The headline for the game last night would say the Wichita Thunder scored three third period goals to defeat the Allen Americans 3-0 before 4012 disappointed fans at the Allen Event Center (AEC). While factually correct it was really a 1-0 win on a fluke goal from behind the red line early in the third period. Wichita added an empty net goal with 73 seconds left in the game and a five-on-three goal with 19 seconds remaining.
- Allen out shot Wichita in the third period 15-7 but could not get the puck past ECHL All-Star goalie Shane Starrett who recorded his first shutout of the season. Allen was out shot 42-33 for the game but had many more quality scoring opportunities than Wichita and missed the net an inordinate number of times. It was the best game Allen has played in a while but when you have lost six games in a row a "moral victory" won't cut it.
- The video highlights with the goals, some great saves by both goalies and the Josh Thrower fight at the end of the game are available at ECHL Rewind: https://www.echl.com/
- Here is the game recap from the Wichita Thunder: https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/third-period-sends-wichita-to-win-in-allen.html
STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS
"That was tough to take. They had more shots than us early in the game but there weren't a lot of good shots."
"We missed the net a lot on the power play and one time we didn't take advantage when their player didn't have a stick."
"We certainly played better tonight but we have to turn that into results. Some guys definitely stepped up and played better."
"We have to do a better job of getting in front of their goalie. When we had opportunities we either missed the net or shot the puck right into him. He is so tall we have to get the puck up when he goes down."
"At the end of the day nobody is feeling sorry for us. The only one that can get us out of this is us. We need to go to work and play better tomorrow. We are still in control of our destiny. Thankfully we have time to turn things around. If this was happening a month and a half from not it would be real trouble."
"I think we didn't have enough speed to the outside until the third period. We had times in the first period when we were standing still at the red line calling for pucks instead of climbing the forecheck."
"We outplayed them in the third period but they won the period 3-0. If you totaled the shots that missed the net for the game the shots would have been even."
"I don't think our forte the last month has been getting all of the little things done that need to get done when the game is on the line."
"I thought we had a lot of situations tonight where we passed when we should have shot and shot when we should have passed."
ALLEN VS WICHITA REMATCH PREVIEW
- Allen's record against the Thunder this season now stands at 4-5 but Wichita has won the last three games and outscored the Americans 10-3 in the process. Wichita has won three of the four games played at the AEC.
- The Americans need to find more offense if they want to win tonight. The old adage of pucks to the net with guys in front is a must the way the Thunder goalie is playing. Allen has a total of three goals in the last three games against Wichita. They are 0-12 on the power play. When you are averaging one goal per game against Wichita it will take that greasy goal to break the ice. With the net front guys on this team like Arseneau, Asuchak and Pierro-Zabotel, tonight may be the night to break out.
- It is really important for Allen to get off to a good start tonight. They have negative goal differentials in the second and third period so they struggle when they have to come from behind. When trailing after the first period their record is 2-7-2-0 and when trailing after the second period their record is 1-10-2-0.
- It should be a great atmosphere at the AEC tonight with a huge crowd on hand for Star Wars night. It would be the perfect night for the Americans to got out of rock bottom and back to winning ways.
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Jonathan Sitarski (#23)
and linesmen Brian Bull (#95) and Aaron Schacht (#31). Sitarski also worked the game last night.
OTHER COMMENTS
- The specialty Star Wars jerseys the team will be wearing tonight are up for bid at the auction site https://one.bidpal.net/goamericans/welcome
The
bids are as low as $185 and as high as $495 so you may have a chance to
pick up a jersey at a decent price. The bidding ends Sunday night.
- Allen got some help last night as Tulsa lost to Utah and Idaho lost to Colorado. The Americans are fortunate that several other teams in the Mountain Division have also been struggling. It is hard to believe Allen has lost 11 of their last 13 games and is still only seven points out of second place and has a three point lead over Tulsa who is in fifth place.
- Olivier Archambault had the game winning goal and was a +2 for Syracuse (AHL) last night as the Crunch beat Belleville 5-2. Syracuse will play the Toronto Marlies at home tonight.
- Allen has always been a third period team but not so much this season. Last season Allen scored the most third period goals in the ECHL (120) and allowed the fewest third period goals in the ECHL (59) for a goal differential of +61. This season they have scored 43 third period goals and allowed 51 for a goal differential of -8.
- During this 2-11 slump Allen has been outscored 33-53. On December 29th the Americans had a +20 goal differential (109-89). In the 13 games since that has been wiped out and after the shutout last night Allen has scored 142 goals and allowed 142 goals.
DID YOU KNOW: A home shutout is a rarity for the Allen Americans but if you were going to predict one you should pick a January game against the Wichita Thunder. Allen has one home shutout per season in the four years they have been in the ECHL. Three of the four have been in January and three of the four have been against Wichita. Here are all of Allen's home shutouts since joining the ECHL.
March 18, 2015: 4-0 against Wichita
January 8, 2016: 1-0 against Colorado (32 saves shutout by former Allen goalie Eric Levine)
January 21, 2017: 4-0 against Wichita (Vincent Arseneau had the game winning goal)
January 26, 2018: 3-0 against Wichita
Definitely the odd stat of the day, Allen has only lost five times in regulation to Wichita at home since joining the ECHL with a record of 17-5-3-1 but three of the five loses have been shutouts.
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Friday, January 26, 2018
Allen vs Wichita Game Preview, Arseneau Returns to Allen, A New Guy at Practice, Comparing Allen's First and Last 21 Games, Marvel Specialty Jerseys & More
It is game day for the Allen Americans as they take on the Wichita Thunder tonight (7:05 pm) and again tomorrow (Saturday) night. Allen got some great news yesterday as Vincent Arseneau is back in town and expected to be in the lineup tonight against the Thunder. His mere presence in the lineup will be a big boost for the team.
- The game tonight will be the first time these teams have faced each other since the warmup brawl game on New Year's Eve (NYE) and there are definitely some hard feelings left over from that game on both sides. If you recall, six players ended up with suspensions for the activities in warmups and it carried over to the game when 90 penalty minutes were assessed in the first period. The most important stat from that game was the score which was in the Thunder's favor 4-2.
- Not sure if it was a coincidence or not because of the upcoming games against Wichita but coach Martinson had a volunteer assistant helping out at practice yesterday. Jeremy Yablonski, who had a 15 year professional career with games in the NHL, AHL, ECHL and KHL is retired and living in North Texas. Jeremy is one of many volunteer assistants coach Martinson has had help out at practices but the first I can remember that specializes in strength and conditioning. Yablonski is 37 and has been retired for three years but I saw him in the locker room and he is ripped and scary big. Makes you wonder if Martinson would ever sign Yablonski to a short term contract if he thought a team was going to start trouble.
If you have ever watched any fight videos of Jeremy you can't help but be impressed. Here is just one example from 2008 when he fought his good friend and bad boy Jon "Nasty" Mirasty. Some rate this the best hockey fight in history with no hyperbole. Dropyourgloves.com rated the fight a 10 on their fight scale of 1-10. According to the them there were 130 punches thrown in this fight and 78 landed. https://youtu.be/Pb7EdyKQb4E
- Historically Allen has pretty much owned Wichita (37-8-4-3) but this season has been much different as the teams have split their first eight games. Allen has won three of five games in Wichita while the Thunder have won two of three in Allen.
- Both teams will have different rosters tonight from when they last played on NYE. Allen will be without Olivier Archambault who had both of Allen's goals on NYE. Spencer Asuchak, Zach Pochiro and Vincent Aresenau did not play the last time Allen faced Wichita but will be in the lineup tonight.
- Here is a story written by Matt Harding, who covers the Thunder for Team Sin Bin, that talks about who is in and who is out of the lineup for Wichita. According to Matt it is uncertain whether Wichita captain Dyson Stevenson, who is currently on reserve, will be activated for the game tonight. Check out all of the Wichita changes here: http://thesinbin.net/thunder-condors-swap-players-ahead-of-weekend/
Here are the updated stats between Allen and Wichita:
ALLEN WICHITA
Team Record 20-17-4-1 (45 points) 23-13-3-1 (49 points)
Division Ranking 4th - Mountain 3rd - Mountain
Conference Ranking 9th - Western 5th - Western
League Ranking 16th 8th
Last Game 5-3 Loss (Rapid City) 3-1 Win (Colorado)
Goals For 142 134
Goals Against 139 115
Power Play 19.8% (37/187) 17.6% (22/125)
Home Power Play 20.8% (20/96) 17.1% (13/76)
Road Power Play 18.7% (17/91 18.4% (8/49)
Penalty Kill 80.2% (38/192) 82.7% (26/150)
Home Penalty Kill 86.5% (13/96) 79.1% (19/91)
Road Penalty Kill 74.0% (25/96) 88.1% (7/59)
Most PIM Moore (127) Stevenson (109)
Leading Scorers: Pierro-Zabotel (12-35-47) Bauer (8-21-29)
- Here is how Allen and Wichita rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (23.10) - Wichita 15th (15.49)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 9th (3.38) - Wichita 7th (3.44)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 17th (3.31) - Wichita 9th (2.95)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 16th (32.07) - Wichita 20th (30.95)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 24th (37.14) - Wichita 18th (33.64)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 5th (19.8%) - Wichita 13th (17.6%)
Home Power Play %: Allen 3rd (20.8%) - Wichita 16th (17.1%)
Road Power Play %: Allen 10th (18.7%) - Wichita 13th (18.4%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 22nd (80.2%) - Wichita 15th (82.7%)
Home Penalty Kill %: Allen 8th (86.5%) - Wichita 21st (79.1%)
Road Penalty Kill %: Allen 27th (74.0%) - Wichita 4th (88.1%)
- Head to head special team percentages favor Allen slightly. Against Wichita the Allen power play is 20.7% (6-29) and the penalty kill is 83.3% (5-30). Against Allen the Wichita power play is 16.7% (5-30) and the penalty kill is 79.3% (6-29).
- In the odd stat of the day Allen and Wichita have played eight times this season and the record is 4-4, goals are 26-26 and shots are 260-260. Now that is evenly matched!
- You would probably be disappointed if I didn't talk about scoring first. The last three times these teams played each other (December 29,30 31) the team that scored first lost the game. The odds are still heavily in favor of the team that scores first. Allen and Wichita combined have a record of 31-10-1-0 when scoring first. Same can be said for having the lead after the first period as they have a combined record of 29-5-1-0 when taking a lead into the first intermission.
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Jonathan Sitarski (#23) and linesmen Brian Bull (#95) and Lucas Bisbee (#72).
