It was the type of practice you might expect after playing three games in three days, traveling 1000 miles back home from Jacksonville and taking Monday off to recuperate. A lot of drills working on strategy with some skating drills at the end (without the puck) working on conditioning. You might think 50 games into the season everyone would be in peak condition but not the case according to coach Martinson and it isn't just what happens on the ice. For players to be in peak condition they need to combine hard work on the ice with an off ice strength and fitness program along with good nutritional habits.
- There are a few guys banged up and/or sick but everyone with the exception of Zach Hall should be ready to go for the games against Utah on Friday and Saturday.
- Wichita was in Cincinnati last night and beat the Cyclones 3-2 to move back in a tie with Allen for third place in the Mountain Division with 56 points. The Thunder still have two games in hand over the Americans. Wichita plays Rapid City at home three times this weekend.
- The men's Olympic hockey tournament got underway today with Slovenia upsetting the USA 3-2 in overtime. Here is the game recap: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/sports/Olympic-Men-Hockey-USA-Slovenia-474027103.html
- Here is the best article I have seen about the tournament, the history, the teams, the players and the rules that will get you all prepared for Olympic hockey that culminates in the gold medal game on February 25. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2755294-olympic-mens-hockey-2018-complete-guide-to-pyeongchang-winter-games
- Florida Everblades goalie Martin Ouellette was named Goalie of the Week by the ECHL yesterday. I am sure Allen would agree with this selection since Ouellette allowed the Americans just one goal in two games. In three appearances last week he was 3-0 with a GAA of 0.67 and save percentage of .975. Here is the press release with all of the details. https://www.echl.com/playeraward/ouellette-named-ccm-echl-goaltender-week-feb-13
- Here is a list of Allen's top 10 point scorers if you look at average points per game:
1.63 - Olivier Archambault
1.19 - Zach Pochiro
1.06 - Casey Pierro-Zabotel
1.00 - Bryan Moore
1.00 - Gary Steffes
0.93 - David Makowski
0.86 - Vincent Arseneau
0.78 - Alex Guptill (Allen games only)
0.75 - Joel Chouinard
0.63 - Colby McAuley
- The Allen Americans have used 31 different players so far this season which is a little on the low side compared to most ECHL teams. Colorado and Kalamazoo have used the fewest players (26). Norfolk (46) and Brampton (45) have used the most players.
- Aaron Dell is making $625,000 as the San Jose Sharks backup goalie this season but will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and will undoubtedly sign a multi year, multi million dollar contract with some NHL team. When you think it was just a few years ago Dell was playing in Allen making less per day than his meal money is in the NHL. Here is a story where Dell talks about how he tries not to think about the upcoming free agency and is living in the moment. https://www.nhl.com/news/aaron-dell-living-in-moment-with-sharks/c-295902414
- The conversation about the line brawl between Kansas City and Toledo over the weekend doesn't seem to be quieting down. Players, coaches and front offices continue to share their points of view and as you might imagine they are very different. Joe Rozycki from Team Sin Bin, who covers the Mavericks, shared his thoughts on this incident but also shares his perspective more broadly related to fighting and violence in hockey. My view on this topic is the ECHL is moving away from fighters who can't play to players with skill that can fight. A good read on this topic from Joe. By the way the league has not handed out suspensions from this incident as of this morning: http://thesinbin.net/klotz-the-fallout/
DID YOU KNOW: I recently saw a NHL stat called "highest percentage of team goals involved in" which had Connor McDavid at the top with 43.8% followed by Jack Eichel with 42.7%. I decided to take a look at the top three scorers in the ECHL as of today and see what percent of their team's goals they have been involved in with either the goal or an assist. Here are the percentages:
60 points: Shawn Szydlowski - Fort Wayne - 29.0%
58 points: Justin Danforth - Cincinnati - 36.7%
54 points: Casey Pierro-Zabotel - Allen - 32.1%
Since Chad Costello was the most prolific scorer in the ECHL in the last 20 years I decided to look at his three seasons in Allen to see what percent of the goals he was involved in and saw numbers that rival the best in the NHL. Just another stat that shows how valuable Chad was in Allen.
46.0% - 2015-16
42.8% - 2014-15
41.5% - 2016-17
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
To Win the Kelly Cup Why You Must Finish #1 or #2 in Your Division, In-Depth Look at Allen's Schedule Over Remaining 21 Games and More
The Allen Americans have just nine road games and 12 home games remaining in the season and the playoffs are right around the corner. I thought today would be a good time to take stock in what lies ahead for the Americans as they pursue their third Kelly Cup in four years.
- You often hear all you have to do is make the playoffs and then anything can happen. You also may have heard about the curse of being the best team during the regular season spelling doom in the playoffs. I decided to take a look at the last 10 years and see how the Kelly Cup champions fared in the regular season. Here is what I found.
- Winning the Brabham Cup (most points in the regular season) is not a good predictor of winning in the playoffs. Just three times in the last 10 years has the regular season champion gone on to win the Kelly Cup. It has only happened five times in the 29 year history of the league. So you can see why some say winning the regular season is a curse in the playoffs. Only 17% of the time has the best team during the regular season gone on to win the Kelly Cup.
- How does the theory that all you have to do is make the playoffs and then anything can happen hold up? Turns out not so good. In the last 10 years the Kelly Cup champion finished first or second in their division nine times. Florida was the lone exception when they won the Kelly Cup in 2012. They finished third in the division, fourth in the conference and had the seventh best record in the league during the regular season. Turns out Florida was a very good team in a tough South Division.
- When Allen won their first Kelly Cup in 2015 they were #1 in the Central Division, #1 in the Western Conference and #2 in the ECHL. They had 106 points in the regular season.
- When Allen won their second Kelly Cup in 2016 they had 89 points in the regular season which placed them #2 in the Central Division, #3 in the Western Conference and #5 in the ECHL.
- In the last 10 seasons no team has won the Kelly Cup from lower than fourth place in their conference. Here is how the last 10 champions finished the regular season in their conference.
1st place - 5 times
2nd place - 1 time
3rd place - 2 times
4th place - 2 times
- In the last 10 seasons the Kelly Cup champion has finished no lower than seventh place in the overall regular season standings. Here is the breakdown:
1st place - 3 times
2nd place - 2 times
3rd place - 1 time
4th place - 1 time
5th place - 2 times
7th place - 1 time
- The conclusion I draw from the info above is ECHL fans that are hoping that their favorite team just makes the playoffs need to reassess and hope they finish in the top two in their division if they stand any chance of winning the Kelly Cup.
- So what does this all mean for the Allen Americans? They have a record of 25-20-4-2 (56 points) with 21 games left in the regular season. They are currently #3 in the Mountain Division, #7 in the Western Conference and #13 in the ECHL. When you remember no team in the last 10 years has won the Kelly Cup from lower than #4 in their conference and #7 overall in the ECHL, the Americans have some work to do over the next 21 games.
- Here is how the final 21 games of the season break down for Allen. There are 12 at home and nine on the road. Six of the nine road games are on the longest trip of the season for the Americans when they travel to Idaho, Utah, Rapid City and Colorado between March 7-18. Allen finishes the season with eight of their last nine games at home. Other than one game in Wichita on April 3, the Americans will be at home from March 19 until the end of the regular season on April 7.
- Allen plays 17 of their last 21 games against Mountain Division opponents. The four games out of the division are all against Kansas City. Here are the final 21 games by opponent showing home and away games.
4 games - Colorado (2 home 2 away)
4 games - Utah (2 home 2 away)
4 games - Kansas City (2 home 2 away)
3 games - Idaho (2 home 1 away)
3 games - Rapid City (2 home 1 away)
2 games - Wichita (1 home 1 away)
1 game - Tulsa (1 home 0 away)
- If you combine the records of the seven teams Allen must play in the last 21 games of the season the total is 164-143-23-14 and their winning percentage is .531. Here are the winning percentages for each team.
.698 - Colorado
.633 - Idaho
.563 - Wichita
.549 - ALLEN
.510 - Kansas City
.480 - Tulsa
.440 - Utah
.396 - Rapid City
- Allen is currently in third place in the Mountain Division, two points ahead of Wichita and six points behind Idaho. The gaps are misleading because the Americans have played 51 games, Wichita 48 and Idaho 49.
- In order to have a realistic chance to win the Kelly Cup the Americans need to finish no lower than second place in the Mountain Division. Their record over these last 21 games doesn't have to be as dramatic as last season when Allen was 8-11 going into December and went 41-6-4-2 the rest of the way. The Americans finished the season on a streak of 15-0-1-0 to overtake Colorado and earn the top seed in the division. What Allen does need to do is play more consistent hockey down the stretch and start piling up wins.
- There are four teams vying for the top two spots in the Division and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Based on history the teams that finish third and fourth have virtually no chance of winning the Kelly Cup. Here are the games remaining for the four teams that will battle it out for the top two spots. Colorado and Idaho have a leg up at this point but there is still time for Allen and Wichita to make up ground. Here are the games remaining for all four teams:
24 games - Colorado (10 home 14 away)
24 games - Wichita (11 home 13 away)
23 games - Idaho (11 home 12 away)
21 games - Allen (12 home 9 away)
- If Allen is going to make a run at second place they need to get the vast majority of points over the next three weekends when they play six games against teams that are outside of the playoffs and have a combined winning percentage of .449. Next weekend the Americans are at home against Utah, the following weekend (February 23 & 24) they are in Kansas City and the next weekend (March 2 & 3) they are at home against Rapid City.
- The last two weekends of the season Allen plays Colorado (March 30 & 31) and Idaho (April 6 & 7) at home. Wouldn't it be nice if first and second place in the division was still in play at that time.
DID YOU KNOW: Here are the regular season points for the Kelly Cup champions over the last 10 years and where they ranked in the ECHL in points.
