can play well in all three zones. I had to learn to play defense when I started in Vancouver. I came from such a small program in Sicamous I didn't even know what a "system" was. When I was young I could take the puck and do whatever I wanted. I am an offensive threat, I see the ice well and have a good skill set. My defensive game has come a long way in the last couple of years so I think I am a complete player.

Do You Have Any Pets: We have a black lab - collie mix named Franny.

What is Your Nickname: Franny

Hockey Hero: I have grown up a Leafs fan as my uncle is a diehard Toronto fan. I always liked Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour.

Earliest Hockey Memory: One of my earliest memories was when I was about eight my uncle coached a team in the neighboring town of Armstrong and was short a player so he asked me to play and we won the tournament.

When Did You Start Skating: I don't ever remember not being on skates. My dad had me on skates very young but did not let me play hockey until I was five. He wanted me to learn how to skate so it was about five years of skating before hockey.

Favorite Actor: Comedian would be Will Ferrell and serious actor would be Will Smith.

Favorite Actress: Reese Witherspoon

Favorite Type of Music: I like everything from country to techno to rap.

Favorite Singer/Group: I have been listening to a lot of Luke Bryan lately.

If You Could Go To Lunch With Anyone Living Who Would You Pick: Will Farrell would be fun to have lunch with.

Something People Would Be Surprised To Know About You: I am a pretty skinny guy but when I was born I weighed 13 pounds.

What Chore Do You Absolutely Hate To Do: Take out the garbage.

Something That Has Great Value To You But Little Value To Anyone Else: Playing minor hockey in a small town like Sicamous.. There were only eight or nine guys on my team. I am still great buddies with all of them. A lot of kids would not have been happy playing in such a small hockey organization. It wasn't the best hockey growing up but I still cherish it to this day.

Who Do You Admire as a Leader: The best captain I have ever had was last year in Vancouver. His name was Wes Vannieuwenhuizen.

The Most Interesting Place You Have Ever Visited: Nashville, Tennessee

If You Could Live In Another Country For Two Years Where Would You Live: Germany

If You Could Be Anything Besides a Pro Hockey Player What Would It Be: Fireman or Policeman.

Any Pregame Rituals or Superstitions: I have a lot of them and get grief from my teammates all of the time. I always get dressed from right to left, I am a big knock on wood type of guy, before I use any tape I always rip off a piece and go fresh, I like to wet my shin pads and gloves before every game.

Who Is Your Number One Fan: My mom.

What Do You Like To Do Away From The Rink: I got into the video game called "Call of Duty" and played that with my teammates in Vancouver a lot. I am a big movie guy so Netflix is a favorite. I also enjoy golf.

Favorite Childhood Toy: We had a toy corvette that you could pedal around and we drove the heck out of that corvette.

Favorite Motto Or Saying: My brother shared one with me that I always remember and try to live by. Control what you can control and don't get too high on the highs and don't get too low on the lows.

Favorite TV Show: I was really into "One Tree Hill" a couple of years ago. Now I like "Suits" and "Breaking Bad."

It was great to sit down with Cain and get to know him a little bit. It must be difficult to find your own way in hockey living in the shadow of a big brother who is an NHL star. Cain doesn't see it as a burden whatsoever, he appreciates all Cody has done to help him and is looking forward to making the most of a professional career. It will be fun to follow his journey. If you are on twitter you can follow Cain at: @frannyy12.

Cain Franson #51 - photo by scenebykimberly.com

Playoff Update, No CHL Expansion to Casper, Changes in Wichita

- As the Allen Americans await their long bus ride to Brampton which starts tomorrow (Monday) night two of the other series played their second games last night. Denver squared their series with Tulsa 1-1 by winning in Tulsa by a score of 4-2. What is undoubtedly the top line in the CHL (Bembridge, Schwab, Gale) scored all four goals for Denver with league MVP Garett Bembridge scoring a natural hat trick (see "Did You Know" below) in the third period to secure the victory. The teams now head to Denver for the next three games. In the other series between Rapid City and Quad City it was a penalty filled night as the referee Jake Brenk called 28 minor penalties as the Mallards beat the Rush in overtime by a score of 3-2. Lots of penalties played to the advantage of Quad City with the Rush penalty kill and power play both ranked last in the league. All three Mallard goals came on special teams (two power play and a short handed goal) including the game winner which was a 5 on 3 power play. This series is also tied 1-1 as the teams head to Quad City for the next three games.

- The second game of the Missouri vs Arizona series is tonight in Missouri. After the game tonight this series switches to Arizona for the next three games.

- While Allen will wait until Thursday night for game three of their series with Brampton all of the other series will have game three on Wednesday evening.

