The Allen Americans are back home preparing for two games this weekend against the Wichita Thunder. The Americans haven't played a home game in a month and in that time have watched the Colorado Eagles take over the Mountain Division lead with a 17 game win streak. However, Allen won all five of their road games over the past month and despite the Colorado win streak the Americans trail the Eagles by just four points with 11 games remaining.
- The Americans have played some pretty good hockey to stay in contact with Colorado. They are 14-2-1-1 over the last 18 games, 8-1-1-0 over the last 10 games, have won eight straight road games and have a five game win streak.
- Allen has a great opportunity to overtake Colorado for the division lead which would give the Americans home ice advantage for the first and second rounds of the playoffs. It won't be easy but Allen has some advantages. Eight of the Americans last 11 games are at home while Colorado has eight of their last 11 games on the road. Advantage Allen.
- Colorado has three games remaining with Idaho, five with Utah and three with Rapid City. Against these three teams Colorado's record this season is 15-7-1-3. Allen has four games remaining with Wichita, four with Tulsa and three with Missouri. Against these three teams Allen's record this season is 22-6-2-0. Advantage Allen.
- The three teams Colorado has to play in the last 11 games have been playing well. Their combined record over the last 10 games is 17-11-2-0. The three teams Allen has to play over the last 11 games have not been playing well. Their combined record over the last 10 games is 9-19-1-1. Advantage Allen.
- Allen can certainly catch Colorado to win the Mountain Division and also has a chance to be the #1 seed overall. To do so they will have to play their best hockey of the season and almost win out in the last 11 games. 18 points in the last 11 games is a realistic goal and would put the Americans over 100 points for the season. To get the #1 overall seed they would need some help from Toledo who has a six point lead and a game in hand over Allen.
- I know it is early but just a reminder the tiebreakers for the playoffs start with regular season wins excluding shootout wins. As of today Toledo has 40, Colorado 39 and Allen 38. The second tiebreaker is goal differential. As of today Toledo is +88, Allen is +68 and Colorado is +59. These are just the first two of eight tiebreakers with number eight being a coin toss.
- Everyday I get questions about when will the two AHL players that are expected to be assigned to Allen arrive and what impact will that have on the roster. The answer as to when is I don't know but a couple of factors to keep in mind. As college and junior players finish their seasons they are being signed by the NHL, AHL and ECHL teams. College playoffs are currently taking place and as teams lose players are turning pro. With the influx of these players on NHL and AHL rosters other players will get reassigned to ECHL teams. My guess is if players currently in the AHL are going to be assigned to Allen it will happen sooner rather than later. As to the question of roster changes when additional players are assigned to Allen, from my conversations with coach Martinson I would not expect any roster changes. Injures, call ups and loans may impact the roster over the last 11 games but if you are concerned your favorite player will get released when players get assigned that will not happen.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Allen is getting close to surpassing their win and point totals from last season. They need two more wins and six more points to match the 41 wins and 89 points they earned last season on the way to winning the Kelly Cup.
- I mentioned above how the signing of college players by the NHL and AHL has begun now that college playoffs have started and many college seasons have come to an end. This will force more players in the AHL to be sent to ECHL teams. Here is a story that talks about the college to pro process that takes place this time of year. http://www.tsn.ca/the-nhl-s-college-signing-season-begins-1.695343
- As Allen gets ready for two home games this weekend there are several streaks worthy of note. Greger Hanson has an assist in nine straight games and a point in 10 straight. He has a goal in his last four home games. Chad Costello has an assist in his last six home games and his 106 points leads the ECHL scoring race by 30 points. David Makowski continues his charge up the ECHL leader board in scoring by a defenseman. He has a point in 16 of the last 17 games and in those 17 games has 11 goals and 16 assists. David is third in scoring by a defenseman. He has 47 points in just 37 games, second place is 51 points but has played 56 games and first place is 59 points in 61 games.
- I have two free tickets for both games this weekend (Friday & Saturday 7:05 pm). The tickets are in the fifth row off the ice on the aisle in
section 100. The tickets are at the end of the rink where the Americans
are on offense twice. I will have a drawing for the tickets tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon, notify the winners and leave the tickets at
will call. If you are interested let me know via Twitter,
Facebook, the Blog, text, in person or by email (janssenfamily@msn.com). All I need is your name and if you are interested in Friday, Saturday or both.
DID YOU KNOW: This year's Allen Americans team is one of the most geographically dispersed ever when
you look at where they grew up. Based on the roster from the team's
website there are players from three countries including eight different US states and five different Canadian provinces. Here is the breakdown with the number of players in
parenthesis. Michigan (2), Minnesota (2), Pennsylvania (1), North Carolina (1), North Dakota (1), Massachusetts (1),
Iowa (1), Missouri (1), Ontario (4), Saskatchewan (4),
British Columbia (2), Quebec (1), Manitoba (1) and Sweden (1).
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Monday, March 13, 2017
It's a Win but Disappointing, Martinson Comments, Longest Game in History, Aaron Dell Beats Stars
The Allen Americans finished up the last of five straight road games dating back to February 24 when they defeated the Indy Fuel 5-3 Sunday afternoon. It should have been cause for celebration as with the win in Indy, the Americans won all five road games and come home to finish the season with eight of the 11 remaining games at the Allen Event Center.
- Allen won the game against last place Indy but it is hard to believe anyone was happy with the team's performance. Allen out shot the Fuel 16-7 in the first period and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. They scored two goals early in the second period to take a 3-0 lead. It seemed like from that point forward the attitude was we are up 3-0 and I want to get some points. Turnovers dominated the second period for Allen, Indy out shot the Americans 20-8 but managed just one goal thanks to stellar play by Riley Gill. Allen scored at the 8:07 mark of the third period to make the score 4-1. Disaster then struck twice for Allen as they gave up shorthanded goals on two successive power plays to let Indy back in the game. With the score 4-3 the Fuel pulled their goalie but Greger Hanson scored an empty netter to seal a 5-3 win for Allen.
- A game that started out so good ended up being one of those games where many players started to think scoring was more important than winning. And it is not like Indy has this great penalty kill unit that scores a lot of shorthanded goals. As a matter of fact in the 59 games prior to the game yesterday the Fuel were dead last in the ECHL with only two shorthanded goals. They doubled their total to four shorties in one game against Allen. The Americans have given up more shorthanded goals (12) this season than any team in the league.
- The player you have to feel bad for is goalie Riley Gill who has played his heart out for this team. To give up two shorthanded goals on two successive power plays six minutes apart to a team that had two power play goals in their first 59 games is inexcusable and demonstrates a lack of commitment to defense. Greger Hanson had this to say in the Allen press release recapping the game, "This was a disappointing effort by us. We left Riley out to dry with some bad decisions that led to two shorthanded goals. I don't blame him for being upset. He played great and we didn't do our part."
- Steve Martinson was also unhappy with the team's effort. Here are his post game comments:
I liked the way we played in the first period. Things changed once we got the 3-0 lead early in the second period. We had way too many turnovers from guys trying to make plays that weren't there.
The shorthanded goals were painful to watch. We couldn't stop the first one because we had some forwards hoping we were going to get the puck back so they could get an odd man rush the other way. Instead Indy had a shorthanded empty net to shoot at.
The second shorthanded goal was caused by the kind of drop pass at the blue line they teach you as a young kid not to do.
After I watched the effort by some of the forwards on the first shorthanded goal I should have never put them out on the next power play to give up the second shorthanded goal.
One stat that should be important to everyone on the team is Riley Gill leading the ECHL in GAA and save percentage.
- Goal scorers for Allen were Greger Hanson (31 & 32), David Makowski (15), Bryan Moore (21) and Wade MacLeod (1). You can see all of the goals with the exception of Hanson's second one which was an empty netter and many great saves by both goalies at ECHL Rewind: http://www.echl.com/
- Here is the press release recapping the game from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-sweep-five-game-road-trip-with-win-in-indy/
- If you want to read the Indy take on the game here is their press release: https://www.indyfuelhockey.com/fuel-hang-tough-in-5-3-loss-to-allen
- The Americans got an early start on the 850 mile trip back to Allen as the game ended at 4:30 pm (CDT). If all went as planned and Big Red cooperated the hope was to arrive back at the Allen Event Center around 9:00 am this morning.