2017 - Colorado 99 points - 3rd
2016 - Allen 89 points - 5th
2015 - Allen 106 points - 2nd
2014 - Alaska 97 points - 1st
2013 - Reading 99 points - 2nd
2012 - Florida 85 points - 7th
2011 - Alaska 97 points - 1st
2010 - Cincinnati 91 points - 5th
2009 - South Carolina 90 points - 4th
2008 - Cincinnati 115 points - 1st
- You often hear all you have to do is make the playoffs and then anything can happen. You also may have heard about the curse of being the best team during the regular season spelling doom in the playoffs. I decided to take a look at the last 10 years and see how the Kelly Cup champions fared in the regular season. Here is what I found.
- Winning the Brabham Cup (most points in the regular season) is not a good predictor of winning in the playoffs. Just three times in the last 10 years has the regular season champion gone on to win the Kelly Cup. It has only happened five times in the 29 year history of the league. So you can see why some say winning the regular season is a curse in the playoffs. Only 17% of the time has the best team during the regular season gone on to win the Kelly Cup.
- How does the theory that all you have to do is make the playoffs and then anything can happen hold up? Turns out not so good. In the last 10 years the Kelly Cup champion finished first or second in their division nine times. Florida was the lone exception when they won the Kelly Cup in 2012. They finished third in the division, fourth in the conference and had the seventh best record in the league during the regular season. Turns out Florida was a very good team in a tough South Division.
- When Allen won their first Kelly Cup in 2015 they were #1 in the Central Division, #1 in the Western Conference and #2 in the ECHL. They had 106 points in the regular season.
- When Allen won their second Kelly Cup in 2016 they had 89 points in the regular season which placed them #2 in the Central Division, #3 in the Western Conference and #5 in the ECHL.
- In the last 10 seasons no team has won the Kelly Cup from lower than fourth place in their conference. Here is how the last 10 champions finished the regular season in their conference.
1st place - 5 times
2nd place - 1 time
3rd place - 2 times
4th place - 2 times
- In the last 10 seasons the Kelly Cup champion has finished no lower than seventh place in the overall regular season standings. Here is the breakdown:
1st place - 3 times
2nd place - 2 times
3rd place - 1 time
4th place - 1 time
5th place - 2 times
7th place - 1 time
- The conclusion I draw from the info above is ECHL fans that are hoping that their favorite team just makes the playoffs need to reassess and hope they finish in the top two in their division if they stand any chance of winning the Kelly Cup.
- So what does this all mean for the Allen Americans? They have a record of 25-20-4-2 (56 points) with 21 games left in the regular season. They are currently #3 in the Mountain Division, #7 in the Western Conference and #13 in the ECHL. When you remember no team in the last 10 years has won the Kelly Cup from lower than #4 in their conference and #7 overall in the ECHL, the Americans have some work to do over the next 21 games.
- Here is how the final 21 games of the season break down for Allen. There are 12 at home and nine on the road. Six of the nine road games are on the longest trip of the season for the Americans when they travel to Idaho, Utah, Rapid City and Colorado between March 7-18. Allen finishes the season with eight of their last nine games at home. Other than one game in Wichita on April 3, the Americans will be at home from March 19 until the end of the regular season on April 7.
- Allen plays 17 of their last 21 games against Mountain Division opponents. The four games out of the division are all against Kansas City. Here are the final 21 games by opponent showing home and away games.
4 games - Colorado (2 home 2 away)
4 games - Utah (2 home 2 away)
4 games - Kansas City (2 home 2 away)
3 games - Idaho (2 home 1 away)
3 games - Rapid City (2 home 1 away)
2 games - Wichita (1 home 1 away)
1 game - Tulsa (1 home 0 away)
- If you combine the records of the seven teams Allen must play in the last 21 games of the season the total is 164-143-23-14 and their winning percentage is .531. Here are the winning percentages for each team.
.698 - Colorado
.633 - Idaho
.563 - Wichita
.549 - ALLEN
.510 - Kansas City
.480 - Tulsa
.440 - Utah
.396 - Rapid City
- Allen is currently in third place in the Mountain Division, two points ahead of Wichita and six points behind Idaho. The gaps are misleading because the Americans have played 51 games, Wichita 48 and Idaho 49.
- In order to have a realistic chance to win the Kelly Cup the Americans need to finish no lower than second place in the Mountain Division. Their record over these last 21 games doesn't have to be as dramatic as last season when Allen was 8-11 going into December and went 41-6-4-2 the rest of the way. The Americans finished the season on a streak of 15-0-1-0 to overtake Colorado and earn the top seed in the division. What Allen does need to do is play more consistent hockey down the stretch and start piling up wins.
- There are four teams vying for the top two spots in the Division and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Based on history the teams that finish third and fourth have virtually no chance of winning the Kelly Cup. Here are the games remaining for the four teams that will battle it out for the top two spots. Colorado and Idaho have a leg up at this point but there is still time for Allen and Wichita to make up ground. Here are the games remaining for all four teams:
24 games - Colorado (10 home 14 away)
24 games - Wichita (11 home 13 away)
23 games - Idaho (11 home 12 away)
21 games - Allen (12 home 9 away)
- If Allen is going to make a run at second place they need to get the vast majority of points over the next three weekends when they play six games against teams that are outside of the playoffs and have a combined winning percentage of .449. Next weekend the Americans are at home against Utah, the following weekend (February 23 & 24) they are in Kansas City and the next weekend (March 2 & 3) they are at home against Rapid City.
- The last two weekends of the season Allen plays Colorado (March 30 & 31) and Idaho (April 6 & 7) at home. Wouldn't it be nice if first and second place in the division was still in play at that time.
DID YOU KNOW: Here are the regular season points for the Kelly Cup champions over the last 10 years and where they ranked in the ECHL in points.
2017 - Colorado 99 points - 3rd
2016 - Allen 89 points - 5th
2015 - Allen 106 points - 2nd
2014 - Alaska 97 points - 1st
2013 - Reading 99 points - 2nd
2012 - Florida 85 points - 7th
2011 - Alaska 97 points - 1st
2010 - Cincinnati 91 points - 5th
2009 - South Carolina 90 points - 4th
2008 - Cincinnati 115 points - 1st
Monday, February 12, 2018
Allen Beats Jacksonville 3-1 in Gutsy Performance, Game Recap, Martinson's Comments, Line Brawl Aftermath, Allen Shutout Record and More
It was the last of a four game swing through the South Division and the first three ended in losses. The first loss came on Tuesday in Atlanta (3-2) where the Americans really did snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Allen scored a go ahead goal with 22 seconds remaining in the game only to turn around and allow the Gladiators to tie the game with less than a second left. Atlanta went on to win in a shootout. The Americans then went to south Florida and got waxed by the Everblades 4-0 on Friday and 4-1 on Saturday.
- Allen had to travel all night just to get from south Florida to Jacksonville, arriving at their hotel at 5:00 am. After three disappointing losses the Americans had to get ready for their third game in 43 hours and 30 minutes. To make matters worse the Jacksonville Icemen were coming into the game well rested and riding a three game win streak. Jacksonville had played just one game over the weekend and it was at home. They beat Atlanta 3-1 Saturday night.
- The Americans put in a gutsy performance against Jacksonville and came away with a 3-1 victory and two big points to end the road trip.
- It didn't look good for Allen as they took two penalties 38 seconds apart early in the first period to give Jacksonville a long 5-on-3 opportunity. The penalty kill unit and Jeremy Brodeur did a good job and killed off the penalties. The Icemen had a 10-0 shot advantage before Allen got their first shot on goal nine minutes into the first period. It looked like another long game for the Americans but everything changed at the 14:37 mark when Casey Pierro-Zabotel put in a rebound off a Colby McAuley shot. It was Casey's 14th goal of the season. Scoring that first goal was huge and even though they were out shot 15-3 in the first period the Americans took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
- How big was scoring that first goal? Allen hadn't accomplished that against Atlanta or Florida and lost all three games. Their record when scoring first is 20-4-1-0 so that first goal was huge. Having the first period lead was also a good sign as the Americans are 18-4-1-0 when leading after the first period.
- Allen played a great second period out shooting Jacksonville 11-4. They padded their lead to 2-0 on another rebound goal. Miles Liberati took a shot from the point that went off Alex Guptill's stick to Zach Pochiro who was at the side of the goal. Zach put it in the net for his 11th goal of the season. That is 11 goals in 21 games for Pochiro. At that pace if Zach had not been injured he would be pushing 30 goals by now.
- When Allen took a 2-0 lead into the locker room after the second period it was a very big indicator of a win. Allen's record when leading after the second period is 19-2-0-1.
- Jacksonville made the score 2-1 with a goal at the 7:02 mark of the third period but Bryan Moore scored his 15th goal of the season at 13:56 to give Allen its two goal margin back. The Icemen had five shots on goal in the last minute of play when they had a 6-on-4 power play but Brodeur came up big and Allen earned their 3-1 win. Brodeur stopped 32 of 33 shots in the game for a save percentage of .970.
- In the game preview yesterday I had this to say: Coach Martinson often says in games like today "your best players have to step up and be the best players." David Makowski hasn't had a point in the last three games and is -4. Bryan Moore hasn't scored a goal in 10 games. Eric Roy doesn't have a point in the last 10 games. Casey Pierro-Zabotel has one assist and is -4 in the last three games. Despite being exhausted look for a big game from the team leaders today.
As you might expect when things get tough the tough get going and all four players contributed to the victory. David Makowski assisted on the first goal and was +1, Bryan Moore had a goal, an assist, was +2 and the #3 star of the game, Casey Pierro-Zabotel had the first goal of the game and was +1 and Eric Roy had the only assist on Bryan Moore's goal and was +1.
