Practice Update, Injured Players Return, Meet Photographer Dianne Webster, ECHL Week & More

Had a chance to stop by practice yesterday to check things out and the most encouraging sign was to see so many guys on the ice and not one was wearing the "no contact" jersey. Coach Martinson had 35 minutes of full ice practice and then divided they guys up into groups with one group working with skating coach, Luke Chilcott, while another group had a scrimmage on half of the ice working cross ice. Scrimmaging in such a tight space accomplishes several things with lots of passes in close quarters, lots of transitions from offense to defense and a ton of shots on goal for the goalies.

- From my untrained eye it seemed like the guys were flying in practice and having some fun as well. Maybe the day off on Tuesday refreshed some legs and minds.

- This could be a big weekend in getting injured players back in the lineup. Joel Rumpel, Tristan King and Casey Pierro-Zabotel were all full participants in practice and in checking with coach Martinson after practice, if all goes as planned the rest of the week, they should all play at some point over the weekend.

- Line combinations are frequently changed but if King and Pierro-Zabotel play on Saturday, it would allow Martinson to have three lines that can have more scoring power. Based on practice, the lines might include Dyson Stevenson with Steffes and Costello on the top line. Pierro-Zabotel centering J.P. LaFontaine and Tristan King on another line and Chris Crane centering a third line with some combination of Parker, Courtnall, Thrush or Halabi. If all of the forwards are available one will have to be a healthy scratch and be put on reserve. However it turns out, if King and Pierro-Zabotel are back in the lineup it should be a big lift for the Americans.

- With Eric Roy on loan to Lake Erie (AHL) and the possibility of more offense in the line up with the return of King and Pierro-Zabotel, coach Martinson will have the opportunity to employee some different strategies as to the defensive pairings and which pairs play with each line. Something to keep an eye on this weekend.

- According to coach Martinson, Joel Rumpel should get a start this weekend. Rumpel has been out of the line up since getting injured in a game on December 5. Riley Gill has been the workhorse going it alone with only an emergency back up goalie for a month. Riley has been in goal for 13 straight games. With three games this weekend within a 40 hour period (Monday game is a 1:05 p.m. start) it will be great to get some relief for Gill.


- Photographer Dianne Webster often attends practice and uses the time to "practice" her hockey photography. When I ran into Dianne at practice yesterday I asked if she would share some of her practice photos and also send along a head shot and bio. Here is that info along with some practice pics. What Dianne doesn't mention below is her passion for sports photography. She has photographed professional beach volleyball and FC Dallas soccer. This is her first year at trying hockey with its challenges of shooting through the glass, indoor lighting and the speed of the game. 

Photographer Dianne Webster

Meet Dianne in her own words:
Devoted wife and mother of two grown boys, photographer second. My dad played hockey in Winnipeg, Canada, he taught me to ice skate and I spent every weekend skating for fun-the faster the better. Favorite things to do aside from photography: volunteering, kayaking, fishing with my custom rod my son made for me, and attending any sporting event around Dallas.

We moved to Texas two years ago. After attending our first Americans’ game, we were hooked. The next day we called the box office and we became season ticket holder's.

I met Tommy Daniels during practice while taking pictures.  I was asked to join the other photographers of which I gladly accepted. Now my only dilemma is being torn between two passions, photography and hockey.

I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to photograph incredible athletes and being allowed to capture their emotion behind the ball or mask. I cannot thank each and everyone of them enough for allowing me that opportunity.  A special thanks goes out to all the Allen American players who allow me a window into their unbelievable hard work and dedication. Thank you for this opportunity to introduce myself into your hockey world.  

www.diannewebsterphotography.com   Facebook Page is Dianne Webster Photography (Allen Americans Images)

Zabby is back!

Rumpel should play this weekend

- The ECHL produces a program called "ECHL Week" which you can find on their website (echl.com). If you haven't checked it out it is worth a look. They cover a variety of topics and teams each week. In the most recent edition, Aaron Gens, Riley Gill, Chad Costello, Gary Steffes and Tristan King talk about the difficulties of defending the Kelly Cup title. The program also has segments about the recent brawl between Tulsa and Rapid City and the trade that included Kale Kerbashian. This edition is about 12 minutes long and the Allen Americans segment is right at the beginning.

DID YOU KNOW: Allen's opponent this weekend, the Cincinnati Cyclones, won the ECHL championship in 2007-08 and  2009-10 but had two very different roads to the Kelly Cup. The 2007-08 team was one of the best ever, they had the second most points (115), second best win percentage (.799), most road wins (26) and longest winning streak at the time (17) in ECHL history. They were the #1 seed, sailed through the playoffs and beat South Carolina 4-1 in the Kelly Cup final. The 2009-10 team was the #5 seed in their conference and given little chance in the playoffs. In the first round they scored an overtime goal in game five to win the series 3-2. They then took on the top seed in the conference and it went the distance as they won game seven 2-1. Next up was the conference final and they got down 0-3 before rallying back and winning the series in seven games. They won game seven 1-0 to become the first ECHL team in history to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a best of seven series. After three series that went to the final game, Cincinnati breezed through the Kelly Cup final beating the #1 seeded Idaho Steelheads 4-1. Now that was a championship to remember.

