- It is game day for the Allen Americans as they play the first of three games in Rapid City tonight with the series tied 1-1. Remember, the start time for all three games is different if you plan on watching or listening. Tonight puck drop is 7:35 p.m. Allen time. Saturday it is 9:05 p.m. and Sunday it is 6:05 p.m. There will be some new line combinations tonight given the fact Garrett Clarke and Kyle Follmer are not on the trip and Rylan Schwartz will be in the line up for the first time since returning from Worcester. With Rapid City having last change at home it is important the Americans have three lines that can all score and Allen's depth could be the difference in the game.
- Playoff stats can certainly be deceiving as the sample size is small but it is interesting Allen is performing in the playoffs just like the regular season in that they are #1 in average goals scored, #1 in average shots per game, and lead in minor penalties per game. However, when it comes to special teams the stats are all over the place. Overall, Allen has the top power play in the playoffs at 26.3% but they are 32.3% (10-31) at home and 0.0% (0-7) on the road. During the regular season Allen had the #3 ranked penalty kill in the ECHL at 86.3%. In the playoffs the penalty kill is #13 (81.6%) of the sixteen teams that made the playoffs. The home penalty kill is #14 (78.3%) and the away penalty kill is #8 (86.7%). As is always the case special teams will be a key to victory in the three games in Rapid City.
- For those interested the on ice officials scheduled for the game tonight are referee Pierre Lambert (#20) and linesmen Erik Contino (#33) and Tyler Landman (#80). FYI Lambert is an experienced referee who works about 40 games in the AHL and 40 in the ECHL each year. He was one of the referees selected to work the Kelly Cup Finals last year.
- When the ECHL announced on Saturday they had fined Coach
Martinson and two Allen players (Clarke & Arseneau) an undisclosed
amount of money for actions during the loss to Rapid City on Friday it
got me wondering how the process works, especially as it
applies to a coach who is not covered under a Collective Bargaining
Agreement (CBA) like the players. If you recall, Martinson's fine was
for "failure to control his team in the late stages of a game when the
outcome had been determined." When asked about the fine at his post game
press conference Martinson indicated the first he became aware of the
issue was when he was called and told he was being fined. It got me
wondering what is the process that is followed by the league office in
administering these type of situations. I started by contacting the
ECHL office and asking under what circumstances do they automatically do
a review. The answer to that question is very straightforward in that
any penalty that carries a game misconduct is automatically reviewed by
the league. If a team would like anything else reviewed they have until
12 noon local time on the following day to submit their request, as well
as a video of the play in question.
Didn't get this
from the league office but have read before that if a team asks for a
review of a play there is a cost (around $200) if the league determines
discipline is unwarranted. The ECHL would be inundated with requests for
review if there was no risk in asking for a review.
Since
there was not a game misconduct given to anyone in the game on Friday
an automatic review may not have happened. Not sure if Rapid City
requested a review or the supervisor from the ECHL who was at the game
initiated the review and how it happened is not germane as it is the
process that is suspect in my opinion. As I understand the process here
is how it works as it relates to a coach.
- a review is initiated without any notification to the coach an issue is being reviewed
- the issue is not discussed with the coach to get his side of the story before a decision is made
- the coach receives a phone call notifying them they are being fined
- there is no appeal process if the coach disagrees with the decision
- if a coach refuses to pay the fine the league can prevent them from coaching in their next game
Finally,
you would hope there is consistency when looking at situations such as
what happened at the end of the game on Friday. I am sure Allen fans
remember a game in Wichita earlier this season (March 1) that was very
similar to the one on Friday. The game was decided when Allen took a 6-4
lead with 19 seconds left in the game. At the end of the game a brawl
ensued and it wasn't because Allen put their tough guys on the ice. It
was the only fight of the year for Justin Baker and Nolan Descoteaux and
one of two for Greger Hanson. There was no fine given to the Wichita
coach for not controlling his team after the outcome of the game had
been determined.
It seems to me it is the visiting team
that sets the tone for potential trouble at the end of a game that has
already been decided. Since the home team gets last change they react to
what the visiting team coach has done.
All of these situations come down to judgement and you have to respect the league's judgement but the process could use some work in my opinion.
- ECHL playoff hockey is always exciting and last night was no exception with two more great games. It looked like Florida was history as they were trailing in their series 3-0 to South Carolina and the Stingrays did what they have done so often this year, scoring with a minute left in the game to tie the score 1-1 and send it to overtime. It took until the 5:38 mark of the third overtime but Florida came out on top. With a 3-1 series lead South Carolina has a chance to end the series at home on Friday.
- In the other game last night Utah beat Ontario 4-2. Ontario leads the series 2-1 with the home team winning all games thus far. The game had an Allen flavor but it wasn't Matt Register or Judd Blackwater from Ontario. It was back up Utah goalie Eric Levine who played five games for Allen last year. Eric came into the game in relief of goalie Igor Bobkov in the second period with Utah trailing 2-1 and stopped all thirteen shots he faced as Utah scored three unanswered goals to win the game 4-2. Levine got the win in relief and was named the #1 star of the game. Eric has only played in two playoff games for a total of 67 minutes and they were both in relief but he has been outstanding when called on. Levine leads all ECHL playoff goaltenders with a GAA of 0.90. The next two games of this series are in Utah on Friday and Saturday.
- In addition to the Allen vs Rapid City game tonight Toledo is at Fort Wayne. Toledo leads the series 2-1.
- Scott Howes, who had a phenomenal start to the 2012-2013 season for the Allen Americans when he scored 21 goals in 22 games before being signed in Springfield (AHL) has already signed to play in Europe for next season. Scott will be playing in Dresden, Germany for a team called Dresdner Eislowen. They play in the DEL2 which is the second level of professional hockey in Germany.
