Allen Ends Season with a Loss and a Brawl, Game Recap, Video Highlights, How Bad Was This Season, Playoff Stories, High PIMS Can be Good or Bad

 The Allen Americans ended a historic season last night the same way they started the season 176 days ago, with a loss. It was a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Wichita Thunder last night that put an end to the worst season in Allen history. For two teams that were playing out the season Allen and Wichita couldn't say goodbye. A brawl ensued after the game ended with eight players (five Allen, three Wichita) receiving game misconduct and/or match penalties. There will definitely be some suspensions as a result of  this melee. Any Allen suspensions will carry over to next season. Wichita plays Tulsa this afternoon so they will undoubtedly play shorthanded. The penalty totals for the game were 18 infractions, 127 minutes for Allen and 12 infractions, 70 minutes for Wichita.  The Allen penalty minute total (127) is the highest in the league this season and the combined total for both teams of 197 minutes is the second highest in the ECHL this season.


- The 4-1 loss to Wichita was similar to many of the Allen losses this season. The Americans had a good start scoring the first goal and taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Wichita scored the only goal in the second period so the teams started the third period tied 1-1. The wheels fell off in the third period for the Americans as they surrendered three unanswered goals. The Americans have always been known as a great third period team but not this season. Allen has given up more third period goals than any team in the league while struggling to score. The totals are 68 goals scored in the third period and 97 goals allowed for a goal differential of -29. Not many third period comebacks with that kind of performance.


- Here is the game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder: https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/thunder-wins-penalty-filled-home-finale.html


- Here are the video highlights with all of the goals and the brawl after the game had ended:

- My goal and I am sure the goal of many Allen fans is to not forget about this season but put it in the past. Use it as incentive for everyone associated with the team to come back stronger than ever next season. This will be the last blog post I use to talk about just how a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad season it was for the Allen Americans. They set records for futility that will never be broken. For the record here is a comparison of the Americans five ECHL seasons.


Winning Percentage
.389   2018-19
.542   2017-18
.722   2016-17
.618   2015-16
.736   2014-15


Points
56    2018-19 
78    2017-18
104  2016-17
89    2015-16
106  2014-16


Goals Scored
208   2018-19
235   2017-18
294   2016-17
222   2015-16
292   2014-15


Goals Allowed
269   2018-19
232   2017-18
203   2016-17
204   2015-16
203   2014-15


Goal Differential (goals for minus goals against)
2018-19    -61
2017-18    +3
2016-17   +91
2015-16   +18
2014-15   +89


Team Save Percentage
.897   2018-19
.912   2017-18
.920   2016-17
.909   2015-16
.906   2014-15


Team GAA
3.67   2018-19
3.16   2017-18
2.76   2016-17
2.75   2015-16
2.73   2014-15


Times Shutout by Opponents
8 - 2018-19 
5 - 2017-18
2 - 2016-17
2 - 2015-16
1 - 2014-15


Team Shooting Percentage
9.2%     2018-19
10.5%   2017-18
12.9%   2016-17
10.6%   2015-16
12.2%   2014-15


Power Play Percentage
16.7%   2018-19
17.1%   2017-18
24.4%   2016-17
21.1%   2015-16
21.9%   2014-15


Penalty Kill Percentage
81.7%   2018-19 
81.6%   2017-18
84.4%   2016-17
86.4%   2015-16
87.5%   2014-15


Team Plus/Minus
-256   2018-19
+38    2017-18
+334  2016-17
-11     2015-16
+291  2014-15


Penalty Minutes
2018-19   1691
2017-18   1411
2016-17   1432
2015-16   1189
2014-15   1644


CONCLUSIONS

1. You can see how much worse this season is than any other but things have been going down hill since the 2016-17 season.

2. The 2014-15 championship team was a complete team that could score, defend and was very physical. They are the leaders in most of the stats above.

3. The 2015-16 championship team was not that good in the regular season. The stats were good but not great, however, the team peaked during the playoffs.