Practice Resumes, Second Half Schedule Examined, Asuchak & Schwartz Updates, Fastest Goal In History

After a day off yesterday it is back to practice for the Allen Americans as they prepare to take on the Cincinnati Cyclones on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Before heading to Allen, the Cyclones play Fort Wayne at home tonight. That means Cincinnati will play four games in less than six days as the Monday game is a 1:05 pm start. Throw in a 923 mile bus trip (unless they fly) and Allen has the advantage being at home and resting all week. I plan on attending practice today to see what is happening on and off the ice. Will have a full report tomorrow.

- Yesterday I talked about the second half of the schedule for the Americans and how many games they had remaining with each team. Most of the difficult travel is done and the vast majority of the games are against division rivals. Today let's look at the current winning percentage of the teams Allen has to play in the second half. Here is the list from lowest to highest win percentage with the number of games to be played in parentheses.

.319 - Wichita (9 games remaining)
.414 - Alaska (4 games)
.424 - Evansville (3 games)
.486 - Colorado (1 game)
.530 - Cincinnati (3 games)
.547 - Rapid City (1 game)
.581 - Tulsa (8 games)
.586 - ALLEN
.588 - Utah (1 game)
.882 - Missouri (7 games)

- A couple of things stand out when you look at the information above. In order to maintain the fourth seed in the Western Conference and get home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, the Americans must do well against the teams that are below .500. They have 17 games remaining against these clubs. The other key is playing better against Missouri and Tulsa. In the first half, Allen was 3-4 against Tulsa, and 1-3 against Missouri. With 15 games remaining with these two division rivals the Americans will have to do better if they want to maintain the fourth seed in the West.

- If the Americans are to be successful in the second half of the season they will have to score more goals, as they are on pace to have the lowest number of goals scored in team history. Chad Costello and Gary Steffes carried the load last season and will be counted on to do the same the second half of this season. Aaron Gens led all ECHL defensemen in scoring last season. With Eric Roy out of the line up, Gens will need to be more of a scoring force. Here is a comparison between scoring last season and this season for these three veterans and team leaders.

Costello: Chad currently leads the ECHL in scoring by a wide margin with 49 points (14 goals 35 assists). However, last season at this point he had 57 points (18 goals 39 assists).

Steffes: Gary was the ECHL's leading goal scorer last year. He is second on the team in goals scored this year and has 19 points (10 goals 9 assists) in 32 games. After 32 games last season Gary had 32 points (21 goals 11 assists).

Gens: Aaron has 16 points (5 goals 11 assists) this season. At the same point last season he had 26 points (5 goals 21 assists).

To be successful in the second half, Allen will need more production from all three lines and the defense. Getting back King, Pierro-Zabotel and Arseneau from injury will help. Throw in a player or two from San Jose and a good second half from Costello, Steffes and Gens and the Americans will achieve the goal of being the fourth seed in the Western Conference.



OTHER COMMENTS

- It was a light schedule around the ECHL last night with just four games played but a couple of the games are noteworthy. Orlando beat Kalamazoo 6-2 in Kalamazoo and the Rylan Schwartz show continued. He didn't score a goal for the first time in four games but had three assists. The last place Solar Bears have now won four in a row and in those four games Schwartz has eight points (3 goals 5 assists). The other noteworthy thing from the game was the attendance. Kalamazoo averages a league low 1914 per game but last night the official attendance was just 873. Hard to see how this team survives next year if they make it through this season.

- Kind of like a broken record but the Missouri Mavericks won again last night traveling to Wichita to beat the Thunder 4-1. The Mavericks are 29-3-1-1 and have still not lost a home game (13-0). They are on pace to obliterate the ECHL single season record book. I often hear from fans that Missouri is winning because they have so many AHL contracted guys, so they are much better than the other teams in the league. But you see in professional sports all the time that the team with the best players isn't always successful. Richard Matvichuk has this team playing great hockey. Yes, they have plenty of skill, but this team works hard at both ends of the rink. When you have the most goals scored in the league (119) and allowed the fewest goals scored (59) you can be assured Matvichuk has everyone bought into his style of hockey. I always remember Richard talking about how you can work hard and still have fun and you sense that is exactly where he has this Mavericks team. He deserves a lot of the credit for their success.

- After sitting out the last four games, Spencer Asuchak was back in the line up for the Chicago Wolves (AHL) last night as they lost to Rockford 5-2. It has to be difficult for Spencer to sit out so many games and then when you do play, not get a lot of playing time on the third or fourth line. It is probably wishful thinking, but it would sure be nice if Chicago would send Asuchak to Allen for a couple of weeks to get a lot playing time, get going with a bunch of points, gain some confidence and then bring him back to Chicago.



DID YOU KNOW: Saw this article from The Hockey News about a junior team in Russia who recently (January 8) scored what is believed to be the fastest goal ever in the history of hockey. It took just 3.05 seconds after the opening faceoff. The NHL record for fastest goal to start a game is five seconds. Here is the link to the story which includes video of the goal. http://bit.ly/1PVfz5t

Eric Roy Loaned To Lake Erie, The Remaining Allen Schedule, Where To See Great Hockey Pictures

- It is a rare day off for the Allen Americans with no game and no practice so time for rest and relaxation. With no game until Saturday, there are still three straight practice days left this week before the three games in three days against Cincinnati.