DID YOU KNOW: May 7th has been good to the Allen Americans. One year ago today Allen beat Denver 3-1 to take a 2-1 series lead on their way to the Presidents' Cup championship. Two years ago today Allen beat Wichita 5-1 to take a 3-2 series lead on their way the the Presidents' Cup championship.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
The Ol' Girl Heads To Rapid City, Roster Changes, Allen Loaded With AHL Experience, Playoff Update
- The Allen Americans are headed down the highway on "Big Red" or "The Ol' Girl" depending on your favorite name for the bus. Many fans saw the inside of the bus for the first time at the pregame party outside the AEC on Saturday and had comments such as "I have no idea how the tall guys fit in there" and "it was a humbling experience, I have even more respect for the players on this team and the coaches." The bus tour was very popular and the team will try and do that again in case you missed it and would like to take the tour. The Americans will arrive in Rapid City early this afternoon and will skate before they settle in at the hotel. With such a big roster and limited room on the bus along with Rylan Schwartz meeting the team in Rapid City coach Martinson could not take everyone on the trip. Kyle Follmer and Garrett Clarke are not on the trip. Have had a few questions about the status of Chad Costello and he is fine and will play on Thursday in Rapid City.
- Talk about last minute heroics, both ECHL games last night were decided on last minute goals. South Carolina did what they have done so many times this season scoring a late game winning goal with just 24 seconds remaining in the game. The Stingrays beat Florida 3-2 to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. South Carolina has a chance to end the series tonight at home and be the first team to advance to the conference finals. The attendance last night at the North Charleston Coliseum was a paltry 1835. South Carolina has averaged just 2202 fans for the five playoff games they have played thus far. Has to be disappointing for the most exciting team in the ECHL over the last three months.
- The Toledo Walleye were 27 seconds from taking a 3-0 lead in their series with Fort Wayne last night but could not hold on as the Komets scored to send the game to overtime. Fort Wayne finished the comeback with a goal by Mike Emback at the 6:09 mark of overtime to win the game 3-2. Toledo now leads 2-1 with game four of this 2-2-1-1-1 series scheduled for Fort Wayne Thursday night.
- The Brampton Beast announced on Monday they have hired Toronto native and former Kalamazoo assistant coach Colin Chaulk as their new head coach. Chaulk has won five championships in various leagues as a player. He was a long time player for the Fort Wayne Komets and won the Central Hockey League Presidents' Cup in 2011-2012 playing for the Komets.
- It was an exciting time around this time the last two years in Allen so thought it might be enjoyable to repost the 2013 Allen Americans Playoff Intro Video. It is always fun looking at these videos from the past.
DID YOU KNOW: Of the twenty Allen Americans players on the trip to Rapid City fifteen of them have played in the Americans Hockey League (AHL) and have a combined total of over 700 AHL games.
- Talk about last minute heroics, both ECHL games last night were decided on last minute goals. South Carolina did what they have done so many times this season scoring a late game winning goal with just 24 seconds remaining in the game. The Stingrays beat Florida 3-2 to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. South Carolina has a chance to end the series tonight at home and be the first team to advance to the conference finals. The attendance last night at the North Charleston Coliseum was a paltry 1835. South Carolina has averaged just 2202 fans for the five playoff games they have played thus far. Has to be disappointing for the most exciting team in the ECHL over the last three months.
- The Toledo Walleye were 27 seconds from taking a 3-0 lead in their series with Fort Wayne last night but could not hold on as the Komets scored to send the game to overtime. Fort Wayne finished the comeback with a goal by Mike Emback at the 6:09 mark of overtime to win the game 3-2. Toledo now leads 2-1 with game four of this 2-2-1-1-1 series scheduled for Fort Wayne Thursday night.
- The Brampton Beast announced on Monday they have hired Toronto native and former Kalamazoo assistant coach Colin Chaulk as their new head coach. Chaulk has won five championships in various leagues as a player. He was a long time player for the Fort Wayne Komets and won the Central Hockey League Presidents' Cup in 2011-2012 playing for the Komets.
- It was an exciting time around this time the last two years in Allen so thought it might be enjoyable to repost the 2013 Allen Americans Playoff Intro Video. It is always fun looking at these videos from the past.
DID YOU KNOW: Of the twenty Allen Americans players on the trip to Rapid City fifteen of them have played in the Americans Hockey League (AHL) and have a combined total of over 700 AHL games.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Americans Add Schwartz But Not Dell To Roster, Five Ice Angels Competing For Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders
- It is get away day for the Allen Americans as they will practice this morning and then depart for Rapid City this evening. The bus is scheduled to leave at 8:00 p.m. The Americans will play the Rush on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.
- Had a chance to talk to coach Martinson yesterday afternoon and he confirmed that Rylan Schwartz has been added to the Allen roster after completing the season in Worcester (AHL). Rylan played 22 games with Allen during the regular season and had 20 points before being recalled to Worcester. He will meet the team in Rapid City and will be in the line up on Thursday. The other possible roster change will not take place. Martinson confirmed that Aaron Dell will not be added to the Americans roster for the remainder of the playoffs.
- Had a chance to talk to coach Martinson yesterday afternoon and he confirmed that Rylan Schwartz has been added to the Allen roster after completing the season in Worcester (AHL). Rylan played 22 games with Allen during the regular season and had 20 points before being recalled to Worcester. He will meet the team in Rapid City and will be in the line up on Thursday. The other possible roster change will not take place. Martinson confirmed that Aaron Dell will not be added to the Americans roster for the remainder of the playoffs.
- There was one game in the ECHL last night as Ontario beat Utah 6-2 to take a 2-0 series lead in the Pacific Division finals. The series now shifts to Utah for the next three games which take place Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
- There are two playoff games tonight in the ECHL with Florida, who is trailing 0-2, at South Carolina and Toledo who is leading 2-0 at Fort Wayne.
- It has been mentioned many times on this blog what an amazing job Stephanie Di Biase-Wheat and the entire Ice Angel team does for the Allen Americans. The Allen Ice Angels are the best in the business. They are as talented and professional as you will see anywhere in sports at the minor or major league level. The 2015 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader auditions are in full swing and five Ice Angels have made it through the preliminaries and semi-finals which took place this past weekend. Panel interviews and finals are this weekend. Congratulations to Hilary, Kelsey, Raven, Rose and Stephanie and best of luck this weekend.
