Allen vs Wheeling Game Preview, Roster Update, Are Playoffs Out of Reach, Former Players Lighting the Lamp, Don't Blame Ownership or Affiliation for Losing Season

It is game day for the Allen Americans as they are in Wheeling, West Virginia to take on the Nailers with a puck drop at 6:05 pm (CST). The last game between these teams is a memorable one as it was on June 9, 2016 in Allen and the Americans beat the Nailers 4-2 to win their second straight Kelly Cup. The stars of that game were Eric Roy with a goal and two assists and Riley Gill who stopped 40 of 42 Wheeling shots.


- What happened back in 2016 has little bearing on the game tonight as Allen tries to snap a three game losing streak and improve on a 2-8 record over the last 10 games. In fact, few players on either roster remember the 2016 Kelly Cup finals. There will be just three players from that series in the game tonight, Spencer Asuchak and David Makowski for Allen and Dan Fick for Wheeling. Casey Pierro-Zabotel also played in that series but is back home in Allen on injured reserve. Mike Gunn was on the 2015-16 team during the regular season but was not on the playoff roster.


- Allen's roster is still missing some key pieces. Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Thomas Frazee and Josh Atkinson are all recovering from surgery and did not make the road trip. It was hoped Kevin Sundher would be back in the lineup but he too stayed home. Sundher has been out since October 20. Goalie C.J. Motte is still in Iowa (AHL) serving as a backup while one of the Wild goalies is out with an injury. Motte has been in Iowa for almost one month and has played in two games.


- The game tonight pits the last place team in the Central Division (Wheeling) with a record of 9-11-1-0 against the last place team in the Mountain Division (Allen) with a record of 6-18-0-2. Wheeling has won their last two games in strong fashion beating a good Toledo team on the road on Saturday by a score of 5-2 and Indy at home on Sunday 5-1. The Nailers have scored 14 goals in their last three games. Allen has lost their last three games giving up 16 goals in the process.


- Wheeling has a losing home record (4-6-1-0) while Allen has done better on the road than at home. The Americans have earned 10 of their 14 points this season on the road.


- It is hard to find any stat that doesn't advantage the Nailers. Wheeling averages 3.1 goals per game, Allen averages 2.6. The Nailers allow an average 3.1 goals per game, Allen allows 4.0. Wheeling has scored 65 goals and allowed 66 for a goal differential of -1, Allen has scored 66 goals but allowed 103 for a goal differential of -37.


- Wheeling has the top power play in the ECHL (22.4%), Allen is ranked #23 (13.4%). Wheeling is ranked #19 on the penalty kill (82.5%), Allen is ranked #23 at 81.3%. Even more than usual the Americans will have to stay out of the penalty box to be successful tonight. Allen has taken more minor penalties (156) than any other team in the league and when you are playing against the team with the best power play in the ECHL, taking penalties is not a recipe for success.


- Scoring first is usually a big key as league wide stats indicate the team that scores first wins 75% of the time. That is not the case with Wheeling and Allen who have two of the worst records when scoring first. Combined the are 9-7-0-1 when scoring first.


- Allen has not fared well on the road this season when trailing but have had great results playing with a lead. Allen's road record when leading after the first period is 3-0-0-0 and after the second period is 4-0-0-1. When trailing after the first period Allen is 0-4-0-1 and trailing after the second period their record is 0-9-0-1. 


- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Sean MacFarlane (#4) and linesmen Denny Urban (#97) and Zach Roberts (#84).



OTHER COMMENTS

- I wouldn't expect a very big crowd at the game tonight. Midweek games are always a tough draw and Wheeling has the worst average attendance in the entire ECHL averaging only 2155 per game.


- ECHL Player of the Week honors for last week was shared by two Wheeling players. In three games Cam Brown had two goals and seven assists while teammate Nick Saracino had four goals and four assists. A couple of players to keep an eye on in the game tonight.


- It is a busy schedule around the ECHL for a Wednesday night with nine games on tap. Here is the ECHL Today with a short preview on each game: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2018/12/echl-today-dec-12


- If you monitor boxscores around the ECHL as I do you have probably noticed a lot players that started the season in Allen have been scoring in bunches recently. Here are a few examples:

J.C. Campagna (Fort Wayne) - six games, eight points (7G, 1A)
Tyler Poulson (Rapid City) - six games, 10 points (5G, 5A)
Ben Duffy (Norfolk) - five games, seven points (3G, 3A)
Matt Foget (Orlando) - four games, four points (2G, 2A)
Miles Liberati (Indy) - four games, three points (1G, 2A)


- The Americans are now 12 points out of sixth place, 13 points out of fifth place and 18 points out of first place in the Mountain Division. They are the only team in the division below .500 with a winning percentage of .269. Here are the standings with games played in parentheses:

32 points - Utah (22 games)
31 points - Tulsa (24 games)
30 points - Kansas City (21 games)
27 points - Idaho (24 games)
27 points - Rapid City (27 games)
26 points - Wichita (24 games)
14 points - Allen (26 games)


- I had a question yesterday about whether Allen could still make the playoffs. The answer is yes the Americans could mathematically still make the playoffs. The reality is based on the average number of points it takes to make the playoffs the Americans would have to have a record of close to 31-12-2-1 the rest of the season. Yes, it is possible but highly unlikely.