OTHER COMMENTS
- You may have heard about a playoff game in Norway yesterday that went to eight overtimes, took over eight hours to complete and ended at 2:32 am. There were 189 shots on goal (96-93) and the final score was 2-1. Here are some more details: https://www.nhl.com/news/incredible-hockey-game-in-norway-goes-8-overtimes/c-287656214
- The Allen Americans got some good publicity as Aaron Dell led San Jose to a 5-1 win over the Dallas Stars last night. Allen was mentioned on TV and in the game recap in the Dallas Morning News (DMN) today. Some really nice things to say about Aaron and well deserved. Here is a link to the DMN story. http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-stars/stars/2017/03/12/stars-iest-way-possible-loss-san-jose-showed-stars-mess?f=r
In other Mountain Division action yesterday Utah, Missouri and Colorado all won. Colorado beat Alaska in overtime so the Aces also gained a point. Here are the Mountain Division standings with games remaining in parentheses:
87 points - Colorado (11 games remaining)
83 points - Allen (11 games)
75 points - Idaho (12 games)
69 points - Alaska (12 games)
65 points - Utah (11 games)
63 points - Missouri (13 games)
52 points - Rapid City (12 games)
DID YOU KNOW: Allen's record when scoring the first goal of the game is 30-2-2-1. That is the second best record in the ECHL and equates to getting 90% of the available points when they score first. An even more amazing record is when Allen is tied after the first period they haven't lost all season. They are a perfect 13-0 when tied after one period. Every other team in the league has at least four losses when tied after the first period.
- Allen won the game against last place Indy but it is hard to believe anyone was happy with the team's performance. Allen out shot the Fuel 16-7 in the first period and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. They scored two goals early in the second period to take a 3-0 lead. It seemed like from that point forward the attitude was we are up 3-0 and I want to get some points. Turnovers dominated the second period for Allen, Indy out shot the Americans 20-8 but managed just one goal thanks to stellar play by Riley Gill. Allen scored at the 8:07 mark of the third period to make the score 4-1. Disaster then struck twice for Allen as they gave up shorthanded goals on two successive power plays to let Indy back in the game. With the score 4-3 the Fuel pulled their goalie but Greger Hanson scored an empty netter to seal a 5-3 win for Allen.
- A game that started out so good ended up being one of those games where many players started to think scoring was more important than winning. And it is not like Indy has this great penalty kill unit that scores a lot of shorthanded goals. As a matter of fact in the 59 games prior to the game yesterday the Fuel were dead last in the ECHL with only two shorthanded goals. They doubled their total to four shorties in one game against Allen. The Americans have given up more shorthanded goals (12) this season than any team in the league.
- The player you have to feel bad for is goalie Riley Gill who has played his heart out for this team. To give up two shorthanded goals on two successive power plays six minutes apart to a team that had two power play goals in their first 59 games is inexcusable and demonstrates a lack of commitment to defense. Greger Hanson had this to say in the Allen press release recapping the game, "This was a disappointing effort by us. We left Riley out to dry with some bad decisions that led to two shorthanded goals. I don't blame him for being upset. He played great and we didn't do our part."
- Steve Martinson was also unhappy with the team's effort. Here are his post game comments:
I liked the way we played in the first period. Things changed once we got the 3-0 lead early in the second period. We had way too many turnovers from guys trying to make plays that weren't there.
The shorthanded goals were painful to watch. We couldn't stop the first one because we had some forwards hoping we were going to get the puck back so they could get an odd man rush the other way. Instead Indy had a shorthanded empty net to shoot at.
The second shorthanded goal was caused by the kind of drop pass at the blue line they teach you as a young kid not to do.
After I watched the effort by some of the forwards on the first shorthanded goal I should have never put them out on the next power play to give up the second shorthanded goal.
One stat that should be important to everyone on the team is Riley Gill leading the ECHL in GAA and save percentage.
- Goal scorers for Allen were Greger Hanson (31 & 32), David Makowski (15), Bryan Moore (21) and Wade MacLeod (1). You can see all of the goals with the exception of Hanson's second one which was an empty netter and many great saves by both goalies at ECHL Rewind: http://www.echl.com/
- Here is the press release recapping the game from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-sweep-five-game-road-trip-with-win-in-indy/
- If you want to read the Indy take on the game here is their press release: https://www.indyfuelhockey.com/fuel-hang-tough-in-5-3-loss-to-allen
- The Americans got an early start on the 850 mile trip back to Allen as the game ended at 4:30 pm (CDT). If all went as planned and Big Red cooperated the hope was to arrive back at the Allen Event Center around 9:00 am this morning.
OTHER COMMENTS
- You may have heard about a playoff game in Norway yesterday that went to eight overtimes, took over eight hours to complete and ended at 2:32 am. There were 189 shots on goal (96-93) and the final score was 2-1. Here are some more details: https://www.nhl.com/news/incredible-hockey-game-in-norway-goes-8-overtimes/c-287656214
- The Allen Americans got some good publicity as Aaron Dell led San Jose to a 5-1 win over the Dallas Stars last night. Allen was mentioned on TV and in the game recap in the Dallas Morning News (DMN) today. Some really nice things to say about Aaron and well deserved. Here is a link to the DMN story. http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-stars/stars/2017/03/12/stars-iest-way-possible-loss-san-jose-showed-stars-mess?f=r
In other Mountain Division action yesterday Utah, Missouri and Colorado all won. Colorado beat Alaska in overtime so the Aces also gained a point. Here are the Mountain Division standings with games remaining in parentheses:
87 points - Colorado (11 games remaining)
83 points - Allen (11 games)
75 points - Idaho (12 games)
69 points - Alaska (12 games)
65 points - Utah (11 games)
63 points - Missouri (13 games)
52 points - Rapid City (12 games)
DID YOU KNOW: Allen's record when scoring the first goal of the game is 30-2-2-1. That is the second best record in the ECHL and equates to getting 90% of the available points when they score first. An even more amazing record is when Allen is tied after the first period they haven't lost all season. They are a perfect 13-0 when tied after one period. Every other team in the league has at least four losses when tied after the first period.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Allen vs Indy Preview, Future Considerations Explained, Missouri's Name Change & Missouri vs Allen Rivalry
The Allen Americans play the Indy Fuel this afternoon (2:05 CDT) at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Allen will be the more rested team as they had the day off yesterday while Indy played Fort Wayne last night. Former Allen captain Jamie Schaafsma was the hero for Fort Wayne and did his old team a favor when he tied the score with just 35 seconds remaining in the game to force overtime and then got the game winning goal in the shootout. Jamie was obviously the #1 star of the game. The #2 star was also an Allen alum as Indy goalie Eric Levine stopped 38 of 40 shots to keep Indy in the game. Fort Wayne out shot Indy 41-29. The game didn't end until 10:17 pm local time and with the lost hour due to the start of daylight saving time it will be a short turnaround for Indy with the early start this afternoon.
- So the Americans enter the game this afternoon with a few advantages. They will have the fresher legs, they have been playing great hockey with four straight road wins and they are 5-0 against Indy this season. However, the only other time these teams played in Indy was way back on October 29 in a wild 7-6 overtime game that Allen had to comeback to win. Spencer Asuchak scored to tie the game with 47 seconds remaining and Chad Costello had the game winner 38 seconds into overtime.
- Head to head in the five previous games Allen and Indy have played, the Americans lead in goals (27-14) and shots (164-156). Allen is 4-12 (33.3%) on the power play while Indy is 3-17 (17.6%). Allen has taken 62 penalty minutes in the five games while Indy has taken 50. Penalty minutes are below average for both teams and way below average for Allen.
- Coach Martinson indicated before the trip with everyone healthy he would have to sit out two players each game but his plan was to sit out different players each game. Tanner Eberle and Travis Brown were the scratches in Missouri and should be back in the lineup this afternoon. A couple of players (Mathers & Chouinard) left the ice with injuries during the game in Missouri but both returned and are good to go according to Martinson. I would expect Mathers will be one of the players rested today. Stevenson will most likely move upfront and another forward in addition to Mathers will be scratched.