- Here is the video highlight package courtesy of ECHL Rewind that includes all of the goals plus a great save by Jeremy Brodeur on a breakaway. You will notice on the breakaway the Allen player on the side boards has a skate problem at the wrong time. https://www.echl.com/
- Here is the game recap from the Jacksonville Icemen: https://www.jacksonvilleicemen.com/news/allen-holds-off-icemen-sunday/
- Zach Hall took at hit late in the game and had trouble getting off the ice. Zach has had trouble staying healthy this season playing in only 23 of Allen's 51 games. Zach just returned to the lineup this weekend after sitting out with an injury since the end of December. No official word from the team but it looks like Zach will be out of the line up again with an injury.
STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS
"It was a painful start to the game when they had a 10-0 shot advantage."
"Getting that first goal was big and we definitely got better as the game progressed."
"We needed our goalie to be sharp and Jeremy Brodeur was certainly that today."
"It has been a long trip and it will be good to get home."
OTHER COMMENTS
- The Americans climbed on the bus right after the game for the 1000 mile trip back to Allen. They were expected to arrive back in Allen around 10:30 this morning.
- Allen will have a lot of down time the next three weeks as they will only play on Fridays and Saturdays. Next weekend is at home against Utah, the following weekend (February 23 & 24) they are in Kansas City and the next weekend (March 2 & 3) they are at home against Rapid City. You add it all up and the Americans play six games in 23 days.
- The Fort Wayne Komets are 10-1-1 over the last 12 games but got beat yesterday by as good as a goalie performance as you will ever see. Quad City Mallards goalie C.J. Motte made 60 saves during regulation and overtime and then stopped all three shootout participants to lead the Mallards to a 4-3 win. Here is the full story on an amazing performance by Motte from Blake Sebring of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel: http://www.news-sentinel.com/sports/2018/02/11/mallards-c-j-motte-steals-a-win-from-komets/
- Wichita lost their fifth straight game yesterday when they were shutout by Toledo 1-0. The Walleye are the hottest team in the league right now having won eight straight. The only goal of the game came with less than four minutes remaining. Here is a game recap: http://www.toledoblade.com/Pro/2018/02/11/Walleye-blank-Wichita-1-0.html
- There is still a lot of buzz about the line brawl started by Kansas City's Garrett Klotz in Toledo on Saturday night. Here is a story from the Toledo Blade with their point of view on the incident and what they think should happen to Klotz. http://www.toledoblade.com/DavidBriggs/2018/02/11/ECHL-needs-to-boot-Kansas-City-goon-out-of-league.html
- If you haven't seen the full interview with Toledo defenseman Kevin Tansey about the line brawl on Saturday it is at the bottom of this story and worth taking a look at. Kevin played in Kansas City last season as a rookie and was the Mavericks representative at the ECHL All-Star game. You rarely see a player being so candid on the record. http://www.wtol.com/story/37477338/line-brawl-inc-goalies-wild-fight-at-saturdays-walleye-game
- Kansas City fans are not happy with the negative publicity this incident has brought to the Mavericks and were disappointed when the team signed Klotz just one week ago. Team Sin Bin's Zach Courter shares his thoughts and the reaction from Kansas City fans: http://thesinbin.net/mavericks-fans-are-disappointed-and-they-should-be/
- Klotz will obviously get suspended by the league but it remains to be seen how severe this incident is seen. To me it is not as severe as the Ben Wilson incident last season. The cross checks were not to the head and there weren't as many. Wilson is the captain of the team, plays regularly and has been in Kalamazoo for five years. On the other hand Klotz doesn't get many shifts and has played for many teams over the years including three different teams this season. His only role is to be an enforcer and he is a repeat offender. Sometimes these things come down to where you sit is where you stand so no matter what the ECHL decides some will think it is not enough games and others will think it is too severe. It is an opportunity for the ECHL to take a stand and make it clear this type of behavior will not be tolerated.
- Despite going 1-2-0-1 on their road trip to the South Division the Americans are coming home having passed Wichita for third place. Allen is two points ahead of Wichita and seven points ahead of fifth place Tulsa.
DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans have already been shutout twice as many times this season than any other season since joining the ECHL in 2014. Here are the shutouts by year both home and away.
2017-18 - 4 (3 away, 1 home) - Thru 51 games
2016-17 - 2 (1 away, 1 home)
2015-16 - 2 (1 away, 1 home)
2014-14 - 1 (0 away, 1 home)
- Allen had to travel all night just to get from south Florida to Jacksonville, arriving at their hotel at 5:00 am. After three disappointing losses the Americans had to get ready for their third game in 43 hours and 30 minutes. To make matters worse the Jacksonville Icemen were coming into the game well rested and riding a three game win streak. Jacksonville had played just one game over the weekend and it was at home. They beat Atlanta 3-1 Saturday night.
- The Americans put in a gutsy performance against Jacksonville and came away with a 3-1 victory and two big points to end the road trip.
- It didn't look good for Allen as they took two penalties 38 seconds apart early in the first period to give Jacksonville a long 5-on-3 opportunity. The penalty kill unit and Jeremy Brodeur did a good job and killed off the penalties. The Icemen had a 10-0 shot advantage before Allen got their first shot on goal nine minutes into the first period. It looked like another long game for the Americans but everything changed at the 14:37 mark when Casey Pierro-Zabotel put in a rebound off a Colby McAuley shot. It was Casey's 14th goal of the season. Scoring that first goal was huge and even though they were out shot 15-3 in the first period the Americans took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
- How big was scoring that first goal? Allen hadn't accomplished that against Atlanta or Florida and lost all three games. Their record when scoring first is 20-4-1-0 so that first goal was huge. Having the first period lead was also a good sign as the Americans are 18-4-1-0 when leading after the first period.
- Allen played a great second period out shooting Jacksonville 11-4. They padded their lead to 2-0 on another rebound goal. Miles Liberati took a shot from the point that went off Alex Guptill's stick to Zach Pochiro who was at the side of the goal. Zach put it in the net for his 11th goal of the season. That is 11 goals in 21 games for Pochiro. At that pace if Zach had not been injured he would be pushing 30 goals by now.
- When Allen took a 2-0 lead into the locker room after the second period it was a very big indicator of a win. Allen's record when leading after the second period is 19-2-0-1.
- Jacksonville made the score 2-1 with a goal at the 7:02 mark of the third period but Bryan Moore scored his 15th goal of the season at 13:56 to give Allen its two goal margin back. The Icemen had five shots on goal in the last minute of play when they had a 6-on-4 power play but Brodeur came up big and Allen earned their 3-1 win. Brodeur stopped 32 of 33 shots in the game for a save percentage of .970.
- In the game preview yesterday I had this to say: Coach Martinson often says in games like today "your best players have to step up and be the best players." David Makowski hasn't had a point in the last three games and is -4. Bryan Moore hasn't scored a goal in 10 games. Eric Roy doesn't have a point in the last 10 games. Casey Pierro-Zabotel has one assist and is -4 in the last three games. Despite being exhausted look for a big game from the team leaders today.
As you might expect when things get tough the tough get going and all four players contributed to the victory. David Makowski assisted on the first goal and was +1, Bryan Moore had a goal, an assist, was +2 and the #3 star of the game, Casey Pierro-Zabotel had the first goal of the game and was +1 and Eric Roy had the only assist on Bryan Moore's goal and was +1.
- Here is the video highlight package courtesy of ECHL Rewind that includes all of the goals plus a great save by Jeremy Brodeur on a breakaway. You will notice on the breakaway the Allen player on the side boards has a skate problem at the wrong time. https://www.echl.com/
- Here is the game recap from the Jacksonville Icemen: https://www.jacksonvilleicemen.com/news/allen-holds-off-icemen-sunday/
- Zach Hall took at hit late in the game and had trouble getting off the ice. Zach has had trouble staying healthy this season playing in only 23 of Allen's 51 games. Zach just returned to the lineup this weekend after sitting out with an injury since the end of December. No official word from the team but it looks like Zach will be out of the line up again with an injury.
STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS
"It was a painful start to the game when they had a 10-0 shot advantage."
"Getting that first goal was big and we definitely got better as the game progressed."
"We needed our goalie to be sharp and Jeremy Brodeur was certainly that today."
"It has been a long trip and it will be good to get home."
OTHER COMMENTS
- The Americans climbed on the bus right after the game for the 1000 mile trip back to Allen. They were expected to arrive back in Allen around 10:30 this morning.
- Allen will have a lot of down time the next three weeks as they will only play on Fridays and Saturdays. Next weekend is at home against Utah, the following weekend (February 23 & 24) they are in Kansas City and the next weekend (March 2 & 3) they are at home against Rapid City. You add it all up and the Americans play six games in 23 days.