- I have seen several comments on social media recently regarding the impact team ownership and the new affiliation have had on this season. I can say with some certainty neither can be blamed for the poor season. Owner Jack Gulati has improved conditions for the players since buying the team. The team is flying to away games with the exception of Tulsa and Wichita, they are living in topnotch housing and the team is fully funded. The affiliation with the Wild has seen five contract players (Salituro, Motte, Lang, Jenys, J. Thrower) assigned to Allen. The Wild have not taken any non-contracted players from Allen. Braylon Shmyr was loaned to the AHL but he went to Springfield. Coach Martinson is pleased with the relationship with the Wild and you can't expect them to send more players to Allen just because the Americans are losing.   




DID YOU KNOW: Three players on the Allen roster started their ECHL career with the Wheeling Nailers. Casey Pierro-Zabotel in 2009-10, David Makowski in 2014-15 and Mike Gunn in 2015-16.

Where Are They Now - Konrad Abeltshauser

Konrad Abeltshauser playoff goal celly with Kevin Young & Chris Crane - photo by Kevin Pyle

Today we continue the "Where Are They Now" Series by catching up with defenseman Konrad Abeltshauser who was a member of the Allen Americans 2015 Kelly Cup championship team. Konrad's time in Allen was brief but very impactful. The 6'5" 225 pound left shot defenseman is from Bad Tolz, Germany and played his junior hockey for the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).  He was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the sixth round of the 2010 NHL draft.

Abeltshauser capped a great junior career by winning the QMJHL championship in his final season in Halifax (2012-13) and went on to win the Memorial Cup which is contested between the three top junior leagues in Canada (QMJHL, OHL & WHL). He was one of five players selected to the Memorial Cup All-Star team. In a story written last year by the Halifax Mooseheads called, "Memorial Cup Memories" they had this to say about Abeltshauser, "Championship teams have a #1 defenseman. He plays the first and last minute of every period. He is on the power play and kills penalties. He plays against the opponent's top line. He can play over 30 minutes if called upon. In 2012-13 that player was Konrad Abeltshauser."

The article went on to say, "Abeltshauser was one of the most affable players on the Mooseheads. Raised on a small dairy farm 50 kilometers from Munich he took an immediate liking to Halifax. He so immersed himself in the Mooseheads' charitable activities that he was named the QMJHL Humanitarian of the Year in his final season. He remains the only European player in the history of the QMJHL to be so honored."


Konrad turned pro for the 2013-14 season and was assigned to the San Jose Sharks AHL affiliate, the Worcester Sharks. How did he end up in Allen at the tail end of the 2014-15 season? Here is what coach Steve Martinson told me, "He had been sitting out some games in Worcester as a healthy scratch so he asked San Jose if he could come to Allen for the playoffs. He saw the value of playing in the playoffs."  He arrived in Allen the end of March and played the last six regular season games. He had an immediate impact scoring in five of the six games. His booming shot from the point ignited the power play. Konrad had four power play goals in the six regular season games. His regular season totals for six games was seven points (5G, 2A) and included a hat trick against Brampton on April 3, 2015.


- Abeltshauser led Allen defensemen in scoring in the playoffs playing in all 25 games with 16 points (5G, 11A). Maybe his most memorable game in the playoffs was in the opening round against Tulsa. Allen opened at home and handily beat the Oilers in game one by a score 6-2. However in game two Tulsa had a 4-0 lead midway thorough the second period before the Americans staged one of their patented comebacks. Konrad played a major role in the comeback with two goals including the goal that tied the game 4-4 with less than five minutes remaining. Here is how I described the game winning overtime goal.

- Sudden death overtime goals are always great but the one last night was extra special. The most important part of the play was made by a guy that got no credit in the box score. Justin Baker blocked a shot in front of Joel Rumpel which created an odd man rush for the Americans. A pretty tic tac toe pass from Konrad Abeltshauser to Dyson Stevenson  to Greger Hanson who put the puck in the net with his league leading tenth game winning goal this year.

 Abeltshauser to Stevenson to Hanson for the game winner - photo by scenebykimberly.com

Instead of heading to Tulsa tied 1-1 Allen took a 2-0 series lead and closed out the Oilers in five games on the way to their first Kelly Cup championship. Konrad finished that game with two goals and an assist.