OTHER COMMENTS:
- There is a full slate tonight the ECHL with 26 of 27 teams in action. The one team that is idle is the Manchester Monarchs. In the Mountain Division in addition to Wichita at Allen, Idaho is at Colorado, Tulsa is at Utah and in a cross division contest Rapid City is at Kansas City.
- I know several readers have been asking about the Marvel Night specialty jerseys the Americans wore on January 15 wondering where and when the jerseys would be available to purchase. I know I mentioned this before that because this is a league-wide program all of the ECHL-Marvel themed jerseys are being auctioned off to the public through The MeiGray Group at meigrayauctions.com. For those that have been asking the jerseys had not been shipped to The Meigray Group as of yesterday after practice but should now be on the way so you can look for them being posted on the auction site as soon as they are received in New Jersey.
- I get asked about rumors fans hear concerning players signing in Allen all of the time. Coach Martinson is in constant contact with teams, agents and free agent players in North America and Europe throughout the season. Players may contact Martinson directly if they are free agents or indirectly through their agent or they may even call a player they know on the team to express interest in coming to Allen. Right now Allen has an open vet spot (temporarily taken by Gary Steffes) so it is quite likely fans can pick up rumors about players, especially vets, on teams that will not make the playoffs being interested in moving to teams that will make the playoffs. Most of the time these rumors are not accurate but if and when coach Martinson finds a good experienced player at the right price he will sign them. Stay tuned.
DID YOU KNOW: I saw stats laid out like this for an NHL team and decided to take a look for the Allen Americans. This compares the first 21 games of the season to the last 21 games.
FIRST 21 Games Played:
Record: 12-6-2-1
27 of 42 Points Earned (.643)
Goals For: 74 (3.52 per game)
Goals Against: 63 (3.00 per game)
Power Play: 18/99 (18.2%)
Penalty Kill: 18/100 (82.0%)
LAST 21 Games Played:
Record: 8-11-2-0
18 0f 42 Points Earned (.429)
Goals For: 68 (3.24 per game)
Goals Against: 76 (3.62 per game)
Power Play: 19/88 (21.6%)
Penalty Kill: 20/92 (78.3%)
- The game tonight will be the first time these teams have faced each other since the warmup brawl game on New Year's Eve (NYE) and there are definitely some hard feelings left over from that game on both sides. If you recall, six players ended up with suspensions for the activities in warmups and it carried over to the game when 90 penalty minutes were assessed in the first period. The most important stat from that game was the score which was in the Thunder's favor 4-2.
- Not sure if it was a coincidence or not because of the upcoming games against Wichita but coach Martinson had a volunteer assistant helping out at practice yesterday. Jeremy Yablonski, who had a 15 year professional career with games in the NHL, AHL, ECHL and KHL is retired and living in North Texas. Jeremy is one of many volunteer assistants coach Martinson has had help out at practices but the first I can remember that specializes in strength and conditioning. Yablonski is 37 and has been retired for three years but I saw him in the locker room and he is ripped and scary big. Makes you wonder if Martinson would ever sign Yablonski to a short term contract if he thought a team was going to start trouble.
If you have ever watched any fight videos of Jeremy you can't help but be impressed. Here is just one example from 2008 when he fought his good friend and bad boy Jon "Nasty" Mirasty. Some rate this the best hockey fight in history with no hyperbole. Dropyourgloves.com rated the fight a 10 on their fight scale of 1-10. According to the them there were 130 punches thrown in this fight and 78 landed. https://youtu.be/Pb7EdyKQb4E
- Historically Allen has pretty much owned Wichita (37-8-4-3) but this season has been much different as the teams have split their first eight games. Allen has won three of five games in Wichita while the Thunder have won two of three in Allen.
- Both teams will have different rosters tonight from when they last played on NYE. Allen will be without Olivier Archambault who had both of Allen's goals on NYE. Spencer Asuchak, Zach Pochiro and Vincent Aresenau did not play the last time Allen faced Wichita but will be in the lineup tonight.
- Here is a story written by Matt Harding, who covers the Thunder for Team Sin Bin, that talks about who is in and who is out of the lineup for Wichita. According to Matt it is uncertain whether Wichita captain Dyson Stevenson, who is currently on reserve, will be activated for the game tonight. Check out all of the Wichita changes here: http://thesinbin.net/thunder-condors-swap-players-ahead-of-weekend/
Here are the updated stats between Allen and Wichita:
ALLEN WICHITA
Team Record 20-17-4-1 (45 points) 23-13-3-1 (49 points)
Division Ranking 4th - Mountain 3rd - Mountain
Conference Ranking 9th - Western 5th - Western
League Ranking 16th 8th
Last Game 5-3 Loss (Rapid City) 3-1 Win (Colorado)
Goals For 142 134
Goals Against 139 115
Power Play 19.8% (37/187) 17.6% (22/125)
Home Power Play 20.8% (20/96) 17.1% (13/76)
Road Power Play 18.7% (17/91 18.4% (8/49)
Penalty Kill 80.2% (38/192) 82.7% (26/150)
Home Penalty Kill 86.5% (13/96) 79.1% (19/91)
Road Penalty Kill 74.0% (25/96) 88.1% (7/59)
Most PIM Moore (127) Stevenson (109)
Leading Scorers: Pierro-Zabotel (12-35-47) Bauer (8-21-29)
- Here is how Allen and Wichita rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (23.10) - Wichita 15th (15.49)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 9th (3.38) - Wichita 7th (3.44)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 17th (3.31) - Wichita 9th (2.95)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 16th (32.07) - Wichita 20th (30.95)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 24th (37.14) - Wichita 18th (33.64)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 5th (19.8%) - Wichita 13th (17.6%)
Home Power Play %: Allen 3rd (20.8%) - Wichita 16th (17.1%)
Road Power Play %: Allen 10th (18.7%) - Wichita 13th (18.4%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 22nd (80.2%) - Wichita 15th (82.7%)
Home Penalty Kill %: Allen 8th (86.5%) - Wichita 21st (79.1%)
Road Penalty Kill %: Allen 27th (74.0%) - Wichita 4th (88.1%)
- Head to head special team percentages favor Allen slightly. Against Wichita the Allen power play is 20.7% (6-29) and the penalty kill is 83.3% (5-30). Against Allen the Wichita power play is 16.7% (5-30) and the penalty kill is 79.3% (6-29).
- In the odd stat of the day Allen and Wichita have played eight times this season and the record is 4-4, goals are 26-26 and shots are 260-260. Now that is evenly matched!
- You would probably be disappointed if I didn't talk about scoring first. The last three times these teams played each other (December 29,30 31) the team that scored first lost the game. The odds are still heavily in favor of the team that scores first. Allen and Wichita combined have a record of 31-10-1-0 when scoring first. Same can be said for having the lead after the first period as they have a combined record of 29-5-1-0 when taking a lead into the first intermission.
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Jonathan Sitarski (#23) and linesmen Brian Bull (#95) and Lucas Bisbee (#72).
OTHER COMMENTS:
- There is a full slate tonight the ECHL with 26 of 27 teams in action. The one team that is idle is the Manchester Monarchs. In the Mountain Division in addition to Wichita at Allen, Idaho is at Colorado, Tulsa is at Utah and in a cross division contest Rapid City is at Kansas City.
- I know several readers have been asking about the Marvel Night specialty jerseys the Americans wore on January 15 wondering where and when the jerseys would be available to purchase. I know I mentioned this before that because this is a league-wide program all of the ECHL-Marvel themed jerseys are being auctioned off to the public through The MeiGray Group at meigrayauctions.com. For those that have been asking the jerseys had not been shipped to The Meigray Group as of yesterday after practice but should now be on the way so you can look for them being posted on the auction site as soon as they are received in New Jersey.
- I get asked about rumors fans hear concerning players signing in Allen all of the time. Coach Martinson is in constant contact with teams, agents and free agent players in North America and Europe throughout the season. Players may contact Martinson directly if they are free agents or indirectly through their agent or they may even call a player they know on the team to express interest in coming to Allen. Right now Allen has an open vet spot (temporarily taken by Gary Steffes) so it is quite likely fans can pick up rumors about players, especially vets, on teams that will not make the playoffs being interested in moving to teams that will make the playoffs. Most of the time these rumors are not accurate but if and when coach Martinson finds a good experienced player at the right price he will sign them. Stay tuned.
DID YOU KNOW: I saw stats laid out like this for an NHL team and decided to take a look for the Allen Americans. This compares the first 21 games of the season to the last 21 games.
FIRST 21 Games Played:
Record: 12-6-2-1
27 of 42 Points Earned (.643)
Goals For: 74 (3.52 per game)
Goals Against: 63 (3.00 per game)
Power Play: 18/99 (18.2%)
Penalty Kill: 18/100 (82.0%)
LAST 21 Games Played:
Record: 8-11-2-0
18 0f 42 Points Earned (.429)
Goals For: 68 (3.24 per game)
Goals Against: 76 (3.62 per game)
Power Play: 19/88 (21.6%)
Penalty Kill: 20/92 (78.3%)
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Losing Streak Reaches Five Games With 5-3 Loss to Rush, Game Recap, Martinson's Comments, Pochiro Returns, Lily Martinson Commits to Providence & Stat of the Day
As I was leaving the Allen Event Center (AEC) last night heading to my truck I ran into a couple of the ushers and one of them said to me, "The best thing about that game was it didn't take very long and it is over early." She was spot on as the Allen Americans lost 5-3 to the Rapid City Rush before 3182 disappointed and frustrated fans. It was the fifth straight loss and the 10th loss in the last 12 games for the Americans. The usher was right about the game being quick as was the post game activity. Can't remember the last time I saw the AEC empty out so quickly. With just one minor penalty assessed to each team and no fights the game itself was only 2:15. The post game press conference was short, my chat with coach Martinson after the press conference was short and very few fans had questions so I was out the door of the AEC by 9:44 which is a record.
- Allen is finding ways to lose that fans are not used to seeing from this team. Historically the Americans have been a great third period team. In two of their last three games Allen has been leading after the second period, blown the lead and lost in regulation. That has happened only five times in their previous 125 games but has now happened in two of three games.
- Allen had no answer to Rapid City's top line who scored four of their five goals. In the game preview yesterday I said, "For Rapid City keep an eye on Peter Sivak (#91) who has five goals in his last four games and two hat tricks this month alone. Rapid City's rookie ECHL All-Star Dante Salituro (#15) had a hat trick on Saturday to break out of a long goal scoring drought so he is another player to keep an eye on." They each had two goals last night and their line mate, former Allen player Daniel Leavens, chipped in two assists.
- The bright spot for Allen was Colby McAuley who scored two goals, brought a lot of energy on every shift and played a two way game. The goals were McAuley's sixth and seventh of the season. The other goals scorer for Allen was Alex Schoenborn who scored his sixth of the season.