4. Maybe the most surprising of the stats above is just how good the 2016-17 team was in the regular season. The team was loaded with talent and coach Martinson had the best team ever by his own analysis. Based on the stats above you could certainly agree it was the best team ever assembled by Martinson.



OTHER COMMENTS

- I asked coach Steve Martinson what his thoughts were now that the season is over and his response was not a surprise and captures what all Allen fans would agree with, "I am looking forward to building a new team."


- Spencer Asuchak scored Allen's only goal last night playing in his 72nd game of the season. Spencer is the only player on the team to play in all 72 games. This is the second time Asuchak has been an Ironman as he also played in every game in the 2013-14 season. When you consider he spends so much time in front of the net taking an incredible amount of abuse, his feat is even more impressive.  I know Spencer played hurt for much of the season and refused to do anything but show up game after game. He will undergo surgery this week. 


- Congrats to Spencer and stick taps to all Allen Ironmen past and present! It is a very exclusive club.

2018-19 - Spencer Asuchak 
2017-18 - Joel Chouinard, Casey Pierro-Zabotel
2016-17 - Chad Costello, Joel Chouinard
2015-16 - Chad Costello
2014-15 - Chad Costello, Aaron Gens, Jamie Schaafsma
2013-14 - Spencer Asuchak, Daniel Tetrault, Mike Berube
2012-13 - Jamie Schaafsma, Jason Deitsch
2011-12 - Jason Deitsch
2010-11 - Colton Yellow Horn, David Strathman
2009-10 - Bruce Graham, Christian Gaudet
 


- The Kelly Cup playoffs are almost set with just one slot still up for grabs. South Carolina is at Atlanta today and the Gladiators need a regulation win to advance to the playoffs, any other outcome and the Stingrays advance.


- The Tulsa Oilers clinched the Mountain Division championship with a 6-1 win over Kalamazoo last night while Idaho was losing 3-2 in overtime to Utah. It is the first division championship for Tulsa in 43 years. The first round matchups are now set with #1 Tulsa vs #4 Kansas City and #2 Idaho vs #3 Utah. Talk about teams that are familiar with each other, Tulsa and Kansas City have played 11 times this season with the Oilers having a record of 7-4-0-0 against the Mavericks. Idaho and Utah finish the regular season playing each other today in Utah. It will be the 15th time these teams have met this season. This is a good matchup for Utah who has given Idaho trouble all season. Even though Idaho is the #2 seed Utah's record against the Steelheads is 8-4-2-0. 


- There will be some interesting stories when it comes to the teams that made the Kelly Cup playoffs this season. From Newfoundland making the playoffs in their first season to Tulsa winning their first division title since 1975-76. Brampton is in the playoffs for only the second time in five ECHL seasons and Tulsa has made the playoffs for the first time in four years. The Jacksonville Icemen will be in the playoffs for the first time since the franchise joined the ECHL as the Evansville Icemen  in 2012-13. At the other end of the spectrum is the Idaho Steelheads who have been to the playoffs 21 straight seasons (two different leagues), the longest active playoff streak in pro hockey.



DID YOU KNOW: Thanks to 127 penalty minutes in the final game of the season last night Allen surpassed the 1600 penalty minute barrier. Over 1600 penalty minutes in a season has been accomplished just twice in the last five ECHL seasons, both times by the Allen Americans. In 2014-15 Allen had 1644 regular season penalty minutes and won the Kelly Cup. This season Allen had 1691 penalty minutes and finished last in the ECHL.

Allen Suffers Eighth Shutout of the Season, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Race for the Bottom and More

A week ago Allen beat Wichita and goalie Stuart Skinner 7-1. Last night they were shutout by Wichita and Skinner 4-0. Such is the nature of this season for the Americans.  There were two keys for the Americans in the game preview yesterday. First was to get off to a good start. Even though Allen gave up only one goal they were out shot in the first period 22-10. There have been 951 games played in the ECHL this year and the 22 shots on goal in the first period was the fourth most all season. The second key was to stay out of the penalty box. Wichita has the #1 ranked power play in the ECHL (24.5%). By the 8:49 mark of the second period Allen had given Wichita four power play opportunities and they scored on three of them and it was game over.