Raising the Kelly Cup

Abeltshauser, Steffes & Gens take a knee to give thanks after 2015 championship - photo by JJ Grillette

During the summer of 2015 Konrad was traded to the St. Louis Blues by the San Jose Sharks and he spent the early part of the 2015-16 season with the Chicago Wolves, the Blues AHL affiliate. However, in January he and the Blues mutually agreed to terminate his NHL contract and he returned home to Germany and signed with Red Bull Munich in the top German league (DEL). He once again was on a championship team. His team has won three DEL championships in a row and are trying for a fourth title this season. In 2016-17 Abeltshauser was selected as the DEL Defenseman of the Year.


To recap what Konrad has accomplished since the 2012-13 season it includes a QMJHL championship, a Memorial Cup championship, a Kelly Cup championship and three DEL championships. Not bad for six years of hockey. Steve Martinson said this about Abeltshauser, "I am not surprised he has been on so many winning teams. He is a big guy that makes big plays."


 Here is an update from Konrad Abeltshauser in his own words.

Can you give us an update on your family and hockey team?
The summer after I left Allen I got engaged to my now wife, Erica. She is from Halifax and we met while I was playing for the Mooseheads. We have a dog named Luna, She is a Shiba Inu and almost three years old. We love Luna so much and enjoy taking her hiking in the Alps. Erica made Luna bandanas when she was a little puppy and since then has turned it into a little business. She has an Etsy Shop (an e-commerce website focused on handmade items) and makes dogs all over the world happy.

Konrad, Erica & Luna

After my time in Allen I spent a few months in Chicago playing for the Wolves (AHL). I moved to Munich (January 2015) to play for the Red Bull Munich and was fortunate to be part of the team that won their first DEL championship in franchise history and we have now added two more. I play for a team that really knows how to win, just like the Americans.

I really love playing here as I have some awesome teammates, great coaches and Munich is a beautiful city to live in. Another great thing about Munich is that it is only one hour away from my parents farm where I grew up and all of my family still lives. I feel truly blessed to be able to have my friends and family so close and them being able to watch my games.


Can you share something about your experience playing in Allen?
There are so many unforgettable moments that I fondly remember about my time in Allen. Winning my first professional championship and scoring my first and only hat trick ever. That Kelly Cup playoff run and how close the team was when we faced adversity was the most memorable. Going to a game seven showdown twice (Ontario and South Carolina), it doesn't get more exciting than that.


Who was your favorite/closest teammate in Allen?
It is really hard to single out someone as I am happy to have met so many amazing players, coaches and staff. I get to see former Allen teammates Chad Costello, Greger Hanson and Rylan Schwartz who also play in the DEL. 

Abeltshauser celebrating DEL 2017 championship

 


      

Battling Adversity - Fight Like You're the Third Monkey Trying to Get on Noah's Ark and It's Raining, Stats Explain Why Allen is in Last Place & Top ECHL Scorers (10 Years)

My plan this morning was to go through all of the ECHL stats and show why Allen has been the worst team in the ECHL this season. I will still do that but decided to start out differently after I saw a quote about fighting through adversity no matter what situation you find yourself facing. After all, having a losing hockey season pales in comparison to the fights many of our friends and family including our Allen Americans friends and family are battling with health issues, relationship issues, children issues, personal issues and a myriad of other issues. The quote I saw was, "Fight like you are the third monkey trying to get on Noah's Ark and it just started raining." So my message this morning as we approach Christmas and other holidays is to stay strong through adversity whether it is following the Allen Americans or in your personal life and remember:

"Always seek out the seed of triumph in every adversity"..... Og Mandino

"Your hardest times often lead to the greatest moment of your life"..... Ziglar Vault

"Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle"..... Charles D. Larson

"Real champions fight through diversity"

"You have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life"

"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that is teamwork"..... John Wooden

"When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in, That's what this storm is all about"..... Haruki Murakami

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength"


- I am sure nobody saw this losing season coming and the question I get asked more than any other is what is wrong with the Allen Americans. Is it lack of defense, lack of scoring, poor goaltending, not enough toughness, poor special teams, lack of leadership, too many penalties, too many injuries or many other reasons. The answer is obviously a combination of factors so here are the facts/stats that have led the Americans to have a winning percentage (.269) that is just 40% of Allen's average winning percentage over the last nine seasons (.666).


Goal Scoring: Allen started the season with so many goal scorers the main question was could they play defense but scoring goals was not an issue. At one point the Americans had five or six forwards that led their junior team in scoring with 40 goal scorers and 100 point seasons up and down the lineup. The realty is the team has struggled putting the puck in the net. Allen has been shutout three times, scored one goal four times and two goals five times. The Americans are averaging 2.54 goals per game which ranks them #22 in the league. Compare 2.54 goals per game over the last nine seasons and you can see how much the team is struggling to score.