- Here are the Sporfie highlights for the three Allen goals:
Colby McAuley - Hanging out in front of the net bears fruit for Colby. Notice how hard he works to get space and keep his stick free. https://sporfie.app.link/tyRPAq4GZJ
Alex Schoenborn - Alex Guptill takes the puck to the net but loses it when he was hooked and it goes right on the stick of Alex Schoenborn who is trailing the play and he puts it in the net. https://sporfie.app.link/pkAuFhnHZJ
Colby McAuley - Colby's second goal of the game is scored off a long rebound of a shot taken by Joel Chouinard. Notice how McAuley reads the play and positions himself for the rebound. https://sporfie.app.link/pkAuFhnHZJ
- The complete game highlights with all of the goals are available at ECHL Rewind. Here is the link: https://www.echl.com/
- Here is the game recap courtesy of the Rapid City Rush: http://www.rapidcityrush.com/news/?article_id=973
- I have said this many times in the past but it is worth noting again. Win or lose, good or bad, happy or mad Steve Martinson always stops by to talk to season ticket holders after every game and stays until every question is answered. It is noted and appreciated by the season ticket holders. Here is what he had to say after the game last night:
"I was just looking at the last couple of goals in the third period. There were two deflections off our own sticks."
"We had a couple of chance to get the puck out of our zone on the penalty kill, it has been our Achilles heel, and sure enough they score a power play goal."
"We keep shooting ourselves in the foot. It is tough when you are at home and have a 3-2 lead going into the third period and you piss it away like that. It is pretty painful!"
"We need our top guys to step up but are depth guys aren't getting much done either. We had a good enough lineup to win tonight and came up short again. Now we have to get back to work because it is not going to be any easier this weekend. We are going to have to play better."
"I am talking to players in Europe and have had a couple things that have fallen through. Obviously I am trying to get some more experienced players on the roster."
"Arseneau didn't play again tonight in Utica. I will check and see what his status is. He has missed some games with an injury. They have 22 forwards so if he is not playing we should could use him here."
"One way or another we will get this turned around. I told the players today we were at rock bottom right now and then we get a 3-2 lead and it is not enough to hold on."
"The top line for Rapid City killed us tonight. We were not good defensively against them."
OTHER COMMENTS
- Things don't get any easier for the Americans as they will be back at practice today to prepare for home games against Wichita on Friday and Saturday followed by Colorado in February 1 and 2.
- With their abysmal record over the last month (2-10) the Americans are now battling Tulsa for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Mountain Division. Tulsa beat Utah 3-1 last night and now trails Allen by just three points. Wichita is four points ahead of the Americans in third place but they have three games in hand over Allen. Needless to say the two games against the Thunder this weekend will be big for the Americans.
- It was a big surprise to see Zach Pochiro back in the lineup last night as he returned a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. He has only had a couple of practices and hadn't played in a game since November 5th. Given the circumstances Zach played well including the secondary assist on Colby McAuley's first goal. Coach Martinson managed Zach's time giving him shifts off when needed. Pochiro is a big addition to the lineup but it will take a few games to get back up to speed.
- There has been another big announcement in the Martinson household as Steve and Michelle announced that their daughter, Lily, has accepted a scholarship to attend Providence College. Providence College has had a women's hockey program since the mid 1970's and plays in the Hockey East Conference. They are currently #2 (behind Boston College) in the conference and are ranked in the top 10 in all of the national polls. Unlike Martinson's son Logan who will be leaving this fall to play junior hockey in Canada, Steve and Michelle will have a few years before they are empty nesters because Lily is only 14 and has three more years before she graduates from high school. Congrats to Lily and the Martinson family. I know dad will be happy he doesn't have to pay the big bucks for Lily's college education.
- Several fans asked me last night about the outcome of the game between Chad Costello's team (Iserlohn) and Greger Hanson's team (Krefeld) on Tuesday. It was kind of anticlimactic as Krefeld won the game 5-2 and neither Chad nor Greger had a point.
- Olivier Archambault played in his first game for Syracuse (AHL) last night since he was loaned by Allen to the Crunch. They beat Laval 3-2. Archambault didn't have a point in the game but had one shot on goal and took a minor penalty for roughing.
- Vincent Areseneau was not in the lineup for Utica as they lost at home 4-3 in overtime to Hartford last night. Arseneau has missed the last five games for the Comets and may be still dealing with an injury. Utica currently shows 22 forwards on their roster so it makes you wonder if Arseneau will be returned to Allen once he is healthy. It is obvious Allen could certainly use him. Stay tuned.
- Talk about a tough schedule, Idaho lost to Colorado, the best team in the ECHL, last night 5-4. Including last night the Steelheads will play Colorado in nine of their 12 games between January 24 and February 17. This includes six games in a row between February 7 and February 17. Another scheduling marvel by the ECHL. Best to have a supervisor of officials hanging around these teams who have 75 fighting majors (50 Colorado, 25 Idaho) this season.
DID YOU KNOW: I love this stat which shows the ECHL players with the highest percentage of their team's goals. For the Allen Americans the leader is Bryan Moore who has scored 9.9% of their goals.
19.1% - Michael Joly (Colorado)
18.2% - Justin Danforth (Cincinnati)
17.2% - Phil Lane (Atlanta)
17.0% - Sam Warning (Quad City)
16.1% - Justin Taylor (Kalamazoo)
14.6% - Reid Gardiner (Wheeling)
- Allen is finding ways to lose that fans are not used to seeing from this team. Historically the Americans have been a great third period team. In two of their last three games Allen has been leading after the second period, blown the lead and lost in regulation. That has happened only five times in their previous 125 games but has now happened in two of three games.
- Allen had no answer to Rapid City's top line who scored four of their five goals. In the game preview yesterday I said, "For Rapid City keep an eye on Peter Sivak (#91) who has five goals in his last four games and two hat tricks this month alone. Rapid City's rookie ECHL All-Star Dante Salituro (#15) had a hat trick on Saturday to break out of a long goal scoring drought so he is another player to keep an eye on." They each had two goals last night and their line mate, former Allen player Daniel Leavens, chipped in two assists.
- The bright spot for Allen was Colby McAuley who scored two goals, brought a lot of energy on every shift and played a two way game. The goals were McAuley's sixth and seventh of the season. The other goals scorer for Allen was Alex Schoenborn who scored his sixth of the season.
- Here are the Sporfie highlights for the three Allen goals:
Colby McAuley - Hanging out in front of the net bears fruit for Colby. Notice how hard he works to get space and keep his stick free. https://sporfie.app.link/tyRPAq4GZJ
Alex Schoenborn - Alex Guptill takes the puck to the net but loses it when he was hooked and it goes right on the stick of Alex Schoenborn who is trailing the play and he puts it in the net. https://sporfie.app.link/pkAuFhnHZJ
Colby McAuley - Colby's second goal of the game is scored off a long rebound of a shot taken by Joel Chouinard. Notice how McAuley reads the play and positions himself for the rebound. https://sporfie.app.link/pkAuFhnHZJ
- The complete game highlights with all of the goals are available at ECHL Rewind. Here is the link: https://www.echl.com/
- Here is the game recap courtesy of the Rapid City Rush: http://www.rapidcityrush.com/news/?article_id=973
- I have said this many times in the past but it is worth noting again. Win or lose, good or bad, happy or mad Steve Martinson always stops by to talk to season ticket holders after every game and stays until every question is answered. It is noted and appreciated by the season ticket holders. Here is what he had to say after the game last night:
"I was just looking at the last couple of goals in the third period. There were two deflections off our own sticks."
"We had a couple of chance to get the puck out of our zone on the penalty kill, it has been our Achilles heel, and sure enough they score a power play goal."
"We keep shooting ourselves in the foot. It is tough when you are at home and have a 3-2 lead going into the third period and you piss it away like that. It is pretty painful!"
"We need our top guys to step up but are depth guys aren't getting much done either. We had a good enough lineup to win tonight and came up short again. Now we have to get back to work because it is not going to be any easier this weekend. We are going to have to play better."
"I am talking to players in Europe and have had a couple things that have fallen through. Obviously I am trying to get some more experienced players on the roster."
"Arseneau didn't play again tonight in Utica. I will check and see what his status is. He has missed some games with an injury. They have 22 forwards so if he is not playing we should could use him here."
"One way or another we will get this turned around. I told the players today we were at rock bottom right now and then we get a 3-2 lead and it is not enough to hold on."
"The top line for Rapid City killed us tonight. We were not good defensively against them."
OTHER COMMENTS
- Things don't get any easier for the Americans as they will be back at practice today to prepare for home games against Wichita on Friday and Saturday followed by Colorado in February 1 and 2.
- With their abysmal record over the last month (2-10) the Americans are now battling Tulsa for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Mountain Division. Tulsa beat Utah 3-1 last night and now trails Allen by just three points. Wichita is four points ahead of the Americans in third place but they have three games in hand over Allen. Needless to say the two games against the Thunder this weekend will be big for the Americans.
- It was a big surprise to see Zach Pochiro back in the lineup last night as he returned a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. He has only had a couple of practices and hadn't played in a game since November 5th. Given the circumstances Zach played well including the secondary assist on Colby McAuley's first goal. Coach Martinson managed Zach's time giving him shifts off when needed. Pochiro is a big addition to the lineup but it will take a few games to get back up to speed.
- There has been another big announcement in the Martinson household as Steve and Michelle announced that their daughter, Lily, has accepted a scholarship to attend Providence College. Providence College has had a women's hockey program since the mid 1970's and plays in the Hockey East Conference. They are currently #2 (behind Boston College) in the conference and are ranked in the top 10 in all of the national polls. Unlike Martinson's son Logan who will be leaving this fall to play junior hockey in Canada, Steve and Michelle will have a few years before they are empty nesters because Lily is only 14 and has three more years before she graduates from high school. Congrats to Lily and the Martinson family. I know dad will be happy he doesn't have to pay the big bucks for Lily's college education.
 |
| Lily Martinson commits to Providence College |
- Several fans asked me last night about the outcome of the game between Chad Costello's team (Iserlohn) and Greger Hanson's team (Krefeld) on Tuesday. It was kind of anticlimactic as Krefeld won the game 5-2 and neither Chad nor Greger had a point.
- Olivier Archambault played in his first game for Syracuse (AHL) last night since he was loaned by Allen to the Crunch. They beat Laval 3-2. Archambault didn't have a point in the game but had one shot on goal and took a minor penalty for roughing.