- It is probably early to be talking about next year with the playoffs just getting underway, however I came across a couple of articles that talked about next year that you might find interesting. The first is written by Tom Dixon, Star-Tribune staff writer for trib.com that talks about CHL expnasion in Casper, Wyoming.

Former U.S. Rep John Wold has cut the strings attached to an offer of $1 million toward installing ice at the Casper Events Center. That’s the announcement expected from City Manager John Patterson at the Casper Hockey Extravaganza fundraiser for the Casper Oilers youth hockey team at the Best Western Ramkota on Saturday evening. “If I have the opportunity, I’m going to thank Mr. Wold for giving amateur hockey the chance to thrive here in Casper,” Patterson said. “He has now removed any conditions to his funding, and we are now in the process, I have to tell you it’s a process, toward getting ice at the Events Center.” A phone call Friday to Wold requesting an interview was not returned. That process will likely include discussion at an April 15 regular meeting of the City Council . The city would have to make up the difference in the estimated $2.2 million to install the ice. Wold made the offer in September after the city’s attempts to attract a Central Hockey League team to the city for the 2013 season failed. In exchange, he wanted to approve the franchise and lease agreement with the hockey team, the ice floor budget, engineering plans and any additional funding. The city recently entered into another round of talks with the ownership of an unidentified team, but the deal apparently fell flat again. “About two weeks ago, they said, ‘Oh, maybe not this year,’ but they told us to keep in touch,” Patterson said. “If we already had the ice, I believe they would have said yes.” Patterson has said the ice could be installed in a matter of months. The ice would stay on the floor about eight months a year. A 1-inch-thick board would cover the ice during concerts and other events. The 10-team Central Hockey League is roughly equivalent to AA baseball. Teams play 33 home games a year from October to March. The three teams with the best attendance averaged about 5,200 fans per game. The bottom three teams averaged about 2,300 fans. Patterson believes Casper’s central location is key to closing the deal with a team. “Casper is the perfect market. We are right here amongst a lot of hockey teams,” Patterson said. “They can easily travel from Rapid City to Boise, Salt Lake, the Denver area.” Putting a team in place for the fall start of the 2014 season is unlikely, Patterson said.

- The second article is written by Jeffrey Lutz, who covers the Wichita Thunder for the Wichita Eagle and posted this story at kansas.com. It talks about the future of the Thunder and coach Kevin McClelland:

Kevin McClelland is committed to improving the Thunder, even if Wichita’s hockey coach isn’t committed to any certainty regarding his status beyond the recently completed season. McClelland, who led the Thunder to appearances in the Central Hockey League finals in 2012 and 2013, has one year remaining on his contract. He doesn’t like not knowing where he’ll be in two seasons, but now may not be the best time to ask owners Brandon, Johnny and Rodney Steven for an extension. Wichita missed the playoffs, finishing ninth in the 10-team CHL after failing to recover from a dismal start. It doesn’t seem that McClelland wore out his welcome, but this season was a harsh comedown for a franchise that had grown accustomed to winning during his previous three years. “I haven’t talked to anybody yet, and who knows?” McClelland said regarding the likelihood of a return next year. “I have another year left and I imagine we’ll be moving forward, but I’m not real keen on going into the last year of a deal, that’s for sure.” McClelland said he would prefer to return but hesitated at the idea of signing an extension. “We love it here,” McClelland said. “It’s been great for me and my family. We’ve been treated well by the fans and the ownership, and it’s been a great place. But security is No. 1 for my family and me in this business.” If McClelland stays, he’ll have substantial work to do in overhauling the Thunder’s roster. Wichita gave the core of the two finals teams another shot to win a championship, but many of those players underperformed and the newcomers failed to match the production of those who departed after last year. No matter what McClelland decides on mainstays such as Andrew Martens, RG Flath and Matt Summers, the core will look different after the retirement of Matt Robinson, Wichita’s leading scorer over the last four years and one of only two Thunder players, along with Flath, to score 20 goals this season. McClelland will be searching for scoring after high-priced additions Jesse Dudas and Jon Booras were unable to lead a postseason charge. “We’re going to sit down, management, owners and myself, on Monday and iron a few things out and move on after that,” McClelland said. Wichita started 2-10 and couldn’t recover, and a 12-17-4 record at Intrust Bank Arena ultimately dashed any playoff hopes. The Thunder endured early injuries to Ian Lowe, Matt Summers and Dudas, and nine players who ended the season on the active roster missed at least five games. “It’s disappointing (from) where we’d been the last couple seasons,” McClelland said. “It’s a totally different feeling, one that I’m not very happy with. I don’t like that. Where we’ve been the last couple years, and all of a sudden, boom, like that. I know things can happen in the world of sports, but you never want to see your team take that much of a drop.”