- The Fort Wayne Komets are 10-1-1 over the last 12 games but got beat yesterday by as good as a goalie performance as you will ever see. Quad City Mallards goalie C.J. Motte made 60 saves during regulation and overtime and then stopped all three shootout participants to lead the Mallards to a 4-3 win. Here is the full story on an amazing performance by Motte from Blake Sebring of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel: http://www.news-sentinel.com/sports/2018/02/11/mallards-c-j-motte-steals-a-win-from-komets/
- Wichita lost their fifth straight game yesterday when they were shutout by Toledo 1-0. The Walleye are the hottest team in the league right now having won eight straight. The only goal of the game came with less than four minutes remaining. Here is a game recap: http://www.toledoblade.com/Pro/2018/02/11/Walleye-blank-Wichita-1-0.html
- There is still a lot of buzz about the line brawl started by Kansas City's Garrett Klotz in Toledo on Saturday night. Here is a story from the Toledo Blade with their point of view on the incident and what they think should happen to Klotz. http://www.toledoblade.com/DavidBriggs/2018/02/11/ECHL-needs-to-boot-Kansas-City-goon-out-of-league.html
- If you haven't seen the full interview with Toledo defenseman Kevin Tansey about the line brawl on Saturday it is at the bottom of this story and worth taking a look at. Kevin played in Kansas City last season as a rookie and was the Mavericks representative at the ECHL All-Star game. You rarely see a player being so candid on the record. http://www.wtol.com/story/37477338/line-brawl-inc-goalies-wild-fight-at-saturdays-walleye-game
- Kansas City fans are not happy with the negative publicity this incident has brought to the Mavericks and were disappointed when the team signed Klotz just one week ago. Team Sin Bin's Zach Courter shares his thoughts and the reaction from Kansas City fans: http://thesinbin.net/mavericks-fans-are-disappointed-and-they-should-be/
- Klotz will obviously get suspended by the league but it remains to be seen how severe this incident is seen. To me it is not as severe as the Ben Wilson incident last season. The cross checks were not to the head and there weren't as many. Wilson is the captain of the team, plays regularly and has been in Kalamazoo for five years. On the other hand Klotz doesn't get many shifts and has played for many teams over the years including three different teams this season. His only role is to be an enforcer and he is a repeat offender. Sometimes these things come down to where you sit is where you stand so no matter what the ECHL decides some will think it is not enough games and others will think it is too severe. It is an opportunity for the ECHL to take a stand and make it clear this type of behavior will not be tolerated.
- Despite going 1-2-0-1 on their road trip to the South Division the Americans are coming home having passed Wichita for third place. Allen is two points ahead of Wichita and seven points ahead of fifth place Tulsa.
DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans have already been shutout twice as many times this season than any other season since joining the ECHL in 2014. Here are the shutouts by year both home and away.
2017-18 - 4 (3 away, 1 home) - Thru 51 games
2016-17 - 2 (1 away, 1 home)
2015-16 - 2 (1 away, 1 home)
2014-14 - 1 (0 away, 1 home)
Sunday, February 11, 2018
Allen Loses 4-1 to Florida, Game Recap, Martinson's Comment, Allen vs Jacksonville Preview, Toledo vs KC Line Brawl, Allen Already with More Losses than Last Season
It was another dominate victory by the Florida Everblades last night as they beat the Allen Americans 4-1 before a crowd of 6343 at Germain Arena. I am sure the Americans were not looking forward to a 300 mile bus ride to Jacksonville after the loss but then again they were probably happy to get out of South Florida after two dismal performances. The Florida Everblades showed why they are the top team in the ECHL by outscoring Allen 8-1 and out shooting the Americans 66-42 over the two games.
- The die was cast when Allen gave up the first goal of the game with 49 seconds left in the first period. Giving up a goal in the last minute of a period is always a momentum killer and it has happened to the Americans a lot this season. To make matters worse the Everblades 1-0 lead after the first period was also a bad sign. They haven't lost a game the entire season when leading after the first period.
- The highlight of the game and as it turned out the highlight of the two games against Florida was a Joel Chouinard power play goal at the 13:19 mark of the second period. It was a great play that made the score 2-1 but that is as close as the Americans got. Florida scored two unanswered third period goals to make the final score 4-1.
- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-fall-everblades-4-1/
- Here is the game recap from the Florida Everblades: http://www.floridaeverblades.com/2018/02/blades-pretty-pink-4-1-win-allen/
- Coach Martinson's comment to me this morning after the two losses in Florida, "They were better than us. We have some work to do before we can beat them."
ALLEN VS JACKSONVILLE GAME PREVIEW
- No rest for the weary Americans as exactly 17 hours and 21 minutes after the final horn in Estero the puck will drop in Jacksonville (2:00 pm CST). My guess is the team didn't get into their hotel rooms in Jacksonville until between 4:00 am - 5:00 am this morning.
- Jacksonville will be the more rested team for sure. They didn't play on Friday and they played last night at home beating Atlanta 3-1. The Icemen are still mired in last place in the South Division but have points in three straight games and a 10 game record of 5-4-0-1 which is better than Allen's record over the last 10 games of 4-5-0-1.
- Inconsistency has been the hallmark of the Allen Americans team this season. Just since January 15 they have lost six straight games, then won four straight and now have lost three straight.
- The Americans only goal in two games in Florida was on the power play but they were 1-13 against the Everblades. Allen still has the best power play percentage in the Mountain Division (18.3%) but have just two power play goals in their last 26 opportunities (7.7%). The power play could be difference in the matinee this afternoon. Jacksonville has the worst power play in the ECHL by far at 9.5%. They have only 19 power play goals all season compared to Allen who has 40 power play goals.
- Allen has given up at least one goal in their last eight periods of play. If they expect to win in Jacksonville they will have to put an end to that streak.
- Reunions with former Allen players continues today. It was Rick Pinkston in Atlanta, Kyle Neuber in Florida and today it is fan favorite Tanner Eberle. Tanner was hot the first part of January with eight points (4 goals 4 assists) in seven games but has been in a slump recently. Eberle had his first point (assist) in eight games in the Icemen's win last night. Keep an eye on #29 this afternoon as I am sure he will have a good game against his old teammates.
- Here is how Allen and Jacksonville rank in the ECHL in major statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (21.77) - Jacksonville 4th (18.69)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 9th (3.37) - Jacksonville 24th (2.72)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 14th (3.29) - Jacksonville 17th (3.39)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 15th (32.45) - Jacksonville 25th (29.02)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 24th (37.61) - Jacksonville 3rd (28.82)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 10th (18.3%) - Jacksonville 27th (9.5%)
Home Power Play %: Allen 7th (20.2%) - Jacksonville 27th (10.4%)
Road Power Play %: Allen 14th (16.4%) - Jacksonville 7th (8.5%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 23rd (80.1%) - Jacksonville 16th (82.1%)
Home Penalty Kill %: Allen 9th (85.6%) - Jacksonville 19th (81.0%)
Road Penalty Kill %: Allen 27th (74.5%) - Jacksonville 9th (83.2%)
- Something will have to give on special teams today as the worst will be going up against the worst. The game will pit the ECHL's worst home power play in Jacksonville's 10.4% against the worst road penalty kill in Allen's 74.5%. I guess it will be the survival of the least worst. Allen's #14 ranked road power play (16.4%) will be facing the #19 ranked home penalty kill (81.0%).
- Not sure if fighting will be part of this game with Allen being exhausted but these two teams are #2 and #3 in the ECHL in fighting majors. Jacksonville has 43 fighting majors while Allen has 42. However, two of the Icemen's top fighters are no longer with the team. Emerson Clark (7 fights) has signed with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) and Garrett Klotz (5 fights) was released and is now in Kansas City. Klotz started a line brawl in Toledo last night (details below). The one fighter that remains in Jacksonville is Garet Hunt who at 5'9" and 190 pounds is the best pound for pound fighter in the league. The rookies like Josh Thrower and Colby McAuley are hopefully aware that Hunt is a lot tougher than he looks before they drop the gloves against him.
- Allen has not scored the first goal of the game on this trip to the South Division that has resulted in three straight losses. Today would be a good day to break that streak.
- Allen has lost three in a row and is playing their third game in less than 72 hours. Coach Martinson often says in games like today "your best players have to step up and be the best players." David Makowski hasn't had a point in the last three games and is -4. Bryan Moore hasn't scored a goal in 10 games. Eric Roy doesn't have a point in the last 10 games. Casey Pierro-Zabotel has one assist and is -4 in the last three games. Despite being exhausted look for a big game from the team leaders today.
- Here is the game preview from the Jacksonville Icemen: https://www.jacksonvilleicemen.com/news/icemen-host-western-conference-allen-americans/
- The referee scheduled for the game is Andrew Wilk (#24) and the linesmen are Michael Coleman (#81) and Logan Bellgraph (#52). Wilk was the referee in Allen's game last night against Florida.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Here is the story and video of the line brawl in Toledo last night started by Garrett Klotz of the Kansas City Mavericks. Toledo won the game 5-0. http://www.wtol.com/story/37477338/line-brawl-inc-goalies-wild-fight-at-saturdays-walleye-game
- Idaho completed a three game sweep in Colorado last night beating the Eagles 3-1. The teams will play three more time in Idaho next week. If you bet the over on the 24 penalty minutes from game three you won again as there were 63 penalty minutes last night. Since the teams will have a few days to cool off and the Steelheads are now within five points of Colorado the under 63 PIMs in game four may be the wiser bet.
- The winners keep winning and the losers keep losing in the Mountain Division. Rapid City and Idaho have won their last three games but everyone else is losing. Including overtime and shootout losses Colorado has lost six straight, Tulsa five straight, Wichita four straight, Allen and Utah have lost their last three games.
- Because the teams around Allen are also losing the Americans are still in third place (tied with Wichita) in the division and still hold a five point cushion over fifth place Tulsa.
- If you are hoping for help from overseas, like Chad Costello, before the deadline on Thursday that is not going to happen. While there may be a few players return from Europe before the February 15 deadline do not look for any to sign with Allen.
DID YOU KNOW: Allen has now lost 26 of 50 games this season, 20 in regulation, four in overtime and two in shootouts. In 72 games last season the Americans only lost 24 games, 17 in regulation, four in overtime and two in shootouts.
- The die was cast when Allen gave up the first goal of the game with 49 seconds left in the first period. Giving up a goal in the last minute of a period is always a momentum killer and it has happened to the Americans a lot this season. To make matters worse the Everblades 1-0 lead after the first period was also a bad sign. They haven't lost a game the entire season when leading after the first period.
- The highlight of the game and as it turned out the highlight of the two games against Florida was a Joel Chouinard power play goal at the 13:19 mark of the second period. It was a great play that made the score 2-1 but that is as close as the Americans got. Florida scored two unanswered third period goals to make the final score 4-1.
- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-fall-everblades-4-1/
- Here is the game recap from the Florida Everblades: http://www.floridaeverblades.com/2018/02/blades-pretty-pink-4-1-win-allen/
- Coach Martinson's comment to me this morning after the two losses in Florida, "They were better than us. We have some work to do before we can beat them."
ALLEN VS JACKSONVILLE GAME PREVIEW
- No rest for the weary Americans as exactly 17 hours and 21 minutes after the final horn in Estero the puck will drop in Jacksonville (2:00 pm CST). My guess is the team didn't get into their hotel rooms in Jacksonville until between 4:00 am - 5:00 am this morning.
- Jacksonville will be the more rested team for sure. They didn't play on Friday and they played last night at home beating Atlanta 3-1. The Icemen are still mired in last place in the South Division but have points in three straight games and a 10 game record of 5-4-0-1 which is better than Allen's record over the last 10 games of 4-5-0-1.
- Inconsistency has been the hallmark of the Allen Americans team this season. Just since January 15 they have lost six straight games, then won four straight and now have lost three straight.
- The Americans only goal in two games in Florida was on the power play but they were 1-13 against the Everblades. Allen still has the best power play percentage in the Mountain Division (18.3%) but have just two power play goals in their last 26 opportunities (7.7%). The power play could be difference in the matinee this afternoon. Jacksonville has the worst power play in the ECHL by far at 9.5%. They have only 19 power play goals all season compared to Allen who has 40 power play goals.
- Allen has given up at least one goal in their last eight periods of play. If they expect to win in Jacksonville they will have to put an end to that streak.
- Reunions with former Allen players continues today. It was Rick Pinkston in Atlanta, Kyle Neuber in Florida and today it is fan favorite Tanner Eberle. Tanner was hot the first part of January with eight points (4 goals 4 assists) in seven games but has been in a slump recently. Eberle had his first point (assist) in eight games in the Icemen's win last night. Keep an eye on #29 this afternoon as I am sure he will have a good game against his old teammates.
- Here is how Allen and Jacksonville rank in the ECHL in major statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (21.77) - Jacksonville 4th (18.69)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 9th (3.37) - Jacksonville 24th (2.72)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 14th (3.29) - Jacksonville 17th (3.39)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 15th (32.45) - Jacksonville 25th (29.02)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 24th (37.61) - Jacksonville 3rd (28.82)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 10th (18.3%) - Jacksonville 27th (9.5%)
Home Power Play %: Allen 7th (20.2%) - Jacksonville 27th (10.4%)
Road Power Play %: Allen 14th (16.4%) - Jacksonville 7th (8.5%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 23rd (80.1%) - Jacksonville 16th (82.1%)
Home Penalty Kill %: Allen 9th (85.6%) - Jacksonville 19th (81.0%)
Road Penalty Kill %: Allen 27th (74.5%) - Jacksonville 9th (83.2%)
- Something will have to give on special teams today as the worst will be going up against the worst. The game will pit the ECHL's worst home power play in Jacksonville's 10.4% against the worst road penalty kill in Allen's 74.5%. I guess it will be the survival of the least worst. Allen's #14 ranked road power play (16.4%) will be facing the #19 ranked home penalty kill (81.0%).
- Not sure if fighting will be part of this game with Allen being exhausted but these two teams are #2 and #3 in the ECHL in fighting majors. Jacksonville has 43 fighting majors while Allen has 42. However, two of the Icemen's top fighters are no longer with the team. Emerson Clark (7 fights) has signed with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) and Garrett Klotz (5 fights) was released and is now in Kansas City. Klotz started a line brawl in Toledo last night (details below). The one fighter that remains in Jacksonville is Garet Hunt who at 5'9" and 190 pounds is the best pound for pound fighter in the league. The rookies like Josh Thrower and Colby McAuley are hopefully aware that Hunt is a lot tougher than he looks before they drop the gloves against him.
- Allen has not scored the first goal of the game on this trip to the South Division that has resulted in three straight losses. Today would be a good day to break that streak.
- Allen has lost three in a row and is playing their third game in less than 72 hours. Coach Martinson often says in games like today "your best players have to step up and be the best players." David Makowski hasn't had a point in the last three games and is -4. Bryan Moore hasn't scored a goal in 10 games. Eric Roy doesn't have a point in the last 10 games. Casey Pierro-Zabotel has one assist and is -4 in the last three games. Despite being exhausted look for a big game from the team leaders today.
- Here is the game preview from the Jacksonville Icemen: https://www.jacksonvilleicemen.com/news/icemen-host-western-conference-allen-americans/
- The referee scheduled for the game is Andrew Wilk (#24) and the linesmen are Michael Coleman (#81) and Logan Bellgraph (#52). Wilk was the referee in Allen's game last night against Florida.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Here is the story and video of the line brawl in Toledo last night started by Garrett Klotz of the Kansas City Mavericks. Toledo won the game 5-0. http://www.wtol.com/story/37477338/line-brawl-inc-goalies-wild-fight-at-saturdays-walleye-game
- Idaho completed a three game sweep in Colorado last night beating the Eagles 3-1. The teams will play three more time in Idaho next week. If you bet the over on the 24 penalty minutes from game three you won again as there were 63 penalty minutes last night. Since the teams will have a few days to cool off and the Steelheads are now within five points of Colorado the under 63 PIMs in game four may be the wiser bet.
- The winners keep winning and the losers keep losing in the Mountain Division. Rapid City and Idaho have won their last three games but everyone else is losing. Including overtime and shootout losses Colorado has lost six straight, Tulsa five straight, Wichita four straight, Allen and Utah have lost their last three games.
- Because the teams around Allen are also losing the Americans are still in third place (tied with Wichita) in the division and still hold a five point cushion over fifth place Tulsa.
- If you are hoping for help from overseas, like Chad Costello, before the deadline on Thursday that is not going to happen. While there may be a few players return from Europe before the February 15 deadline do not look for any to sign with Allen.
DID YOU KNOW: Allen has now lost 26 of 50 games this season, 20 in regulation, four in overtime and two in shootouts. In 72 games last season the Americans only lost 24 games, 17 in regulation, four in overtime and two in shootouts.
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Americans Shutout by Florida 4-0, Game Recap, Martinson's Comment, Rematch Preview, Historical Road Game Records and a Throwback Allen Video
The Allen Americans were shutout 4-0 last night by the Florida Everblades before a crowd of 4765 at the Germain Arena. If this was a measuring stick game on how Allen would fare on the road against a top team they came up woefully short.
- It is hard to know where to start because Allen was subpar in every facet of the game. Maybe the best place to start is coach Steve Martinson's only comment to me in assessing the game when I asked him for a quote for this morning's blog, "We had a day off at the beach on Wednesday and the day off continued right up until the end of the game." At least he hasn't lost his sense of humor.
- Anything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Americans as they were outplayed and out worked 5-on-5, on the power play and on the penalty kill. They were outshot badly and even when Allen managed to get the puck in the net (twice) the goals were waived off. Here goes the bad news.
- Allen was 0-8 on the power play which has been struggling despite the Americans five game point streak prior to last night. Allen has now played five games in February and their power play percentage for the month is 4.8% (1-21). Three weeks ago Allen had the #4 ranked power play in the ECHL at 20.8%. After last night the power play is now ranked #11 at 18.2%.
- Maybe the most startling stat from the game was shots on goal. It is hard to believe you could have eight power play opportunities in a game and end up with only 19 shots. In the second period alone Allen had four power plays and finished with just four shots. The Americans were outshot in every period for a game total of 33-19.
- If your power play isn't going well and 0-8 is a good definition of not going well then the penalty kill has to be outstanding. That wasn't the case last night for Allen as the worst road penalty kill in the ECHL was 50% (2-4). The Americans penalty kill has been bad for a long time and isn't improving. After last night it was ranked #27 at 73.8%, a month ago is was ranked #27 at 74.6% and two months ago is was ranked #27 at 72.1%. Allen has given up the most road power play goals in the league (28). How bad is giving up 28 goals on the road? There are five ECHL teams that have given up 28 or fewer goals when you combine all of the goals they have given up on the road and at home!
- Allen did manage to get the puck in the net twice but both times the goal was disallowed. The first was ruled to have been knocked in the net by Colby McAuley's hand and the second was put in the empty net after Allen interfered with the Florida goalie behind the net.
- When you look at the highlights you will notice the first Florida goal was scored after Jeremy Brodeur lost his stick. The last three goals were all similar with rebounds being put in a wide open net. Lot's of defensive breakdowns. Here are the video highlights from ECHL Rewind: https://www.echl.com/
- Here is the game recap from the Florida Everblades: http://www.floridaeverblades.com/2018/02/everblades-outmuscle-americans-4-0/
ALLEN VS FLORIDA REMATCH PREVIEW
- It is a cliche but also true that the best thing about getting whipped like what happened last night to Allen is they can do something about it in less than 24 hours with a rematch against the Everblades. Game time tonight is 30 minutes earlier with puck drop scheduled for 6:00 pm CST.
- What does Allen have to do to get things turned around? Casey Pierro-Zabotel put it this way after the loss last night, "Florida is a good team and you can't make the mistakes we did tonight if we expect to win. We didn't put enough shots on net. We need to play harder and smarter. They out worked us all night. We need to come out tomorrow and play with an edge."
- As Casey said the team needs to play harder and that should be a given. You would think playing hard would not be an issue for a team that has the culture and expectations of an Allen Americans team. You would think with two days off to rest in south Florida and being in the unusual position of fighting for a playoff spot that motivation to be the harder working team would not be an issue.
- A quick start is imperative if Allen expects to win tonight. Florida hasn't lost all season with a first or second period lead so don't expect that to change. Based on their history this season the team that scores first tonight will win the game 81% of the time. The Americans need that first goal.
- Allen has to find a way to win the special teams battle. Easier said than done but both the power play and penalty kill need to improve tonight to have any chance of winning.