- Vincent Areseneau was not in the lineup for Utica as they lost at home 4-3 in overtime to Hartford last night. Arseneau has missed the last five games for the Comets and may be still dealing with an injury. Utica currently shows 22 forwards on their roster so it makes you wonder if Arseneau will be returned to Allen once he is healthy. It is obvious Allen could certainly use him. Stay tuned.
- Talk about a tough schedule, Idaho lost to Colorado, the best team in the ECHL, last night 5-4. Including last night the Steelheads will play Colorado in nine of their 12 games between January 24 and February 17. This includes six games in a row between February 7 and February 17. Another scheduling marvel by the ECHL. Best to have a supervisor of officials hanging around these teams who have 75 fighting majors (50 Colorado, 25 Idaho) this season.
DID YOU KNOW: I love this stat which shows the ECHL players with the highest percentage of their team's goals. For the Allen Americans the leader is Bryan Moore who has scored 9.9% of their goals.
19.1% - Michael Joly (Colorado)
18.2% - Justin Danforth (Cincinnati)
17.2% - Phil Lane (Atlanta)
17.0% - Sam Warning (Quad City)
16.1% - Justin Taylor (Kalamazoo)
14.6% - Reid Gardiner (Wheeling)
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Allen vs Rapid City Game Preview, Allen EBUG Thomas Hodges Dresses For NHL Game, Andrew Carroll's Tragic Death, Newest CTE Research
It is game day for the Allen Americans as the Rapid City Rush are in town to try and get their first win for coach Daniel Tetrault against the team he helped lead to a championship back in 2013-14. It was the only championship for Daniel in his 15 year pro career so you know Allen holds a special place for him.
- The game tonight will be the fifth of eight games Allen will play Rapid City this season. The Americans have had their way with the Rush in the first four meetings, winning all four and out scoring Rapid City 24-11. But before anyone thinks the task will be easy tonight because of Allen's success in the past and the fact Rapid City is mired in last place in the division, remember these team haven't played each other since the first of December and if you look at their records over the past 10 games Rapid City is 5-3-2-0 and Allen is 2-8-0-0.
- The Rush have the current ECHL Goalie of the Week and Player of the Week. Goalies Adam Vay won three games last week, had a GAA of 2.29 and a save percentage of .951. Forward Peter Sivak scored five goals, added six assists and was a +6 last week to win Player of the Week honors.
- Meanwhile Allen will try to break a four game losing streak tonight and will do so without Olivier Archambault who has been loaned to the Syracuse Crunch (AHL). Olivier has been Allen's best player though he has played in only 19 games because of time spent in the AHL. In those 19 games Archambault has 31 points (13 goals 18 assists) and leads the ECHL in average points per game (1.63).
- Since joining the ECHL Allen's record against Rapid City is 19-6-1-0. At the Allen Event Center the record is 9-3-1-0.
- Here is how Allen and Rapid City match up so far this season:
ALLEN RAPID CITY
Team Record 20-16-4-1 (45 points) 13-24-2-0 (28 points)
Division Ranking 4th - Mountain 7th - Mountain
Conference Ranking 9th - Western 13th - Western
League Ranking 16th 26th
Last Game 4-1 Loss (Fort Wayne) 6-3 Loss (Utah)
Goals For 139 114
Goals Against 134 159
Power Play 19.9% (37/86) 16.8% (24/143)
Penalty Kill 80.6% (37/191) 81.4% (34/183)
Most PIMs Moore (127 minutes) Sdao (85 minutes)
Leading Scorer Pierro-Zabotel (12-35-47) Sivak (14-23-37)
- Here is how Allen and Rapid City rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (23.61) - Rapid City 3rd (19.10)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 8th (3.39) - Rapid City 23rd (2.92)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 17th (3.27) - Rapid City 26th (4.08)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 16th (31.95) - Rapid City 26th (28.36)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 24th (37.24) - Rapid City 19th (33.72)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 5th (19.9%) - Rapid City 16th (16.8%)
Home Power Play %: Allen 3rd (21.1%) - Rapid City 26th (12.0%)
Road Power Play %: Allen 11th (18.7%) - Rapid City 3rd (23.3%)
Penalty Kill Percentage; Allen 22nd (80.6%) - Rapid City 18th (81.4%)
Home Penalty Kill %: Allen 2nd (87.4%) - Rapid City 15th (82.5%)
Road Penalty Kill %: Allen 27th (74.0%) - Rapid City 26th (78.8%)
- More than normal I think the overall special teams stats are out the window for this game because both of these teams vary so dramatically when playing at home and on the road. Allen has struggled on the penalty kill on the road ranked dead last in the ECHL at 74.0% but at home they are ranked #2 at 87.4%. Rapid City has the #26 ranked penalty kill on the road at 78.8%. On the power play Allen is 19.9% at home while Rapid City is #26 at home (12.0%) but #3 (23.3%) on the road. Special teams will, as always, play a critical role in the game tonight.
- The chance of fisticuffs will be high tonight. Both of these teams are in the top five in the ECHL in fights and have lots of players willing to drop the gloves. Rapid City has had 35 fighting majors and 15 players have been involved in at least one fight. Anthony Collins leads the Rush with six fights. Allen has 33 fighting majors with 15 different players involved in at least one fight this season. Mike Gunn and Josh Thrower lead Allen with five fighting majors each.
- A good start will be key for both teams but especially for Allen who is not as dominate as they were earlier in the season but still are 15-4-1-0 when scoring the first goal of the game. When they trail after the first period the Americans and Rush have not shown the ability to come back. They have a combined record of 4-21-3-0. I would say a good start is critical.
- If you are looking for players to watch in the game tonight Bryan Moore has four goals in four games against Rapid City and Casey Pierro-Zabotel has 10 points (2 goals 8 assists). For Rapid City keep an eye on Peter Sivak (#91) who has five goals in his last four games and two hat tricks this month alone. Rapid City's rookie ECHL All-Star Dante Salituro (#15) had a hat trick on Saturday to break out of a long goal scoring drought so he is another player to keep an eye on.
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Chris Pontes (#12) and linesmen Brian Bull (#95) and Aaron Schacht (#31).
OTHER COMMENTS
- Who would have thought the next Allen Americans player to dress for an NHL game would be Allen's often used EBUG (emergency backup goalie) Thomas Hodges. The Plano West graduate has helped out the Americans many times over the past couple of years at practice and when they needed an EBUG because of injuries. Thomas actually played 50 seconds in the 2016 New Year's Eve game. With Allen leading 8-4 against Utah, starting goalie Jamie Murray came up with a stiff back with 50 seconds remaining in the game. An EBUG can only play if there is an injury to the other goalie. Thomas didn't get a save but made his pro debut which was a big thrill.
If you were watching the Dallas Stars play the Florida Panthers last night you saw Panthers' goalie James Reimer get injured early in the first period. Because Riemer could not return the NHL emergency goalie plan went into effect. It is a pretty elaborate plan which entails the home team having an emergency back up goalie on hand who can play for either team. Last night that was Thomas Hodges who was the back up goalie for the Florida Panthers. He didn't sit on the bench but was dressed and ready to go in the tunnel. Just think, when the Americans hang a banner in the AEC of players that made it from the Allen Americans to the NHL it will include the names Jordie Benn, Aaron Dell and now Thomas Hodges. What a great experience for the young goaltender. Here is the complete story written by Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News complete with a picture of Thomas in his Florida Panthers gear. https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-stars/stars/2018/01/23/stars-notebook-nhls-emergency-goalie-plan-put-effect-after-injury-panthersjames-reimer
- If you have been reading about the tragic death of 32 year old Andrew Carroll who jumped to his death from a parking ramp at O'Hare airport you can't help but be touched by all of the tributes to him from all over the hockey world. It is clear he was a special person who would do anything to help others on his team and in the community. Connor Reilly described Andrew as a special mentor, friend and leader who was always willing to help others. Aaron Gens worked with Andrew at some hockey camps in Minnesota and described him as a christian athlete that was a great hockey player and an even better person. After practice yesterday I was talking to coach Martinson about Carroll as he had recruited him in the past. Our conversation turned to CTE and the number of players that have suffered from depression after their playing careers were over. I know coach Martinson has lost teammates/friends who suffered from depression and committed suicide. I have no idea what the circumstances were surrounding Andrew Carroll but the conversation with coach Martinson inspired me to do some research on CTE when I got home. I came across this article published just last Thursday that suggests CTE is caused by repeated head injuries, not by concussions. So much more needs to be learned about CTE but this study suggests the focus on preventing concussions needs to be replaced by an effort to reduce the number of head impacts. https://www.bu.edu/today/2018/cte-caused-by-head-injuries/
- Researchers are getting closer to being able to diagnose CTE in living persons. Since CTE causes Alzheimer's like symptoms including memory loss, aggression, rage and at times suicidal behavior this would be a big break through. Here is a recent article talking about this research. https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/26/health/researchers-identify-cte-biomarker-that-may-lead-to-diagnosis-while-alive/index.html
DID YOU KNOW: Andrew Carroll played his college hockey at the University of Minnesota-Dultuh (UMD) where he was the only player in the 74 year history of the UMD hockey program to hold some type of team captaincy parts of four different seasons. He was also a three-time WCHA All-Academic team honoree. He was a well traveled player having spent time in Charlotte, Greenville, Bakersfield and Idaho in the ECHL and Connecticut, Hershey, Abbotsford, Peoria, and Hartford in the AHL. Of the many tributes to Andrew Carroll this one written by Brian McCormack from the Idaho Steelheads captures the essence of the player and the man. http://www.idahosteelheads.com/blog/steelheads-news/remembering-andrew-carroll/
- The game tonight will be the fifth of eight games Allen will play Rapid City this season. The Americans have had their way with the Rush in the first four meetings, winning all four and out scoring Rapid City 24-11. But before anyone thinks the task will be easy tonight because of Allen's success in the past and the fact Rapid City is mired in last place in the division, remember these team haven't played each other since the first of December and if you look at their records over the past 10 games Rapid City is 5-3-2-0 and Allen is 2-8-0-0.
- The Rush have the current ECHL Goalie of the Week and Player of the Week. Goalies Adam Vay won three games last week, had a GAA of 2.29 and a save percentage of .951. Forward Peter Sivak scored five goals, added six assists and was a +6 last week to win Player of the Week honors.
- Meanwhile Allen will try to break a four game losing streak tonight and will do so without Olivier Archambault who has been loaned to the Syracuse Crunch (AHL). Olivier has been Allen's best player though he has played in only 19 games because of time spent in the AHL. In those 19 games Archambault has 31 points (13 goals 18 assists) and leads the ECHL in average points per game (1.63).
- Since joining the ECHL Allen's record against Rapid City is 19-6-1-0. At the Allen Event Center the record is 9-3-1-0.