2009-10:   3.28 (lost in finals)
2010-11:   4.20 (lost in third round)
2011-12:   3.21 (lost in first round)
2012-13:   3.18 (won championship)
2013-14:   3.77 (won championship)
2014-15:   4.05 (won championship
2015-16:   3.08 (won championship)
2016-17:   4.08 (lost in second round)
2017-18:   3.26 (lost in first round)
2018-19:   2.54 (after 26 games)


Team Defense: This was an area of concern at the beginning of the season but has been much worse than predicted. Last season was Allen's worst since joining the ECHL in goals allowed. After allowing 203 or 204 goals in their first three seasons, last season the Americans allowed 232 goals. This season they are on pace to allow a record 285 goals. Allen is allowing an average of 3.96 goals per game which ranks them #27 in the league and it isn't even close. The #26 ranked team is allowing 3.77 goals per game.


Goal Differential: When you are on pace for the worst offensive season in history and the worst defensive season in history goal differential (goals for minus goals against) is off the chart and this stat proves the point. Here are Allen's goal differentials since joining the ECHL. The number for this season is projected for the full season based on the first 26 games.

2014-15:   +89
2015-16:   +18
2016-17:   +91
2017-18:   +3
2018-19:   -102


Special Teams - Allen special teams have historically been excellent but fell off a cliff last season and has been even worse this season. One way to measure overall special teams performance is a stat that combines power play and penalty kill percentages. In the NHL typically 10% of the teams exceed 105% which is considered excellent. The average for all teams is 100% and anything below 100% is considered poor performance by special teams. The Americans special teams were bad last season and have gotten even worse this season. Allen is ranked #22 on the power play and #23 on the penalty kill. Here is the combined total for Allen since they joined the ECHL with the power play and penalty kill percentages in parentheses.

2018-19:   94.7%    (13.4% PP & 81.3% PK)
2017-18:   98.7%    (17.1% PP & 81.6% PK)
2016-17:  108.8%   (24.4% PP & 84.4% PK)
2015-16:  107.5%   (21.1% PP & 86.4% PK)
2014-15:  108.2%   (21.9% PP & 86.3% PK)


Penalties: When you look at average penalty minutes per game Allen is in familiar territory ranked #2 averaging 21.04 penalty minutes per game. However, when you look behind the numbers the makeup of the penalty minutes is very different than in the past. Allen has taken the most minor penalties in the league (156) and given up the most power play opportunities (134). This is not a good stat when you have the #23 ranked penalty kill unit. When it comes to five minute major penalties, most of which are fighting majors, there are only 11 teams with fewer than Allen. The Americans have 13 major penalties compared to Rapid City who is leading with 35. The reason Allen has so few major penalties is they are ranked #22 in fighting majors (10) and five of the 10 fights came in one game. Since joining the ECHL Allen has averaged 75 fighting majors per season. They are on pace to have 28 fighting majors this season. Allen has way fewer major penalties than in the past but they do lead the league in undisciplined penalties such as 10 minute misconducts (7), game misconducts (8) and match penalties (2). There have been only four match penalties in the ECHL all season and the Americans have two of them.


Goaltending: Save percentage is about more than just goalie play as team defense plays a huge role. However, goalies play a huge part in this stat. Allen's team save percentage is the lowest since the Americans joined the ECHL and is below .900 for the first time. Here are the team save percentages by season, The differences may look small but goals allowed between a save percentage of .894 and .910 over the course of a season equates to between 40-45 goals.

2018-19:    .894
2017-18:    .912
2016-17:    .920
2015-16:    .909
2014-15:    .906


Injuries: There is no doubt injuries have played a major role in Allen being in last place. Only two players (Spencer Asuchak & Alex Breton) have played in all 26 games. The Americans have already lost 120-125 player games to injury which is an average of almost five players out of the lineup each game. One of the biggest losses has been Casey Pierro-Zabotel who has been out of the lineup since the beginning of November and it is unknown if and when he will return. Casey has been a top scorer in the ECHL for the last 10 years and plays in all situations for the Americans.


 - You put all of these stats together and it is easy to see why the Americans are in last place. The real challenge is how does the team work through this adversity and get things turned around. There is absolutely no doubt they have the talent to play much better. The question is how hard will they fight to get the job done.




DID YOU KNOW: If you look at cumulative totals over the last 10 seasons (2009-10 to 2018-19) the top ECHL point scorer is Casey Pierro-Zabotel. Three of the top five have played for the Allen Americans. Here is the list:

504 points - Casey Pierro-Zabotel
489 points - Chad Costello
485 points - Trent Daavettila
450 points - Micheal Pelech
393 points - Mathieu Aubin




     

Allen's Comeback Falls Short, Game Recap, Humble Pie, The Season in Perspective, Stats of Note Around the ECHL and More

I am back from a week of stomping around the marshes, sloughs and grain fields of rural North Dakota in temperatures mostly in the single digits. I grew up pheasant hunting in a small town in South Dakota (Flandreau) as most of my relatives were dairy farmers. I got my first shotgun (a 20 gauge bolt action) when I was nine so hunting has been in my blood for a very long time. As you get older you appreciate the ability to still be able to get out in the fresh cold air and pursue a lifelong passion. Even better I was hunting with a lifelong friend, Dave Carter, who is so much fun to hunt with and has a great hunting dog named Jett. As usual we retold countless hunting stories from the past which is a long time since we have hunted together for 55 years. We have hunted geese on the Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba where we could watch polar bears from our blind and quail in west Texas but most of our lives it was duck, goose and pheasant hunting in Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota. We had so much fun this past week we are planning another trip to North Dakota between Christmas and New Year's when there should be more snow and even colder temperatures, both great things if you are a pheasant hunter.