- Here is the game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder: https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/kalk-skinner-leads-thunder-to-win-vs-allen.html


- Here are the video highlights:

 


- Allen will close out the season tonight in Wichita and the question is will the team that beat the Thunder six straight games including a 7-1 win last Saturday show up or the one that lost 4-0 last night. Are the players more interested in the logistics of the post season or can they focus on finishing strong.


- Not sure if it is an incentive or if the players are even aware but Allen has to get at least one point tonight if they want to avoid being dead last in the ECHL standings. Greenville won last night, their second straight road win in Norfolk, and have tied Allen in points (56). Since Allen has fewer ROW (regular and overtime wins) a tie would go to Greenville. To avoid last place Allen needs to get at least one point tonight and hope Greenville loses in Norfolk.


- The Kelly Cup playoffs are almost set with 14 of 16 teams locked in. Here is the list. The seedings could change but not much by the end of the last game on Sunday.

North Division
1. Newfoundland
2. Adirondack
3. Manchester
4. Brampton, Reading or Maine

South Division
1. Florida
2. Orlando
3. Jacksonville
4. Atlanta or South Carolina

Central Division
1. Cincinnati
2. Toledo
3. Fort Wayne
4. Kalamazoo

Mountain Division
1. Tulsa
2. Idaho
3. Utah
4. Kansas City


- There is a full set of games (13) scheduled in the ECHL tonight with Orlando the only team idle. The best matchup has to be Atlanta vs South Carolina. They play in South Carolina tonight and in Atlanta on Sunday. Whichever team gets the most points in the two games makes the playoffs, the other goes home. Other games to watch are Kalamazoo at Tulsa and Idaho at Utah. Tulsa and Idaho are separated by a single point for the top seed in the division. Here is a link to ECHL Today with a short preview on all 13 games. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/4/echl-today-april-6


- With two days left in the regular season there have been 10 players reach 30 goals. This compares to 16 last season and 20 in 2016-17. It looks like a downward trend until you consider in 2015-16 only two players reached 30 goals.  


- In their first three seasons in the ECHL Allen was shut out a total of five times. In the last two seasons they have been shutout a total of 13 times including a record eight times this season. The eight shutouts have been spread out with one each month with the exception of November when the Americans were shutout in back to back games in Utah. Seven of the eight shutouts took place on the road. Here is the list:

2-0   October 28 in Rapid City
4-0   November 21 in Utah
5-0   November 23 in Utah
3-0   December 29 in Utah
2-0   January 4 in Tulsa
2-0   February 8 in Kansas City
6-0   March 6 in Allen against Kansas City
4-0   April 5 in Wichita



DID YOU KNOW: Here are the number of times Allen has been shutout in each of their five ECHL seasons:

8 - 2018-19 
5 - 2017-18
2 - 2016-17
2 - 2015-16
1 - 2014-15

Allen vs Wichita Preview, The Playoffs, How Good is Cincinnati and Chad Costello's Scoring Championships in Perspective

- The Americans are down to the last two games of the season and it seems appropriate they finish against Wichita, a team Allen has played 68 times since joining the ECHL five years ago. Wichita is one team Allen has played well against this season. The game tonight will be the 13th of 14 games between these teams and the Americans record against the Thunder stands at 8-2-0-2. Allen has won the last six times they have played Wichita. The Americans record in Wichita this season is 4-0-0-2.


- Head to head Allen has the edge in goals (54-37). Wichita has the edge in shots (424-405). If you look at season long averages Allen is #22 in goals per game (2.96) and Wichita is #19 (3.06). If you compare goals allowed per game Allen is #26 (3.73) and Wichita is #25 (3.59).