- Here is how Allen and Rapid City match up so far this season:
ALLEN RAPID CITY
Team Record 20-16-4-1 (45 points) 13-24-2-0 (28 points)
Division Ranking 4th - Mountain 7th - Mountain
Conference Ranking 9th - Western 13th - Western
League Ranking 16th 26th
Last Game 4-1 Loss (Fort Wayne) 6-3 Loss (Utah)
Goals For 139 114
Goals Against 134 159
Power Play 19.9% (37/86) 16.8% (24/143)
Penalty Kill 80.6% (37/191) 81.4% (34/183)
Most PIMs Moore (127 minutes) Sdao (85 minutes)
Leading Scorer Pierro-Zabotel (12-35-47) Sivak (14-23-37)
- Here is how Allen and Rapid City rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (23.61) - Rapid City 3rd (19.10)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 8th (3.39) - Rapid City 23rd (2.92)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 17th (3.27) - Rapid City 26th (4.08)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 16th (31.95) - Rapid City 26th (28.36)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 24th (37.24) - Rapid City 19th (33.72)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 5th (19.9%) - Rapid City 16th (16.8%)
Home Power Play %: Allen 3rd (21.1%) - Rapid City 26th (12.0%)
Road Power Play %: Allen 11th (18.7%) - Rapid City 3rd (23.3%)
Penalty Kill Percentage; Allen 22nd (80.6%) - Rapid City 18th (81.4%)
Home Penalty Kill %: Allen 2nd (87.4%) - Rapid City 15th (82.5%)
Road Penalty Kill %: Allen 27th (74.0%) - Rapid City 26th (78.8%)
- More than normal I think the overall special teams stats are out the window for this game because both of these teams vary so dramatically when playing at home and on the road. Allen has struggled on the penalty kill on the road ranked dead last in the ECHL at 74.0% but at home they are ranked #2 at 87.4%. Rapid City has the #26 ranked penalty kill on the road at 78.8%. On the power play Allen is 19.9% at home while Rapid City is #26 at home (12.0%) but #3 (23.3%) on the road. Special teams will, as always, play a critical role in the game tonight.
- The chance of fisticuffs will be high tonight. Both of these teams are in the top five in the ECHL in fights and have lots of players willing to drop the gloves. Rapid City has had 35 fighting majors and 15 players have been involved in at least one fight. Anthony Collins leads the Rush with six fights. Allen has 33 fighting majors with 15 different players involved in at least one fight this season. Mike Gunn and Josh Thrower lead Allen with five fighting majors each.
- A good start will be key for both teams but especially for Allen who is not as dominate as they were earlier in the season but still are 15-4-1-0 when scoring the first goal of the game. When they trail after the first period the Americans and Rush have not shown the ability to come back. They have a combined record of 4-21-3-0. I would say a good start is critical.
- If you are looking for players to watch in the game tonight Bryan Moore has four goals in four games against Rapid City and Casey Pierro-Zabotel has 10 points (2 goals 8 assists). For Rapid City keep an eye on Peter Sivak (#91) who has five goals in his last four games and two hat tricks this month alone. Rapid City's rookie ECHL All-Star Dante Salituro (#15) had a hat trick on Saturday to break out of a long goal scoring drought so he is another player to keep an eye on.
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Chris Pontes (#12) and linesmen Brian Bull (#95) and Aaron Schacht (#31).
OTHER COMMENTS
- Who would have thought the next Allen Americans player to dress for an NHL game would be Allen's often used EBUG (emergency backup goalie) Thomas Hodges. The Plano West graduate has helped out the Americans many times over the past couple of years at practice and when they needed an EBUG because of injuries. Thomas actually played 50 seconds in the 2016 New Year's Eve game. With Allen leading 8-4 against Utah, starting goalie Jamie Murray came up with a stiff back with 50 seconds remaining in the game. An EBUG can only play if there is an injury to the other goalie. Thomas didn't get a save but made his pro debut which was a big thrill.
If you were watching the Dallas Stars play the Florida Panthers last night you saw Panthers' goalie James Reimer get injured early in the first period. Because Riemer could not return the NHL emergency goalie plan went into effect. It is a pretty elaborate plan which entails the home team having an emergency back up goalie on hand who can play for either team. Last night that was Thomas Hodges who was the back up goalie for the Florida Panthers. He didn't sit on the bench but was dressed and ready to go in the tunnel. Just think, when the Americans hang a banner in the AEC of players that made it from the Allen Americans to the NHL it will include the names Jordie Benn, Aaron Dell and now Thomas Hodges. What a great experience for the young goaltender. Here is the complete story written by Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News complete with a picture of Thomas in his Florida Panthers gear. https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-stars/stars/2018/01/23/stars-notebook-nhls-emergency-goalie-plan-put-effect-after-injury-panthersjames-reimer
- If you have been reading about the tragic death of 32 year old Andrew Carroll who jumped to his death from a parking ramp at O'Hare airport you can't help but be touched by all of the tributes to him from all over the hockey world. It is clear he was a special person who would do anything to help others on his team and in the community. Connor Reilly described Andrew as a special mentor, friend and leader who was always willing to help others. Aaron Gens worked with Andrew at some hockey camps in Minnesota and described him as a christian athlete that was a great hockey player and an even better person. After practice yesterday I was talking to coach Martinson about Carroll as he had recruited him in the past. Our conversation turned to CTE and the number of players that have suffered from depression after their playing careers were over. I know coach Martinson has lost teammates/friends who suffered from depression and committed suicide. I have no idea what the circumstances were surrounding Andrew Carroll but the conversation with coach Martinson inspired me to do some research on CTE when I got home. I came across this article published just last Thursday that suggests CTE is caused by repeated head injuries, not by concussions. So much more needs to be learned about CTE but this study suggests the focus on preventing concussions needs to be replaced by an effort to reduce the number of head impacts. https://www.bu.edu/today/2018/cte-caused-by-head-injuries/
- Researchers are getting closer to being able to diagnose CTE in living persons. Since CTE causes Alzheimer's like symptoms including memory loss, aggression, rage and at times suicidal behavior this would be a big break through. Here is a recent article talking about this research. https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/26/health/researchers-identify-cte-biomarker-that-may-lead-to-diagnosis-while-alive/index.html
DID YOU KNOW: Andrew Carroll played his college hockey at the University of Minnesota-Dultuh (UMD) where he was the only player in the 74 year history of the UMD hockey program to hold some type of team captaincy parts of four different seasons. He was also a three-time WCHA All-Academic team honoree. He was a well traveled player having spent time in Charlotte, Greenville, Bakersfield and Idaho in the ECHL and Connecticut, Hershey, Abbotsford, Peoria, and Hartford in the AHL. Of the many tributes to Andrew Carroll this one written by Brian McCormack from the Idaho Steelheads captures the essence of the player and the man. http://www.idahosteelheads.com/blog/steelheads-news/remembering-andrew-carroll/
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Amateur Hockey Analytics, Best ECHL First Period Goal Differentials, Will Aaron Dell Become #1 Goalie, Allen's Single Season Top Ten PIM's Leaders
Today is a practice day for the Allen Americans as they prepare to take on the Rapid City Rush and try to get out of the "funk" as captain Joel Chouinard described the recent play of the team. How bad is it? If you remember back to the end of December right after the Christmas break the Americans played the Wichita Thunder four games in five days. The Americans won the first two games of the series 7-2 in Allen and 3-2 in Wichita. After those two wins Allen moved into second place in the Mountain Division. The Americans were tied with Toledo for third in the ECHL in points (41)
trailing Florida (45) and Colorado (48). Allen was fourth in the league
in winning percentage (.683).
- Allen ended up losing the last two games of the four game series against Wichita. They lost 3-1 in Wichita and 4-2 in Allen at the New Year's Eve warmup brawl game. Starting with those two losses to Wichita at the end of December until now the Americans have been the worst team in the ECHL with a record of 2-9. It has been almost a month and they have earned a grand total of four points. At the end of December they were third in points in the league (41 points), today they have 45 points and are ranked #14. Allen's winning percentage has fallen from #4 (.683) at the end of December to #14 today (.549).
- Slumps are part of hockey and every team suffers through a period of poor performance. If you can lose this much ground in a month you can gain a lot of ground in a month. The real question is whether what the Americans are going through right now is different than in the past. In the six years I have been writing the blog there has never been more concern expressed to me, even by the most ardent Allen supporters, about whether this year is different and the Americans will struggle to move up in the standings from their current fourth place.
- Just yesterday I was reading a story about hockey analytics which talked about how small changes in averages equate to big improvement in wins. That inspired me to take a 25,000 foot view comparing stats from last season to this season and see differences in goals scored or allowed.
Goals For - Last season Allen averaged 4.08 goals per game and this season they are averaging 3.39. Over the course of a full season that equates to 50 fewer goals.
Goals Against - Last season Allen gave up an average of 2.82 goals per game. So far this season they are allowing an average of 3.27 goals per game. Over the course of a full season that equates to allowing 32 more goals.
Power Play - Last season Allen had a power play percentage of 24.4%. Thus far this season the power play percentage is 19.9%. Over the course of a season that difference in power play percentage would equate to 13 fewer goals scored on the power play.
Penalty Kill - Last season Allen's penalty kill percentage was 84.4%. Thus far this season the penalty kill percentage is 80.6%. Over the course of a season the difference in penalty kill percentages would equate to giving up 13 more goals.
Goaltending - Last season the Allen goaltenders had a save percentage of .920 on 2513 shots which equates to 201 goals. This season the goaltenders have a save percentage of .913 and are on pace to face 2680 shots which equates to 233 goals, a 32 goal difference.
In summary, Allen is on pace to score 50 fewer goals than last season, allow 32 more goals than last season, score 13 fewer goals on the power play and allow 13 more goals on the penalty kill. The save percentage is lower this season and the goalies are facing more shots. What these numbers show is a lot of room for improvement in every phase of the game; offense, defense, special teams and goaltending. The question for coach Martinson is can he get things turned around with the current roster. Zach Hall is about ready to get back in the lineup and Zach Pochiro shouldn't far behind but who knows if and when Riley Gill will return and it us uncertain when Vincent Arseneau will be headed back to Allen.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Here is a stat I found somewhat surprising. The best teams in the ECHL in first period goal differential (goals for minus goals against).