If you haven't seen this video before or even if you have you can enjoy again the behind the scenes look at the details and fun that went into shooting this year's Ice Angels calendar in Cancun, Mexico.
DID YOU KNOW: Riley Gill had four shutouts during the 2013 Kelly Cup playoffs which ranks him second all time trailing only Maxime Gingras who had five in 1999. Riley was named playoff MVP as he led the Reading Royals to the Kelly Cup. His 2013 playoff record was 13-3-1, his GAA was 1.91 and his save percentage was .930.
- There are two playoff games tonight in the ECHL with Florida, who is trailing 0-2, at South Carolina and Toledo who is leading 2-0 at Fort Wayne.
- It has been mentioned many times on this blog what an amazing job Stephanie Di Biase-Wheat and the entire Ice Angel team does for the Allen Americans. The Allen Ice Angels are the best in the business. They are as talented and professional as you will see anywhere in sports at the minor or major league level. The 2015 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader auditions are in full swing and five Ice Angels have made it through the preliminaries and semi-finals which took place this past weekend. Panel interviews and finals are this weekend. Congratulations to Hilary, Kelsey, Raven, Rose and Stephanie and best of luck this weekend.
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| Clockwise from top left Kelsey, Raven, Hilary, Rose & Stephanie |
If you haven't seen this video before or even if you have you can enjoy again the behind the scenes look at the details and fun that went into shooting this year's Ice Angels calendar in Cancun, Mexico.
DID YOU KNOW: Riley Gill had four shutouts during the 2013 Kelly Cup playoffs which ranks him second all time trailing only Maxime Gingras who had five in 1999. Riley was named playoff MVP as he led the Reading Royals to the Kelly Cup. His 2013 playoff record was 13-3-1, his GAA was 1.91 and his save percentage was .930.
Monday, May 4, 2015
The Elite Eight, Four Division Finals Underway, Allen #1 in Offensive Stats, ECHL Attendance Details
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Wanted to start this morning with the playoff bracket for a couple of reasons. First the Kelly Cup playoffs are now down to just eight teams so it is much easier to keep track of the four remaining series. Second, the final series got underway yesterday as Ontario defeated Utah 3-2 in overtime. Here is a short recap of the four division finals.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Allen vs Rapid City: The teams split the first two games in Allen with the Rush winning 4-2 in game one on Friday and Allen winning game two 8-1 on Saturday. In the first round Rapid City defeated Quad City in seven games and the teams set an ECHL record for fewest combined goals at 28 for seven games. Not going to happen in this series as the Americans and Rush have combined for 15 goals in two games. With the series tied 1-1 the next three games will be in Rapid City on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Ontario vs Utah: This Pacific Division match up pits Ontario, the #2 seed in the division against the #4 seeded Utah Grizzlies who upset top seeded Idaho in the first round. It was the opening game of the series yesterday and it took a come from behind effort by the Reign to win the game in overtime by a score of 2-1. Two former Allen Americans led Ontario to victory. Matt Register scored a power play goal to even the score at 1-1 and Judd Blackwater got the game winner at 8:30 of overtime. Blackwater was the #1 star of the game and Register was the #2 star of the game. Game two is tonight in Ontario with a 7:00 PDT puck drop. It is the only ECHL playoff game scheduled tonight.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Toledo vs Fort Wayne: This series has gone as predicted with top seeded Toledo winning the first two games at home to take a 2-0 series lead. The games have not been close (4-1 & 5-2) so this may end up being a short series if the Komets can't get things turned around at home. Because these teams are only 100 miles apart this series is a 2-2-1-1-1. The next two games are in Fort Wayne on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Florida vs South Carolina: This series has the #1 seed Florida Everblades down 2-0 to the #2 seed South Carolina Stingrays. After their record breaking winning streaks in the regular season some thought the Stringrays peaked too early and would struggle in the playoffs. That opinion was reinforced in the first round where it took a come from behind victory in game seven against Reading to advance to the second round. The Stingrays have quieted all of those peaking early thoughts as they went to Florida and beat the Everblades 6-3 and 4-2. South Carolina now heads home with a 2-0 series lead for the next three games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Even though South Carolina is the #2 seed in this series it would not be considered an upset if they win. After a slow start they were the best team in the league from February to the end of the regular season. Many have South Carolina the favorite to win the Kelly Cup.
- After a day off on Sunday the Allen Americans will practice today in preparation for three games in Rapid City later this week. The team leaves tomorrow night for the 1058 mile bus trip. It will be a crowded bus with three more guys than have traveled most of the year. If there are any roster changes this week (Schwartz or Dell) would assume not all players will travel with the team. Stay tuned.
- Allen is ranked #6 of the 16 playoff teams in average penalty minutes per game at 18.86 but lead all playoff teams with 51 minor penalties.
- On special teams Allen is #1 on the power play at 27.0% and #12 on the penalty kill at 81.6%.
- The Americans lead all playoff teams in goals scored averaging 4.00 per game. They are also #1 in shots averaging 40.14 per game.
- Allen is #6 in goals against (2.71) and #3 in shots allowed (25.7)
- This video has been posted a lot of places but if you are not on social media you may not have seen it so posting here. Congrats to all involved!
DID YOU KNOW: Mentioned yesterday Allen is the only team of the 16 that made the ECHL playoffs that has had higher attendance in the playoffs than they did during the regular season. Quite an accomplishment for everyone involved from the sales staff, the entire front office, the players and fans who all pitched in to get the word out about the playoff games. It is even more remarkable given all of the first round home games were midweek. Here is the change in average attendance from the regular season to the playoffs for all 16 teams.