Courtesy CHL Memes

Courtesy CHL Memes

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2014/04/05/3388368/thunders-drastic-drop-leaves-kevin.html#storylink=cpy

DID YOU KNOW: There are two types of natural hat tricks. The first definition is a player scoring three goals in the course of a single period. The second definition (and more common) states that a player scores his three goals all in a row, with no other player scoring a goal in between his goals. The record in the NHL for the fastest natural hat trick occurred in 1952 by Chicago Blackhawks Bill Mosienko. He scored a natural hat trick in 21 seconds of the game. 

Practice Report, American's Fans in Brampton, Other Series Commence, Players From Ontario

- It is a long wait for Allen Americans fans as Allen will not play again until next Thursday in Brampton so will try to find some interesting things to cover over the next few days. I had the chance to spend a few minutes with Cain Franson, the only amateur signing by the Americans thus far, so will post some information about him tomorrow.

- One advantage of having a week off is the opportunity for some guys to get healthy again. At this time of year everyone is dealing with nagging injuries and are playing through them so some time off will certainly help. The flip side of the week off is any momentum from winning the first two games will disappear.

- Before practice started yesterday Kale Kerbashian and Trevor Ludwig were on the ice. It is so good to see Trevor starting the long process of recovery from the season ending cut on his arm. He was stick handling with a puck and obviously not looking like normal yet but he has already come a long way in a short period of time. For Kale, he is trying to stay in shape while his finger heals so he is ready to go when the second round of the playoffs come around.

- Trevor Hendrikx was practicing with the team yesterday for the first time since his injury so a decision on when he returns to the lineup will depend on his progress over the next week. Best case scenario is he plays on Thursday in Brampton.

- Because of ice time availability the team practiced yesterday and is off today (Saturday) so the guys had a rare Friday night to themselves and have an even rarer Saturday off. Time to spend with the family or take in one of the many events related to the Final Four or the NASCAR weekend. Saw a picture on social media of Lessard, Asuchak, Zion & Maiani at the Jason Aldean concert last night. Would guess there is some golf being played today as well.

- It will be interesting to see who might attend the games next week in Brampton with so many players having friends and family in the area. It is possible that a couple Toronto Maple Leafs players could stop by. Unfortunately the Maple Leafs are on the road or you could be assured that Cain Franson's brother Cody, who is a defenseman for Toronto or forward Tyler Bozak and a good friend of Anthony Maiani would be in attendance. As it is Toronto returns home after playing in Ottawa on Saturday night so the only possibility is the Sunday afternoon game. Would expect some of the former Allen Americans players will be on hand. Tyler Wooddisse (2009-2010)  and Tobias Whelan (2009-2011) both live in the area and may attend. You can be assured Tommy Daniels will have some interesting between periods guests on his radio broadcast.

- The other three playoff series kicked off last night and the home teams won all three games with Missouri defeating Arizona 5-3, Rapid City beat Quad City 5-1, and Tulsa won over Denver 4-3. Tulsa is the lower seed but has the first two games at home because of scheduling conflicts with the Arena.

- So much for low scoring, tight checking playoff games as the goals scored by the winning team in the five games played thus far in the playoffs were 7,5,5,4,5 for an average of over five goals per game.

- Rapid City lived up to its reputation as the best five on five team in the league. All five of their goals against Quad City came even strength. The line of  Scott Brannon, Scott Wray and Kyle Stroh frustrated the Mallards all night, combining for four of the five Rush goals. “My line, (Stroh) and (Brannon) had such a great game. They played simple playoff hockey up and down the wings, going to the net hard, making hits. Not pretty, but at the end of the day, it’s a win,” Wray said. Rapid City also lived up to its reputation of having the worst power play in the league going  0-3.

- It was a tough return to the Quad City line up for former Allen Americans player Jim McKenzie who has spent the last three months playing in the AHL. Jim was injured playing for the Wild so has not played for a while and has just returned to the line up. In the 5-1 loss last night Jim had one shot on goal and was a -4. You know he will excel as the series continues. The second game of the series is tonight.

- In the Missouri 5-3 win over Arizona special teams accounted for a 3-0 lead in the first 15 minutes of the game. A shorthanded goal and two power play goals by the best power play unit in the league spelled doom for the Sundogs. The second game of this series takes place Sunday evening.

- In the closest game of the night the #2 seed Denver Cutthroats jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period only to have Tulsa come back to tie the game 2-2.  After trading goals in the second period Ryan Menei scored the game winner for the Oilers with 1:24 left in the game. These teams play again tonight in what is a key game in the young series.