- Here are some stats comparing Allen and Indy:
ALLEN INDY
Team Record 38-17-3-2 (81 points) 16-37-3-3 (38 points)
Division Ranking 2nd - Mountain 7th - Central
Conference Ranking 3rd - Western 14th - Western
League Ranking 3rd 26th
Last Game 3-2 Win (Missouri) 3-2 Loss (Fort Wayne)
Goals For 238 147
Goals Against 172 237
Power Play 22.1% (57/258) 14.2% (24/169)
Penalty Kill 84.4% (45/289) 83.0% (32/188)
Most PIM Mathers (238) Williams (115)
Leading Scorers: Costello (31-74-105) Shalla (27-23-50)
Hanson (30-37-67) Wideman (18-30-48)
- Here is how Allen and Indy rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (20.35) - Indy 21st (12.59)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 2nd (3.97) - Indy 26th (2.49)
Goals Allowed per Game: Allen 3rd (2.87) - Indy 27th (4.02)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 19th (31.50) - Indy 25th (29.17)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 22nd (34.67) - Indy 27th (37.00)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 5th (22.1%) - Indy 24th (14.2%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 6th (84.4%) - Indy 12th (83.0%)
- What is obvious from the stats above is Allen is a much better team than Indy. The Americans are ranked higher in every stat. Maybe the most telling stat is goal differential. Allen has scored 238 goals and allowed 172 for a goal differential of +66. Indy has scored 147 goals and allowed 237 for a goal differential of -90. All Allen needs to do to win the game this afternoon is play their game. The team needs to remember it is more important to win the game than to score. Be aggressive but don't gamble and set up odd man rushes. Finish checks but avoid the stick penalties. Make Indy pay if they take penalties with what is a very potent power play. If you can't make a play don't turn the puck over in the neutral zone, dump it in and forecheck.
- Allen has the second highest shooting percentages in the ECHL as they score on 12.5% of their shots. Indy has the third lowest shooting percentages in the ECHL at 8.5%.
- If you are looking to predict who might have a big game against Indy go with Chad Costello and Bryan Moore. Chad has 12 points (3 goals 9 assists) in five games against Indy. Bryan has eight points (3 goals 5 assists) in four games.
- Here is the game preview issued by the Indy Fuel which is excellent: https://www.indyfuelhockey.com/03-12-preview
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Sean Fernandez (#21) and linesmen Colin Gates (#30) and Patrick Richardson (#82).
OTHER COMMENTS
- Alaska beat Rapid City last night and now has a five point lead over Utah and seven point lead over Missouri in the battle for the fourth playoff spot in the Mountain Division. All three teams are in action today. Utah is at Orlando, Alaska is at Colorado and Missouri is at home to take on Tulsa.
- The Missouri Mavericks announced last night that they will be changing their name to the Kansas City Mavericks starting June 1. The rationale for changing the name in Missouri has many parallels to Allen. Wonder if new Allen owner, Jack Gulati, has an opinion on this. Will have a chance to ask him when he is in Allen next weekend for two home games with Wichita. Here is a link to all of the details about the Mavericks name change: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/nhl/article138001918.html
- I had several questions yesterday about future consideration trades in light of the fact that Kale Kerbashian did not report to Wheeling after being traded at the deadline for future considerations. I recently saw future considerations defined as either a player or cash to be agreed upon at a later date. I have talked to coach Martinson about this many times over the years and how this works in real life is much more complex than that definition. In reality, future considerations can be almost anything the coaches/general mangers agree to. Some of the agreements are listed with the league and some are not. Future considerations could be a specific player agreed to up front but not named until after the season. It could be a list of players that the receiving coach gets to pick from. It could be cash or a player at the discretion of the team giving the futures. Sometimes it isn't a player or cash but a promise to do a favor in the future. You scratch my back now and I will scratch your back later. The teams will always file with the league what is required but the details will be verbal or email exchanges spelling out the specifics. If a player doesn't report in a trade for future considerations is the deal voided? It depends on what the agreement was upfront. My understanding in the Kale Kerbashain trade is the future considerations were not voided but remember that doesn't necessarily mean a player. I know of another recent transaction where emails were exchanged to make it clear if you don't deliver on your part of the future consideration deal in terms of a player reporting it voids my part of the deal. The bottom line is when it comes to future considerations the teams have a lot of latitude in exactly how they are structured and executed.
DID YOU KNOW: Since joining the ECHL the rivalry between Allen and Missouri hasn't been much of a rivalry. In 2014-15 Allen had a record of 8-0-1-0 against Missouri on the way to their first Kelly Cup. The Mavericks didn't make the playoffs. In 2015-16 Missouri had a record breaking regular season and won the Brabham Cup with 109 points. However, Allen was 5-6 against Missouri and won three of the last four games they played in the regular season. The Americans beat Missouri in six games in the second round of the playoffs on the way to their second Kelly Cup. This season Allen's record against Missouri is 8-1-1-0. The Americans are in second place in the division while Missouri is in sixth place, seven points out of a playoff spot. You add it all together and Allen's record against Missouri since joining the ECHL (regular season and playoffs) is 25-9-2-0.
- So the Americans enter the game this afternoon with a few advantages. They will have the fresher legs, they have been playing great hockey with four straight road wins and they are 5-0 against Indy this season. However, the only other time these teams played in Indy was way back on October 29 in a wild 7-6 overtime game that Allen had to comeback to win. Spencer Asuchak scored to tie the game with 47 seconds remaining and Chad Costello had the game winner 38 seconds into overtime.
- Head to head in the five previous games Allen and Indy have played, the Americans lead in goals (27-14) and shots (164-156). Allen is 4-12 (33.3%) on the power play while Indy is 3-17 (17.6%). Allen has taken 62 penalty minutes in the five games while Indy has taken 50. Penalty minutes are below average for both teams and way below average for Allen.
- Coach Martinson indicated before the trip with everyone healthy he would have to sit out two players each game but his plan was to sit out different players each game. Tanner Eberle and Travis Brown were the scratches in Missouri and should be back in the lineup this afternoon. A couple of players (Mathers & Chouinard) left the ice with injuries during the game in Missouri but both returned and are good to go according to Martinson. I would expect Mathers will be one of the players rested today. Stevenson will most likely move upfront and another forward in addition to Mathers will be scratched.
- Here are some stats comparing Allen and Indy:
ALLEN INDY
Team Record 38-17-3-2 (81 points) 16-37-3-3 (38 points)
Division Ranking 2nd - Mountain 7th - Central
Conference Ranking 3rd - Western 14th - Western
League Ranking 3rd 26th
Last Game 3-2 Win (Missouri) 3-2 Loss (Fort Wayne)
Goals For 238 147
Goals Against 172 237
Power Play 22.1% (57/258) 14.2% (24/169)
Penalty Kill 84.4% (45/289) 83.0% (32/188)
Most PIM Mathers (238) Williams (115)
Leading Scorers: Costello (31-74-105) Shalla (27-23-50)
Hanson (30-37-67) Wideman (18-30-48)
- Here is how Allen and Indy rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (20.35) - Indy 21st (12.59)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 2nd (3.97) - Indy 26th (2.49)
Goals Allowed per Game: Allen 3rd (2.87) - Indy 27th (4.02)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 19th (31.50) - Indy 25th (29.17)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 22nd (34.67) - Indy 27th (37.00)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 5th (22.1%) - Indy 24th (14.2%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 6th (84.4%) - Indy 12th (83.0%)
- What is obvious from the stats above is Allen is a much better team than Indy. The Americans are ranked higher in every stat. Maybe the most telling stat is goal differential. Allen has scored 238 goals and allowed 172 for a goal differential of +66. Indy has scored 147 goals and allowed 237 for a goal differential of -90. All Allen needs to do to win the game this afternoon is play their game. The team needs to remember it is more important to win the game than to score. Be aggressive but don't gamble and set up odd man rushes. Finish checks but avoid the stick penalties. Make Indy pay if they take penalties with what is a very potent power play. If you can't make a play don't turn the puck over in the neutral zone, dump it in and forecheck.
- Allen has the second highest shooting percentages in the ECHL as they score on 12.5% of their shots. Indy has the third lowest shooting percentages in the ECHL at 8.5%.
- If you are looking to predict who might have a big game against Indy go with Chad Costello and Bryan Moore. Chad has 12 points (3 goals 9 assists) in five games against Indy. Bryan has eight points (3 goals 5 assists) in four games.
- Here is the game preview issued by the Indy Fuel which is excellent: https://www.indyfuelhockey.com/03-12-preview
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Sean Fernandez (#21) and linesmen Colin Gates (#30) and Patrick Richardson (#82).
OTHER COMMENTS
- Alaska beat Rapid City last night and now has a five point lead over Utah and seven point lead over Missouri in the battle for the fourth playoff spot in the Mountain Division. All three teams are in action today. Utah is at Orlando, Alaska is at Colorado and Missouri is at home to take on Tulsa.