+115: Allen
-145: Wheeling
-462: Orlando
-839: Colorado
-883: Idaho
-933: Reading
-1056: Rapid City
-1122: Kalamazoo
-1173: Quad City
-1253: Utah
-1685: South Carolina
-1857: Toledo
-2113: Fort Wayne
-2512: Florida
-2629: Tulsa
-4974: Ontario
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Allen Dominates Rapid City 8-1, Game Recap, Martinson Comments, Playoff Update, Mike Heika
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| Arseneau celebrates his breakaway goal with Hanson & Asuchak who had the assists - photo by Lauren Lyssy |
Based on past history it is not surprising the Allen Americans came back with a strong game last night after a disappointing defeat on Friday. After all they have never lost a game two in the playoffs since Steve Martinson has been head coach and are now 8-0 in second games. What was surprising was how dominating the Americans were from start to finish outplaying, out shooting and out scoring the Rapid City Rush before a jubilant crowd of 4905 at the Allen Event Center. The final score was 8-1 and it could have been worse. Goal scorers for Allen were Schultz and Hanson with two each, Abeltshauser, Costello, Asuchak and Arseneau. How dominating was Allen last night? Here are a few examples:
- Allen out shot Rapid City in every period with a total of 54-23 for the game.
- Allen had more shots on goal in the second period (25) than the Rush had in the entire game (23).
- Allen outshot and outscored Rapid City in every period.
- Allen was 5-9 (55.6%) on the power play.
- Three Allen players had eight shots on goal (Steffes, Costello & Abeltshauser).
- Six different Allen players scored goals.
- Rapid City was 1-7 on the power play which included several 5 on 3 opportunities.
- Rapid City's only goal of the night came on a 5 on 3 power play.
- Riley Gill stopped 22 of 23 Rush shots and came up big several times when the game was still in doubt.
- Every player on the Allen Americans whose name starts with "A" (Abeltshauser, Arseneau, Asuchak) had a goal. (Sorry, got carried away).
- You can't underestimate the importance of the 8-1 win last night and it certainly sent a message to Rapid City about how explosive the Americans can be when they play to their potential. However, it is not a total goal series so Rapid City returns to Rushmore Plaza Civic Center with the series tied 1-1, a position the Rush would have gladly taken before the series started. With three games in Rapid City next week (Thursday, Saturday, Sunday) it will be important for the Americans to build on the momentum from the game last night and continue the solid play moving forward.
STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS
- The Rapid City goalie had a hard time seeing the puck tonight especially on the power play as we had a lot of traffic in front of him. We shot the puck a lot better tonight than last night and also had a lot more traffic in front.
- I thought it was a good response by the team to come out tonight and take it to Rapid City. We will take tomorrow off and then get ready to play in their rink. I like where we are at and am confident we will play well in Rapid City.
- I don't talk to the team too much after a game like this. They know they played well and felt good about themselves. Everyone played a strong game so I just said good job, take care of yourself and don't celebrate like you won the Stanley Cup.
- Valcak didn't play last night as I thought we would come out in the first game playing a more physical style but that didn't work so well. I thought Valcak played great tonight and gave that line some scoring punch. I really liked our line combinations tonight.
- We will leave for Rapid City Tuesday night and we will have a tight bus. I can't remember a time when we went on a road trip with three extra players so it will be a pretty tight squeeze.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Here are a couple of quotes from the players after the game last night courtesy of Tommy Daniels and the Allen Americans press release.
"We owed this to our fans. We let them down last night. We made a point to start strong and finish strong. It was a complete win all around.".....Greger Hanson
"Our goaltender was great tonight. Riley made the big stops when he had to and the guys played solid in front of him. This was a great bounce back win for us. ".....Ian Schultz
- With the offensive outburst last night Allen now has six players scoring at a point per game clip
(Asuchak, Hanson, Costello, Abeltshauser, Schultz, & Tyler Ludwig).
- With three second period goals last night Allen has now scored 14 of their 28 playoff goals in the second period.
- In the first two games of this series Allen has out shot Rapid City in the second period 39-10.
- Had the chance to talk Allen Americans hockey for a few minutes last night with Mike Heika who covers the Dallas Stars and professional hockey for the Dallas Morning News. Mike spent most of the night in the radio booth with Tommy Daniels doing color on the game and talking hockey. It is always great to see a beat writer with a reputation like Mike Heika has, spend a night at an Allen Americans game.
- In other ECHL action last night South Carolina beat Florida 4-2 and now heads home for three games with a 2-0 series lead. Toledo won at home against Fort Wayne by a score of 5-2 and leads that series 2-0 with it now moving to Fort Wayne for the next three games. The Utah at Ontario series gets underway this afternoon.
DID YOU KNOW: Allen is the only team of the 16 that made the ECHL playoffs that has averaged more attendance in the playoffs than in the regular season. Allen is averaging 4211 in the playoffs after averaging 4096 in the regular season. For the entire ECHL the regular season attendance averaged 4598 and the playoff attendance has averaged just 3399 thus far.
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| He Shoots! He Scores! Ian Schultz goes five hole - photo by scenebykimberly.com |
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Rapid City Beats Allen 4-2 Game Recap, Martinson Comments, Momentum Trumps Rest Facts
It was a battle between rust vs rest (Allen) and rest vs momentum (Rapid City) and momentum won out last night as a tired Rapid City Rush team beat the well rested Allen Americans 4-2 before a crowd of 4605 at the Allen Event Center. It wasn't that the Americans were outplayed as puck possession and shots on goals were heavily in favor of Allen. The Americans out shot Rapid City 38-22 for the game and 29-11 in the last two periods. However, a few defensive breakdowns gave Rapid City easy scoring chances which they capitalized on. The Rush got the all important first goal of the game when their hero in game seven on Wednesday against Quad City, Cody Ferriero, scored a power play goal midway through the first period. Gary Steffes got he equalizer at the 17:57 mark of the first period burying a great pass from behind the net by Chris Crane. With a 1-1 tie after the first period it looked good for the Americans as they typically dominate the second period. As it turned out they did dominate play in the second period with long periods of puck possession and out shooting Rapid City 14-3. Rapid City goalie, Danny Battochio, was outstanding all night but was particularly good in the second period. Despite being out shot 14-3 the Rush scored the only goal of the second period to take a 2-1 lead into the locker room. When Rush captain Winston Day Chief scored on another great passing play to make the score 3-1 at the 15:08 mark of the third period it looked like the game was over. However, a Rapid City penalty immediately after the Day Chief score led to an Allen power play goal when Spencer Asuchak deflected a Tyler Ludwig shot from the point to cut the Rush lead to 3-2. The Americans pulled goalie Joel Rumpel for an extra attacker and on a play that was indicative of the entire night Allen had just one player at the blue line (Konrad Abeltshauser) who took a shot and broke his stick. With two Rapid City players in control of the puck and only a stick-less Abeltshauser back to defend it was an easy empty net goal for Rush forward Dylan Clarke to make the final score 4-2.