- I mentioned yesterday that Eric Roy was being loaned to an AHL team. That team is the Lake Erie Monsters. If you are not familiar, they are located in Cleveland and are the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL. There was a possibility after spending all day traveling to meet up with the team, Eric would play last night but that didn't happen. The Monsters played the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg and won the game 7-3. After a day off today the teams play again tomorrow night in Winnipeg, so Eric should make his debut in that game. Eric is a talented young player (just 21) who was very disappointed when he was released by the Calgary Flames organization who drafted him in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL draft. Coach Martinson's advice to Eric when he signed in Allen was to "come in with a chip on your shoulder and show why they made a mistake in releasing you." That is exactly what Eric has done as the top rookie defenseman in the ECHL and second leading scorer for the Americans. You never know how long these assignments will last, but it will be long enough for Eric to show what he can do at the next level. He certainly deserves the chance.


- If you are an Allen fan it is disappointing that Eric wasn't given a chance by the San Jose Barracuda as you can be assured they were aware of how he was doing in Allen. There were certainly rumors they were looking at bringing him to San Jose but for whatever reason it didn't happen. Sometimes it is a matter of timing rather than lack of interest. If things don't work out in Lake Erie for Eric he will have other opportunities.

- When you ask coach Martinson how long a player will be gone when they get loaned he is always hesitant to answer because the truth is you never know. He always uses the example of a player of his that was loaned to an AHL team for just one game and he never came back and never played AA hockey again. All a player wants and needs is an opportunity.

- Had a reader ask where is the best place to go to see all of the pictures the photographers take at the Allen home games. Here is the answer to that question as provided by the photographers.
Lauren Lyssy - On her Facebook page which is "Lauren Lyssy Photography"
Kimberly Sauer - Her pictures are posted at this website, thesinbin.net
Dianne Webster - On her Facebook page which is "Dianne Webster Photography"

They all have photography websites as well in various stages of development and with much different content. I know some of them have plans to broaden the availability of their photos so as things change I will keep you posted. But here are their websites if you are interested. 
Lauren:  http://laurenlyssy.wix.com/txhockeyphotography
Dianne: http://www.diannewebsterphotography.com/home.html
Kimberly: http://www.scenebykimberly.com/



- Listing the sites where you can look at game pictures made me think of Chip Crail, who was very kind to me when I first started writing the blog in 2012. Chip passed away from cancer almost two years ago but his great pictures still exist. If you have some time and can look at pictures on a decent sized monitor go to http://www.chlphotos.com/ and take a look at Chip's photos. The first page starts in December 2013 which is the last time Chip posted pictures.  Each time you get to the bottom of the page click on "older posts" and you will be in for a treat looking at pictures back to 2010. If you followed the Central Hockey League (CHL) from 2010-13 or just like great hockey pictures you have to visit this site. There are plenty of pictures from all the teams in the league so you don't have to be an Allen fan to enjoy Chip's photos. You will also notice on the right side of the page you can find your favorite player and bring up his photos. Here are a just a few of my favorites from Chip's collection:

Darryl Bootland

Side view of first championship ring

Chip specialized in goalie pictures, this is Danny Battochio from Rapid City

That's Josh Hepditch on top who now coaches junior hockey

Nice victory pic!

Both trainers helping Wichita players who collided at full speed

Colton Yellow Horn with the "that was a sweet goal" look

Jarret Lukin scored against Arizona

Pregame chat between old friends Kip Brennan & Darryl Bootland in the Odessa days

The Americans will hit the halfway mark of the season on Saturday. Here are the number of times Allen plays each team this season and the games still remaining. After the three games this weekend against Cincinnati the Americans will have 34 games remaining in the season and 24 of the 34 will be against division rivals. Allen plays Wichita nine times, Tulsa eight times and Missouri seven times. The other thing to notice about the last half of the season is the tough road trips are over with the exception of a Colorado and Rapid City trip in early March. The only other long trip will be to Alaska and the team will fly. They will even get a day off in Alaska as they play Wednesday, Friday and Saturday (February 10-13).

15 games - Tulsa (6 home 9 away) - remaining (3 home, 5 away)
13 games - Wichita (7 home 6 away) - remaining (6 home, 3 away)
11 games - Missouri (6 home 5 away) - remaining (4 home, 3 away)
7 games - Colorado (4 home 3 away) - remaining (0 home, 1 away)
6 games - Utah (2 home 4 away) - remaining (1 home, 0 away)
4 games - Alaska (1 home 3 away) - remaining (1 home, 3 away)
4 games - Idaho (2 home 2 away)- no games remaining
4 game - Rapid City (1 home 3 away) - remaining (0 home, 1 away)
3 games - Cincinnati (3 home 0 away) - remaining (3 home, 0 away)
3 games - Evansville (3 home 0 away) - remaining (3 home, 0 away)
2 games - Quad City (1 home 1 away) - no games remaining


DID YOU KNOW: Allen plays their last seven games of the season against just two teams. They play Missouri four straight games (two home, two away) and then finish the season with three home games against Evansville.