- The Missouri Mavericks announced last night that they will be changing their name to the Kansas City Mavericks starting June 1. The rationale for changing the name in Missouri has many parallels to Allen. Wonder if new Allen owner, Jack Gulati, has an opinion on this. Will have a chance to ask him when he is in Allen next weekend for two home games with Wichita. Here is a link to all of the details about the Mavericks name change: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/nhl/article138001918.html
- I had several questions yesterday about future consideration trades in light of the fact that Kale Kerbashian did not report to Wheeling after being traded at the deadline for future considerations. I recently saw future considerations defined as either a player or cash to be agreed upon at a later date. I have talked to coach Martinson about this many times over the years and how this works in real life is much more complex than that definition. In reality, future considerations can be almost anything the coaches/general mangers agree to. Some of the agreements are listed with the league and some are not. Future considerations could be a specific player agreed to up front but not named until after the season. It could be a list of players that the receiving coach gets to pick from. It could be cash or a player at the discretion of the team giving the futures. Sometimes it isn't a player or cash but a promise to do a favor in the future. You scratch my back now and I will scratch your back later. The teams will always file with the league what is required but the details will be verbal or email exchanges spelling out the specifics. If a player doesn't report in a trade for future considerations is the deal voided? It depends on what the agreement was upfront. My understanding in the Kale Kerbashain trade is the future considerations were not voided but remember that doesn't necessarily mean a player. I know of another recent transaction where emails were exchanged to make it clear if you don't deliver on your part of the future consideration deal in terms of a player reporting it voids my part of the deal. The bottom line is when it comes to future considerations the teams have a lot of latitude in exactly how they are structured and executed.
DID YOU KNOW: Since joining the ECHL the rivalry between Allen and Missouri hasn't been much of a rivalry. In 2014-15 Allen had a record of 8-0-1-0 against Missouri on the way to their first Kelly Cup. The Mavericks didn't make the playoffs. In 2015-16 Missouri had a record breaking regular season and won the Brabham Cup with 109 points. However, Allen was 5-6 against Missouri and won three of the last four games they played in the regular season. The Americans beat Missouri in six games in the second round of the playoffs on the way to their second Kelly Cup. This season Allen's record against Missouri is 8-1-1-0. The Americans are in second place in the division while Missouri is in sixth place, seven points out of a playoff spot. You add it all together and Allen's record against Missouri since joining the ECHL (regular season and playoffs) is 25-9-2-0.
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Allen Wins in Missouri Again, Now Hottest Team in ECHL, Martinson Comments, Goal Differential Stats
Thanks primarily to goalie Riley Gill the Allen Americans beat the Missouri Mavericks 3-2 last night before a disappointed crowd of 5128 at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. Gill was bombarded with 48 shots including 18 in the third period. He faced two late third period breakaways and a 6-on-4 power play when Allen took a penalty with 39 seconds remaining after Missouri pulled their goalie.
- All is well that ends well and the 3-2 victory allowed the Americans to close the gap in the standings to four points on division leading Colorado who was idle last night. Both teams have 12 games remaining but Allen has eight at home compared to just four for the Eagles.
- Goal scorers for Allen were Mike Gunn who got his first of the season, Spencer Asuchak (25) and Dyson Stevenson (9). Here are some things to look for when viewing the highlights at ECHL Rewind. Net front presence on the first two goals was key. Alex Schoenborn didn't get an assist on the first goal but he had the goalie screened when Gunn took the shot from the point. Spencer Asuchak was at the net to put in the rebound on the second goal. On the third goal you have to use the 10 second rewind button a multiple times to see the genius of Zach Hall. He held the puck by the side of the net until he drew the defense toward him. He had the goalie and defense out of position with a shot fake and then a pass fake through the slot. Finally he saw Dyson Stevenson, who was playing defense, coming in from the point and Hall made the pass to Dyson who one timed it home. Here is the link to ECHL Rewind: http://www.echl.com/
- Here is Allen's game recap including this quote from Chad Costello, "We gave up way too many shots tonight. Riley made the big saves for us down the stretch and bailed us out on our mistakes." https://allenamericans.com/americans-extend-road-winning-streak-to-four-games-with-3-2-win/
- Here is the press release issued by Missouri recapping the game: http://missourimavericks.com/news/?article_id=809
- Dyson Stevenson with a goal and assist was named the #1 star of the game and Riley Gill was the #2 star. Riley stopped 46 of 48 shots and lowered his league leading GAA to 2.09 and raised his league leading save percentage to .939. In his last 14 starts dating back to the middle of December, Gill's record is 13-1.
- The team boarded Big Red after the game for the 475 mile trip to Indy and arrived in Indy at 7:30 am this morning. Luckily the team has the day off today to rest up for tomorrow. As a reminder, puck drop on Sunday against Indy is 2:05 pm Allen time.
STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS
- Missouri is in a pretty desperate place trying to get a playoff spot and they played that way against us.
- It was hard to take they had seven power plays to our two. We allowed them no goals on seven power play chances including a couple when they had a two man advantage. We played almost a full period short. We were efficient on our power play going 1-2.
- Once again Riley Gill was great in goal.
- We are going to have some high octane options going forward.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Indy plays Fort Wayne tonight and I know Tommy Daniels plans to attend the game and some of the players may as well. Allen Americans alumni include Jamie Schaafsma and Kyle Follmer for Fort Wayne and Jake Marchment, Jake Hildebrand and Eric Levine for Indy. Indy beat Fort Wayne 6-5 last night.
- Allen has quietly become one of the hottest teams in the ECHL. Their four game win streak is tied with Cincinnati for the longest in the league and their 8-1-1-0 record over the last 10 games is tied with Colorado for the best in the league.
- It is looking more and more like Idaho will be the #3 seed in the playoffs. They are eight points behind second place and seven points ahead of fourth place. Idaho would play the #2 seed in the first round of the playoffs which at this point is Allen. Here are the Mountain Division standings with games remaining in parentheses:
85 points - Colorado (12 games remaining)
81 points - Allen (12 games)
73 points - Idaho (13 games)
66 points - Alaska (14 games)
63 points - Utah (12 games)
61 points - Missouri (14 games)
52 points - Rapid City (13 games)
- Allen still has a shot at the #1 seed in the ECHL with a favorable schedule to go with their 8-1-1-0 record over the last 10 games. The Americans are now #3 in points (81), #4 in winning percentage (.675), #1 in goals scored (238), #4 in goals against (172), #3 in wins (38) and #1 in penalty minutes (1221).
- Kale Kerbashian has made the decision to go home rather than report to the Wheeling Nailers where he was traded at the trade deadline.
- It is now official that Elmira will not be playing next season. The league will add teams in Worcester and Jacksonville next season but subtract Alaska and Elmira. You hear rumors about other teams folding or moving prior to next season so it does make you wonder if there is more to come.
DID YOU KNOW: Sometimes there are aberrations and outliers but in general goal differential is a good indicator of the best teams in any league. Here are the top five ECHL teams in goal differential.
+80 - Toledo
+66 - Allen
+58 - Colorado
+45 - Florida
+43 - Reading
- All is well that ends well and the 3-2 victory allowed the Americans to close the gap in the standings to four points on division leading Colorado who was idle last night. Both teams have 12 games remaining but Allen has eight at home compared to just four for the Eagles.
- Goal scorers for Allen were Mike Gunn who got his first of the season, Spencer Asuchak (25) and Dyson Stevenson (9). Here are some things to look for when viewing the highlights at ECHL Rewind. Net front presence on the first two goals was key. Alex Schoenborn didn't get an assist on the first goal but he had the goalie screened when Gunn took the shot from the point. Spencer Asuchak was at the net to put in the rebound on the second goal. On the third goal you have to use the 10 second rewind button a multiple times to see the genius of Zach Hall. He held the puck by the side of the net until he drew the defense toward him. He had the goalie and defense out of position with a shot fake and then a pass fake through the slot. Finally he saw Dyson Stevenson, who was playing defense, coming in from the point and Hall made the pass to Dyson who one timed it home. Here is the link to ECHL Rewind: http://www.echl.com/
- Here is Allen's game recap including this quote from Chad Costello, "We gave up way too many shots tonight. Riley made the big saves for us down the stretch and bailed us out on our mistakes." https://allenamericans.com/americans-extend-road-winning-streak-to-four-games-with-3-2-win/
- Here is the press release issued by Missouri recapping the game: http://missourimavericks.com/news/?article_id=809
- Dyson Stevenson with a goal and assist was named the #1 star of the game and Riley Gill was the #2 star. Riley stopped 46 of 48 shots and lowered his league leading GAA to 2.09 and raised his league leading save percentage to .939. In his last 14 starts dating back to the middle of December, Gill's record is 13-1.