+18 Kalamazoo
+17 Allen
+17 Colorado
+13 Toledo
+11 Reading
+11 Wichita
- I have written many stories about Aaron Dell since he arrived in Allen as a rookie back in 2012-13 and led the Americans to their first championship. The jist of many of the stories was how throughout his hockey career Aaron always started out as the number two goalie and became the number one. Here is an excerpt from one of those stories:
The best part of Aaron Dell's story is that he has had to work for everything he has accomplished. At every step of the way from juniors, college and in the pro ranks he was never "the guy" who was designated the top goalie on his team. He always started out as the number two goalie and through hard work and performance became the number one goalie. It was true in college when he started on the bench and beat out an all-conference goalie for the number one spot. He signed his first professional contract with the Colorado Eagles in 2012-13 but was waived in training camp. He then signed with Allen, where two University of North Dakota alumni (Ed Belfour & Craig Ludwig) had just started working with the Americans. He was supposed to be the backup goalie to a veteran Kelly Cup MVP but won the starting job and led the Americans to their first championship playing in all 19 playoff games. The same thing happened when he got promoted to the AHL in Worcester and then San Jose as he earned his way as their top goalie. Aaron Dell has never been given a thing. He has climbed the hockey ladder through hard work, determination, and performance. Aaron is now the backup goalie for the San Jose Sharks and don't forget, every time he has become a back up goalie he eventually became the starter. Just sayin!
What made me think about the story above was a story I saw this week out of San Jose because Aaron has had to step in as the Sharks #1 goalie because of an injury. He played in back to back games on Saturday and Sunday, won them both and saved 64 of 67 shots. Dell has played in 20 games this season and has a GAA of 2.17 and save percentage of .929. He ranks #3 in the NHL in GAA and #4 in save percentage. Dell has seen this script before and always risen to the occasion. He is a free agent after this season and if not in San Jose, he just might become a starting goalie in the NHL. As he has proven over and over again since he was a kid, if you give him a chance he will grasp the opportunity. Here is the story from the San Jose Mercury News talking about Dell as the #1 goalie. https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/01/20/three-takeaways-dell-fuels-sharks-goalie-debate-in-win-over-penguins/
DID YOU KNOW: Here is a list of the top ten Allen players for penalty minutes in a single season with the number of games played in that season in parentheses. The far right shows the number of fights each players had according to dropyourgloves.com.
274: Derek Mathers - 2016-17 (59 games) 30 fights
257: Garrett Klotz - 2013-14 (55 games) 20 Fights
256: Brett Lyon -2014-15 (47 games) 13 Fights
223: Garrett Clarke - 2012-13 (54 games) 12 Fights
205: Garrett Clarke - 2014-15 (57 games) 16 Fights
186: Aaron Gens - 2014-15 (72 games) 8 Fights
185: Brandon Straub - 2009-10 (58 games) 12 Fights
168: Jim McKenzie - 2011-12 (54 games) 7 Fights
157: Brett Clouthier - 2011-12 (60 games) 10 Fights
146: Kip Brennan - 2010-11 (31 games) 11 Fights
- Allen ended up losing the last two games of the four game series against Wichita. They lost 3-1 in Wichita and 4-2 in Allen at the New Year's Eve warmup brawl game. Starting with those two losses to Wichita at the end of December until now the Americans have been the worst team in the ECHL with a record of 2-9. It has been almost a month and they have earned a grand total of four points. At the end of December they were third in points in the league (41 points), today they have 45 points and are ranked #14. Allen's winning percentage has fallen from #4 (.683) at the end of December to #14 today (.549).
- Slumps are part of hockey and every team suffers through a period of poor performance. If you can lose this much ground in a month you can gain a lot of ground in a month. The real question is whether what the Americans are going through right now is different than in the past. In the six years I have been writing the blog there has never been more concern expressed to me, even by the most ardent Allen supporters, about whether this year is different and the Americans will struggle to move up in the standings from their current fourth place.
- Just yesterday I was reading a story about hockey analytics which talked about how small changes in averages equate to big improvement in wins. That inspired me to take a 25,000 foot view comparing stats from last season to this season and see differences in goals scored or allowed.
Goals For - Last season Allen averaged 4.08 goals per game and this season they are averaging 3.39. Over the course of a full season that equates to 50 fewer goals.
Goals Against - Last season Allen gave up an average of 2.82 goals per game. So far this season they are allowing an average of 3.27 goals per game. Over the course of a full season that equates to allowing 32 more goals.
Power Play - Last season Allen had a power play percentage of 24.4%. Thus far this season the power play percentage is 19.9%. Over the course of a season that difference in power play percentage would equate to 13 fewer goals scored on the power play.
Penalty Kill - Last season Allen's penalty kill percentage was 84.4%. Thus far this season the penalty kill percentage is 80.6%. Over the course of a season the difference in penalty kill percentages would equate to giving up 13 more goals.
Goaltending - Last season the Allen goaltenders had a save percentage of .920 on 2513 shots which equates to 201 goals. This season the goaltenders have a save percentage of .913 and are on pace to face 2680 shots which equates to 233 goals, a 32 goal difference.
In summary, Allen is on pace to score 50 fewer goals than last season, allow 32 more goals than last season, score 13 fewer goals on the power play and allow 13 more goals on the penalty kill. The save percentage is lower this season and the goalies are facing more shots. What these numbers show is a lot of room for improvement in every phase of the game; offense, defense, special teams and goaltending. The question for coach Martinson is can he get things turned around with the current roster. Zach Hall is about ready to get back in the lineup and Zach Pochiro shouldn't far behind but who knows if and when Riley Gill will return and it us uncertain when Vincent Arseneau will be headed back to Allen.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Here is a stat I found somewhat surprising. The best teams in the ECHL in first period goal differential (goals for minus goals against).
+18 Kalamazoo
+17 Allen
+17 Colorado
+13 Toledo
+11 Reading
+11 Wichita
- I have written many stories about Aaron Dell since he arrived in Allen as a rookie back in 2012-13 and led the Americans to their first championship. The jist of many of the stories was how throughout his hockey career Aaron always started out as the number two goalie and became the number one. Here is an excerpt from one of those stories:
The best part of Aaron Dell's story is that he has had to work for everything he has accomplished. At every step of the way from juniors, college and in the pro ranks he was never "the guy" who was designated the top goalie on his team. He always started out as the number two goalie and through hard work and performance became the number one goalie. It was true in college when he started on the bench and beat out an all-conference goalie for the number one spot. He signed his first professional contract with the Colorado Eagles in 2012-13 but was waived in training camp. He then signed with Allen, where two University of North Dakota alumni (Ed Belfour & Craig Ludwig) had just started working with the Americans. He was supposed to be the backup goalie to a veteran Kelly Cup MVP but won the starting job and led the Americans to their first championship playing in all 19 playoff games. The same thing happened when he got promoted to the AHL in Worcester and then San Jose as he earned his way as their top goalie. Aaron Dell has never been given a thing. He has climbed the hockey ladder through hard work, determination, and performance. Aaron is now the backup goalie for the San Jose Sharks and don't forget, every time he has become a back up goalie he eventually became the starter. Just sayin!
What made me think about the story above was a story I saw this week out of San Jose because Aaron has had to step in as the Sharks #1 goalie because of an injury. He played in back to back games on Saturday and Sunday, won them both and saved 64 of 67 shots. Dell has played in 20 games this season and has a GAA of 2.17 and save percentage of .929. He ranks #3 in the NHL in GAA and #4 in save percentage. Dell has seen this script before and always risen to the occasion. He is a free agent after this season and if not in San Jose, he just might become a starting goalie in the NHL. As he has proven over and over again since he was a kid, if you give him a chance he will grasp the opportunity. Here is the story from the San Jose Mercury News talking about Dell as the #1 goalie. https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/01/20/three-takeaways-dell-fuels-sharks-goalie-debate-in-win-over-penguins/
DID YOU KNOW: Here is a list of the top ten Allen players for penalty minutes in a single season with the number of games played in that season in parentheses. The far right shows the number of fights each players had according to dropyourgloves.com.
274: Derek Mathers - 2016-17 (59 games) 30 fights
257: Garrett Klotz - 2013-14 (55 games) 20 Fights
256: Brett Lyon -2014-15 (47 games) 13 Fights
223: Garrett Clarke - 2012-13 (54 games) 12 Fights
205: Garrett Clarke - 2014-15 (57 games) 16 Fights
186: Aaron Gens - 2014-15 (72 games) 8 Fights
185: Brandon Straub - 2009-10 (58 games) 12 Fights
168: Jim McKenzie - 2011-12 (54 games) 7 Fights
157: Brett Clouthier - 2011-12 (60 games) 10 Fights
146: Kip Brennan - 2010-11 (31 games) 11 Fights
Monday, January 22, 2018
Why Allen's 4-1 Loss to Fort Wayne Yesterday Was Not Disappointing, Game Recap, Steffes Returns, Hanson vs Costello Details, St. John's ECHL Franchise & More
The Allen Americans got swept this weekend losing to the Fort Wayne Komets yesterday 4-1 before another big crowd of 7296 at the Memorial Coliseum. It didn't bother me much at all because yesterday was consumed by the possibility of a lifelong series of disappointments being expunged by the Minnesota Vikings. I was in eighth grade when the Vikings started playing in my hometown (Bloomington) in 1961. My first job was as a vendor at Metropolitan Stadium where the Vikings played in the early days. It was actually a baseball park built for the Minneapolis Millers, a farm team of the Boston Red Sox until the Minnesota Twins arrived in 1961. When Bud Grant arrived in 1967 it was great to be a Vikings fan, with the Purple People Eaters, Fran Tarkenton, no heaters allowed on the sidelines and a lot of success. But the Vikings could never win the big one. Super Bowl losses in 1969, 1973, 1974 & 1976 and the loss to Dallas on the Drew Pearson Hail Mary in 1975 and yes there was offensive interference on that play. The Vikings were 13 point favorites over Kansas City in Super Bowl IV and lost 23-7. They lost to Miami 24-7 in Super Bowl VIII, to the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-6 in Super Bowl IX and to the Oakland Raiders 32-14 in Super Bowl XI. Each Super Bowl loss made things worse for Vikings fans and it was the way they lost that was the toughest to take. I know this isn't a football blog so I will not relive the many years since the 1970's the team has disappointed but this season was different. The best defense in the league just like the old days, a team of destiny that would be the first to play the Super Bowl in their home park, a 3-4 point favorite and they lay an egg and get blown out by Philadelphia 38-7. The 4-1 loss by Allen to Fort Wayne yesterday was nothing as they have won four championships in the last five years. As a lifelong Minnesota Vikings fan I am still waiting for that first championship after 57 years, now that is disappointment. Thanks for letting me vent. Now back to hockey.
- Allen wrapped up their road trip to Indiana with their second loss in as many days to the Fort Wayne Komets. The game was tied 1-1 midway through the second period but the Americans gave up three unanswered goals from that point and ended up losing 4-1. Allen was out shot in all three periods for a game total of 36-18. Pretty tough to win games when you get doubled up on shots.