- Even though Wichita has the best power play percentage in the ECHL (23.8%) Allen has dominated special teams in the six games (all wins) they have played against the Thunder since the beginning of January. The Americans were 10-25 (40.0%) on the power play and 95.2% on the penalty kill (1-21). It is hard to expect those kind of stats tonight but if Allen can win the special teams battle it will go a long way in securing a win. If you look at season long special team stats it is a different story. On the road Allen is 16.9% on the power play and 85.0% on the penalty kill. At home Wichita is 21.3% on the power play and 79.9% on the penalty kill.



- Penalties could play a big part in the game tonight.  In their 12 head to head match ups this season Allen and Wichita have had as few as nine penalties for a combined 18 minutes and as many as 33 penalties for 112 minutes. Both teams will be missing key players when it comes to dropping the gloves. Allen will be missing Josh Thrower (injury) and Jake Doty (injury). Wichita will be missing Dyson Stevenson and Pierre-Cedric Labrie who are on loan to AHL teams. These four players have 33 of the 75 (44%) fights their teams have been involved in this season.



- It is not hard to come up with the keys to victory. First, Allen needs to get off to a good start. The Americans don't do well when they allow the first goal (9-32-0-1) and they don't do well when trailing after the first period (6-21-0-1). Key number two is stay out of the penalty box. Allen leads the ECHL in minor penalties (409), 10 minute misconduct penalties (22), game misconduct penalties (22) and match penalties (5). 


- Dante Salituro has been the leading scorer for Allen against Wichita. He has 17 points (8G, 9A) in 12 games. Braylon Shmyr has 14 points (6G, 8A). Zach Pochiro has 13 points (8G, 5A) in 10 games against the Thunder.


- Spencer Asuchak and Gary Steffes could reach individual milestones this weekend. Spencer needs to play in both games to become an Ironman for the second time. Asuchak is the only player on the team that has played in every game this season. Gary Steffes needs two goals this weekend to become Allen's all-time career leader in goals. Gary has 97 career goals and is currently tied with Bruce Graham. Chad Costello and Greger Hanson lead with 98 goals.


- Zach Pochiro has fallen to third in the ECHL in goals scored and will need a hot streak this weekend to take back the lead. Zach took the goal scoring lead by scoring a goal in seven straight games but since then has one goal in the last seven games. Adam Pleskach (Tulsa) leads with 37 goals, J.C. Campagna is second with 35 goals and Zach is third with 34 goals. With one goal this weekend Zach will tie Greger Hanson for third place on the Allen all time single season goal list.


- The referee scheduled tonight is Eric Krasnichuk (#20). The linesmen will be Kilian McNamara (#90) and Chuck Schamel #97.



OTHER COMMENTS

- There are still four playoff spots to be determined so this will be a big weekend for the eight teams that still have a chance to make the post season. The best matchup has to be Atlanta vs South Carolina. They play in South Carolina on Saturday and in Atlanta on Sunday. Whichever team gets the most points in the two games makes the playoffs, the other goes home. If the teams are tied Atlanta makes the playoffs. In the North Division no teams have been eliminated and the bottom five teams are competing for two playoff spots. Manchester and Brampton have a slight lead but anything could happen.


- The #1 seed in the Mountain Division will be determined this weekend between Tulsa and Idaho. Here are the remaining games for both teams. Tulsa has 86 points, Idaho 85.  

Tulsa - Kalamazoo (H), Kalamazoo (H), Wichita (H)
Idaho - Utah (H), Utah (A), Utah (A)

The Idaho vs Utah series this weekend could very well be a preview of the first round of the playoffs. It is likely these teams will end up as the #2 (Idaho) and #3 seeds and play each other.


- There are 12 games in the ECHL tonight. Here is a link to ECHL Today which previews all 12 games. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/4/echl-today-april-5


- How good has Cincinnati been both offensively and defensively this season? The Cyclones lead the ECHL in goals scored (277) and in goals allowed (170). Six of the top eight players in the ECHL in plus/minus play for Cincinnati. 


DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL scoring leader this season will be Jesse Schultz of the Cincinnati Cyclones who has 80 points and a seven point lead with two games remaining. Last season (2017-18) Shawn Szydlowski was the scoring champion with 79 points. These numbers make you appreciate even more the amazing numbers Chad Costello put up in his three seasons in Allen. Chad was the ECHL scoring champions in 2016-17 (122 points), 2015-16 (103 points) and 2014-15 (125 points).   
   

Practice and Roster Update, C.J. Motte Signs in Europe, Breton Selected to All-Rookie Team, Steffes and Asuchak Milestones, Players Used, Fan Party April 10 and More

The Allen Americans will have their last practice of the season this morning before getting on the bus for the 460 mile trip to Wichita this afternoon. Allen will play the Thunder on Friday and Saturday night to close out the season. The team that will take the ice tomorrow night in Wichita will be vastly different from the team that visited Wichita for the second game of the season back on October 13 when the Americans shutout the Thunder 4-0. Ten of the 18 players from that October 13 game will not take the ice tomorrow night (Casery Pierro-Zabotel, Alex Breton, Tate Olson, Chase Lang, J. Thrower, Jordy Stallard, Pavel Jenys, J.C. Campagna, Dalton Thrower and Jeremy Brodeur).

- How much turnover has there been on the Allen roster? Spencer Asuchak has played in every Allen game this season, a total of 70 games. These eight players, who will all be on the trip to Wichita, combined have played 63 games for Allen this season.

0 games - Jack Sadek
1 game - Duggie Lagrone
2 games - Nick Boka
5 games - Ben Owen
7 games - Lukas Hafner
8 games - Malcolm Gould
18 games - Gary Steffes
22 games - Etienne Boutet

63 games - TOTAL


- As it turns out the two games in Wichita this weekend will be important at least for those hoping the Americans do not finish with the worst record in the league. That honor will go to Allen or Greenville. The race got closer last night as the Swamp Rabbits went on the road and beat Norfolk 5-4 in overtime. A couple of former Americans who now play for Norfolk tried to help out their old team. Greenville had a 4-2 lead midway through the game before Eric Roy and Ben Duffy scored to tie the score. Norfolk couldn't take the lead and Greenville won in overtime.

The Swamp Rabbits will play Norfolk on Friday and Saturday. After the win last night Greenville's record against Norfolk this season is 1-4-1-0. The Americans play Wichita on Friday and Saturday. Allen's overall record against Wichita this season is 8-2-0-2. In the six games played in Wichita the Americans have won four and lost in a shootout twice.

With two games remaining Allen has a two point lead (56-54) over Greenville. If the teams end up tied the Swamp Rabbits will come out on top based on the first tiebreaker which is wins minus shootout wins.

The bottom line is Allen's magic number is three points. Any combination of three points lost by Greenville or gained by the Americans will give Allen the better record.


- Spencer Asuchak and Gary Steffes could reach individual milestones in Wichita that I will be watching for this weekend. Spencer needs to play in both games to become an Ironman for the second time. Asuchak is the only player on the team that has played in every game this season. He left practice yesterday with a cut I would expect required stitches but that won't deter him whatsoever. Gary Steffes needs two goals this weekend to become Allen's all-time career leader in goals. Gary has 97 career goals and is currently tied with Bruce Graham. Chad Costello and Greger Hanson lead with 98 goals.


- C.J. Motte has signed a contract for next season with the hockey team in Innsbruck, Austria which plays in the EBEL, the top league in Austria. The EBEL is a 12 team league. Innsbruck finished in ninth place and out of the playoffs this season. A couple of former Allen Americans that played in the EBEL this season are Colton Yellow Horn and Alex Lavoie. Yellow Horn plays for the Graz 99ers and they are still playing but trailing 3-0 in the semifinals of the playoffs. Lavoie played for Innsbruck this season.