Dave, Jett & myself enjoying another pheasant hunt in North Dakota

- I arrived home last night just in time for the Americans game against Kansas City. It was a hard fought game that went back and fourth with Allen coming from behind after trailing 2-0 at the start of the third period. The Americans scored three times in just over two minutes (6:38, 7:19 & 8:49) to take a 3-2 lead. Just when it looked like they might have a nice comeback win Allen surrendered two goals in 33 seconds and another loss was in the books. Not sure it is worth counting anymore but it was the third straight loss for Allen, the fourth loss in five games, the eighth loss in the last 10 games and the 16th loss in the last 19 games.


- The goal scorers for the Americans were Adam Miller (6), Dante Salituro (6) and Joel Chouinard (3). Miller has been a bright spot recently having at least one point in six of the last seven games. In those seven games he has eight points (5G, 3A).


- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/americans-comeback-in-kc-spoiled-by-two-late-mavericks-goals/


- Here is the game recap issued by the Kansas City Mavericks: https://kcmavericks.com/en/news/2018/12/postgame-snapshots-mavs-win-back-and-forth-affair-over-allen


- If you are looking for positives from last night it was a close game and Allen made a nice comeback but moral victories are pretty shallow when you find yourself in last place by 10 points and 13 points out of a playoff spot. The harsh reality is the Allen Americans will miss the playoffs this season for the first time in franchise history. I took a lot of grief when I said at Thanksgiving that Allen would not make the playoffs. I was basing that prediction on historical NHL data which shows if you are more than six points out of the playoffs at Thanksgiving it is virtually impossible to make the playoffs. Based on historical ECHL averages the Americans record the rest of the season will have to be about 32-13-1-0 to make the playoffs.


- One thing I know for sure is Steve Martinson will keep grinding until the team is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and then he will start grinding for next season. If you are an Allen fan now is the time to show your support for the team. This is a team and coach that has had more success in AA hockey over the past seven years than any other AA franchise. Allen has been on top for so long this is the season for everyone to get their paybacks whether it is on the ice or on social media. I would encourage all Allen fans to be humble and respectful as the the Americans take the heat from fans that have been looking up at Allen for a long time. Support the players and the coaches each and every game and enjoy the hockey. Knowing Steve Martinson this team will play better.


- The team heads back to Allen today before continuing their road trip with a game in Wheeling on Wednesday and three games in Reading on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The games in Reading will be the first between the two teams owned by Jack Gulati and they will be important for the Royals who play in the very competitive North Division. Reading is currently in third place with 26 points but just three points ahead of last place. All seven teams in the division are at .500 or better and first place (Newfoundland) and seventh place (Worcester) are separated by only 10 points.


OTHER COMMENTS:


- The Mountain Division has two of the top three teams in the ECHL in winning percentage. Utah is #2 at .727 followed by Kansas City at #3 with a .714 winning percentage. The Western Conference has the #1 spot with Toledo (.762) and #4 Cincinnati (.705). These are the only four teams in the league with a winning percentage over .700.


- The last five Kelly Cups have been won by Western Conference teams and 2019 looks like the west will have some great teams again. The five Kelly Cups all came from teams in what is now the Mountain Division (Allen (2), Colorado (2) and Alaska). The Central Division usually wins in the regular season against the Mountain Division but then loses in the playoffs. Last season the Central had a record of 52-32-6-1 against the Mountain and so far the season is 10-5-0-0. Toledo has the best record in the ECHL this season and has never been lower than #2 in the last five seasons. The Walleye are always toward the bottom of the league in penalty minutes and struggle getting past tougher teams in the playoffs. With Colorado now in the AHL and Allen out of the playoff picture could this be Toledo's year to win the Kelly Cup or will the Eastern Conference prevail. The Mountain Division is going for a sixth straight Kelly Cup so don't count them out either.


- The top six ECHL teams in fighting majors this season all come from the Western Conference and four of the six are from the Mountain Division. Here are the top six according the dropyourgloves.com:

34 - Rapid City
26 - Idaho
23 - Utah
21 - Fort Wayne
18 - Cincinnati
17 - Wichita

The last four Kelly Cup champions have finished 1st, 3rd, 2nd and 7th in fighting majors. Is it a coincidence or does toughness along with skill in the regular season translate to playoff success?



- Here are a few stats of note from the ECHL daily report:

Reading has a great road record (8-1-0-3) but like the Americans have struggled at home. The Royals home record is 2-6-2-1.

Cincinnati has still not lost a home game in regulation time. Their home record is 9-0-2-1.