- The ECHL is in its last week of regular season play and that is important for two reasons. If the Americans sign a emergency back up goaltender he will come from an ECHL team that does not make the playoffs. In addition, the second amateur player signed will most likely not be signed until after the ECHL playoff rosters are determined which is April 14th.

Courtesy CHL Memes

 DID YOU KNOW: There have been over 40 players from Ontario on the Allen Americans roster over the last five years and there are seven Ontario players on the playoff roster this year:
Bootland - Toronto
Hendrikx - Russell
Kerbashian - Thunder Bay
Pitton - Brampton
Schaafsma - Blenheim
Tarasuk - Thornhill
Zion - Nepean

Comeback Win, Coaches Post Game Comments, Lavoie Returns to OKC, Other Series Preview

 Asuchak tips in shot from the point for power play goal - photo by SceneByKimberly.com

With storms brewing outside the Allen Event Center the Allen Americans were having a stormy night inside the AEC as they had to over come 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to the Brampton Beast. The game wasn't decided until Jamie Schaafsma scored an empty net goal with eighteen seconds remaining in the game to secure a 5-3 victory and a 2-0 lead in the best of seven series. After the Beast took a 2-0 lead when Jason Pitton scored against his brother for the second time this season, Spencer Asuchak scored a power play goal for Allen to cut the score to 2-1. Thirty four seconds later former Allen Americans player Scott Howes stole a breakout pass at the blue line, skated around the defense and buried the puck in the net to give Brampton a 3-1 lead. Howes goal at 12:46 of the first period was the last goal Bramptom would score. Darryl Bootland scored the first of four straight goals by Allen at the end of the first period, Brian McMillin tied the game 3-3 in the second period, Greger Hanson scored the game winner early in the third period and Schaafsma finished off the scoring with the empty net goal. The teams now have a week break before resuming action in Brampton next Thursday. Allen will leave Monday evening on the 24 hour bus drive to Brampton where the next three games (if necessary) will be played. The games will be Thursday, Friday & Sunday (April 10, 11, & 13).

COACHES POST GAME COMMENTS:

- It was a tale of two cities the last two nights and the best thing about tonight is it was early when we got down 3-1 so there was lots of time to come back. On Brampton's first goal the forwards we were late in coverage helping out the defense, gave the Beast too much time and didn't pressure the puck and they found a one timer in the slot. The second Brampton goal was a rebound and the third goal was a turnover at the top of the circle and the last guy you want to turn the puck over to is Scott Howes who walked in and scored.

- I really liked the way the guys hung together and came back against a goalie that played very well. We had numerous chances in close. There were a couple of times where one more pass would have resulted in an open net goal but we didn't make the pass.

- Alex Lavoie will return to Oklahoma City tomorrow (Friday) and play for them this weekend as they play the team they are battling for the last playoff spot (Charlotte Checkers). He will play for Oklahoma City on Saturday and Sunday.  Not sure what will happen after this weekend. It might depend on how the weekend games turnout.

- It is so nice to be up 2-0 in the series, especially when you remember last year every time we left town the series were 1-1. We will have to play well in Brampton but we are a good road team and we will have three lines that can score. Balanced scoring is a key on the road and I will be able to juggle the lines so all three are capable of scoring.

- Trevor Henrikx will start practicing with the team tomorrow (Friday). How that goes will dictate when he returns to the line up but he should play at some point in Brampton. Since we don't have ice time on Saturday we will practice tomorrow and take Saturday off.

- Both teams were 1-4 on the power play. On the Brampton power play goal they scored right off the faceoff on a set play. We got our center tossed out so they had their number one center against our winger who doesn't take faceoffs. They won the draw right to the point for a shot and then scored on the rebound.


OTHER COMMENTS:

- Allen has been dominating teams over the last four games averaging 47 shots while only allowing 27 shots on goal. They have outscored their opponents 20-9.

-  As a testament to the scoring depth of the Americans, after just two playoff games nine different players have scored goals.

- Leading Allen scorer after two games is defenseman Tyler Ludwig with five points (2 goals 3 assists).

- Attendance for the game was 3765 which was pretty good considering it was a midweek game with a 6:05 pm start, there were severe storms predicted, the Frisco Roughriders had their home opener (it was postponed) and it was testing week for many of the school kids.