You can't say the loss last night was a surprise as it was a carbon copy of a year ago when Quad City came to Allen with no rest having won game seven in Rapid City. Allen gave up the first goal of that game, controlled puck possession and out shot Quad City but lost the game by an identical 4-2 score. The Americans have never done well in first games of playoffs. In their back to back championships and the two series this year Allen is now 2-6 in first games.
The good news is Allen has never lost a second game in the playoffs since Steve Martinson has been the coach. They are a perfect 7-0. If they can learn from last night and cut down on the defensive mistakes while continuing to keep the pressure on the Rush you have to like their odds of keeping the undefeated second game record in tact.
STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS
- Tonight is obviously not what we wanted. It has been a trait of ours this entire season to out play a team and out play a team and then give up easy scoring chances. We kept trying to make plays but kept shooting pucks into their skates or sticks over and over. Once we got pucks down low and started working them it worked out better. Sometimes you can't score on the rush and make beautiful passing plays. You need to get the puck in deep and not keep trying to force it. You have to take what the other team gives you.
- On their first goal on the power play all four of our penalty killers were not strong and we gave them a great scoring chance which they converted. It wasn't that Rapid City made a great play, it was us not playing hard enough.
- On the Rush second goal we ended up with two defensemen on the same guy and we don't finish a check so their player holds the puck and then we have a third forward go in and he tries to hit the guy. At that point we just need to defend as we had a breakdown. The guy that had the puck was the least likely to score but everyone went at him and left the guys in front of the net all alone. I think Rapid City had just three shots in the second period but with 90 seconds left in the period we just hand them a great opportunity.
- The same thing with third goal for Rapid City. It is a three on three and one of our guys doesn't back check and the puck lands right on their leading scorers stick.
- We gave them three great scoring chances on their three goals which were much better then the scoring chances they gave us.
- I give the Rush credit as they played hard and their goalie had an outstanding game. We need to get more traffic in front of the net when we are even strength and on the power play. The power play goal we got was a shot from the point with Asuchak in front of the goalie. We need more of that.
- It is frustrating when a team comes in here after we have a break and wins the game in the third period. But it is not a best of one and we need to stay positive and learn from our mistakes. We had the puck a lot more than they did.
- Tomorrow night we need to keep the pace up, be physical, and get more guys screening in front of the net so the goalie can't see the puck.
- With Worcester losing tonight I will have a conversation with them in the morning and see if Dell or Schwartz will be coming to Allen. The soonest anyone would be here is for the games in Rapid City next week.
- The empty net goal at the end of the game was also a breakdown as we ended up with only one guy at the point. We had one defenseman in front of the net and the other with a broken stick.
OTHER COMMENTS:
- In other action around the ECHL last night South Carolina beat Florida 6-3 and Toledo beat Fort Wayne 4-1. The schedule tonight is a repeat of last night with the same three games on tap. The fourth series (Ontario vs Utah) won't start until Sunday afternoon.
- Gary Steffes has a goal in five of the six playoff games played thus far by Allen.
- Spencer Asuchak leads Allen in playoff scoring with nine points (4 goals 5 assists) in six games. Spencer has at least one point in five of six playoff games.
- Daniel Tetrault and Kale Kerbashian did not play in the game last night. Kerbashian, who is out with an injury, did not even make the trip to Allen.
- The attendance in Allen last night (4605) was the largest of the three second round opening nights. Allen is now averaging 4037 for the playoffs compared to a league wide average of 3358.
DID YOU KNOW: Momentum is more important than rest in the playoffs if you go by the results last night. There were four teams that won game seven series on Wednesday night. One in the NHL (Tampa Bay) and three in the ECHL (Rapid City, South Carolina and Toledo). All four won last night on short rest against teams that were more rested.
You can't say the loss last night was a surprise as it was a carbon copy of a year ago when Quad City came to Allen with no rest having won game seven in Rapid City. Allen gave up the first goal of that game, controlled puck possession and out shot Quad City but lost the game by an identical 4-2 score. The Americans have never done well in first games of playoffs. In their back to back championships and the two series this year Allen is now 2-6 in first games.
The good news is Allen has never lost a second game in the playoffs since Steve Martinson has been the coach. They are a perfect 7-0. If they can learn from last night and cut down on the defensive mistakes while continuing to keep the pressure on the Rush you have to like their odds of keeping the undefeated second game record in tact.
STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS
- Tonight is obviously not what we wanted. It has been a trait of ours this entire season to out play a team and out play a team and then give up easy scoring chances. We kept trying to make plays but kept shooting pucks into their skates or sticks over and over. Once we got pucks down low and started working them it worked out better. Sometimes you can't score on the rush and make beautiful passing plays. You need to get the puck in deep and not keep trying to force it. You have to take what the other team gives you.
- On their first goal on the power play all four of our penalty killers were not strong and we gave them a great scoring chance which they converted. It wasn't that Rapid City made a great play, it was us not playing hard enough.
- On the Rush second goal we ended up with two defensemen on the same guy and we don't finish a check so their player holds the puck and then we have a third forward go in and he tries to hit the guy. At that point we just need to defend as we had a breakdown. The guy that had the puck was the least likely to score but everyone went at him and left the guys in front of the net all alone. I think Rapid City had just three shots in the second period but with 90 seconds left in the period we just hand them a great opportunity.
- The same thing with third goal for Rapid City. It is a three on three and one of our guys doesn't back check and the puck lands right on their leading scorers stick.
- We gave them three great scoring chances on their three goals which were much better then the scoring chances they gave us.