The top two scorers in the ECHL are from the same team (Utah) and are on the same line. Caleb Herbert leads the league in points (36) and goals (19). Cole Ully is second in points (31) and first is assists (22). Fittingly, they were selected as co-winners as the ECHL Player of the Month for November. For the month Herbert had 21 points (10G, 11A) in 12 games while Ully had 21 points (5G, 16A) in 11 games.

The top three rookie scorers all hail from the Newfoundland Growlers. Brady Ferguson and Giorgio Estephan are on top with 25 points and Scott Pooley is tied for third with 23 points.

Defenseman Matt Register is back in a familiar spot atop the list in scoring by a defenseman with 22 points (4G, 18A) in 21 games. Allen's Alex Breton is second with 19 points (5G, 14A).

The top three ECHL power play teams all come from the Mountain Division, maybe because they get a lot of power play opportunities in that division. The #1 power play unit is Wichita (22.1%), #2 is Kansas City (21.6%) and #3 is Utah (21.3%).

Former Allen forward J.C. Campagna, who now plays for Fort Wayne, had his goal scoring streak snapped last night in the Komets 5-2 loss the Indy. Campagna had scored at least one goal in the last seven games. That is the longest goal scoring streak in the ECHL this season.   


DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans are eating crow this season but they are still the only one of the seven teams that came to the ECHL from the CHL that has a championship in the last seven years and the Americans have four, two in the CHL and two in the ECHL. There has been lot of losing at the hands of the Allen Americans for these former CHL teams since Steve Martinson took over as coach and general manager. Against Allen's four biggest rivals, Rapid City, Tulsa, Kansas City and Wichita, Steve Martinson has never lost a playoff series and has beaten all four (Kansas City twice) on the way to a championship. Since joining the ECHL in 2014, Allen's regular season record against these four rivals is a combined 127-60-12-8 so it is understandable why some and I emphasize some because it is a small minority of fans want to take shots at Allen this season. They have been waiting a long time. Here are Allen's head to head regular season records (including this season) since joining the ECHL, against these four rivals.

Wichita:        41-12-4-5
Rapid City:   25-9-1-0
Tulsa:            35-22-3-3
Kansas City: 26-17-4-0

Gone Hunting

One of the best things about being retired is you have control of your time unlike when you were working. I had some bad news and good news yesterday that explains just how tough retirement can be (haha). Had a fishing trip planned to Lake Texoma for tomorrow but had to reschedule because of health issues with one of my fishing buddies wife. I was telling my life long friend and hunting buddy from Minnesota about the reschedule because a month ago we had talked about going pheasant hunting in North Dakota this week but I couldn't make it because of the fishing trip. When I told my friend Dave I had to reschedule my fishing trip and it turns out I could have come pheasant hunting he said, "We are both retired, let's go hunting tomorrow." An hour later the flight was booked, hotel (with heated kennel for the dog and indoor pheasant cleaning room) was booked and all I had left to do was pack. With lows in the single digits and highs in the teens predicted this week in North Dakota I had to go in the back of the closet to find the appropriate hunting attire.

That's a long drawn out way to say I am leaving at 5:00 am this morning for a week of pheasant hunting in very rural and cold North Dakota. No blogs this week. Will be back on Sunday to recap the hockey week.

                                                   Barry the Blogger

Allen Loses 6-2, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Photos, Shooting Percentage Stats and More

For two periods last night the Allen game against the Wichita Thunder looked like a carbon copy of  the Americans win on Friday night but the third period could not have been more different. The end result was a 6-2 Allen loss to the Thunder.


- Allen dominated the start of the game taking the first nine shots on goal but they could not get the puck in the net despite several great opportunities. The Thunder didn't get their first shot on goal until the 8:29 mark and scored the first goal of the game on just their third shot of the game. Allen responded two minutes later when Adam Miller scored his fourth goal of the season and third in as many games.


- The teams went into the first intermission tied 1-1. Allen out shot Wichita 18-6 in the first period but could not manage more than one goal. The Americans had a couple of power play opportunities including an extended power play when former Allen defenseman, Travis Brown, took a five minute major penalty and received a match penalty for deliberate attempt to injure.


- There was no scoring in the second period so just like Friday night the teams went in to the third period tied 1-1. It looked promising for a repeat of Friday night (Allen outscored Wichita 3-0) when Wichita was given a penalty for boarding after the end of the second period. Allen started the third period on the power play but could not even manage a shot let alone score the go ahead goal. Instead, Wichita flipped the script from Friday night scoring 27 seconds after Allen's power play had expired and again a minute later and the game was essentially over by the 3:37 mark of the period. When the smoke cleared the Thunder outshot Allen 16-8 in the third period and outscored the Americans 5-1. A disappointing end to a promising game.


- The goal scorers for Allen were Adam Miller (4) and Joel Chouinard (2). Here are their goals courtesy of Sporfie:

Adam Miller - A great individual effort by Adam and watch where he put that shot to beat the goalie.