Allen beats Colorado 5-2, Martinson's Post Game Comments, Roy Loaned, Photographer Feature

In the game preview yesterday there were three keys to assure a victory for the Allen Americans as they took on the Colorado Eagles. Score the first goal, score a power play goal and get 30 shots on goal. Two out of three isn't bad (they didn't score the first goal) and was more than enough to earn Allen a 5-2 win over the Eagles before a Sunday afternoon crowd of 4142 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). It didn't look good for the Americans midway through the first period when Darryl Bootland lofted what seemed like a harmless shot from the right point that found its way into the net past a screened Riley Gill.  However, from that point on, the game turned into the Chad Costello show as the Americans scored five unanswered goals on the way to a 5-2 victory. Allen managed an above average 30 shots on goal and two power play goals on three power play opportunities. The two power play goals matched the number of power play goals the Americans had scored against Colorado in their previous five games.

Goals scorers for Allen were Costello (13 & 14), Gens (5), Halabi (1) and Roy (10). Costello scored his first goal with just 22 second remaining in the first period when he took a pass from Dyson Stevenson and blasted a shot past Eagle goalie Eric Levine. Levine had held Allen scoreless for close to 80 minutes at that point. Allen scored three goals in the second period and added a fifth early in the third period to put the game away. Here is a brief description of the goals, but it is best to go to http://www.echl.com/ and check out all of the highlights in the "ECHL Rewind" section.

Chad Costello breaks the ice with a goal at 19.38 of the 1st period - photo by scenebykimberly.com

Aaron Gens - Aaron scored what would become the game winner midway through the second period on as pretty a play as you will see. Chad Costello made a perfectly timed pass from the right point behind the Colorado defense to Gens who was streaking in from the left point. Gens described it as "ramping" the puck as he kept his stick on the ice and deflected past Levine who didn't have a chance.

Reid Halabi - David Makowski took a shot from the right point that missed the net wide right. J.P. LaFontaine passed the puck from behind the goal to the side of the net where both Reid Halabi and Casey Thrush were standing. There was a scramble and the puck ended up in the net. From the replay and still pictures it looks like it was Casey Thrush's goal so it may get changed. It was one of those greasy goals that come about from hard work on everyone's part and it was great to see that line get rewarded.

A greasy goal by the boys - photo by Dianne Webster

Eric Roy - Goal number four was a power play goal and it was a great pass from Chad Costello as he does what he does so often, thread a pass from the right side, through the front of the net to Eric Roy who was just to the left of the net. Roy has proven time and again how good he is at finishing and made no mistake in burying the puck in the net.

Chad Costello - Chad would finish the Allen scoring for the night with his second goal at the 1:36 mark of the third period. It was a power play goal and Chad put home the rebound of a David Makowski slap shot from the left point.

The three stars of the game were #1 Costello with two goals and two assists, #2 David Makowski with three assists and #3 Eric Roy with a goal and an assist.

With no games until the weekend when the Americans take on Cincinnati (Saturday, Sunday, Monday) it will be a week of practice which is invaluable at this time of the season.


STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

- It was good to see us get a couple of power play goals tonight. We have one of the best power plays in the league on the road but have struggled at home. We now have more power play goals (29) than everyone but Fort Wayne (30).

- Our penalty kill was great again tonight. We didn't allow a power play goal in either game this weekend.

- I typically don't talk to the team after a game as that is their time. I will talk before the game and between periods but usually not after a game. I prefer to look at the tape and then address issues later. What I saw when I looked at the tape after the game on Friday is we had great chances, we were good with the puck down low, we did a good job of carry the puck and other than a couple of times when the defense jumped in when they should have stayed out it was a well played game. So we talked before the game tonight about just keep doing what we have been doing and we will eventually get results.

- I did change the lineup tonight by moving Crane to center and Parker to right wing. Crane is good at moving the puck and I also wanted to have certain match ups against the Bootland/Daavetilla line.

- Chad Costello obviously can make plays and the difference tonight is that our good plays went in the net. That was an unbelievable goal that Gens scored off the pass by Chad.

- I am pleased with what I have seen from Reid Halabi in his first two games. He has played well and challenged several Colorado players who didn't want to fight. I know they were shorthanded but there are ways to fight when your team is short handed and I speak from experience. All you have to do is wait until there are two or three minutes left in the period so the player that fights misses one or two shifts, then has the period break and then misses one or two shifts the next period. What I found out in these two games with Colorado is they are not near as tough without Teigen Zahn, who is out of the line up.

- It is better to have a player like Reid who is going to stick up for his teammates 100% of the time than a guy who is the toughest guy on the ice but doesn't want to do anything.

- I didn't play Eric Roy in the third period because he is being loaned to an AHL team tomorrow. He will fly out in the morning and may be in the line up tomorrow night. He has earned a chance to play at the next level.


OTHER COMMENTS

- With his two goals and two assists Chad Costello increased his ECHL scoring lead over Colorado's Trent Daavettila to 13 points. Chad now has 49 points (14 goals 35 assists).