- There was no scoring in the first period. Jamie Schaafsma got the Komets on the scoreboard at the 7:17 mark of the second period but Allen struck back just 49 seconds later as Casey Pierro-Zabotel scored his 12th goal of the season. That would be the end of the scoring for Allen. Jeremy Brodeur took the loss for the Americans stopping 32 of 36 shots.
- Here are two stories written by Justin Cohn of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. The first one contains the video highlights of the game.
"Analyzing Komets' 4-1 victory over Allen" http://www.journalgazette.net/blog/ice-chips/20180121/analyzing-komets-4-1-victory-over-allen
"Komets complete Sweep of Americans" http://www.journalgazette.net/blog/ice-chips/20180121/komets-complete-sweep-of-americans
- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans. Seems like everyone is frustrated with the team's performance. This may be the shortest game recap ever, even the headline, "American Close Indiana Road Trip With" https://allenamericans.com/americans-close-indiana-road-trip/
OTHER COMMENTS
- The Americans headed back to Allen right after the game and are expected to arrive sometime late morning. Their next game is Wednesday at home against the Rapid City Rush.
- It is not very often the Americans return home from a three game road trip with no points to show for the effort. To go 0-3 on the weekend was bad enough but it was how they lost that raises concerns for all involved. They were outscored 15-7 and they were out shot 121-79. Allen was 12.5% on the power play while their opponents were 31.3%. They were outplayed in every phase of the game.
- Allen has now lost four straight games and is 2-9 over their last 11 games. They are still in fourth place in the Mountain Division but are almost as close to fifth place (5 points ) as third place (4 points).
- The next five games for Allen are at home including two against Wichita (Friday & Saturday) and two against Colorado. If they don't get things turned around on this homestand they could be fighting to stay in a playoff spot.
- One bright spot for Allen this weekend was the play of Casey Pierro-Zabotel who had at least one point in all three games. He finished the weekend with two goals, three assists and was +2. Casey leads the ECHL in scoring with 47 points.
- Gary Steffes cleared waivers yesterday and is now a free agent and eligible to sign with the Americans. They could sure use him right now. I know Gary left the Americans last week because he had some business commitments with FCA hockey. I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in Allen before this upcoming homestand is over. UPDATE: Just received this message from coach Martinson, "Gary coming for Colorado (February 1&2) and the road trip (Atlanta, Florida, Jacksonville). Could use him now but he has appointments in Boston this weekend."
- With the Colorado Eagles leaving the ECHL next season for the AHL it makes you wonder what is the future of the ECHL west of the Mississippi. Over the last few years the ECHL has lost franchises in Las Vegas, Ontario, Bakersfield, Stockton, Alaska and next year Colorado. Meanwhile it looks like the ECHL will be adding their second franchise in Canada for the 2018-19 season in St. John's, New Foundland and Labrador which is a cool 3000 mile drive from Allen. Here is a story that talks about the happenings in St. John's. https://www.thetelegram.com/sports/hockey/st-johns-echl-bid-strikes-partnership-with-toronto-maple-leafs-sources-179041/
DID YOU KNOW: It will be fun to track the game between the Iserlohn Roosters and Krefeld Pinguine in the top German league (DEL) tomorrow because two former Allen Americans will be playing against each other for the first time. It is not just any two players as they happen to be the two players tied for the all time career lead in goals for the Americans with 98. Chad Costello (Iserlohn) will be headed to Krefeld to play against Greger Hanson. Chad has been in Germany all season even though he missed some games (13) early in the season with an injury. He has played in 31 games and has 25 points (8 goals 15 assists). Greger just recently arrived in Germany after starting the season in the San Diego Gulls (AHL) organization. He has played in six games and has one assist. It won't be a long commute for Chad's team to get to Krefeld as the two communities are only 65 miles a part. The arena holds 9000 for hockey. Game time is 12:30 pm CST. Chad's team should be the favorite as they are in 7th place in the 14 team league with 65 points. Greger's team is in 13th place with 50 points. However, Krefeld will be playing at home and have won three of their last five games while Iserlohn has lost three of their last five games.
- Allen wrapped up their road trip to Indiana with their second loss in as many days to the Fort Wayne Komets. The game was tied 1-1 midway through the second period but the Americans gave up three unanswered goals from that point and ended up losing 4-1. Allen was out shot in all three periods for a game total of 36-18. Pretty tough to win games when you get doubled up on shots.
- There was no scoring in the first period. Jamie Schaafsma got the Komets on the scoreboard at the 7:17 mark of the second period but Allen struck back just 49 seconds later as Casey Pierro-Zabotel scored his 12th goal of the season. That would be the end of the scoring for Allen. Jeremy Brodeur took the loss for the Americans stopping 32 of 36 shots.
- Here are two stories written by Justin Cohn of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. The first one contains the video highlights of the game.
"Analyzing Komets' 4-1 victory over Allen" http://www.journalgazette.net/blog/ice-chips/20180121/analyzing-komets-4-1-victory-over-allen
"Komets complete Sweep of Americans" http://www.journalgazette.net/blog/ice-chips/20180121/komets-complete-sweep-of-americans
- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans. Seems like everyone is frustrated with the team's performance. This may be the shortest game recap ever, even the headline, "American Close Indiana Road Trip With" https://allenamericans.com/americans-close-indiana-road-trip/
OTHER COMMENTS
- The Americans headed back to Allen right after the game and are expected to arrive sometime late morning. Their next game is Wednesday at home against the Rapid City Rush.
- It is not very often the Americans return home from a three game road trip with no points to show for the effort. To go 0-3 on the weekend was bad enough but it was how they lost that raises concerns for all involved. They were outscored 15-7 and they were out shot 121-79. Allen was 12.5% on the power play while their opponents were 31.3%. They were outplayed in every phase of the game.
- Allen has now lost four straight games and is 2-9 over their last 11 games. They are still in fourth place in the Mountain Division but are almost as close to fifth place (5 points ) as third place (4 points).
- The next five games for Allen are at home including two against Wichita (Friday & Saturday) and two against Colorado. If they don't get things turned around on this homestand they could be fighting to stay in a playoff spot.
- One bright spot for Allen this weekend was the play of Casey Pierro-Zabotel who had at least one point in all three games. He finished the weekend with two goals, three assists and was +2. Casey leads the ECHL in scoring with 47 points.
- Gary Steffes cleared waivers yesterday and is now a free agent and eligible to sign with the Americans. They could sure use him right now. I know Gary left the Americans last week because he had some business commitments with FCA hockey. I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in Allen before this upcoming homestand is over. UPDATE: Just received this message from coach Martinson, "Gary coming for Colorado (February 1&2) and the road trip (Atlanta, Florida, Jacksonville). Could use him now but he has appointments in Boston this weekend."
- With the Colorado Eagles leaving the ECHL next season for the AHL it makes you wonder what is the future of the ECHL west of the Mississippi. Over the last few years the ECHL has lost franchises in Las Vegas, Ontario, Bakersfield, Stockton, Alaska and next year Colorado. Meanwhile it looks like the ECHL will be adding their second franchise in Canada for the 2018-19 season in St. John's, New Foundland and Labrador which is a cool 3000 mile drive from Allen. Here is a story that talks about the happenings in St. John's. https://www.thetelegram.com/sports/hockey/st-johns-echl-bid-strikes-partnership-with-toronto-maple-leafs-sources-179041/
DID YOU KNOW: It will be fun to track the game between the Iserlohn Roosters and Krefeld Pinguine in the top German league (DEL) tomorrow because two former Allen Americans will be playing against each other for the first time. It is not just any two players as they happen to be the two players tied for the all time career lead in goals for the Americans with 98. Chad Costello (Iserlohn) will be headed to Krefeld to play against Greger Hanson. Chad has been in Germany all season even though he missed some games (13) early in the season with an injury. He has played in 31 games and has 25 points (8 goals 15 assists). Greger just recently arrived in Germany after starting the season in the San Diego Gulls (AHL) organization. He has played in six games and has one assist. It won't be a long commute for Chad's team to get to Krefeld as the two communities are only 65 miles a part. The arena holds 9000 for hockey. Game time is 12:30 pm CST. Chad's team should be the favorite as they are in 7th place in the 14 team league with 65 points. Greger's team is in 13th place with 50 points. However, Krefeld will be playing at home and have won three of their last five games while Iserlohn has lost three of their last five games.
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Allen Road Woes Continue, Lose 5-3 to Fort Wayne, Game Recap, Martinson's Comments, Rematch Preview, Steffes Released by Idaho, Allen's Historical Road Record
The Allen Americans lost to the Fort Wayne Komets 5-3 last night before a sold out crowd of 10479 at the Memorial Coliseum. It was Allen's third straight loss and their eighth loss in the last 10 games. The Americans scored first, had a 1-0 lead after the first period, a 2-1 lead after the second period but still found a new way to lose. Prior to last night Allen was a perfect 7-0 on the road and 15-0-0-1 overall when having the lead after the second period.
- The second period has been Allen's undoing recently but last night it was the third period. Just like the loss in Indy on Friday the Americans allowed three goals in three minutes to turn a 2-2 game into a rout.
- The Allen formula for defeat had a familiar ring as the #23 ranked team in the ECHL in shots allowed once again gave up over 40 shots, 42 to be exact. The Americans had 33 shots on goal.
- Special teams cost Allen dearly. The leagues worst road penalty kill failed again giving up two power play goals. The Americans had the #2 ranked power play in the league going into the game but were 0-7 against Fort Wayne's #1 ranked home penalty kill unit.
- The goal scorers for Allen were Casey Pierro-Zabotel (11), Olivier Archambault (13) and Bryan Moore (14). Here are the video highlights: http://www.news-sentinel.com/sports/fort-wayne-komets/2018/01/20/saturdays-komets-allen-highlights/
- The Fort Wayne Komets are fortunate they not only get great fans support but have beat writers from not one but two local papers. Blake Sebring covers the Komets for the News-Sentinel and Justin Cohn covers them for The Journal Gazette. They both do a great job so check out their game recaps complete with post game quotes:
Blake Sebring's game recap: http://www.news-sentinel.com/sports/2018/01/20/komets-thrill-huge-crowd-with-third-period-win/
Justin Cohn's game recap: http://www.journalgazette.net/sports/professional/komets/20180121/komets-break-game-open-in-3rd
- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-losing-streak-hits-three/
- Here are coach Martinson's post game comments:
"We played a solid first half and had several good chances to score more."
"We got hurt by special teams again going 0-7 on the power play while they were 2-6."
"We jumped up shorthanded in a nonscoring situation only to turn the puck over that led to a breakaway goal for them."