- The other three playoff series kickoff tonight so the Americans can sit back and watch what may be some surprises. The CHL has never had so many teams in the bottom of the seeding playing so well entering the playoffs. Here is some information posted by the CHL:

Arizona (8) vs Missouri (1)  - Missouri won the season series winning all four games against the Sundogs outscoring Arizona 14-5.  The teams combined for 272 penalty minutes in the four regular season games.
-Mavs forward Andrew Courtney won the Easton Player of the Month for March thanks to 12 goals and 10 assists during the month.  Courtney has scored eight goals over his last five games and has points in 15 straight games.
-The series pits two of the top goalies in the league with 35 win Shane Owen of Missouri going against 29 win Andrew Engelage of Arizona.  The pair rank second and third in the CHL in GAA with Owen at 2.58 and Engelage at 2.46.
-Arizona’s Shawn Limpright and Brandon Coccimiglio each have seven goals over their last 10 games.

Tulsa (7) vs Denver (2) - Tulsa has scored just nine goals in the six games in the season series versus the Cutthroats being shut out twice.  Blair Macaulay and Michel Beausoleil each have two goals against the Cutthroats.
-Denver defenseman Steve Kaunisto has two goals and two assists in the series against the Oilers with both goals serving as the game winner.
-The Fish will be playing their seventh and eighth straight road games as they finished the season with six consecutive away from home (went 3-2-1).  The series starts in Tulsa due to building availability issues at the BOK Center later in the series.
-Tulsa forward Todd Robinson scored a remarkable 74 points (17-57=74) in 48 games and enters the post-season with five consecutive multiple-point games.  Last season with Allen, Robinson won the Cup leading the league in playoff scoring with 22 points in 19 games.

Quad City (5) vs Rapid City(4) -The Rush are 7-1 all-time in Game 1’s in their playoff history but have been dismissed in the Opening Round during the last two post-seasons.  Last year, the Rush won the first two games of their series against the Missouri Mavericks but then dropped four straight to lose the series four games to two.
-The Mallards are looking for their first CHL playoff series win as they have dropped both series’ they have been in including last season against the Fort Worth Brahmas (four games to one).
-The Rush have several former Mallards players including Bobby Preece, Ryan Palmer, Eric Giosa, Jared Brown and Anthony Perdicaro.
-Rapid City’s Jared Brown scored goals in each of his team’s last six games.

Courtesy CHL Memes

DID YOU KNOW: Prior to the current series with Brampton the Allen Americans have only had one time where they took a 2-0 lead in a playoff series. In 2011 Allen took a 2-0 lead against Rio Grande Valley in the first round of the playoffs and ended up sweeping the series 3-0 as it was a best of five.

Allen Wins 7-2, Game Recap, Coaches Comments, Lavoie Returns, Attendance Figures

Garrett Klotz scores 16 seconds in to the game - photo by Ali Chaudri

The Allen Americans kicked off the 2014 playoffs in style last night as they out shot, out hit, out played and out scored the Brampton Beast 7-2 before 3949 enthusiastic fans at the Allen Event Center (AEC). Garrett Klotz scored sixteen seconds into the game and Darryl Bootland tallied at the 1:34 mark for a 2-0 lead and Allen never looked back. Bootland and Tyler Ludwig each scored two goals, Daniel Tetrault had a goal and Anthony Maiani had a goal and three assists for the Americans. The Beast don't have long to think about the loss as game two is tonight (Thursday) with an earlier than normal 6:05 pm puck drop.

COACHES POST GAME COMMENTS:

I had the chance to spend a few minutes with the coaches after the game and get their thoughts:

- We did a good job of playing our style of hockey by getting pucks and bodies to the net. We work on that everyday in practice and it is great to see it executed in the game. When you do that and out shoot a team 46-29 like we did tonight you will be successful.

- You can't give up two goals like we did on a breakaway and an odd man rush as you take away all of the momentum you gain by getting ahead 2-0. The defensmen and the forwards need to make better decisions in those situations. Brampton called a timeout after we got a 3-1 lead and during that time out we talked about playing smart, not gambling and making them have to work for everything.  Right after the timeout we have the high forward go in deep and we got caught and it cost us.

- We expect Brampton to come after us harder tomorrow night. It is sometimes difficult after a game like tonight to have the guys ready and we better be ready from the first puck drop tomorrow.

- Cain Franson played well in his first professional game. He tried to do too much at times which often happens when amateurs pay their first professional game but we liked what we saw.

- The plan is for Alex Lavoie to be here tomorrow (Thursday) night and play for us and then we will see what happens after that. He may return to Oklahoma City for their games this weekend.

- Anthony Maiani is now playing like he did for us last year when he was on his "A" game. He is so good down low with the puck. He moves and moves and creates plays. I thought Maiani was the #1 star tonight.

- Trevor Hendrikx will make the trip to Brampton with the team and we would expect him to play at some point against the Beast but not sure when.