- With the win over Colorado the Americans moved back into second place in the Western Conference in total points. Allen has 41 points but trails first place Missouri by a whopping 17 points.

- Eric Roy now has 25 points (10 goals 15 assists) and the rookie is second in scoring among all ECHL defensemen and and also second in scoring on the Allen Americans.

- The ECHL mandates a three day all star break for the players even though there is no all star game this year. The Americans will have their break February 1, 2, & 3.


PHOTOGRAPHER FEATURE:

Here is the second of the features on the photographers. I got a lot of positive feedback from the first feature but realized I should have included something other than their name and photos. So here is a little about photographer Lauren Lyssy.

Lauren Lyssy

 Meet Lauren in her own words:

I describe myself as a "food scientist by day, hockey photographer by night", as I spend my days working as a product developer at Pizza Hut's corporate office in Plano. I grew up watching the Dallas Stars so, when I made an expensive impulse purchase on a brand-new DSLR camera on Labor Day of 2014, it seemed only natural that I should take it up to a rink and see if I was any good at shooting hockey. After playing around at the Dallas Stars training camp in Fort Worth and attending a few practices in the few weeks after, I was lucky enough to be discovered on Twitter by a very kind person who invited me to come and shoot for a website that covered the Allen Americans. I'm now in my second season in shooting for the team and loving every second of it! You can check out my photos from all the home games on my Facebook page, Lauren Lyssy Photography, and give me a follow on Twitter @LLphotography91!

Here are a few of Lauren's pictures from last night.

Let's get this party started

Reflection

Hi Mom, this is a little scary!

Fist bumping the little ones

Ice shavings fog

Concentration is the key

It's a celly! How did you like that goal?

Told you I would score

Giving thanks is bigger than the game!

 DID YOU KNOW: Last night was Chad Costello's 200th game in the ECHL. In those 200 hundred games he has averaged .52 goals per game and 1.05 assists per game for a total 1.57 points per game. That is the fifth highest average in the history of the ECHL for players with at least 200 games. The four players with a higher points per game average all played 15-20 years ago when there was a lot more scoring in the league.

Allen vs Colorado Game Preview, Faith & Family Night, Are Goals For or Against a Bigger Issue?

It is game day in Allen as the Americans take on Colorado this afternoon (4:05) after losing to the Eagles 1-0 Friday night. The game today will be the fourth and final home game against the Eagles but the teams do play once more in Colorado (April 5). There are all kinds of reasons the game this afternoon is critical. Allen has lost four straight home games, the Eagles have beaten the Americans two out of three games in Allen, and last night Tulsa beat Wichita and now has a higher winning percentage than the Americans.

These teams have played five times this year with Colorado winning three of the five. The Eagles have  out shot Allen 153-135 and out scored the Americans 17-9. Colorado also has the edge on the power play going 3-19 (15.8%) compared to Allen who is 2-23 (8.7%). Colorado has taken 42 penalties for 122 minutes. Allen has taken 40 penalties for 126 minutes.

It will be interesting to see how the game this afternoon plays out. There were 20 fighting majors in their first four games but no fisticuffs on Friday. Just six minor penalties (five on Allen) were called in the game on Friday by referee Stephen Thomson. Thomson is also scheduled to be the referee for the game this afternoon. Odds would say he will be a little busier today.



- Here is a comparison between Allen and Colorado:

                                     ALLEN                               COLORADO

Team Record             19-14-1-0 (39 points)             16-16-2-0 (32 points)
Division Ranking         2nd - Central                        4th -West
Conference Ranking   4th - Western                       10th - Western
League Ranking         10th                                      20th
Home Record             7-6-1-0                                11-5-2-0
Road Record              12-8-0-0                              5-11-0-0
Past 10 Games           4-6-0-0                                6-4-0-0
Last Game                 1-0 L (Colorado)                   1-0 L (Idaho)
Goals For                   97                                        87
Goals Against             97                                        84
Power Play                 20.0% (27/135)                    19.0% (22/116)
Penalty Kill                  84.8% (20/132)                    87.2% (18/141)
Most PIM's                  Stevenson (67)                     Bootland (126)
Leading Scorer           Costello  (12-33-45)              Daavettila (14-22-36)


-  Here is how Allen and Colorado rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:

Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 3rd (17.65) - Colorado 1st (19.59)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 15th (2.85) - Colorado 26th (2.56)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 14th (2.85) - Colorado 7th (2.47)
Shots For Per Games: Allen 24th (28.00) - Colorado 20th (29.09)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 15th (30.24) - Colorado 2nd (26.00)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 4th (20.0%) - Colorado 8th (19.0%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 10th (84.8%) - Colorado 3rd (87.2%)

- The game today features the top two scorers in the ECHL. Keep your eye on Allen's #13 Chad Costello (45 points) and Colorado's #45 Trent Daavettila (36 points). The other Eagle player to watch is #29 Jesse Mychan who set up the game winning goal on Friday. Mychan has lit up Allen with eight points (4 goals 4 assists).

- If you are looking for a positive stat how about this. The Americans have played a team back to back nine times this year and only once (in Utah) did they lose both games. In the other eight they swept three times and split five times. Odds are Allen comes out on top today.