- On three of Florida's four goals last night a player was left all alone in front to easily put an uncontested rebound in an open net. Fewer rebounds and clearing out in front of the net has to be a focal point tonight.
- The referee scheduled for the game is Andrew Wilk (#24) and the linesmen are Billy Gubelman (#36) and Logan Bellgraph (#52).
OTHER COMMENTS
- Allen continues to get help as teams in the Mountain Division for the most part are not playing well. Rapid City and Idaho have won their last two games but everyone else has been losing. Including overtime and shootout losses Colorado and Tulsa have lost five straight and Wichita has lost four straight. Allen and Utah have lost their last two games.
- Wichita has only played 46 games while Tulsa has played 51 so best to look at the standings by winning percentage rather than points. When you do this Allen drops to fourth place. Here are the current Mountain Division standings by winning percentage.
.713 - Colorado
.625 - Idaho
.576 - Wichita
.551 - Allen
.480 - Tulsa
.449 - Utah
.383 - Rapid City
- If you are tracking the Idaho vs Colorado series they played game two of six in a row last night and Idaho won in a shootout. It took eight rounds in the shootout before either team scored. It was a good night for the goalies who stopped 15 of 16 shootout attempts before Idaho's Brady Brassart got the game winner. If you took the over bet on the 16 penalty minutes from game one congrats as you won. Last night there were 24 penalty minutes and no fights. Game three is tonight in Colorado before they head to Idaho for three more next week. Double down and bet the over again on more than 24 penalty minutes in the game tonight.
- Olivier Archambault had an assist last night but his Syracuse Crunch team lost to Hartford 4-3 in a shootout. Archambault has played six games since joining the Crunch on January 24 and has four points (2 goal 2 assists) to go along with a plus/minus of +2. With those stats wouldn't expect to see him back in Allen any time soon. Syracuse plays at home tonight against the Laval Rocket. The game will be Archambault's 19th of the season in the AHL (Syracuse & San Jose) which is the exact number of games he has played for Allen in the ECHL.
- Here is a video from the early days of the Allen Americans where athletic trainer Jason Wallace gives you a behind the scenes look at what a trainer's day is like on game day. I think this video is from the 2010-11 season. Jason was the first athletic trainer in Allen (2009-10) and went on to the Texas Stars (AHL) for the 2013-14 season. Among other players you will see a young looking Bruce Graham in this video.
- It is hard to know where to start because Allen was subpar in every facet of the game. Maybe the best place to start is coach Steve Martinson's only comment to me in assessing the game when I asked him for a quote for this morning's blog, "We had a day off at the beach on Wednesday and the day off continued right up until the end of the game." At least he hasn't lost his sense of humor.
- Anything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Americans as they were outplayed and out worked 5-on-5, on the power play and on the penalty kill. They were outshot badly and even when Allen managed to get the puck in the net (twice) the goals were waived off. Here goes the bad news.
- Allen was 0-8 on the power play which has been struggling despite the Americans five game point streak prior to last night. Allen has now played five games in February and their power play percentage for the month is 4.8% (1-21). Three weeks ago Allen had the #4 ranked power play in the ECHL at 20.8%. After last night the power play is now ranked #11 at 18.2%.
- Maybe the most startling stat from the game was shots on goal. It is hard to believe you could have eight power play opportunities in a game and end up with only 19 shots. In the second period alone Allen had four power plays and finished with just four shots. The Americans were outshot in every period for a game total of 33-19.
- If your power play isn't going well and 0-8 is a good definition of not going well then the penalty kill has to be outstanding. That wasn't the case last night for Allen as the worst road penalty kill in the ECHL was 50% (2-4). The Americans penalty kill has been bad for a long time and isn't improving. After last night it was ranked #27 at 73.8%, a month ago is was ranked #27 at 74.6% and two months ago is was ranked #27 at 72.1%. Allen has given up the most road power play goals in the league (28). How bad is giving up 28 goals on the road? There are five ECHL teams that have given up 28 or fewer goals when you combine all of the goals they have given up on the road and at home!
- Allen did manage to get the puck in the net twice but both times the goal was disallowed. The first was ruled to have been knocked in the net by Colby McAuley's hand and the second was put in the empty net after Allen interfered with the Florida goalie behind the net.
- When you look at the highlights you will notice the first Florida goal was scored after Jeremy Brodeur lost his stick. The last three goals were all similar with rebounds being put in a wide open net. Lot's of defensive breakdowns. Here are the video highlights from ECHL Rewind: https://www.echl.com/
- Here is the game recap from the Florida Everblades: http://www.floridaeverblades.com/2018/02/everblades-outmuscle-americans-4-0/
ALLEN VS FLORIDA REMATCH PREVIEW
- It is a cliche but also true that the best thing about getting whipped like what happened last night to Allen is they can do something about it in less than 24 hours with a rematch against the Everblades. Game time tonight is 30 minutes earlier with puck drop scheduled for 6:00 pm CST.
- What does Allen have to do to get things turned around? Casey Pierro-Zabotel put it this way after the loss last night, "Florida is a good team and you can't make the mistakes we did tonight if we expect to win. We didn't put enough shots on net. We need to play harder and smarter. They out worked us all night. We need to come out tomorrow and play with an edge."
- As Casey said the team needs to play harder and that should be a given. You would think playing hard would not be an issue for a team that has the culture and expectations of an Allen Americans team. You would think with two days off to rest in south Florida and being in the unusual position of fighting for a playoff spot that motivation to be the harder working team would not be an issue.
- A quick start is imperative if Allen expects to win tonight. Florida hasn't lost all season with a first or second period lead so don't expect that to change. Based on their history this season the team that scores first tonight will win the game 81% of the time. The Americans need that first goal.
- Allen has to find a way to win the special teams battle. Easier said than done but both the power play and penalty kill need to improve tonight to have any chance of winning.
- On three of Florida's four goals last night a player was left all alone in front to easily put an uncontested rebound in an open net. Fewer rebounds and clearing out in front of the net has to be a focal point tonight.
- The referee scheduled for the game is Andrew Wilk (#24) and the linesmen are Billy Gubelman (#36) and Logan Bellgraph (#52).
OTHER COMMENTS
- Allen continues to get help as teams in the Mountain Division for the most part are not playing well. Rapid City and Idaho have won their last two games but everyone else has been losing. Including overtime and shootout losses Colorado and Tulsa have lost five straight and Wichita has lost four straight. Allen and Utah have lost their last two games.
- Wichita has only played 46 games while Tulsa has played 51 so best to look at the standings by winning percentage rather than points. When you do this Allen drops to fourth place. Here are the current Mountain Division standings by winning percentage.
.713 - Colorado
.625 - Idaho
.576 - Wichita
.551 - Allen
.480 - Tulsa
.449 - Utah
.383 - Rapid City
- If you are tracking the Idaho vs Colorado series they played game two of six in a row last night and Idaho won in a shootout. It took eight rounds in the shootout before either team scored. It was a good night for the goalies who stopped 15 of 16 shootout attempts before Idaho's Brady Brassart got the game winner. If you took the over bet on the 16 penalty minutes from game one congrats as you won. Last night there were 24 penalty minutes and no fights. Game three is tonight in Colorado before they head to Idaho for three more next week. Double down and bet the over again on more than 24 penalty minutes in the game tonight.
- Olivier Archambault had an assist last night but his Syracuse Crunch team lost to Hartford 4-3 in a shootout. Archambault has played six games since joining the Crunch on January 24 and has four points (2 goal 2 assists) to go along with a plus/minus of +2. With those stats wouldn't expect to see him back in Allen any time soon. Syracuse plays at home tonight against the Laval Rocket. The game will be Archambault's 19th of the season in the AHL (Syracuse & San Jose) which is the exact number of games he has played for Allen in the ECHL.
- Here is a video from the early days of the Allen Americans where athletic trainer Jason Wallace gives you a behind the scenes look at what a trainer's day is like on game day. I think this video is from the 2010-11 season. Jason was the first athletic trainer in Allen (2009-10) and went on to the Texas Stars (AHL) for the 2013-14 season. Among other players you will see a young looking Bruce Graham in this video.
DID YOU KNOW: Allen has historically been an outstanding road team. In some seasons they have earned more points on the road than at home. Not the case this season as the Americans currently have a losing road record (11-13-0-1) and if that continues it would be the first time in franchise history. They still have plenty of time to improve with 11 road games remaining but they already have more road losses (14) than any other season except 2015-16 when the road record was 19-14-1-2. Here is Allen's road record for each year since starting the franchise. The Americans will have to win eight of their remaining 11 road games to avoid having the fewest road wins in any season in team history.
2020-21: 10-8-0-0 (18 road games remaining
2019-20: 18-7-4-2 (shortened season)
2018-19: 10-21-3-2 (exception to the rule)
2017-18: 11-13-0-1
2016-17: 24-9-2-1
2015-16: 19-14-1-2
2014-15: 24-8-1-3
2013-14: 19-12-2
2012-13: 20-8-5
2011-12: 19-8-6
2010-11: 23-8-2
2009-10: 19-12-1
Friday, February 9, 2018
Allen vs Florida Game Preview, NHL 3-on-3 Overtime Strategy, Wichita Trades Joel Rumpel to Utah, Everblades History and More
The old saying you have to beat the best to be the best is in play for the Allen Americans as they take on the Florida Everblades tonight and Saturday at Germain Arena in Estero, Florida. It was only one week ago the Americans completed a two game sweep against the Colorado Eagles who were at the time the #1 ranked team in the ECHL. The Everblades have now assumed the mantle as the #1 team in the league in points (69) and winning percentage (.750).
- The challenge this weekend will by much greater than last weekend because the Americans will be playing on the road where the have a losing record (11-12-0-1) rather then the friendly confines of the Allen Event Center where they beat Colorado.