- I give the Rush credit as they played hard and their goalie had an outstanding game. We need to get more traffic in front of the net when we are even strength and on the power play. The power play goal we got was a shot from the point with Asuchak in front of the goalie. We need more of that.
- It is frustrating when a team comes in here after we have a break and wins the game in the third period. But it is not a best of one and we need to stay positive and learn from our mistakes. We had the puck a lot more than they did.
- Tomorrow night we need to keep the pace up, be physical, and get more guys screening in front of the net so the goalie can't see the puck.
- With Worcester losing tonight I will have a conversation with them in the morning and see if Dell or Schwartz will be coming to Allen. The soonest anyone would be here is for the games in Rapid City next week.
- The empty net goal at the end of the game was also a breakdown as we ended up with only one guy at the point. We had one defenseman in front of the net and the other with a broken stick.
OTHER COMMENTS:
- In other action around the ECHL last night South Carolina beat Florida 6-3 and Toledo beat Fort Wayne 4-1. The schedule tonight is a repeat of last night with the same three games on tap. The fourth series (Ontario vs Utah) won't start until Sunday afternoon.
- Gary Steffes has a goal in five of the six playoff games played thus far by Allen.
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| Gary Steffes ties the score 1-1 late in the first period - photo by scenebykimberly.com |
- Spencer Asuchak leads Allen in playoff scoring with nine points (4 goals 5 assists) in six games. Spencer has at least one point in five of six playoff games.
- Daniel Tetrault and Kale Kerbashian did not play in the game last night. Kerbashian, who is out with an injury, did not even make the trip to Allen.
- The attendance in Allen last night (4605) was the largest of the three second round opening nights. Allen is now averaging 4037 for the playoffs compared to a league wide average of 3358.
DID YOU KNOW: Momentum is more important than rest in the playoffs if you go by the results last night. There were four teams that won game seven series on Wednesday night. One in the NHL (Tampa Bay) and three in the ECHL (Rapid City, South Carolina and Toledo). All four won last night on short rest against teams that were more rested.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Allen vs Rapid City Series Preview, Schedule Revision, 10 Day Layoff Not the Longest, Daniels Brothers
It is finally game day in Allen after a very long ten day layoff. The top two seeds in the Central Division (Allen #1 & Rapid City #2) meet in the playoffs for the first time since they met in the Central Hockey League Finals five years ago when Rapid City defeated Allen for the Championship. To get to this point Allen defeated Tulsa 4-1 in the first round and Rapid City defeated Quad City 4-3.
Both teams come into the series playing great hockey with Allen winning four of five games from Tulsa and Rapid City winning two pressure packed games at home after trailing in their series with Quad City 3-2.
The schedule for the 2-3-2 series has been revised as the dates for the games in Rapid City have been changed. Here is the revised schedule. The dates in Rapid City were originally Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday but have been revised to a more favorable Thursday, Saturday, Sunday.
Central Division Finals
ALLEN vs. RAPID CITY
Game 1 - Fri May 1 7:05 PM Rapid City at Allen
Game 2 - Sat May 2 7:05 PM Rapid City at Allen
Game 3 - Thu May 7 6:35 PM Allen at Rapid City
Game 4 - Sat May 9 8:05 PM Allen at Rapid City
Game 5 - Sun May 10 5:05 PM * Allen at Rapid City
Game 6 - Tue May 12 7:05 PM * Rapid City at Allen
Game 7 - Wed May 13 7:05 PM * Rapid City at Allen
*if necessary
- Allen and Rapid City are very familiar with each other having played twelve times during the regular season. Allen was 8-4 against the Rush going 6-1 at home and 2-3 in Rapid City. Playoff hockey is different than the regular season so lets take a look at how these teams did overall in the regular season, how they did head to head and finally how they have done in the playoffs.
- Here is an overall regular season statistical comparison:
Team Record: Allen (48-14-6-4) - Rapid City (37-28-2-5)
Points: Allen (106) - Rapid City (81)
League Rank: Allen (2nd) - Rapid City (13th)
Goals For: Allen (292) - Rapid City (218)
Goals Against: Allen (203) - Rapid City (206)
Goal Differential: Allen (+89) - Rapid City (+12)
Team Plus/minus: Allen (+291) - Rapid City (+10)
Team PIM's Per Game: Allen (22.8) - Rapid City (17.1)
Win % When Scoring First: Allen (85%) - Rapid City (75%)
- Special teams are always critical in the playoffs and overall Allen has one of the best special teams in the ECHL but if you look at head to head stats and playoff stats the picture looks a little different.
OVERALL (72 games)
Power Play (overall): Allen 21.9% - Rapid City 16.8%
Power Play (home): Allen 21.0% - Rapid City 17.5%
Power Play (away): Allen 22.6% - Rapid City 16.1%
Penalty Kill (overall): Allen 86.3% - Rapid City 83.8%
Penalty Kill (home): Allen 86.6% - Rapid City 81.3%
Penalty Kill (away): Allen 86.0% - Rapid City 86.1%
HEAD TO HEAD (12 games)
Power Play: Allen 22.0% - Rapid City 20.3%
Penalty Kill: Allen 79.7% - Rapid City 78.0%
PLAYOFFS (Allen 3 games - Rapid City 7 games)
Power Play: Allen 16% - Rapid City 10.3%
Penalty Kill: Allen 81.5% - Rapid City 80.8%
The bottom line is special teams will be a key to victory in this series and avoiding penalties that result in power play opportunities will be critical. Allen has reduced overall penalty minutes in the playoffs because they are the only team in the playoffs that has not taken a major penalty or a misconduct penalty. If you look strictly at minor penalties Allen averaged 8.0 per game in the first round of the playoffs compared to 6.6 during the regular season. Rapid City averaged 4.6 minor penalties during the regular season and 4.4 in the playoffs.