- Allen's trouble this year has not been finishing as only three teams in the league (Missouri, Orlando, Rapid City) score on a higher percentage of their shots than Allen. The problem has been getting enough shots. The Americans are ranked #24 in the ECHL averaging just 28 shots per game. Combine Allen's inability to generate a lot of shots with Colorado being ranked #2 in the ECHL in shots allowed (26 per game) and you have a key to the game. If Allen can generate 30 shots and get a power play goal they should be fine. Okay, throw in scoring the first goal of the game too as they need all the help they can get. If that all happens the Americans win for sure.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Something happened last night that hasn't happened in a long time. Allen slipped to third place in their division based on win percentage. Tulsa beat Wichita 6-4 and are still technically in second place in the Central Division with 36 points compared to Allen with 39. However, Tulsa is in second place in win percentage because they have played three fewer games than Allen. Here are the Central Division standings by win percentage:
.879 - Missouri
.581 - Tulsa
.574 - Allen
.329 - Wichita

-  Colorado goalie Eric Levine doesn't qualify for being listed among the top goalies in the ECHL stats because he has not played enough minutes. He has 536 minutes and needs 660 to qualify. He is just a few games from becoming qualified but he is the top goalie in the ECHL with a GAA of 1.01 and save percentage of .963.


- Rylan Schwartz had another goal last night for Orlando as they beat Wheeling 6-3. Orlando is in last place in the South Division but have won three games in a row and Schwartz has a goal in all three games. Since the first of the year, Rylan has nine points (five goals four assist) in five games and is a +6. Orlando has won five of the six games. Talk about coming back strong after a serious injury. Too bad Schwatrz didn't return to Allen.

- Greger Hanson (San Jose) and Spencer Asuchak (Chicago) were both healthy scratches last night. San Jose won and Chicago lost.

- Missouri continues their march toward the record books beating Rapid City last night 3-1. They now have 58 points in 33 games. Second place Florida has 51 points in 37 games.

- After Missouri, who is #1 with 58 points the next nine highest point totals come from the Eastern Conference.


- Today is another Faith and Family night at the Allen Americans. Right after the game Gary Steffes will met with fans, answer questions and talk about his journey. No matter what, if any, religious affiliation you have I would encourage you to stick around for 30 minutes after the game and listen to an inspiring young man in Gary Steffes. Ask him about how his life as a professional hockey player squares with his faith as he has a thought provoking answer.



DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans have scored 97 goals and allowed 97 goals so far this season. At that pace they would end the year with 205 goals for and 205 goals against. The 205 goals scored would be 87 fewer than last year and the lowest goal total in team history by 24 goals. The 205 goals allowed would be three fewer than last year and the third best goals allowed number in team history.

Americans Lose To Eagles 1-0, Game Recap, Martinson Comments, Schaafsma News & Photo Feature

There were 4816 fans at the Allen Event Center (AEC) last night to watch the Allen Americans take on the Colorado Eagles and they witnessed a game so unique that it had never happened before in the history of the franchise. In seven years, Allen has never lost a game by a score of 1-0. A goalie duel broke out between Allen goalie Riley Gill, the two time Kelly Cup champion and former Allen goalie, Eric Levine, who has come into his own after playing for 10 different teams in the last three years. The two combined to stop 61 of 62 shots with many of them being of the spectacular variety. Unfortunately for Allen fans the lone goal was scored by Colorado to give them a 1-0 victory.

The game was unique, distinctive, noteworthy, peculiar in  many ways. Here are a few examples:

- The two leading teams in the ECHL in penalty minutes had a combined total of just 12 minutes in penalties. It was a little one sided with Allen being called for five penalties and Colorado just one. Neither team scored on the power play as Allen was 0-1 and Colorado was 0-4.

- The lone goal was scored when goalie Riley Gill went behind the goal to play the puck and his stick got caught in the gap between the boards where the Zamboni comes on the ice. He got back to the goal without his stick but in the scramble that ensued the Eagles scored.

- The goal scorer for Colorado was the diminutive Johnny Lazo (5' 6" 170 pounds) who was playing in his first game with the Eagles having started the season in Italy.

Lazo with game winner in his first game for Colorado - photo by scenebykimberly.com

- Colorado dominated the second period out shooting Allen 15-6 but could not score.

- Allen dominated the third period out shooting Colorado 15-4 despite killing off a four minute high sticking penalty but could not score.

- It was the first game all season (five games) between Allen and Colorado when there has not been a fight. There were 20 fighting majors in the first four games.

- The teams will take the day off today before a rematch on Sunday at 4:05 pm.


STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

- It is tough when you give up one goal and lose a game. We had good chances including a couple of posts and a cross bar. I thought we deserved a better fate tonight but it wasn't to be. I am going to stay positive. I thought that was a game we could have won. You can't be down on your players when they only give up one goal.

- The second period we didn't play real good. I don't think we are carrying the puck through the middle of the ice like we can so we have not been creating plays on the rush. We miss guys like Pierro-Zabotel, King, Doremus, and King in the center.

- I thought Halabi played well for his first game. He had some good hits and almost scored on the breakaway coming out of the penalty box.  He challenged a couple of guys but they are missing some players so his challenge wasn't accepted. If Colorado had a full line up things might have been a little different.