- Florida's home record is 14-4-0-2 and they have won five of their last six home games while outscoring their opponents 26-11. The Everblades only blemish in the last six games is a shootout loss to Greenville.
- Despite losing a heart breaker to Atlanta on Tuesday the Americans have been playing good hockey recently. As a reminder, on Tuesday Allen took the lead with 22 seconds remaining in the game only to give up the game tying goal to the Gladiators with .4 seconds remaining and then went on to lose in a shootout. Even though they lost on Tuesday the Americans did pick up one point. Allen's current five game scoring streak (4-0-0-1) is the third longest in the league.
- Allen and Florida have played each other just one time since the Americans joined the ECHL and that was last season. That game took place in Florida on January 25th and the Americans made quick work of the Everblades on the way to a 3-2 victory. Three early first period goals by Dyson Stevenson (0:33), Spencer Asuchak (5:31) and Derek Mathers (6:12) gave Allen a 3-0 lead and the Everblades never recovered.
Here are some stats that compare Allen and Florida:
ALLEN FLORIDA
Team Record 24-18-4-1 (52 points) 32-9-1-4 (69 points)
Division Ranking 3rd - Mountain 1st - South
Conference Ranking 5th - Western 1st - Eastern
League Ranking 11th 1st
Last Game 3-2 Loss (Atlanta) 3-1 Win (Orlando)
Goals For 164 163
Goals Against 153 119
Power Play 18.9% (39/206) 18.3% (33/180)
Home Power Play 20.2% (22/109) 16.0% (12/75)
Road Power Play 17.5% (17/97) 20.0% (21/105)
Penalty Kill 80.4% (42/214) 86.1% (28/202)
Home Penalty Kill 85.6% (16/111) 88.0% (11/92)
Road Penalty Kill 74.8% (26/103) 84.5% (17/110)
Most PIM Moore (135) Heard (107)
Leading Scorers: Pierro-Zabotel (13-39-52) MacAulay (20-22-42)
- Here is how Allen and Florida rank in the ECHL in major statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (21.77) - Florida 6th (18.17)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 8th (3.42) - Florida 6th (3.54)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 13th (3.19) - Florida 3rd (2.59)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 15th (32.25) - Florida 9th (33.00)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 24th (37.02) - Florida 2nd (27.28)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 9th (18.9%) - Florida 11th (18.3%)
Home Power Play %: Allen 6th (20.2%) - Florida 20th (16.0%)
Road Power Play %: Allen 13th (17.5%) - Florida 7th (20.0%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 22nd (80.4%) - Florida 4th (86.1%)
Home Penalty Kill %: Allen 8th (85.6%) - Florida 3rd (88.0%)
Road Penalty Kill %: Allen 27th (74.8%) - Florida 7th (84.5%)
- These teams are close in average goals scored with Florida having a small advantage (3.52 vs 3.42) but the Everblades have a big advanatge in goals allowed (2.58 vs 3.19). You add these stats together and Allen has a +.23 goal differential while Florida is +.95. The difference may look small but over the course of a season the difference (+.23 vs +.95) represents 52 goals.
- As always special teams will be important tonight. The stats show Allen is better on the power play and Florida is better on the penalty kill. The Americans road power play percentage is 17.5% compared to Florida's 16.0% at home. There is a big discrepancy in penalty kill percentages with Allen ranked #27 on the road (74.8%) while Florida is ranked #3 at home (88.0%). Another thing for the Allen power play to be concerned about is defending against the shorthanded goal. Florida has a great penalty kill but also plays offense when killing penalties. The Everblades lead the ECHL with 12 shorthanded goals.
- You would have to assume both teams will go with their best goalies tonight. Statistically that is Martin Ouellette for Florida who was the Everblades representative on the ECHL All-Star team and has the fifth best GAA in the league (2.27). Jeremy Brodeur has the fifth best save percentage in the league (.924) and should get the start for Allen.
- If you plan on listening to the game on Mixlr or watching it on ECHL TV the start time is 6:30 pm CST. It is "Pink in the Rink Weekend " and the Everblades will be wearing specialty jersey in both games against Allen.
- A good start is even more important than usual for Allen. Combined, Allen and Florida are 41-7-2-1 when scoring the first goal of the game. As mentioned yesterday the Everblades are undefeated at home with a lead. They are 8-0 when leading after the first period and 9-0 when leading after the second period. Last year when Allen won in Florida they scored three goals in the first six minutes of the game. They will need to be good early if they expect to win tonight.
- The referee scheduled for the game is Liam Sewell (#7) who was the referee in Atlanta on Tuesday. The linesmen are Billy Gubelman (#36) and Tyler Mackereth (#34).
OTHER COMMENTS
- There are 11 games around the ECHL tonight including Tulsa at Cincinnati, Wichita at Fort Wayne and Idaho at Colorado. The Idaho at Colorado game will be worth keeping an eye on. They will be playing their second of six straight games against each other. The first game on Wednesday had only 16 penalty minutes in a 4-2 Idaho win. I would bet the over on 16 penalty minutes in the game tonight. Here is the ECHL Today which gets you ready for all 11 games with some facts and details: https://www.echl.com/echl-today-feb-9-2018
- Former Allen goalie Joel Rumpel was traded by Wichita yesterday to Utah for forward Jon Puskar.
Here is the Utah take on the trade: http://utahgrizzlies.com/team-news/headline-news/?article_id=3462
Here is Wichita's press release on the trade: https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/thunder-adds-grit-in-puskar.html
- Here is a story from nhl.com that says in part, "The strategy we see in 3-on-3 overtimes runs counterintuitive to everything we we see in the first 60 minutes of the game. The difference in how teams are strategizing and operating in overtime is becoming increasingly clear." This is a good read about 3-on-3 overtime: https://www.nhl.com/news/overtime-approach-no-longer-run-and-gun/c-295721154?tid=292275938
DID YOU KNOW: The Florida Everblades were founded in 1998 and have missed the playoffs only once in team history (2013-14). They have been to the Kelly Cup finals three times, winning in 2012 by defeating the Las Vegas Wranglers 4-1. The team is based in Estero which is near Fort Myers. The Everblades are affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL) and Charlotte Checkers (AHL). Florida plays in Germain Arena which opened in 1998 and has a capacity for hockey of 7186.
"Swampee" is the name of the Florida Everblades mascot:
- The challenge this weekend will by much greater than last weekend because the Americans will be playing on the road where the have a losing record (11-12-0-1) rather then the friendly confines of the Allen Event Center where they beat Colorado.
- Florida's home record is 14-4-0-2 and they have won five of their last six home games while outscoring their opponents 26-11. The Everblades only blemish in the last six games is a shootout loss to Greenville.
- Despite losing a heart breaker to Atlanta on Tuesday the Americans have been playing good hockey recently. As a reminder, on Tuesday Allen took the lead with 22 seconds remaining in the game only to give up the game tying goal to the Gladiators with .4 seconds remaining and then went on to lose in a shootout. Even though they lost on Tuesday the Americans did pick up one point. Allen's current five game scoring streak (4-0-0-1) is the third longest in the league.
- Allen and Florida have played each other just one time since the Americans joined the ECHL and that was last season. That game took place in Florida on January 25th and the Americans made quick work of the Everblades on the way to a 3-2 victory. Three early first period goals by Dyson Stevenson (0:33), Spencer Asuchak (5:31) and Derek Mathers (6:12) gave Allen a 3-0 lead and the Everblades never recovered.
Here are some stats that compare Allen and Florida:
ALLEN FLORIDA
Team Record 24-18-4-1 (52 points) 32-9-1-4 (69 points)
Division Ranking 3rd - Mountain 1st - South
Conference Ranking 5th - Western 1st - Eastern
League Ranking 11th 1st
Last Game 3-2 Loss (Atlanta) 3-1 Win (Orlando)
Goals For 164 163
Goals Against 153 119
Power Play 18.9% (39/206) 18.3% (33/180)
Home Power Play 20.2% (22/109) 16.0% (12/75)
Road Power Play 17.5% (17/97) 20.0% (21/105)
Penalty Kill 80.4% (42/214) 86.1% (28/202)
Home Penalty Kill 85.6% (16/111) 88.0% (11/92)
Road Penalty Kill 74.8% (26/103) 84.5% (17/110)
Most PIM Moore (135) Heard (107)
Leading Scorers: Pierro-Zabotel (13-39-52) MacAulay (20-22-42)
- Here is how Allen and Florida rank in the ECHL in major statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (21.77) - Florida 6th (18.17)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 8th (3.42) - Florida 6th (3.54)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 13th (3.19) - Florida 3rd (2.59)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 15th (32.25) - Florida 9th (33.00)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 24th (37.02) - Florida 2nd (27.28)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 9th (18.9%) - Florida 11th (18.3%)
Home Power Play %: Allen 6th (20.2%) - Florida 20th (16.0%)
Road Power Play %: Allen 13th (17.5%) - Florida 7th (20.0%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 22nd (80.4%) - Florida 4th (86.1%)
Home Penalty Kill %: Allen 8th (85.6%) - Florida 3rd (88.0%)
Road Penalty Kill %: Allen 27th (74.8%) - Florida 7th (84.5%)
- These teams are close in average goals scored with Florida having a small advantage (3.52 vs 3.42) but the Everblades have a big advanatge in goals allowed (2.58 vs 3.19). You add these stats together and Allen has a +.23 goal differential while Florida is +.95. The difference may look small but over the course of a season the difference (+.23 vs +.95) represents 52 goals.
- As always special teams will be important tonight. The stats show Allen is better on the power play and Florida is better on the penalty kill. The Americans road power play percentage is 17.5% compared to Florida's 16.0% at home. There is a big discrepancy in penalty kill percentages with Allen ranked #27 on the road (74.8%) while Florida is ranked #3 at home (88.0%). Another thing for the Allen power play to be concerned about is defending against the shorthanded goal. Florida has a great penalty kill but also plays offense when killing penalties. The Everblades lead the ECHL with 12 shorthanded goals.