- The ECHL announced the all rookie team yesterday and Alex Breton was selected as one of the two defensemen on the team. The team is selected by a vote of coaches and media from around the ECHL. Alex missed six weeks of the season because of loans to the AHL and has been in Springfield since March 1st. He is still tied among defensemen for most goals by a rookie (14) and is #5 in points. Earlier this season Breton was selected for the ECHL All-Star game and finished second in the fastest skater competition. Congrats to Alex. Here is the press release from the ECHL on the All-Rookie Team: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/4/echl-announces-2018-19-all-rookie-team    



- Cincinnati beat Toledo 3-2 last night for their 50th win of the season and in the process clinched the Brabham Cup as the regular season champion. Here is a link to the ECHL press release on Cincinnati winning the Brabham Cup which includes every regular season champion since 1989. Keep in mind in the history of the ECHL only three teams have won the Brabham Cup and gone on to win the Kelly Cup. Alaska has done it three times (2014, 2011, 2006), Cincinnati did it in 2008 and South Carolina in 1997. Some call it the curse of the Brabham Cup, will it bite Cincinnati this season or will they repeat what they did in 2008 and win both Cups.


- I have had several questions about a fan get together with the team after the season is over and before most of the players disperse. I confirmed with the front office that an event will take place next Wednesday, April 10 from 7:30-8:30 pm in the community rink. Fans can skate with the players but there will also be time to mix and mingle with the players off the ice.



DID YOU KNOW: The final tally on the number of players that have played at least one game with Allen this season will be 45, just one shy of the all time record of 46 in 2015-16. If you look across the ECHL the team that has used the most players is the Maine Mariners who have used 57 players this season. Cincinnati has used only 28 players which is the fewest in the league. 

The Story of Dalton Jay, Allen's New Defenseman Jack Sadek's Player Profile, Watch Party, Playoff Update, PIMS Anomaly and More

I am sure many of you had this happen sometime during your schooling where your teacher handed out an assignment which started out with "read this entire document" before you start and then complete the instructions. This would be a timed exercise so speed and accuracy were both important. The instructions included all kinds of things you had to write on the page but the very last sentence/instruction said ignore all of the prior instructions, write your name on the top of the page and turn in the assignment. Needless to say the majority of the class and almost all of the boys immediately started writing all of the things on the paper that were in the instructions and only when they got to the last instruction at the bottom of the page did they figure out all they had to do was write their name on the top of the page and turn in the paper.



- I share this story because yesterday I included the following in the blog:
 Another player added to the Allen roster over the weekend according to a press release from his Federal Hockey League team is Dalton Jay, the leading scorer for the Port Huron Prowlers with 104 points (43G, 61A) this season. Here is the press release: https://www.phprowlers.com/news/dalton-jay-called-up-to-echl-team  

If you clicked on this press release and read it all the way to the end you would have noticed the final four words were; "Oh yeah... April Fools ;). So no Dalton Jay on the Allen roster.



- The other player I mentioned yesterday, Jack Sadek, really is with the Americans. Sadek was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the seventh round of the 2015 NHL draft and just completed his senior year at the University of Minnesota. A local product, Jack is from Lakeville, Minnesota which is just south of Minneapolis. His team won the prestigious state high school hockey tournament when he was a senior. The 6'2" 200 pound right shot defenseman played in 94 straight games to end his collegiate career including every contest of his junior and senior seasons. This season he led all defensemen on his team in points (18) and assists (14). He finished second in blocked shots (57). In his four year career at Minnesota, Jack recorded 43 points (10G, 33A) in 125 games and helped the Gophers win two straight Big Ten regular season championships. Sadek comes from a sports family. His dad and grandfather both played football at the University of Minnesota and his sister played hockey at Ohio State. Here is a video interview from two months ago that will familiarize you with Sadek. When he mentions his cousin played at the University of Minnesota, his cousin is New York Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei.