- Colorado is a team that works hard and skates. There third line doesn't score much but they skate. Sometimes we don't skate hard enough like in the second period. Guys wanted to make plays by getting behind people and wait for the puck rather than climbing the ladder, making short passes, carrying the puck and working for opportunities.

- I don't think we were great tonight but I also don't think we were bad. It is disappointing to come out at home and not score a goal. That is painful.

- We just have to keep grinding and get what we can get until we get some guys back in the lineup. I don't think the new guys are hurting us, we just don't have much scoring depth. It is possible Pierro-Zabotel could be ready by next weekend but he has had his arm in a sling for six weeks so he has to get his strength back. King may be available next weekend as well.

- Between injuries, call ups and guys no longer playing we aren't the same team as we were. You can't wave a magic wand and replace the guys that you lose. We have some guys interested in joining the team but we don't have any room right now. There are some things that could happen but we need to play as hard as we can with the line up we have. We are not  going to be the team we were at the beginning of the year but that doesn't mean we won't be that team again in the future.

- It would be nice to put some wins together at home. Our road record is pretty good considering the travel and the line up we have.


OTHER COMMENTS

- The Americans have now lost four straight home games but all teams go through these streaks. Remember, last season Allen lost eight straight homes games and didn't win at home the entire month of February. The concerning part of the four game home losing streak is the fact the Americans have only managed to score a total four goals in the four games.

- It was great to see Joel Rumpel back on the ice even if it was in a back up role. It won't be long before he gets a start.

He's Back! - photo by Lauren Lyssy

- Had the chance to talk briefly with Eric Levine after his great performance which earned him the #1 star of the game. He is very thankful for the opportunity with the Eagles and is certainly making the most of his playing time. Since joining the Eagles in early December, Eric has played in eight games and has a record of 6-2. He has three shutouts in the eight games. His GAA and save percentage for the month of December was outstanding at 1.21 and .955. He has outdone himself in January with a GAA of 0.67 and a save percentage of .976.

- In other action last night in the Central Division, Tulsa beat Wichita 2-1 in a shootout and Missouri lost to Rapid City in overtime so Allen was the only team in the division that didn't earn at least point. Here are the current standings with games played in parentheses:

56 points: Missouri (32 games)
39 points: Allen (34 games)
34 points Tulsa (30 games)
23 points Wichita (23 games)

- Yesterday was a big day for Jamie Schaafsma. On the ice he had a goal and two assists and was named the #2 star of the game as he led the Fort Wayne Komets to a 7-4 win over Quad City.  It was a battle for first place in the Midwest Division. The first place Komets now have a three point lead over Quad City (38-35). Off the ice Jamie and Nicole announced they are expecting their third child in July. Congrats!

- Here is an introduction video that Tommy Daniels did with Reid Halabi courtesy of the Allen Americans: https://youtu.be/d1OyjZnFZmE

- I am so fortunate that photographers Lauren Lyssy, Kimberly Sauer and Dianne Webster are willing to share their pictures with me after every game. They spend a lot of time and effort and I always regret not using more of their pictures. I usually look for the puck in the net on a goal or a big hit but many times there is a story in the picture not necessarily related to the action. So over the next few games I will feature each of the photographers. Today it is Dianne Webster's work.

Eric Levine,  "I'm so good, I'm invisible"

Aaron Gens, "I got this guy covered"

Bootland, "This is my house son"

Gill, "Always keep your eye on the puck"

Levine, "Close but no cigar"

Makowski, "Cool it, I know you are bleeding but that high stick was an accident"

The Guys, "It's great signing and talking to the fans"

DID YOU KNOW: In the seven year history of the Allen Americans franchise they have been in 434 regular season games with just two ending with a score of 1-0. Prior to last night the only other 1-0 game was the very first game in team history, October 16, 2009. It was a victory in Arizona and the lone goal was a power play goal scored by Christian Gaudet with assists by Bruce Graham and Nino Musitelli. Charlie Effinger got the shutout for the Americans. 

Allen vs Colorado Game Preview, Stevenson's Fight Card, Fan Club's Pucks and Paws Calendar & More

It is game day for the Allen Americans and the fans are ready since it has been nearly two weeks since the last home game. The team is ready as they have had five days without a game. Coach Martinson always says with so many practice days between games he gets tired of yelling at the players and they get tired of listening to him yell at them. Add in the fact that the game tonight is against the Colorado Eagles and former Allen's most popular player, Darryl "Booter" Bootland, who leads the ECHL in penalty minutes and you have a recipe for a fun night of hockey.

Allen will play Colorado seven times (4 home 3 away) this year and tonight will be game number five. The teams have split the first four games. Here are the results of the previous meetings.

October 21 - Allen comes from behind in Colorado to win 3-1 in a game with four fighting majors including a Stevenson vs Bootland tilt.

November 14 - Colorado scores the first seven goals of the game and wins 8-1 in Allen, giving the Americans their worst defeat in team history. The Americans were humiliated in that game and what upset coach Martinson the most was the team didn't even fight back. Just one fight in the game.