- The team boarded Big Red after the game for the 475 mile trip to Indy and arrived in Indy at 7:30 am this morning. Luckily the team has the day off today to rest up for tomorrow. As a reminder, puck drop on Sunday against Indy is 2:05 pm Allen time.
STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS
- Missouri is in a pretty desperate place trying to get a playoff spot and they played that way against us.
- It was hard to take they had seven power plays to our two. We allowed them no goals on seven power play chances including a couple when they had a two man advantage. We played almost a full period short. We were efficient on our power play going 1-2.
- Once again Riley Gill was great in goal.
- We are going to have some high octane options going forward.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Indy plays Fort Wayne tonight and I know Tommy Daniels plans to attend the game and some of the players may as well. Allen Americans alumni include Jamie Schaafsma and Kyle Follmer for Fort Wayne and Jake Marchment, Jake Hildebrand and Eric Levine for Indy. Indy beat Fort Wayne 6-5 last night.
- Allen has quietly become one of the hottest teams in the ECHL. Their four game win streak is tied with Cincinnati for the longest in the league and their 8-1-1-0 record over the last 10 games is tied with Colorado for the best in the league.
- It is looking more and more like Idaho will be the #3 seed in the playoffs. They are eight points behind second place and seven points ahead of fourth place. Idaho would play the #2 seed in the first round of the playoffs which at this point is Allen. Here are the Mountain Division standings with games remaining in parentheses:
85 points - Colorado (12 games remaining)
81 points - Allen (12 games)
73 points - Idaho (13 games)
66 points - Alaska (14 games)
63 points - Utah (12 games)
61 points - Missouri (14 games)
52 points - Rapid City (13 games)
- Allen still has a shot at the #1 seed in the ECHL with a favorable schedule to go with their 8-1-1-0 record over the last 10 games. The Americans are now #3 in points (81), #4 in winning percentage (.675), #1 in goals scored (238), #4 in goals against (172), #3 in wins (38) and #1 in penalty minutes (1221).
- Kale Kerbashian has made the decision to go home rather than report to the Wheeling Nailers where he was traded at the trade deadline.
- It is now official that Elmira will not be playing next season. The league will add teams in Worcester and Jacksonville next season but subtract Alaska and Elmira. You hear rumors about other teams folding or moving prior to next season so it does make you wonder if there is more to come.
DID YOU KNOW: Sometimes there are aberrations and outliers but in general goal differential is a good indicator of the best teams in any league. Here are the top five ECHL teams in goal differential.
+80 - Toledo
+66 - Allen
+58 - Colorado
+45 - Florida
+43 - Reading
Friday, March 10, 2017
Allen vs Missouri Preview, Kerbashian Trade Details & Reflections, Photos & Faceoffs
Allen is in Missouri tonight to take on the Mavericks at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. The Americans may have trouble recognizing many of the players on a team they played twice just one week ago, What a difference a week makes. Missouri lost two of their best players (Nowick & Tansey) to the AHL on Tuesday and were very active at the trade deadline yesterday. They traded a forward for a defensman and acquired two other players for future considerations. In addition, they signed an amateur forward out of Ferris State. It is uncertain how many of the newly acquired players will arrive in time to play tonight but Missouri will definitely have a different look than last weekend. If you are interested in all of the details about the Missouri roster changes yesterday here is their press release: http://missourimavericks.com/news/?article_id=807
- Allen did not match Missouri in the player movement department but three guys that were in the lineup last weekend against the Mavericks are no longer with the team. Jake Marchment is in Indy (where Allen plays on Sunday), Randy Cure is in Wichita and yesterday Kale Kerbashian was traded to Wheeling for future considerations.
- It is part of the business that players come and go and it is easy to say everyone should cheer for the name on the front of the jersey not the one on the back, but there is no question some losses are tougher than others. When fans were seeing the team off yesterday (exactly as the 2:00 pm trade deadline expired) and Kale Kerbashian didn't get on Big Red for the trip to Missouri they new the reason why. This was literally a last minute trade that took place after practice was over.
Kale first showed up in Allen back in January, 2013 and was a big part of the first championship in team history. Kale was the second leading playoff goal scorer (tied) that year. Kerbashian won two CHL championships with Allen before he moved on. One of the first in-depth player profiles I wrote when I started the blog was with Kale. Two things I remember about that interview are the substance to the discussion we had for over an hour and the importance of his family. He also gave me the title for the story with his dry wit when he said you should call this "Keeping Up With Kerbashian." If you have never read the story about Kale it is a good read even if I say so myself. A quiet, easy going guy with a lot of substance and a great family. Here is a link to the story:http://allenamericansblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/player-profile-keeping-up-with.html
It was great to get reacquainted with Kale and his family, who recently visited Allen, when he re-signed with the Americans this season. He got off to a great start scoring two goals in the opening game of the season and was selected as the #1 star. However, in the second game of the season he suffered a bad broken finger as the result of a slash and missed the next six weeks. He played just six games after returning from his finger injury and was hurt again keeping him out of the lineup for another month. The irony of the trade yesterday is Kale has been playing his best hockey of the season and has been really showing his old form. He leaves Allen having played in 24 games this season with five goals, four assists and a +1.
Trading Kerbashian at the trade deadline says a lot to me about what is going to happen over the next month regarding the roster. I think it is fair to assume what happened on Wednesday with Marchment going to Indy and Cure to Wichita (along with futures) will result in two top notch forwards ending up in Allen for the playoffs. Barring injuries, it is safe to say heading down the stretch and into the playoffs, Allen will have the most talented and deepest group of forwards ever. Kerbashian was traded based on what the roster will become rather than what it is today.
I know all Allen fans wish Kale the best of luck with the Wheeling Nailers. The first question that needs to be asked is will he report? He is about to turn 27 and the trade to Wheeling will be his sixth team in the last three years. Wheeling is six points out of a playoff spot with 15 games remaining. Kale may be tempted to just head home. I hope Kale keeps in mind some of the wise things he shared with me in that interview four years and two championship ago. He is a man wise beyond his years. He will be missed!
- Allen did not match Missouri in the player movement department but three guys that were in the lineup last weekend against the Mavericks are no longer with the team. Jake Marchment is in Indy (where Allen plays on Sunday), Randy Cure is in Wichita and yesterday Kale Kerbashian was traded to Wheeling for future considerations.
- It is part of the business that players come and go and it is easy to say everyone should cheer for the name on the front of the jersey not the one on the back, but there is no question some losses are tougher than others. When fans were seeing the team off yesterday (exactly as the 2:00 pm trade deadline expired) and Kale Kerbashian didn't get on Big Red for the trip to Missouri they new the reason why. This was literally a last minute trade that took place after practice was over.
Kale first showed up in Allen back in January, 2013 and was a big part of the first championship in team history. Kale was the second leading playoff goal scorer (tied) that year. Kerbashian won two CHL championships with Allen before he moved on. One of the first in-depth player profiles I wrote when I started the blog was with Kale. Two things I remember about that interview are the substance to the discussion we had for over an hour and the importance of his family. He also gave me the title for the story with his dry wit when he said you should call this "Keeping Up With Kerbashian." If you have never read the story about Kale it is a good read even if I say so myself. A quiet, easy going guy with a lot of substance and a great family. Here is a link to the story:http://allenamericansblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/player-profile-keeping-up-with.html
It was great to get reacquainted with Kale and his family, who recently visited Allen, when he re-signed with the Americans this season. He got off to a great start scoring two goals in the opening game of the season and was selected as the #1 star. However, in the second game of the season he suffered a bad broken finger as the result of a slash and missed the next six weeks. He played just six games after returning from his finger injury and was hurt again keeping him out of the lineup for another month. The irony of the trade yesterday is Kale has been playing his best hockey of the season and has been really showing his old form. He leaves Allen having played in 24 games this season with five goals, four assists and a +1.
Trading Kerbashian at the trade deadline says a lot to me about what is going to happen over the next month regarding the roster. I think it is fair to assume what happened on Wednesday with Marchment going to Indy and Cure to Wichita (along with futures) will result in two top notch forwards ending up in Allen for the playoffs. Barring injuries, it is safe to say heading down the stretch and into the playoffs, Allen will have the most talented and deepest group of forwards ever. Kerbashian was traded based on what the roster will become rather than what it is today.