- Here is a statistical comparison of the twelve head to head games between the Americans and Rush:
Goals Scored: Allen (42) - Rapid City (32)
Shots: Allen (385) - Rapid City (337)
Power Play: Allen (9-41) - Rapid City (12-59)
Penalty Minutes: Allen (285) - Rapid City (206)
- A statistical comparison of how Allen and Rapid City performed in the first round of the playoffs shows the Americans better in the offensive end and the Rush better in the defensive end. Allen is ranked #2 of the sixteen playoff teams scoring an average of 3.60 goals per game while Rapid City is last (#16) averaging just 1.86 goals per game. However, if you look at goals allowed in the playoffs the Rush are #2 (2.14) while the Americans are #10 (2.80). Allen has scored 18 goals in five playoff games with the second period being the most productive. Goals by period for Allen are 2-11-4 with one in overtime. Rapid City has scored 13 goals in seven playoff games with the first period being the most productive. Goals by period for the Rush are 6-2-4 with one in overtime.
- The key to this series for Allen will be to play the style of hockey that earned them back to back championships in the Central Hockey League. Be aggressive offensively but don't cheat, be difficult to play against by finishing checks, avoid odd man rushes, get guys and pucks to the net and play great special teams. With the addition of players like Spencer Asuchak, Gary Steffes, Ian Schultz, Vincent Arseneau, and Chris Crane, who all spent time in the AHL, the Americans are much better equipped to play the style of hockey it takes to be successful. What distinguishes Allen is the number of players that have a gritty game but also are very skilled.
- Allen has four players scoring at a point per game clip in the playoffs. In five games Spencer Asuchak has eight points (3 goals 5 assists), Chad Costello has six points (2 goals 4 assists), Gary Steffes has five points (4 goals 1 assist) and Konrad Abeltshauser has five points (2 goals 3 assists). Rapid City has no point per game players but the Rush have been led by two rookies in the playoffs as Cody Ferriero has five points and Micheal Young has four points.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Two other second round series get underway tonight with Florida hosting South Carolina in the East Division finals and Toledo hosting Fort Wayne in the North Division finals. The Pacific Divsion finals between Utah and Ontario won't get underway until Sunday afternoon in Ontario.
- Worcester plays tonight (7:00 EDT) in Hershey and must win to stay alive in their best of five series.
- Rapid City did not arrive in Allen until last evening after finishing the grueling seven game series with Quad City on Wednesday night. Meanwhile Allen is tired of practicing and chomping at the bit to play a game. Look for Allen to hit the ice with a lot of energy and play a very physical game from the first puck drop. Allen will want to set the tone and finishing every check will be the best way to do that against a team that has to be tired.
- Hopefully all of the former Allen players (Ehrhardt, Kerbashian & Tetrault) will be in the line up tonight. Kerbashian and Tetrault did not play in game seven on Wednesday. Kerbashian was injured in game six with an upper body injury and is not expected to play.
DID YOU KNOW: Twin brothers Drew & Justin Daniels will face each other in the playoffs tonight as Justin plays for Toledo and Drew for Fort Wayne. Can you imagine having the same skating partner from the first time you stepped on the ice at age eight, through youth hockey, high school hockey, prep school hockey, junior hockey, NHL prospects camp (they were both drafted by the San Jose Sharks in 2008), college hockey and with the CHL Allen Americans. That is exactly what happened to Drew Daniels and his younger brother Justin. I say younger as Drew always made it clear he is the older of the twin brothers by three minutes. Justin played one game for the Americans in 2012 before being waived. When Justin was waived by the Americans it was the first time Drew and Justin were not on the same team ever, a time span of 15 years. Since 2012 Justin has spent time in Elmira and Reading before joining Toledo in March. After winning a championship with Allen in 2012-2013 Drew played for Cincinnati and Utah last year before signing with Fort Wayne this year.
DID YOU KNOW EXTRA: Last night I spent an hour chatting with Tommy Daniels on his playoff preview radio show and he gave me an assignment of finding out if the 10 day layoff the Allen Americans had between games was the longest in ECHL history. Thanks to ECHL Director of Communications, Joe Babik, who knows everything, we have an answer. Joe shares, "10 days is not the longest. Several years back, the number one finisher in the Western Conference received a bye in the first round, leading to a 13-day break between the end of the regular season and the first playoff game for Idaho (2010) and Alaska (2011 and 2012). There also was an 11-day break between the end of round one and the start of round two for Las Vegas in 2012."
Both teams come into the series playing great hockey with Allen winning four of five games from Tulsa and Rapid City winning two pressure packed games at home after trailing in their series with Quad City 3-2.
The schedule for the 2-3-2 series has been revised as the dates for the games in Rapid City have been changed. Here is the revised schedule. The dates in Rapid City were originally Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday but have been revised to a more favorable Thursday, Saturday, Sunday.
Central Division Finals
ALLEN vs. RAPID CITY
Game 1 - Fri May 1 7:05 PM Rapid City at Allen
Game 2 - Sat May 2 7:05 PM Rapid City at Allen
Game 3 - Thu May 7 6:35 PM Allen at Rapid City
Game 4 - Sat May 9 8:05 PM Allen at Rapid City
Game 5 - Sun May 10 5:05 PM * Allen at Rapid City
Game 6 - Tue May 12 7:05 PM * Rapid City at Allen
Game 7 - Wed May 13 7:05 PM * Rapid City at Allen
*if necessary
- Allen and Rapid City are very familiar with each other having played twelve times during the regular season. Allen was 8-4 against the Rush going 6-1 at home and 2-3 in Rapid City. Playoff hockey is different than the regular season so lets take a look at how these teams did overall in the regular season, how they did head to head and finally how they have done in the playoffs.
- Here is an overall regular season statistical comparison:
Team Record: Allen (48-14-6-4) - Rapid City (37-28-2-5)
Points: Allen (106) - Rapid City (81)
League Rank: Allen (2nd) - Rapid City (13th)
Goals For: Allen (292) - Rapid City (218)
Goals Against: Allen (203) - Rapid City (206)
Goal Differential: Allen (+89) - Rapid City (+12)
Team Plus/minus: Allen (+291) - Rapid City (+10)
Team PIM's Per Game: Allen (22.8) - Rapid City (17.1)
Win % When Scoring First: Allen (85%) - Rapid City (75%)
- Special teams are always critical in the playoffs and overall Allen has one of the best special teams in the ECHL but if you look at head to head stats and playoff stats the picture looks a little different.