November 15 - After the embarrassing defeat the night before, things looked bleak when Colorado took a 2-0 lead. This was the game where the Americans put the puck in their own empty net early in the first period when they had an extra attacker because of a delayed Colorado penalty. Trailing 2-0 after the first period, the Americans came roaring back with four unanswered goals and won the game 4-3. Eight fighting majors in this one including a Bootland vs Arseneau match.

December 16 - This was the now famous week from hell road trip where the team ran into snow, ice and wind, which caused all kinds of travel problems. Allen was never in the game and scored their only goal on the power play with less than a minute left to play. Final score was 4-1. Six fighting majors in this one.

- Here is a comparison between Allen and Colorado:

                                     ALLEN                               COLORADO

Team Record             19-13-1-0 (39 points)             15-16-2-0 (32 points)
Division Ranking         2nd - Central                        4th -West
Conference Ranking   4th - Western                       10th - Western
League Ranking         8th                                       10th
Home Record             7-5-1-0                                11-5-2-0
Road Record              12-8-0-0                              4-11-0-0
Past 10 Games           4-5-1-0                                6-4-0-0
Last Game                  4-1 W (Quad City)               1-0 L (Idaho)
Goals For                   97                                        86
Goals Against             96                                        84
Power Play                 20.1% (27/134)                    19.8% (22/111)
Penalty Kill                  84.3% (20/127)                    87.1% (18/140)
Most PIM's                  Stevenson (67)                     Bootland (126)
Leading Scorer           Costello  (12-33-45)              Daavettila (14-21-35)


-  Here is how Allen and Colorado rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:

Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 2nd (17.88) - Colorado 1st (20.12)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 13th (2.94) - Colorado 26th (2.61)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 14th (2.91) - Colorado 7th (2.55)
Shots For Per Games: Allen 24th (27.88) - Colorado 21st (29.06)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 17th (30.24) - Colorado 2nd (25.82)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 15th (19.6%) - Colorado 4th (21.2%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 11th (84.8%) - Colorado 3rd (88.3%)
 

- Based on their prior games, look for plenty of penalties in this game. In the previous four games, Allen and Colorado have averaged 20 penalties and 60 penalty minutes per game. There have been 20 fighting majors in the four games. It is almost a guarantee newcomer Reid Halabi will have his first fight for Allen tonight. 

- Special teams are always a key to victory but even more so in this game that pits the top two teams in the league in penalty minutes. Overall, Colorado is better on both the power play and penalty kill but if you breakdown special team stats into home and road it is a little different picture than the overall special team stats. Allen's power play has struggled at home going just 8-60 (13.3%) while Colorado is 9-47 (19.1%) on the road. Allen's home penalty kill is 8-55 (85.5%) while Colorado is 10-60 (83.3%) on the road. 

- In the four games Allen and Colorado have played this season the Americans are 2-22 on the power play and the Eagles are 3-15. The team that wins the special teams battle will most likely win the game.

- Colorado will have Jesse Mychan back in the line up tonight after he spent a couple of games with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL). Mychan is second on the team in goals scored (13), second in points per game and third in penalty minutes per game. He has been the leading scorer for Colorado against Allen with seven points (4 goals 3 assists) in four games. Keep an eye on #29 tonight.

- Officials scheduled for the game tonight are referee Stephen Thomson (#27) and linesmen Brian Bull (#49) and Aaron Schacht (#32).


OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen starts a five game home stand after spending the last four games on the road. The Americans won three of the four road games and need to continue that momentum at home to secure their position in the Western Conference. At this point, it is a foregone conclusion the Missouri Mavericks will win the Central Division as they currently have a 16 point lead on Allen with two games in hand. The way the seeding works for the playoffs is that the three division champions are seeded one, two and three so the realistic goal for the Americans is to have the fourth seed in the playoffs, which goes to the team with the best record outside of the division champions.  The Americans currently occupy that spot but will need to continue to win to maintain that position.

- The Americans have lost their last three home games and have only scored a total of four goals in the three losses.

- Riley Gill will start in goal for the Americans but Joel Rumpel will be the back up goalie. Great to have Joel back.

- The Americans are in the midst of playing six game against teams outside of their division. They won in Quad City, have two games against Colorado this weekend and then three against Cincinnati next weekend. Allen will have a chance to build on what is already a great record against teams outside the division which currently stands at 11-6-1-0.

- Dyson Stevenson, Jonathan Parker, Eric Roy and Danny Federico will be signing autographs in the concourse right after the game tonight.

- The Allen Americans Fan Club has a great calendar for sale. It is called pucks and paws and the proceeds benefit the SPCA and the fan club. Stop by the fan club table this weekend to pick up one of these calendars. A perfect combination for Allen fans who are animal lovers or anyone that wants to contribute to a good cause. Check out these adorable sneak peek pictures.

DID YOU KNOW: There is a website that is dedicated to tracking fights in hockey (dropyourgloves.com) and they have all kinds of data on fights. According to this website Allen's Dyson Stevenson has had nine fights this season and leads the ECHL in win percentage, winning 65% of his fights. He is also rated as the most entertaining fighter in the ECHL. Not bad for guy so valuable to his team the coach tells him not to fight.