I know all Allen fans wish Kale the best of luck with the Wheeling Nailers. The first question that needs to be asked is will he report? He is about to turn 27 and the trade to Wheeling will be his sixth team in the last three years. Wheeling is six points out of a playoff spot with 15 games remaining. Kale may be tempted to just head home. I hope Kale keeps in mind some of the wise things he shared with me in that interview four years and two championship ago. He is a man wise beyond his years. He will be missed!
- The harder something is the more satisfying the results.
- I try to do all of the little things right and hope they all add up.
- I sometimes get in my own way.
- The biggest thing for me was to realize hockey is not life.
- Tai Chi has helped me get in touch with my senses and live in the moment.
- I need to control my emotions.
- You work hard in the gym today or you have to do it tomorrow. You are going to have to do it anyway.
- Everything in life evens out so if you do a good deed for someone it comes back to you so you are really helping your self.
ALLEN VS MISSOURI GAME PREVIEW
The game tonight will be the 10th of 13 meetings between Allen and Missouri during the regular season. They will play once more in Missouri (March 22) and twice at the Allen Event Center (March 29 & 30).
- Allen is 7-1-1 in the first nine games these team have played this season but that dominance doesn't mean much at this point. The Mavericks have come from the back of the pack and are fighting for a playoff spot. After losing twice to Allen last weekend and experiencing massive roster changes this week the Mavericks will be playing desperate.
- Allen will see Travis Brown back in the lineup for the first time since New Year's Eve. Riley Gill should also be back in goal after missing the last game against Missouri due to illness. The biggest change for Allen will be the debut of Wade MacLeod who was signed earlier this week.
- Here is how Allen and Missouri match up:
ALLEN MISSOURI
Team Record: 37-17-3-2 (79 points) 27-23-2-5 (61 points)
Division Ranking: 2nd Mountain 6th Mountain
Conference Ranking: 3rd Western 10th Western
League Ranking: 4th 20th
Last Game: 4-2 Win (Missouri) 6-3 Win (Tulsa)
Goals For: 235 187
Goals Against: 170 191
Power Play: 21.9% (56/256) 15.4% (40/259)
Penalty Kill: 84.0% (45/282) 83.4% (35/211)
Most PIM Mathers (231) Fox (105)
Leading Scorers: Costello (31-73-104) Fox (25-34-59)
Hanson (30-35-65) Nowick (21-24-45)
- Here is how Allen and Missouri rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (20.27) - Missouri 13th (13.77)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 2nd (3.98) - Missouri 15th (3.28)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 3rd (2.88) - Missouri 16th (3.35)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 19th (31.44) - Missouri 18th (31.51)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 22nd (34.44) - Missouri 21st (33.89)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 7th (21.9%) - Missouri 20th (15.4%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 6th (84.0%) - Missouri 10th (83.4%)
- With so many roster changes for both teams since last weekend the stats above may not be too meaningful. When Allen beat Missouri 4-2 last Saturday they did so without Riley Gill, Greger Hanson, Bryan Moore, Wade MacLeod and Travis Brown in the lineup. They should all play tonight. In that same game the two goal scorers for Missouri were Darren Nowick and Kevin Tansey who will not play tonight. On paper this should be an Allen win but unfortunately the game will be played on the ice.
- A fast start is always a good predictor for success for the Americans. They have one of the best records in the league when scoring first (28-2-2-1). Another key to success is special teams and Allen has the advantage ranking #7 on the power play (21.9%) compared to Missouri at #20 (15.4%). The first power play unit may have a little different look tonight as Wade MacLeod was playing the point along with David Makowski in practice. MacLeod and Chad Costello will be linemates when Allen is even strength.
- After the way the games played out last weekend you can be assured Derek Mathers will be in the lineup tonight to keep order. Missouri's Jacob Doty fought four different Allen players in the two games last weekend including Derek Mathers. Would assume they will have a go again tonight.
- If you combine the stats for the nine games these teams have played this season, Allen leads in goals (33-20) but Missouri has the edge in shots (310-244). Allen has a big advantage on the power play as they have at least one power play goal in seven of the nine games. The Americans are 8-42 (19.0%) on the power play while Missouri is 6-55 (10.9%). Allen has 171 penalty minutes compared to 45 for Missouri.
- The referee scheduled for the game is Mike Sheehan (#11) and the linesmen are Erik Contino (#89) and John Tallieu (#0).
PRACTICE PHOTOS
Here are a few of my favorite photos from practice yesterday courtesy of Dianne Webster:
DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans don't keep cumulative faceoff stats are far as I know but I think there would be consensus that Casey Pierro-Zabotel is the best ever in Allen. If you watch Spencer Asuchak you have noticed he has refined his technique and has become really good in the faceoff circle. What does really good mean in NHL terms? Here are the top five in faceoff win percentage in the NHL this season:
62.4% - Antoine Vermette (Anaheim)
62.4% - Matt Duchene (Colorado)
59.0% - Patrice Bergeron (Boston)
ALLEN VS MISSOURI GAME PREVIEW
The game tonight will be the 10th of 13 meetings between Allen and Missouri during the regular season. They will play once more in Missouri (March 22) and twice at the Allen Event Center (March 29 & 30).
- Allen is 7-1-1 in the first nine games these team have played this season but that dominance doesn't mean much at this point. The Mavericks have come from the back of the pack and are fighting for a playoff spot. After losing twice to Allen last weekend and experiencing massive roster changes this week the Mavericks will be playing desperate.
- Allen will see Travis Brown back in the lineup for the first time since New Year's Eve. Riley Gill should also be back in goal after missing the last game against Missouri due to illness. The biggest change for Allen will be the debut of Wade MacLeod who was signed earlier this week.
- Here is how Allen and Missouri match up:
ALLEN MISSOURI
Team Record: 37-17-3-2 (79 points) 27-23-2-5 (61 points)
Division Ranking: 2nd Mountain 6th Mountain
Conference Ranking: 3rd Western 10th Western
League Ranking: 4th 20th
Last Game: 4-2 Win (Missouri) 6-3 Win (Tulsa)
Goals For: 235 187
Goals Against: 170 191
Power Play: 21.9% (56/256) 15.4% (40/259)
Penalty Kill: 84.0% (45/282) 83.4% (35/211)
Most PIM Mathers (231) Fox (105)
Leading Scorers: Costello (31-73-104) Fox (25-34-59)
Hanson (30-35-65) Nowick (21-24-45)
- Here is how Allen and Missouri rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (20.27) - Missouri 13th (13.77)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 2nd (3.98) - Missouri 15th (3.28)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 3rd (2.88) - Missouri 16th (3.35)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 19th (31.44) - Missouri 18th (31.51)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 22nd (34.44) - Missouri 21st (33.89)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 7th (21.9%) - Missouri 20th (15.4%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 6th (84.0%) - Missouri 10th (83.4%)
- With so many roster changes for both teams since last weekend the stats above may not be too meaningful. When Allen beat Missouri 4-2 last Saturday they did so without Riley Gill, Greger Hanson, Bryan Moore, Wade MacLeod and Travis Brown in the lineup. They should all play tonight. In that same game the two goal scorers for Missouri were Darren Nowick and Kevin Tansey who will not play tonight. On paper this should be an Allen win but unfortunately the game will be played on the ice.
- A fast start is always a good predictor for success for the Americans. They have one of the best records in the league when scoring first (28-2-2-1). Another key to success is special teams and Allen has the advantage ranking #7 on the power play (21.9%) compared to Missouri at #20 (15.4%). The first power play unit may have a little different look tonight as Wade MacLeod was playing the point along with David Makowski in practice. MacLeod and Chad Costello will be linemates when Allen is even strength.
- After the way the games played out last weekend you can be assured Derek Mathers will be in the lineup tonight to keep order. Missouri's Jacob Doty fought four different Allen players in the two games last weekend including Derek Mathers. Would assume they will have a go again tonight.
- If you combine the stats for the nine games these teams have played this season, Allen leads in goals (33-20) but Missouri has the edge in shots (310-244). Allen has a big advantage on the power play as they have at least one power play goal in seven of the nine games. The Americans are 8-42 (19.0%) on the power play while Missouri is 6-55 (10.9%). Allen has 171 penalty minutes compared to 45 for Missouri.
- The referee scheduled for the game is Mike Sheehan (#11) and the linesmen are Erik Contino (#89) and John Tallieu (#0).