OTHER COMMENTS:

- Alex Lavoie scored in a shoot out for the Oklahoma City Barons last night as they defeated Hamilton 5-4. Alex is now two for three in shoot out opportunities in Oklahoma City. The Barons are fighting for a playoff spot as they now trail Charlotte by two points for the final playoff spot with seven games remaining. The two teams play each other twice this weekend in Oklahoma City. Lavoie will fly to Dallas for the game tonight.

- With Alex Lavoie in the lineup tonight you can expect the healthy scratch will be Cain Franson.

- Allen won the special teams battle in the game as they typically do when they win. The Americans held Brampton scoreless in three opportunities and were two for four on the power play with both goals coming from Tyler Ludwig.

- The Americans did a good job of keeping Scott Howes off the scoreboard. Ross Rouleau and Mike Berube were the defensive pair that had that assignment most of the night. Allen fans know what a prolific scorer Howes can be so keeping him in check will be a key in the series.

- What typically happens after a team wins a lopsided game like the 7-2 victory last night is the next game will be difficult for the winning team. You can expect the game tonight to be much closer, more aggressive and  more chippy. Special teams will again be a key factor.

- While the coaches had Anthony Maiani as the #1 star of the game the stars as picked by the press were #1 Tyler Ludwig, #2 Bryan Pitton, & #3 Darryl Bootland.

- The Brampton communications folks must have wanted a catchy headline on the 7-2 loss with a western flavor, but they really had to stretch to make it work, "Beast are Longhorned by Texans in Game 1"

- Forgot to mention yesterday when talking about former Allen players around the league and their playoff status that Ben Power did not make the playoff roster for the Rapid City Rush.

Courtesy CHL Memes

DID YOU KNOW: The final attendance figures for the regular season showed a slight improvement for the Americans and the CHL. The CHL average increased by 21 per game (3727 this year compared to 3706 last year) and the Allen Americans average increased by 59 per game (4216 this year compared to 4157 last year).

Playoff Roster Details, Allen vs Brampton Preview, Pitton Brothers Go Head to Head

The Allen Americans start their pursuit of a second consecutive Presidents' Cup tonight, a feat that has not been completed since 2003 when the Mississippi RiverKings completed back to back championships. The first round opponent is the Brampton Beast who are looking to make a statement in their first year of operation.

THE ROSTER:
   
      Defensemen

3	Ludwig, Tyler
6	Berube, Mike
7	Tetrault, Daniel
17	Tarasuk, Steven
28	Zion, Jonathon
42	Rouleau, Ross
71	Hendrikx, Trevor

   
       Forwards  

9	McMillin, Brian
12	Hanson, Greger
16	Maiani, Anthony
19	Lavoie, Alex
21	Graham, Bruce
22	Schaafsma, Jamie
25	Klotz, Garrett
26	Asuchak, Spencer
27	Bootland, Darryl
91	Lessard, Jonathan
51	Franson, Cain

  

      Goalies

29	Pitton, Bryan
30	Yanakeff, Willie

   
      Injured Reserve
  18 Kerbashian, Kale



- The first thing you notice on this list is Dallas Ehrhardt is not included. Because of the CHL rules a team can only keep 20 professional players on the playoff roster plus two amateurs. It is always difficult when a player that has been on the team all year doesn't make the playoff roster. In the end Coach Martinson made the decision to go with the more the experienced defensemen. I am sure Dallas is disappointed as he had a great rookie season. Maybe Dallas can take some solace by looking at the experience of Brian McMillin who did not make the playoff roster in 2011 but continued to work hard and two years later in 2013 was the playoff MVP.

- Kale Kerbashian is in the injured reserve slot and will not be eligible to play in the first round of the playoffs.

- Trevor Hendrikx will not play in the first two games in Allen because of injury but will travel to Brampton with the team and should be in the lineup at some point in Brampton.

- Alex Lavoie will not play in the opening game against Brampton as he is still on loan to Oklahoma City and they also have a game tonight. The plan is Alex will play for Allen on Thursday night and then return to Oklahoma City and play for them on the weekend.

- A backup emergency goaltender is not included on the roster but they can be added at anytime. Look for that to happen in the next 10 days.

- Only one of the two amateur players allowed on the roster has been signed (Cain Franson). The second amateur can be signed at anytime and coach Martinson is hoping to wait until the ECHL playoff rosters are set (April 14) to sign the second amateur. This is a fluid situation because injuries could make an earlier signing necessary.

- With Lavoie in Oklahoma City and Hendrikx unable to play because of  injury it means the rest of the guys (18) will be on the ice tonight. If any other players are unable to go because of injury the team will play shorthanded. It also means amateur Cain Franson will see his first action in the game tonight.