Joel Chouinard - A nice three way play on this goal scored off the rush. Greg Chase carries the puck into the zone and drops it for Braylon Shmyr. Shmyr makes a nifty pass to Joel Chouinard who is streaking toward the net and Joel makes a nice finish on the play.






- Here is the game recap from the Wichita Thunder: https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/thunder-looks-to-snap-road-skid-tonight-in-allen.html


- Here is Steve Martinson's post game interview and you will notice a familiar face conducting the interview. It is the game host from last season, Kayla McLain, who was attending the game as a fan and was drafted to conduct the post game interview with coach Martinson. What a pro and she hasn't missed a beat. Kayla is certainly missed.

- There were 24 penalties called in the game including 21 minor penalties, 11 in the third period. Wichita won the special teams battle going 2-9 on the power play while Allen was 0-7.


- Allen has struggled to score goals all season. They have been shutout three times, held to one goal four times and held to two goals four times. You can't expect to win consistently when you score two or fewer goals in half of your games. The problem hasn't  been getting scoring opportunities as much as it has been the ability to finish. Last night was a good example when the Americans managed two goals on 35 shots which computes to a shooting percentage of 5.7%. Allen's shooting percentage for the season is 7.7% and that is ranked #26 in the ECHL. Since joining the ECHL the Americans shooting percentage has never been in the single digits (see Did You Know section below).


- Allen gave up the first goal again last night. Despite winning on Friday after giving up the first goal of the game the Americans record when they give up the first goal now stands at 1-12-0-1.


- With the 0-7 on the power play last night Allen's home power play is now 4-40 and their 10.0% power play percentage is ranked #26.
 



OTHER COMMENTS


- It was a frustrated coach Martinson when I stopped by his office long after the game was over. The inconsistency in play, defensive breakdowns, failure to compete was apparent in the third period. Martinson reiterated he will have the team view a lot of video on Monday after practice. The team is typically on their own in the afternoon after practice unless they are doing something with the front office related to marketing or community appearances but they can plan on watching TV (aka game video) Monday afternoon.


- Each loss by Allen makes the likelihood of making the playoffs even more remote. The Americans are now 12 points out of fifth place and 13 points out of the fourth and final playoff spot in the Mountain Division. Here are the standings with games played in parentheses:

30 points - Utah (20 games)
30 points - Tulsa (20 games)
25 points - Kansas City (18 games)
25 points - Idaho (22 games)
24 points - Rapid City (22 games)
18 points - Wichita (20 games)
12 points - Allen (22 games)


- There are only two ECHL teams with winning percentages below .413. Atlanta is at .361 and Allen is at .273.


- If you like watching game video, something coach Martinson will be doing, here is a seven minute compilation of hits, misses, close calls, goals, good saves, defensive breakdowns and some teddy bears tossed in for good measure.

- Here are a few photos from the weekend courtesy of photographer David Dudich:

Braylon Shmyr with the quick stop

Kyle Hayton with one of 29 saves on the way to his first pro victory

Kyle Hayton

Looks like Joel Chouinard is giving instructions

  - I have a pair of free tickets for the Allen game on Tuesday against Rapid City which starts at 10:35 am. The seats are in the second row in section 100 at the end of the rink where Allen is on offense twice. The first person that emails me at janssenfamily@msn.com gets the tickets.


Did YOU KNOW: Historically Allen has always been toward the top of the ECHL in shooting percentage but not the case this season. Here are the team shooting percentages since the Americans joined the ECHL.

11.9%    2019-20
9.2%     2018-19
10.5%   2017-18
12.9%   2016-17
10.6%   2015-16
12.2%   2014-15

It may not look like a big difference when looking at the percentages but over the course of a typical season the difference in a 7.7% and 12.9% shooting percentage is 135 goals or almost two goals per game.
    

       

Allen Wins at Home for First Time in 238 days, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson Comments, Rematch Preview and More

It took quite a wait between victories at the Allen Event Center (AEC) for the Allen Americans. To be exact, 238 days and one minute after the Americans beat Utah 5-4 in overtime in the playoffs they got the monkey off their back with a 4-1 win over the Wichita Thunder last night.

- It has been a long time since there has been so many smiles and high fives at a home game. It was an entertaining game that was much closer then the final score. The game didn't start well for the Americans as they dominated the first period by out shooting Wichita 17-9 with many grade A scoring chances but finished the period trailing 1-0. Allen's record prior to last night when giving up the first goal was 0-11-0-1 and it looked like they would be snakebit once again.


- What happened last night was Allen put together three good periods, outshot Wichita 39-30, won the special teams battle by going 1-4 on the power play while killing all four Thunder power play opportunities, minimized turnovers and played solid defense. When the defense did break down rookie goalie, Kyle Hayton, playing in his second game with Allen and third as a pro, came up big. Hayton stopped 29 of 30 Wichita shots for a save percentage of .967.