PRACTICE PHOTOS
Here are a few of my favorite photos from practice yesterday courtesy of Dianne Webster:
 |
| Riley Gill sporting his new gear courtesy of Jack Gulati |
 |
| Smiles all around, practice can be fun |
 |
| All eyes on the puck boys |
 |
| Chad Costello fight clinic, showing the boys (Stevenson & Moore) proper fighting technique |
 |
| Kale Kerbashain talking to Derek Mathers, an hour later he was traded |
DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans don't keep cumulative faceoff stats are far as I know but I think there would be consensus that Casey Pierro-Zabotel is the best ever in Allen. If you watch Spencer Asuchak you have noticed he has refined his technique and has become really good in the faceoff circle. What does really good mean in NHL terms? Here are the top five in faceoff win percentage in the NHL this season:
62.4% - Antoine Vermette (Anaheim)
62.4% - Matt Duchene (Colorado)
59.0% - Patrice Bergeron (Boston)
59.0% - Jordan Staal (Carolina)
58.3% - Ryan Kesler (Anaheim)
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Marchment to Indy & Cure to Wichita - What Allen gets in Return, Getaway Day & More
It is getaway day for the Allen Americans as they leave this afternoon for Independence, Missouri where they will take on the Mavericks tomorrow (Friday) night and then head to Indianapolis to play the Indy Fuel on Sunday.
- Two players that won't be with the team are forward Jake Marchment who was recalled by San Jose yesterday and immediately loaned to Indy. The Recall/Reassignment deadline was at 11:59 pm last night. The other transaction was defenseman Randy Cure being traded to the Wichita Thunder. Here is my take on what took place yesterday.
Jake Marchment - this recall/reassignment, which took place on the last day such transactions can be made, is similar to what happened with Matt Willows earlier in the season when he was recalled by San Jose and then loaned to Reading. Allen ended up getting Zach Hall and Miles Liberati from Reading. You have to believe Allen will get a player in return for Marchment ending up in Indy. If Allen doesn't receive a player from Indy today by the trade deadline (2:00 pm local time) you can assume any futures this year would have to be an AHL contracted player assigned at a later date. Who and when remains to be seen.
Randy Cure - You really have to read the fine print to figure this trade out. When first announced by the ECHL this was Randy Cure to Wichita for future considerations. However, late last night ECHL Weekly tweeted this, "Earlier announced trade should be Wichita Thunder receiving defenseman Randy Cure and futures from the Allen Americans." I think it is safe to assume Allen will be getting a player in return in this deal and that player will be in Allen for the playoffs. You may ask why wasn't the Wichita side of the deal mentioned in the announcement. The only logical explanation is the player coming to Allen isn't under an ECHL contract.
In my opinion both of these moves were made to strengthen the roster for playoffs. The AHL teams affiliated with Wichita and Indy have top players that could be assigned to Allen.
- The trade deadline isn't until 2:00 pm (local time) today so additional trades could still happen before the team leaves for Missouri. If there are no additional trades, 13 forwards and six defensemen will make the trip. That assumes Travis Brown is cleared to play which should be the case as he has been going all out in practice this week. Riley Gill may not be 100% recovered from his illness but was back at practice yesterday and will be on the road trip.
- I will have a full Allen vs Missouri game preview tomorrow but it is notable the Mavericks lost two more players to the AHL this week. Rookie Darren Nowick, the Mavericks second leading scorer was loaned to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and rookie all-star defenseman Kevin Tansey was recalled by the Chicago Wolves. Missouri is in a battle to make the playoffs and trying to defy the odds with numerous players in the AHL and some key injuries. Here is a story from fellow Team Sin Bin writer Joe Rozycki, who covers the Mavericks, that talks about their current situation and options going forward: http://thesinbin.net/mavericks-looking-to-defy-the-odds-again/
- It was an exciting game in Colorado last night as the Eagles lost to Alaska 5-4 in overtime. Colorado came back from a 3-1 deficit after the second period by scoring three unanswered goals in the third period to take a 4-3 lead. Alaska then tied the score with one second left in the game and won in overtime. A tough loss for the Eagles but with the one point earned they now have a six point lead over Allen. Colorado and Alaska play again but not until Sunday so the Americans will have a chance to narrow the gap to four points if they can win in Missouri Friday night.
- There have been several stories in the past about bringing ECHL hockey to Portland, Maine since they lost their AHL franchise last year. Here is the latest: http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/negotiations-to-begin-with-two-groups-to-bring-echl-team-to-portland/420793862
DID YOU KNOW: There is no better example of how different styles of hockey can be successful than looking at the top two teams in the ECHL. Toledo and Colorado are tied for the ECHL lead with 85 points. Toledo has the fewest penalty minutes (628) in the league, 28 major penalties, three ten minute misconduct penalties and no game misconduct penalties. Colorado has the most penalty minutes (1201) in the league, 55 major penalties, 11 ten minute misconduct penalties and 14 game misconduct penalties. There definitely is more than one way to skin a cat.
- Two players that won't be with the team are forward Jake Marchment who was recalled by San Jose yesterday and immediately loaned to Indy. The Recall/Reassignment deadline was at 11:59 pm last night. The other transaction was defenseman Randy Cure being traded to the Wichita Thunder. Here is my take on what took place yesterday.
Jake Marchment - this recall/reassignment, which took place on the last day such transactions can be made, is similar to what happened with Matt Willows earlier in the season when he was recalled by San Jose and then loaned to Reading. Allen ended up getting Zach Hall and Miles Liberati from Reading. You have to believe Allen will get a player in return for Marchment ending up in Indy. If Allen doesn't receive a player from Indy today by the trade deadline (2:00 pm local time) you can assume any futures this year would have to be an AHL contracted player assigned at a later date. Who and when remains to be seen.
Randy Cure - You really have to read the fine print to figure this trade out. When first announced by the ECHL this was Randy Cure to Wichita for future considerations. However, late last night ECHL Weekly tweeted this, "Earlier announced trade should be Wichita Thunder receiving defenseman Randy Cure and futures from the Allen Americans." I think it is safe to assume Allen will be getting a player in return in this deal and that player will be in Allen for the playoffs. You may ask why wasn't the Wichita side of the deal mentioned in the announcement. The only logical explanation is the player coming to Allen isn't under an ECHL contract.
In my opinion both of these moves were made to strengthen the roster for playoffs. The AHL teams affiliated with Wichita and Indy have top players that could be assigned to Allen.
- The trade deadline isn't until 2:00 pm (local time) today so additional trades could still happen before the team leaves for Missouri. If there are no additional trades, 13 forwards and six defensemen will make the trip. That assumes Travis Brown is cleared to play which should be the case as he has been going all out in practice this week. Riley Gill may not be 100% recovered from his illness but was back at practice yesterday and will be on the road trip.
- I will have a full Allen vs Missouri game preview tomorrow but it is notable the Mavericks lost two more players to the AHL this week. Rookie Darren Nowick, the Mavericks second leading scorer was loaned to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and rookie all-star defenseman Kevin Tansey was recalled by the Chicago Wolves. Missouri is in a battle to make the playoffs and trying to defy the odds with numerous players in the AHL and some key injuries. Here is a story from fellow Team Sin Bin writer Joe Rozycki, who covers the Mavericks, that talks about their current situation and options going forward: http://thesinbin.net/mavericks-looking-to-defy-the-odds-again/
- It was an exciting game in Colorado last night as the Eagles lost to Alaska 5-4 in overtime. Colorado came back from a 3-1 deficit after the second period by scoring three unanswered goals in the third period to take a 4-3 lead. Alaska then tied the score with one second left in the game and won in overtime. A tough loss for the Eagles but with the one point earned they now have a six point lead over Allen. Colorado and Alaska play again but not until Sunday so the Americans will have a chance to narrow the gap to four points if they can win in Missouri Friday night.
- There have been several stories in the past about bringing ECHL hockey to Portland, Maine since they lost their AHL franchise last year. Here is the latest: http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/negotiations-to-begin-with-two-groups-to-bring-echl-team-to-portland/420793862
DID YOU KNOW: There is no better example of how different styles of hockey can be successful than looking at the top two teams in the ECHL. Toledo and Colorado are tied for the ECHL lead with 85 points. Toledo has the fewest penalty minutes (628) in the league, 28 major penalties, three ten minute misconduct penalties and no game misconduct penalties. Colorado has the most penalty minutes (1201) in the league, 55 major penalties, 11 ten minute misconduct penalties and 14 game misconduct penalties. There definitely is more than one way to skin a cat.