ALLEN VS BRAMPTON PREVIEW:

- Allen and Brampton played six times during the regular season with each team winning three times. They were both 2-1 in their home rinks but the scores varied a lot. The one game Allen won in Brampton the score was 6-1 and the one game Brampton won in Allen the score was 6-2.

- Brampton had three shutouts this year and one of them was against Allen on November 10th when the Beast shutout the Americans by a score of 2-0.

- Jonathan Lessard had his lone hat trick of the year in a 6-1 victory over Brampton in Brampton on November 8th.

- These were two of the most penalized teams in the CHL during the regular season with Allen ranked #1 with 1498 minutes and Brampton #3 with 1341 minutes. In their six head to head games  Brampton lead in penalty minutes with 214 (36 minutes per game average) compared to Allen's 156 minutes (26 per game average).

- Penalty minutes typically go down during the playoffs but with the hard checking style both of these teams play you can expect plenty of power play time.

- Special teams as always will be a key factor in the outcome of the series. The regular season statistics may or may not be predictive of this series. On the power play in the regular season Allen finished #2 (20.65%) and Brampton #6 (17.75%). On the penalty kill Brampton was #5 (83.44%) and Allen was #7 (82.06%).

- Head to head (six games) Allen scored five goals in thirty seven opportunities (13.5%) while Brampton has six goals in thirty nine opportunities (15.3%).

-  These team have not played each other since the end of December and both teams are different as they enter the playoffs. For Brampton the addition of Scott Howes, who played in Allen last year, has made a big difference. Scott did play two games against Allen in December put they were his first two games with Brampton after he had not played for a long time. In thirtysix games with Brampton Scott has 45 points (26 goals 19 assists).

- For Allen Brian McMillin, Jonathan Zion, Anthony Maiani, Bruce Graham and Steve Tarasuk have all been added to the roster since they last played Brampton.


OTHER COMMENTS:

-  Former Americans player Jim McKenzie (2011-2013) has returned to Quad City for the playoffs after spending two months with the Iowa Wild (AHL).

- Former Americans player Garrett Clarke (2012 -2013) did not make the playoff roster for the Arizona Sundogs and put a message on social media he was headed home.

- Here is an interesting article from the CHL about Jason and Bryan Pitton who will face each other in the playoffs:

Pitton vs. Pitton

One series in the opening round of the 2014 CHL playoffs features the Allen Americans squaring off against the Brampton Beast in a battle of first to four wins. This will be no easy task for either team as they split the season series right down the middle with three wins a piece in six games played.
One unique circumstance this series presents should have the Pitton household up in arms for the next 10 days or so.  The brotherly duel features Allen’s Bryan Pitton and his older brother, Jason Pitton, of the Brampton Beast.  This could become a big story throughout the opening round of the playoffs as the two brothers are set to go head to head in the first round, starting Wednesday night in Allen. Although Bryan is playing for Allen this year, he will be both familiar and comfortable when travelling to Brampton as it is not only his hometown, but he also played three seasons of major junior in the same building the Beast call home.  The Pitton family are regular attendees of the Beast’s home games.  Jason and Bryan are Brampton, Ontario natives and have taken similar paths to the CHL. They both spent time playing major junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), with Jason playing for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Guelph Storm. Bryan, interestingly, played for his hometown Brampton Battalion for three full seasons. Both Jason and Bryan are former National Hockey League (NHL) draft picks as well. The New York Islanders selected Jason with the 244th pick in the ‘04 draft. Bryan, on the other hand, was selected by the Edmonton Oilers with the 133rd overall pick in the ’06 draft. After their junior careers they both spent parts of their careers in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), American Hockey League (AHL) and in Europe, highlighted by being teammates during the 09/10, 10/11, and 12/13 seasons. This season, the two brothers have split apart and now find themselves as first round playoff opponents. This will be an interesting match up as Bryan of the Allen Americans have gotten the better of the Beast when Bryan has been in the crease. Bryan has started four of the six games between the two teams, going 3-1-0 while sporting a 2.25 goals against average to go along with a .913 save percentage.  On the other hand, against Allen, Jason has recorded a respectable four points (2-2=4) in six games. However, in the four games against brother, Jason only has managed one goal on 10 shots With Jason being Brampton’s top scoring forward his club will be looking to him to provide offense throughout their playoff push. Brampton’s success during the playoffs may heavily rely on Jason but to be successful, he’ll have to find a way to solve little brother.

Courtesy CHL Memes

Courtesy CHL Memes

DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans have been in the playoffs all five years they have been in the CHL and have played their first playoff game at home all five years. In the past four years they are 2-2 in the first game of the playoffs.