- You would have to assume both teams will go with their best goalies tonight. Statistically that is Martin Ouellette for Florida who was the Everblades representative on the ECHL All-Star team and has the fifth best GAA in the league (2.27). Jeremy Brodeur has the fifth best save percentage in the league (.924) and should get the start for Allen.
- If you plan on listening to the game on Mixlr or watching it on ECHL TV the start time is 6:30 pm CST. It is "Pink in the Rink Weekend " and the Everblades will be wearing specialty jersey in both games against Allen.
 |
| Florida will be wearing "Pink in the Rink" specialty jerseys this weekend |
- A good start is even more important than usual for Allen. Combined, Allen and Florida are 41-7-2-1 when scoring the first goal of the game. As mentioned yesterday the Everblades are undefeated at home with a lead. They are 8-0 when leading after the first period and 9-0 when leading after the second period. Last year when Allen won in Florida they scored three goals in the first six minutes of the game. They will need to be good early if they expect to win tonight.
- The referee scheduled for the game is Liam Sewell (#7) who was the referee in Atlanta on Tuesday. The linesmen are Billy Gubelman (#36) and Tyler Mackereth (#34).
OTHER COMMENTS
- There are 11 games around the ECHL tonight including Tulsa at Cincinnati, Wichita at Fort Wayne and Idaho at Colorado. The Idaho at Colorado game will be worth keeping an eye on. They will be playing their second of six straight games against each other. The first game on Wednesday had only 16 penalty minutes in a 4-2 Idaho win. I would bet the over on 16 penalty minutes in the game tonight. Here is the ECHL Today which gets you ready for all 11 games with some facts and details: https://www.echl.com/echl-today-feb-9-2018
- Former Allen goalie Joel Rumpel was traded by Wichita yesterday to Utah for forward Jon Puskar.
Here is the Utah take on the trade: http://utahgrizzlies.com/team-news/headline-news/?article_id=3462
Here is Wichita's press release on the trade: https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/thunder-adds-grit-in-puskar.html
- Here is a story from nhl.com that says in part, "The strategy we see in 3-on-3 overtimes runs counterintuitive to everything we we see in the first 60 minutes of the game. The difference in how teams are strategizing and operating in overtime is becoming increasingly clear." This is a good read about 3-on-3 overtime: https://www.nhl.com/news/overtime-approach-no-longer-run-and-gun/c-295721154?tid=292275938
DID YOU KNOW: The Florida Everblades were founded in 1998 and have missed the playoffs only once in team history (2013-14). They have been to the Kelly Cup finals three times, winning in 2012 by defeating the Las Vegas Wranglers 4-1. The team is based in Estero which is near Fort Myers. The Everblades are affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL) and Charlotte Checkers (AHL). Florida plays in Germain Arena which opened in 1998 and has a capacity for hockey of 7186.
"Swampee" is the name of the Florida Everblades mascot:
 |
| Swampee |
Thursday, February 8, 2018
Allen's Two Day Wait in South Florida, Roster Update, Division Standings, Marvel Jersey Auction, Olympic Hockey Details & More
The Allen Americans will be spending their second day in south Florida today waiting to play the Florida Everblades on Friday night. It is a rare occurrence to have a two day wait when on the road. If you have to be away from home and sit around for two days the Fort Meyers area isn't too bad. It is 28 degrees in Allen as I write this while it is 70 in Fort Meyers with a high today of 85. Other than a short practice the team will have a lot of down time today.
- Zach Hall is with the team and expected back in the lineup at some point this weekend. Alex Schoenborn, who was injured in the Colorado game on Friday, is not with the team. Alex may be ready to return to the lineup when the Americans play at home next weekend.
- While Allen was relaxing in the Ft. Meyers area last night the Everblades were in Orlando playing the Solar Bears. Florida scored three unanswered goals in the third period to win the game 3-1. Florida has outscored their opponents 59-37 in the third period. Allen has been outscored in the third period 56-55.
- The win last night was the 32nd of the season for the Everblades who are on pace to end the season with 108 points. That would be the second most points in the last 10 years exceeded only by the 109 points the Missouri/Kansas City Mavericks had in 2015-16.
- There will be a complete game preview tomorrow but one stat worth noting is how Florida plays with the lead. The Everblades are undefeated at home with a lead. They are 8-0 when leading after the first period and 9-0 when leading after the second period.
- The Americans were idle but got some help as Tulsa, Wichita and Colorado all lost last night. Tulsa got beat by Kalamazoo 9-6 in a game where the Oilers were trailing 9-2 after the second period. Fort Wayne beat Wichita 9-3 in a game the Thunder were leading 2-1 after the first period. The Komets scored eight straight goals to blow out the Thunder. Idaho beat Colorado 4-2. Here are the current Mountain Division standings with games played in parentheses.
66 points - Colorado (46 games)
58 points - Idaho (47 games)
54 points - Allen (48 games)
53 points - Wichita (45 games)
49 points - Tulsa (50 games)
44 points - Utah (48 games)
34 points - Rapid City (46 games)
- The Mountain Division has been mediocre over the last 10 games. Rapid City, Tulsa and Utah have five wins, Wichita, Allen and Colorado have four wins and Utah has three wins. Allen is the only team with a point streak of more than one game (4-0-0-1) while Colorado has lost four straight.
- For those waiting for the Marvel themed specialty jerseys that the Americans wore January 15 to go up for auction that has finally happened. There are 25 jerseys available with most having a minimum bid of $200 but some are only $150. The auction lasts until Tuesday, February 27. As of this morning only one jersey had the minimum bid and that was Gary Steffes. The jerseys are autographed. Here is the link if you want to make a bid or just track how the auction is going. http://www.meigrayauctions.com/
- San Jose Barracuda captain, John McCarthy, just left the team and is in South Korea to play for the U.S. Olympic hockey team. Barracuda broadcaster Nick Nollenberger shares his thoughts on the impact of the captain's absence. http://www.sjbarracuda.com/news/detail/broadcast-blog-5
- If you are interested in Olympic hockey in PyeongChang here are all of the details from teams to rules to schedules to players to watch for both the men and women. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2018/02/08/how-to-watch-hockey-at-the-2018-winter-olympics-in-pyeongchang/?utm_term=.3781557ec83b
DID YOU KNOW: Allen leads the ECHL with 1045 penalty minutes and is on pace to finish the season with 1568. Quad City has the fewest penalty minutes with 432 and is on pace to finish the season with 707. The difference (1568 minus 707) is 861 minutes which would be the largest gap between the top and bottom team in penalty minute since Allen joined the ECHL.
- Zach Hall is with the team and expected back in the lineup at some point this weekend. Alex Schoenborn, who was injured in the Colorado game on Friday, is not with the team. Alex may be ready to return to the lineup when the Americans play at home next weekend.
- While Allen was relaxing in the Ft. Meyers area last night the Everblades were in Orlando playing the Solar Bears. Florida scored three unanswered goals in the third period to win the game 3-1. Florida has outscored their opponents 59-37 in the third period. Allen has been outscored in the third period 56-55.
- The win last night was the 32nd of the season for the Everblades who are on pace to end the season with 108 points. That would be the second most points in the last 10 years exceeded only by the 109 points the Missouri/Kansas City Mavericks had in 2015-16.
- There will be a complete game preview tomorrow but one stat worth noting is how Florida plays with the lead. The Everblades are undefeated at home with a lead. They are 8-0 when leading after the first period and 9-0 when leading after the second period.
- The Americans were idle but got some help as Tulsa, Wichita and Colorado all lost last night. Tulsa got beat by Kalamazoo 9-6 in a game where the Oilers were trailing 9-2 after the second period. Fort Wayne beat Wichita 9-3 in a game the Thunder were leading 2-1 after the first period. The Komets scored eight straight goals to blow out the Thunder. Idaho beat Colorado 4-2. Here are the current Mountain Division standings with games played in parentheses.
66 points - Colorado (46 games)
58 points - Idaho (47 games)
54 points - Allen (48 games)
53 points - Wichita (45 games)
49 points - Tulsa (50 games)
44 points - Utah (48 games)
34 points - Rapid City (46 games)
- The Mountain Division has been mediocre over the last 10 games. Rapid City, Tulsa and Utah have five wins, Wichita, Allen and Colorado have four wins and Utah has three wins. Allen is the only team with a point streak of more than one game (4-0-0-1) while Colorado has lost four straight.
- For those waiting for the Marvel themed specialty jerseys that the Americans wore January 15 to go up for auction that has finally happened. There are 25 jerseys available with most having a minimum bid of $200 but some are only $150. The auction lasts until Tuesday, February 27. As of this morning only one jersey had the minimum bid and that was Gary Steffes. The jerseys are autographed. Here is the link if you want to make a bid or just track how the auction is going. http://www.meigrayauctions.com/
- San Jose Barracuda captain, John McCarthy, just left the team and is in South Korea to play for the U.S. Olympic hockey team. Barracuda broadcaster Nick Nollenberger shares his thoughts on the impact of the captain's absence. http://www.sjbarracuda.com/news/detail/broadcast-blog-5
- If you are interested in Olympic hockey in PyeongChang here are all of the details from teams to rules to schedules to players to watch for both the men and women. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2018/02/08/how-to-watch-hockey-at-the-2018-winter-olympics-in-pyeongchang/?utm_term=.3781557ec83b
DID YOU KNOW: Allen leads the ECHL with 1045 penalty minutes and is on pace to finish the season with 1568. Quad City has the fewest penalty minutes with 432 and is on pace to finish the season with 707. The difference (1568 minus 707) is 861 minutes which would be the largest gap between the top and bottom team in penalty minute since Allen joined the ECHL.
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