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Practice & Roster Update, Pros & Cons of Trade Deadline Deals, Impressive List of Player Stats
It is an important couple of days for the coach, players and fans of the Allen Americans. Everything revolves around the trade deadline which arrives tomorrow at 2:00 pm local time. There are so many factors to consider when making roster changes at this time of year. Fans don't want to see their favorite player moved after watching them all season. All things being equal coach Martinson prefers to keep the players that have been in Allen all year. Team chemistry is also important and many times players that are great/vocal in the locker room aren't the star players. Winning a fifth straight championship and third straight Kelly Cup is a once in a lifetime opportunity so getting one or more impact player is always a consideration. There are many pros and cons for both standing pat and trading some of the future for a chance to win this season. Certainly discussions are happening and trades could take place today or tomorrow before the deadline but the outcome still remains to be seen.
- Have had a couple of questions regarding the meaning of the Recall/Assigment deadline which is today at 11:59 p.m. local time. This deadline applies to players under AHL or NHL contracts who are currently playing in the ECHL. For those players to be reassigned to another team in the ECHL, the reassignment must take place by 11:59 p.m. today. If there is a player currently recalled to the AHL, this deadline does not apply to them. They can still be assigned to any team in the ECHL after the deadline passes.
- One of the many memorable quotes you hear from coach Martinson is, "My job is not to make everyone happy, my job is to win. I can always find another most popular player." The best thing about whether roster changes take place before the trade deadline tomorrow or Martinson stands pat is he knows he will have a roster that is capable of winning another championship.
- Don't forget another source for adding players are amateurs and the trade deadline doesn't impact recruiting for college/junior players that are completing their eligibility. That process will continue and has proven to be a good source for improving the playoff roster in the past.
- Intensity definitely picked up at practice yesterday as the team prepares for games with Missouri on Friday and Indy on Sunday. At the beginning of the season Martinson said there will be times when we have too many good players and somebody will have to sit out. Unless something changes (trades, loans, recalls) before the team leaves for Missouri tomorrow (Thursday) there will be good players not playing in the two road games. With Hanson and Moore back from their time in the AHL the Americans have 14 healthy forwards. As one player pointed out after practice, even AHL teams don't keep 14 healthy forwards. With Gens and Roy on injured reserve there are just six healthy defensemen. The expectation is Riley Gill will be ready to go for the weekend after his bout with strep throat.
- Every once in a while I like to go through the entire ECHL statistical report and marvel at the number of categories Allen has a player in the top three. When you figure there are somewhere around 600 players in the ECHL, to be top three in any category is worthy of recognition. Since it is a slow news day I am going to start at page one of the ECHL report and list every Allen player in the top three on every page. Here goes:
1st in overall points - Chad Costello (104)
1st in overall assists - Chad Costello (73)
1st in overall penalty minutes - Derek Mathers (231)
1st in overall major penalties - Derek Mathers (27)
2nd in overall power play goals - Greger Hanson (12)
2nd in overall power play goals - Spencer Asuchak (12)
1st in overall power play assists - Chad Costello (31)
3rd in overall power play assists - David Makowski (21)
1st in overall power play points - Chad Costello (40)
3rd in overall power play points - David Makowski (27)
2nd in overall shots on goal - Greger Hanson (212)
1st in shootout percentage - Greger Hanson (100% - 3 for 3)
1st overall plus/minus - Joel Chouinard (+34)
1st in goals against average - Riley Gill (2.09)
1st in save percentage - Riley Gill (.938)
1st in shutouts - Riley Gill (6)
3rd rookie shooting percentage - Zach Hall (23.1%)
2nd in goals by defenseman - David Makowski (14)
3rd in power play goals by defenseman - David Makowski (6)
1st in power play assists by a defenseman - David Makowski (21)
1st in power play points by a defenseman - David Makowski (27)
3rd in game winning goals by a defenseman - Eric Roy (4)
1st in plus/minus by a defenseman - Joel Chouinard (+34)
2nd in season streak for goals - Bryan Moore (6 games)
1st in season streak for assists - Chad Costello (8 games)
3rd in season streak for points - Chad Costello (15 games)
2nd in current streak for assists - Greger Hanson (7 games)
1st in current home streak for goals - Greger Hanson (4 games)
1st in season home streak for goals - Bryan Moore (7 games)
3rd in current home streak for assists - Chad Costello (6 games)
2nd in season home streak for assists - David Makowski (8 games)
2nd current road streak for goals - Gary Steffes (2 games)
2nd current road streak for points - David Makowski (9 games)
1st in game high for goals - Greger Hanson (4)
1st in game high for points - Greger Hanson (5)
1st in game high for points - Bryan Moore (5)
DID YOU KNOW: Last year defenseman Matt Register was acquired by Allen at the trade deadline. In 2015 Allen made no trade deadline deals.
- Have had a couple of questions regarding the meaning of the Recall/Assigment deadline which is today at 11:59 p.m. local time. This deadline applies to players under AHL or NHL contracts who are currently playing in the ECHL. For those players to be reassigned to another team in the ECHL, the reassignment must take place by 11:59 p.m. today. If there is a player currently recalled to the AHL, this deadline does not apply to them. They can still be assigned to any team in the ECHL after the deadline passes.
- One of the many memorable quotes you hear from coach Martinson is, "My job is not to make everyone happy, my job is to win. I can always find another most popular player." The best thing about whether roster changes take place before the trade deadline tomorrow or Martinson stands pat is he knows he will have a roster that is capable of winning another championship.
- Don't forget another source for adding players are amateurs and the trade deadline doesn't impact recruiting for college/junior players that are completing their eligibility. That process will continue and has proven to be a good source for improving the playoff roster in the past.
- Intensity definitely picked up at practice yesterday as the team prepares for games with Missouri on Friday and Indy on Sunday. At the beginning of the season Martinson said there will be times when we have too many good players and somebody will have to sit out. Unless something changes (trades, loans, recalls) before the team leaves for Missouri tomorrow (Thursday) there will be good players not playing in the two road games. With Hanson and Moore back from their time in the AHL the Americans have 14 healthy forwards. As one player pointed out after practice, even AHL teams don't keep 14 healthy forwards. With Gens and Roy on injured reserve there are just six healthy defensemen. The expectation is Riley Gill will be ready to go for the weekend after his bout with strep throat.
- Every once in a while I like to go through the entire ECHL statistical report and marvel at the number of categories Allen has a player in the top three. When you figure there are somewhere around 600 players in the ECHL, to be top three in any category is worthy of recognition. Since it is a slow news day I am going to start at page one of the ECHL report and list every Allen player in the top three on every page. Here goes:
1st in overall points - Chad Costello (104)
1st in overall assists - Chad Costello (73)
1st in overall penalty minutes - Derek Mathers (231)
1st in overall major penalties - Derek Mathers (27)
2nd in overall power play goals - Greger Hanson (12)
2nd in overall power play goals - Spencer Asuchak (12)
1st in overall power play assists - Chad Costello (31)
3rd in overall power play assists - David Makowski (21)
1st in overall power play points - Chad Costello (40)
3rd in overall power play points - David Makowski (27)
2nd in overall shots on goal - Greger Hanson (212)
1st in shootout percentage - Greger Hanson (100% - 3 for 3)
1st overall plus/minus - Joel Chouinard (+34)
1st in goals against average - Riley Gill (2.09)
1st in save percentage - Riley Gill (.938)
1st in shutouts - Riley Gill (6)
3rd rookie shooting percentage - Zach Hall (23.1%)
2nd in goals by defenseman - David Makowski (14)
3rd in power play goals by defenseman - David Makowski (6)
1st in power play assists by a defenseman - David Makowski (21)
1st in power play points by a defenseman - David Makowski (27)
3rd in game winning goals by a defenseman - Eric Roy (4)
1st in plus/minus by a defenseman - Joel Chouinard (+34)
2nd in season streak for goals - Bryan Moore (6 games)
1st in season streak for assists - Chad Costello (8 games)
3rd in season streak for points - Chad Costello (15 games)
2nd in current streak for assists - Greger Hanson (7 games)
1st in current home streak for goals - Greger Hanson (4 games)
1st in season home streak for goals - Bryan Moore (7 games)
3rd in current home streak for assists - Chad Costello (6 games)
2nd in season home streak for assists - David Makowski (8 games)
2nd current road streak for goals - Gary Steffes (2 games)
2nd current road streak for points - David Makowski (9 games)
1st in game high for goals - Greger Hanson (4)
1st in game high for points - Greger Hanson (5)
1st in game high for points - Bryan Moore (5)
DID YOU KNOW: Last year defenseman Matt Register was acquired by Allen at the trade deadline. In 2015 Allen made no trade deadline deals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)