Regular Season Wrapup

- With the regular season completed it is time to take a look back and see what transpired. The one overriding factor when looking back after five years is how successful the Allen Americans franchise has been. Americans fans are spoiled because the team has been successful from day one. If you remember in 2009 because the Allen Event Center wasn't completed the team played the first seven games in franchise history on the road, started with a four game winning streak and were 5-2 on the road trip. Going to the Presidents' Cup finals that first year set the bar high and it has been high ever since with two Governor's Cups and the Presidents' Cup last year. So the bottom line is Americans fans have as great organization, a great facility, a great community and a great group of young men to cheer for in Allen.

- The 2013-2014 regular season was a difficult one because of the many injuries that occurred and the games lost to injury. The team completed the season with 83 points and finished in third place in the standings, both all time lows. However, the 39 wins this year matches the number of wins the team had the past two seasons. The all time record for wins and points was set during the 2010-2011 season when Allen had 47 wins and 97 points.

- The team finished with 1498 penalty minutes which is second all time to the 1571 penalty minutes the team had last year. The 2010-2011 team had the fewest penalty minutes with 1184.

- When you look at individual records Spencer Asuchak, Garrett Klotz, Alex Lavoie and Tyler Ludwig have established some that may stand for a long time.
  Asuchak led the CHL in shorthanded goals with five and now holds the Allen single season record. No Americans player had ever scored more than three shorthanded goals prior to this season.
  Klotz broke the single season penalty minute record with 257 minutes surpassing the old record held by Garrett Clark of 223 minutes.
  Lavoie set all of the Allen rookie scoring records and by a wide margin. His 76 points (25 goals 51 assists) will be difficult to beat. He was named CHL Rookie of the Year by the most lopsided vote in any of the year end award categories.
  Ludwig now owns all of the single season and career scoring records for defensemen. This year he broke his own record for most points with 55 and he blew away the goal scoring record by scoring 20 goals.

- Here are the team leaders for this season:

The "Ironmen" for the year were Spencer Asuchak, Mike Berube, and Daniel Tetrault who played in all 66 games. This is quite an accomplishment to be there for your team every night through all of the battles.

Goals: Lessard (28), Lavoie (25), Asuchak, Schaafsma, Hanson all with 21
Assists: Lavoie (51), Asuchak & Tyler Ludwig (35)
Points: Lavoie (76), Lessard (57), Asuchak (56),
Plus/Minus: Schaafsma (+25), Berube (+14), Tyler Ludwig (+13)
PIM: Klotz (257), Bootland (145), Hendrikx (114)
Power Play Goals: Ludwig (12), Lessard (9), Tetrault (7)
Power Play Assists: Lavoie (19), Ludwig (18), Hanson & Kerbashian (12)
Shorthanded Goals: Asuchak (5), six tied with one
Game Winning Goals: Lessard & Kerbashian (5), McMillin, Lavoie, Ludwig & Hanson (4)
Shots: Lessard (215), Hanson (191), Ludwig (170)
Shooting Percentage: Fox (17.4%), Lavoie (14.9%), Bootland (13.4%)
GAA: Pitton (2.75)
Save Percentage: Pitton (.916)

OTHER NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

- Mike Berube had more points (22) than any other season he has played in Allen.

- Brian McMillin had 31 points (13 goals 18 assists) this year in only 39 games which is one more points than he scored in the regular season last year in 58 games.

- Who would have guessed in training camp the three leading scorers this year would be three of the youngest guys on the team, Two rookies (Lavoie and Asuchak) and a second year pro (Lessard).

- Daniel Tetrault, the oldest player on the team not only played in all 66 games this year, he climbed to 12th on the all time list of games played in the CHL. He now has 583 games played in the CHL.

- Jamie Schaafsma, who struggled to score at the beginning of the year came back with a vengeance and ended up with more points this year (55 points) than he had last year (47 points). Jamie also showed his versatility by playing defense when injuries took a toll on defensemen. 

- As mentioned earlier injuries certainly took a toll this year and to key players. Jarret Lukin got injured at Thanksgiving and never returned to the lineup, Trevor Ludwig got a serious skate cut on his arm on January 3rd that put him out for the season, Phil Fox started the season with knee surgery and ended the season with a separated shoulder that limited him to 39 games this year, Darryl Bootland was limited to 45 regular season games but at least is not out for the season like the others.

Let's Hope There is More Confetti to Come - Courtesy CHL Memes

DID YOU KNOW: The best thing the Allen Americans have going for them is good luck charm Jamie Schaafsma. Jamie has been in the championship finals for the last five years playing for four different teams. Let's hope that streak stays alive.