- Goal scorers for Allen were Adam Miller (3), Alex Breton (4) Greg Chase (2) and Zach Pochiro (8). Here are the Sporfie highlights of the goals.

Adam Miller - Adam got the Americans on the scoreboard with a power play goal at the 13:16 of the second period. A great play that was started by Miller on the side boards. Adam passes to Salituro in the corner. Dante takes the puck behind the net drawing the defense with him. Salituro passes to Pochiro in front of the net, who makes a highlight reel blind pass between his legs to Miller who was all alone on the side of the net.





Alex Breton - Another great pass set up this goal. Spencer Asuchak makes the play by holding the puck to draw the goalie completely out of position before threading a pass by a sprawling defenseman to Breton who hustled the length of the ice to be in position for the pass.






Greg Chase - Asuchak made the pass to spring Chase on this goal but watch the speed of Chase  blow by the defenseman who was former Allen player, Eric Roy.







Zach Pochiro - Sure it was an empty net goal but Pochiro's team leading eighth goal is worth a look. Dante Salituro didn't figure in the scoring but his pressure on the sideboards helped make the play and Zach had to battle a couple of defenders to get the puck in the net.



 






- Here is a four minute highlight package with no sound that has clips of the goals but also many other close plays and great saves by both goalies:

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder: https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/allen-uses-third-period-to-get-past-wichita.html


- Here is Steve Martinson's post game interview:

- Martinson did address the season tickets holders after the game and shared his thoughts on how the team played which was all positive and he emphasized the team played well in all three periods. However, after getting the monkey off his back with the first home win of the season Martinson regaled the group on a variety of topics. I have said this many times in the past and it was true last night, sometimes you just have to be at the post game talk with coach Martinson. It just can't be translated for the blog. I will tell you it was an all time classic.


REMATCH PREVIEW

- The easiest way to describe what Allen needs to do to win tonight is more of the same. The game last night might have been the most complete game the team has played all season. Good at both ends of the ice, good on special teams and outstanding goaltending.


- One improvement for tonight would be for the Americans  to score the first goal of the game. They have managed to do that in only eight of their 21 games.


- Martinson did share that he will get  forward Mitch Maloney, who was a healthy scratch last night, in the lineup tonight. Otherwise, the lineup should remain the same.


- Everyone was expecting plenty of fisticuffs last night and the teams had the the fewest combined penalty minutes (24) of any of the five games they have played this season. It looked like Jake Doty was asking for a dance partner from Wichita but had no takers. Things may change tonight.


- The referee scheduled tonight is Stan Szczurek (#15). The linesmen will be Micheal Miggans (#47) and Aaron Schacht (#31). This is the same crew that worked the game last night.



OTHER COMMENTS

-  The Mountain Division has three of the top five teams in the ECHL in winning percentage. Tulsa and Utah are tied for second (.789) and Kansas City is fifth (.676). Allen is still firmly entrenched in last place with a winning percentage of .286 looking up at the two teams directly ahead of them (Atlanta & Kalamazoo) who are tied at .382.


- To give you an idea of how difficult it will be to dig out of the hole Allen has created for themselves, they will have to have a record of 30-21 the rest of the season just to get to .500. There has been just one team of the 64 that have made the playoffs in the last four years with a winning percentage of .500 or below.


- Joe Ernst, Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations for the ECHL was at the game last night and I took the opportunity to ask him about the video replay test that is taking place in four arenas this season (Kalamazoo, Toledo, Worcester, Idaho). Joe told me the test is going well, it has been used several times and the feed back from coaches and on ice officials has been positive. He wishes it could be used everywhere and it looks like the league will be moving in that direction though no decision has been made at this point.


- I asked Ernst if he has seen any trends in penalties this season and he said, "A trend I have seen recently that I don't like is aggressor game misconduct penalties where it is a one man fight or a player punches a guy that is a non-willing  combatant. We are trying to eliminate those because it causes injuries."


- There is a full slate of games (13) in the ECHL tonight with all Mountain Division teams in action. In addition to Wichita at Allen, Tulsa is at Kansas City, Utah visits Rapid City and Idaho takes on Jacksonville at home. 


- Ted Hosterman who has been a big fan and supporter of the Allen Americans is in the hospital and needs your thoughts and prayers. Ted has helped me with the blog filling in when I go on vacation, doing research where he read and categorize close to 1600 blog posts and being one of many proofreaders that let me know when I have an error in the blog. I know Ted will find a way to read this blog so Ted we look forward to seeing you back on your feet and joining everyone at the Allen Event Center.


DID YOU KNOW:  If you are in the camp that believes Allen plays Tulsa and Wichita too many times this season keep in mind the ECHL plays unbalanced schedules with a disproportionate number of games with teams that are geographically close as a cost savings effort. The Americans play Tulsa 13 times and Wichita 14 times this season which amounts to 38% of the schedule with these two teams. However, that is an improvement from a few years ago (2014-15) when close to half (46%) of the games on Allen's schedule were with Tulsa (16 games) and Wichita (17 games).