OVERALL (72 games)
Power Play (overall): Allen 21.9% - Rapid City 16.8%
Power Play (home): Allen 21.0% - Rapid City 17.5%
Power Play (away): Allen 22.6% - Rapid City 16.1%
Penalty Kill (overall): Allen 86.3% - Rapid City 83.8%
Penalty Kill (home): Allen 86.6% - Rapid City 81.3%
Penalty Kill (away): Allen 86.0% - Rapid City 86.1%
HEAD TO HEAD (12 games)
Power Play: Allen 22.0% - Rapid City 20.3%
Penalty Kill: Allen 79.7% - Rapid City 78.0%
PLAYOFFS (Allen 3 games - Rapid City 7 games)
Power Play: Allen 16% - Rapid City 10.3%
Penalty Kill: Allen 81.5% - Rapid City 80.8%
The bottom line is special teams will be a key to victory in this series and avoiding penalties that result in power play opportunities will be critical. Allen has reduced overall penalty minutes in the playoffs because they are the only team in the playoffs that has not taken a major penalty or a misconduct penalty. If you look strictly at minor penalties Allen averaged 8.0 per game in the first round of the playoffs compared to 6.6 during the regular season. Rapid City averaged 4.6 minor penalties during the regular season and 4.4 in the playoffs.
- Here is a statistical comparison of the twelve head to head games between the Americans and Rush:
Goals Scored: Allen (42) - Rapid City (32)
Shots: Allen (385) - Rapid City (337)
Power Play: Allen (9-41) - Rapid City (12-59)
Penalty Minutes: Allen (285) - Rapid City (206)
- A statistical comparison of how Allen and Rapid City performed in the first round of the playoffs shows the Americans better in the offensive end and the Rush better in the defensive end. Allen is ranked #2 of the sixteen playoff teams scoring an average of 3.60 goals per game while Rapid City is last (#16) averaging just 1.86 goals per game. However, if you look at goals allowed in the playoffs the Rush are #2 (2.14) while the Americans are #10 (2.80). Allen has scored 18 goals in five playoff games with the second period being the most productive. Goals by period for Allen are 2-11-4 with one in overtime. Rapid City has scored 13 goals in seven playoff games with the first period being the most productive. Goals by period for the Rush are 6-2-4 with one in overtime.
- The key to this series for Allen will be to play the style of hockey that earned them back to back championships in the Central Hockey League. Be aggressive offensively but don't cheat, be difficult to play against by finishing checks, avoid odd man rushes, get guys and pucks to the net and play great special teams. With the addition of players like Spencer Asuchak, Gary Steffes, Ian Schultz, Vincent Arseneau, and Chris Crane, who all spent time in the AHL, the Americans are much better equipped to play the style of hockey it takes to be successful. What distinguishes Allen is the number of players that have a gritty game but also are very skilled.
- Allen has four players scoring at a point per game clip in the playoffs. In five games Spencer Asuchak has eight points (3 goals 5 assists), Chad Costello has six points (2 goals 4 assists), Gary Steffes has five points (4 goals 1 assist) and Konrad Abeltshauser has five points (2 goals 3 assists). Rapid City has no point per game players but the Rush have been led by two rookies in the playoffs as Cody Ferriero has five points and Micheal Young has four points.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Two other second round series get underway tonight with Florida hosting South Carolina in the East Division finals and Toledo hosting Fort Wayne in the North Division finals. The Pacific Divsion finals between Utah and Ontario won't get underway until Sunday afternoon in Ontario.
- Worcester plays tonight (7:00 EDT) in Hershey and must win to stay alive in their best of five series.
- Rapid City did not arrive in Allen until last evening after finishing the grueling seven game series with Quad City on Wednesday night. Meanwhile Allen is tired of practicing and chomping at the bit to play a game. Look for Allen to hit the ice with a lot of energy and play a very physical game from the first puck drop. Allen will want to set the tone and finishing every check will be the best way to do that against a team that has to be tired.
- Hopefully all of the former Allen players (Ehrhardt, Kerbashian & Tetrault) will be in the line up tonight. Kerbashian and Tetrault did not play in game seven on Wednesday. Kerbashian was injured in game six with an upper body injury and is not expected to play.
DID YOU KNOW: Twin brothers Drew & Justin Daniels will face each other in the playoffs tonight as Justin plays for Toledo and Drew for Fort Wayne. Can you imagine having the same skating partner from the first time you stepped on the ice at age eight, through youth hockey, high school hockey, prep school hockey, junior hockey, NHL prospects camp (they were both drafted by the San Jose Sharks in 2008), college hockey and with the CHL Allen Americans. That is exactly what happened to Drew Daniels and his younger brother Justin. I say younger as Drew always made it clear he is the older of the twin brothers by three minutes. Justin played one game for the Americans in 2012 before being waived. When Justin was waived by the Americans it was the first time Drew and Justin were not on the same team ever, a time span of 15 years. Since 2012 Justin has spent time in Elmira and Reading before joining Toledo in March. After winning a championship with Allen in 2012-2013 Drew played for Cincinnati and Utah last year before signing with Fort Wayne this year.
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| Justin (left) when he was in Reading & Drew Daniels go head to head tonight |
DID YOU KNOW EXTRA: Last night I spent an hour chatting with Tommy Daniels on his playoff preview radio show and he gave me an assignment of finding out if the 10 day layoff the Allen Americans had between games was the longest in ECHL history. Thanks to ECHL Director of Communications, Joe Babik, who knows everything, we have an answer. Joe shares, "10 days is not the longest. Several years back, the number one finisher in the Western Conference received a bye in the first round, leading to a 13-day break between the end of the regular season and the first playoff game for Idaho (2010) and Alaska (2011 and 2012). There also was an 11-day break between the end of round one and the start of round two for Las Vegas in 2012."
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