"Two key turnovers led directly to goals for them."
"We are going to need to play with less mistakes in order to win on Sunday."
ALLEN VS FORT WAYNE REMATCH PREVIEW
- The Americans finish up their three games in three days road trip with a rematch against Fort Wayne this afternoon. It is a 4:00 pm CST puck drop and the Americans are in desperate need of a win. The trip home is long (975 miles) in the best of circumstances but it will be extra long if they head home going 0-3 on the road trip.
- There are some positives to take from the game last night in that the Americans got off to a good start by scoring the first goal, they won the first period 1-0 and they out shot the Komets 13-12 in the first period. Allen needs to sustain that kind of effort and avoid the lapses that allowed their opponents to score three goals in three minutes in each of the last two nights.
- Coach Martinson talks about lack of puck possession, turnovers and the poor penalty kill after almost every games. It is hard to see Allen winning this afternoon if these three areas don't show improvement.
- Allen and Fort Wayne couldn't be farther apart when it comes to penalty kill stats and the game today will most likely be decided on special teams. The Komets have the #1 home penalty kill percentage at 90.4% while Allen has the #27 ranked road penalty kill percentage at 73.1%. Allen has given up 25 power play goals on the road while Fort Wayne has allowed only eight power play goals at home.
- Goaltending has been a strength for Allen all season but both goalies were pulled in their starts this weekend. They are now ranked #28 & #29 in the ECHL in GAA at 3.13 & 3.15. Much of the high GAA number is attributable to the fact the Americans allow so many shots. Not sure who will get the start in goal today (probably Brodeur) but Allen needs one of those stand on your head efforts to break out of this losing streak.
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Alex Garon (#9) and linesmen Jesse Marquis (#90) and Jake Davis (#91).
OTHER COMMENTS
- With Allen's recent poor performance they are falling further behind in the race for second place in the Mountain Division. Luckily for the Americans only the Colorado Eagles are playing great hockey right now. It is certainly premature to be talking playoffs but the way Colorado is playing you would not want to be the fourth seed and face the Eagles in the first round. Here are the current Mountain Division standings with games played in parentheses. Remember, the top four teams make the playoffs and the top two get home ice advantage in the first round.
60 points - Colorado (38 games)
52 points - Idaho (40 games)
49 points - Wichita (39 games)
45 points - Allen (40 games)
38 points - Tulsa (40 games)
37 points - Utah (40 games)
28 points - Rapid City (38 games)
- One way to look at what teams are playing the best is to compute points earned over the last 10 games. Here are the results for the Mountain Division.
17 points - Colorado
12 points - Rapid City
12 points - Idaho
11 points - Wichita
9 points - Utah
8 points - Tulsa
4 points - Allen
That is a lot of ground lost by the Americans in a short period of time.
- If Allen can salvage a win today in Fort Wayne they will gain some ground because both Idaho and Wichita are idle. Colorado plays at Tulsa.
- You may have noticed in the ECHL transactions yesterday that the Idaho Steelheads released Gary Steffes yesterday and he is eligible for waiver claims again. The Steelheads obviously realized bringing in Gary was not in their best interest so they released him before he ever reported. My understanding is they are still on the hook to pay him for the week after they claimed him through the completion of the waiver process today. Now that Gary has been released by Idaho he could be claimed by any another team. That claim has to be filed by 2:00 pm today. The odds are Gary will clear waivers, become a free agent and could sign with any team at any time. Since he is retired and working for FCA Hockey in Minnesota he is not interested in signing with any team but would like the option to come back to Allen if a short term need arises in the future.
It seems like common sense would imply that when a player is being waived with the highest salary in the ECHL there is a purpose behind the transaction. Add that the player has a full time job with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the waiving team has retired his number and it is pretty clear what is going on. After what happened with Idaho it is hard to believe any other team would be dumb enough to claim Steffes now. We will have the answer this afternoon.
DID YOU KNOW: With the loss last night in Fort Wayne the Allen Americans now have a losing record on the road. Allen has never had a losing road record this late in the season. Historically Allen has been a great road team. Since Steve Martinson became coach, Allen has never had a losing road record and in some years the road record was better than the home record. With 15 road games still to be played the Americans have more road losses than the entire season in 2016-17, 2014-15 and 2012-13. Here is Allen's road record for each season since Martinson became the coach.
2017-18: 10-11-0-0 (after 21 of 36 road games)
2016-17: 24-9-2-1
2015-16: 19-14-1-2
2014-15: 24-8-1-3
2013-14: 19-12-2-0
2012-13: 20-8-5-0
- The second period has been Allen's undoing recently but last night it was the third period. Just like the loss in Indy on Friday the Americans allowed three goals in three minutes to turn a 2-2 game into a rout.
- The Allen formula for defeat had a familiar ring as the #23 ranked team in the ECHL in shots allowed once again gave up over 40 shots, 42 to be exact. The Americans had 33 shots on goal.
- Special teams cost Allen dearly. The leagues worst road penalty kill failed again giving up two power play goals. The Americans had the #2 ranked power play in the league going into the game but were 0-7 against Fort Wayne's #1 ranked home penalty kill unit.
- The goal scorers for Allen were Casey Pierro-Zabotel (11), Olivier Archambault (13) and Bryan Moore (14). Here are the video highlights: http://www.news-sentinel.com/sports/fort-wayne-komets/2018/01/20/saturdays-komets-allen-highlights/
- The Fort Wayne Komets are fortunate they not only get great fans support but have beat writers from not one but two local papers. Blake Sebring covers the Komets for the News-Sentinel and Justin Cohn covers them for The Journal Gazette. They both do a great job so check out their game recaps complete with post game quotes:
Blake Sebring's game recap: http://www.news-sentinel.com/sports/2018/01/20/komets-thrill-huge-crowd-with-third-period-win/
Justin Cohn's game recap: http://www.journalgazette.net/sports/professional/komets/20180121/komets-break-game-open-in-3rd
- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-losing-streak-hits-three/
- Here are coach Martinson's post game comments:
"We played a solid first half and had several good chances to score more."
"We got hurt by special teams again going 0-7 on the power play while they were 2-6."
"We jumped up shorthanded in a nonscoring situation only to turn the puck over that led to a breakaway goal for them."
"Two key turnovers led directly to goals for them."
"We are going to need to play with less mistakes in order to win on Sunday."
ALLEN VS FORT WAYNE REMATCH PREVIEW
- The Americans finish up their three games in three days road trip with a rematch against Fort Wayne this afternoon. It is a 4:00 pm CST puck drop and the Americans are in desperate need of a win. The trip home is long (975 miles) in the best of circumstances but it will be extra long if they head home going 0-3 on the road trip.
- There are some positives to take from the game last night in that the Americans got off to a good start by scoring the first goal, they won the first period 1-0 and they out shot the Komets 13-12 in the first period. Allen needs to sustain that kind of effort and avoid the lapses that allowed their opponents to score three goals in three minutes in each of the last two nights.
- Coach Martinson talks about lack of puck possession, turnovers and the poor penalty kill after almost every games. It is hard to see Allen winning this afternoon if these three areas don't show improvement.
- Allen and Fort Wayne couldn't be farther apart when it comes to penalty kill stats and the game today will most likely be decided on special teams. The Komets have the #1 home penalty kill percentage at 90.4% while Allen has the #27 ranked road penalty kill percentage at 73.1%. Allen has given up 25 power play goals on the road while Fort Wayne has allowed only eight power play goals at home.
- Goaltending has been a strength for Allen all season but both goalies were pulled in their starts this weekend. They are now ranked #28 & #29 in the ECHL in GAA at 3.13 & 3.15. Much of the high GAA number is attributable to the fact the Americans allow so many shots. Not sure who will get the start in goal today (probably Brodeur) but Allen needs one of those stand on your head efforts to break out of this losing streak.
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Alex Garon (#9) and linesmen Jesse Marquis (#90) and Jake Davis (#91).
OTHER COMMENTS
- With Allen's recent poor performance they are falling further behind in the race for second place in the Mountain Division. Luckily for the Americans only the Colorado Eagles are playing great hockey right now. It is certainly premature to be talking playoffs but the way Colorado is playing you would not want to be the fourth seed and face the Eagles in the first round. Here are the current Mountain Division standings with games played in parentheses. Remember, the top four teams make the playoffs and the top two get home ice advantage in the first round.
60 points - Colorado (38 games)
52 points - Idaho (40 games)
49 points - Wichita (39 games)
45 points - Allen (40 games)
38 points - Tulsa (40 games)
37 points - Utah (40 games)
28 points - Rapid City (38 games)
- One way to look at what teams are playing the best is to compute points earned over the last 10 games. Here are the results for the Mountain Division.
17 points - Colorado
12 points - Rapid City
12 points - Idaho
11 points - Wichita
9 points - Utah
8 points - Tulsa
4 points - Allen
That is a lot of ground lost by the Americans in a short period of time.
- If Allen can salvage a win today in Fort Wayne they will gain some ground because both Idaho and Wichita are idle. Colorado plays at Tulsa.
- You may have noticed in the ECHL transactions yesterday that the Idaho Steelheads released Gary Steffes yesterday and he is eligible for waiver claims again. The Steelheads obviously realized bringing in Gary was not in their best interest so they released him before he ever reported. My understanding is they are still on the hook to pay him for the week after they claimed him through the completion of the waiver process today. Now that Gary has been released by Idaho he could be claimed by any another team. That claim has to be filed by 2:00 pm today. The odds are Gary will clear waivers, become a free agent and could sign with any team at any time. Since he is retired and working for FCA Hockey in Minnesota he is not interested in signing with any team but would like the option to come back to Allen if a short term need arises in the future.
It seems like common sense would imply that when a player is being waived with the highest salary in the ECHL there is a purpose behind the transaction. Add that the player has a full time job with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the waiving team has retired his number and it is pretty clear what is going on. After what happened with Idaho it is hard to believe any other team would be dumb enough to claim Steffes now. We will have the answer this afternoon.
DID YOU KNOW: With the loss last night in Fort Wayne the Allen Americans now have a losing record on the road. Allen has never had a losing road record this late in the season. Historically Allen has been a great road team. Since Steve Martinson became coach, Allen has never had a losing road record and in some years the road record was better than the home record. With 15 road games still to be played the Americans have more road losses than the entire season in 2016-17, 2014-15 and 2012-13. Here is Allen's road record for each season since Martinson became the coach.
2017-18: 10-11-0-0 (after 21 of 36 road games)
2016-17: 24-9-2-1
2015-16: 19-14-1-2
2014-15: 24-8-1-3
2013-14: 19-12-2-0
2012-13: 20-8-5-0
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