 




-  Jack Sadek and Nick Boka are in the same situation. They are Minnesota Wild late round 2015 draft choices who have just completed their collegiate careers. They are both right shot defensemen who signed ATO's (amateur tryouts) with the Iowa Wild and were then asked to come to Allen. They are in Allen to show what they can do at the pro level in hopes of getting signed to a contract by Iowa for next season. Boka has made an immediate impact in his first two games with two assists and a plus/minus of +6. Sadek will have just the two games in Wichita this weekend to show what he can do. If Sadek and/or Boka sign with Iowa they could spend time in Allen next season.



- Super fan Mary Betz asked me to share the following information about a watch party she is hosting on Friday. Here is Mary's message:

Having hockey withdrawals?  Miss your hockey family? You have one more chance this Friday for an unofficial watch party in the back room at Kelly's. Come join in and help cheer on the RED as they battle to stay out of last place. Puck drops at 7:05 pm. Hope to see you there.



- Kansas City beat Tulsa 4-3 last night to tighten up the race for the top spot in the Mountain Division. With three games remaining Tulsa has 86 points and Idaho has 85 points. Both teams play three games in three days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and it looks like it will come down to the games on Sunday. Tulsa has the better schedule with all three of their games at home against teams with lower winning percentages than the Oilers. Idaho plays Utah all three games and two of the games are on the road. Utah's record against Idaho this season is 7-3-2-0.

If you look at the first tie breaker (wins minus shootout wins) Tulsa has 39 and Idaho has 37. Anything could still happen but the schedules, stats and tiebreaker all favor Tulsa. Here are the remaining games for both teams.  

Tulsa - Kalamazoo (H), Kalamazoo (H), Wichita (H)
Idaho - Utah (H), Utah (A), Utah (A)



- The other three divisions have already crowned their regular season champion. Here they are with current points in parentheses.

Newfoundland - North Division (92 points)
Florida - South Division (102 points)
Cincinnati - Central Division (106 points)

If Cincinnati gets one point in their last three games or if Florida loses a point the Cyclones will be the ECHL regular season champions and take home the Brabham Cup. 



- There are six games in the ECHL tonight with only one Mountain Division team in action as Wichita hosts Kalamazoo. The game I will be tracking is Greenville at Norfolk. If Norfolk wins that game, Allen will go into the weekend with a four point lead over the Swamp Rabbits. The Americans magic number will be one point to avoid having the worst record in the league.




DID YOU KNOW: I have written many times about how the last four Kelly Cup champions were tough, physical, high penalty minute teams because that style seems to work in seven games series where the more physical team wears down their opponent. The contrast between divisions this season is dramatic. There are 13 teams in the ECHL with over 1000 penalty minutes. In the Mountain Division five of seven teams have over 1000 penalty minutes and the two teams that don't have 1000 PIMS have 945 and 935. You contrast that with the North Division where none of the seven teams have 1000 penalty minutes. The four teams with the fewest penalty minutes (672, 685, 760, 787) in the ECHL all come from the North Division. The North Division champion, Newfoundland is ranked #25 in penalty minutes (760).     

  
  

Roster Update, Allen Adds Players,Team Leader Stats, Playoff Dates and More

- If you follow AHL transactions you undoubtedly noticed how defenseman Nick Boka arrived in Allen. He was signed to an ATO (Amateur Tryout) contract by Iowa on March 15, released from the ATO on March 29 and then signed to an ATO by Allen. Boka was drafted by the Minnesota Wild (2015 sixth round) so I am sure this was all orchestrated by the NHL club. It looks to me like another defenseman has been or will be signed to an ATO by Allen. According to AHL transactions, defenseman Jack Sadek, drafted in the sixth round (2015) by the Minnesota Wild, signed an ATO with the Iowa Wild last Friday and then was released from the ATO on Sunday without playing in a single game. Since the Wild can't assign a player on an ATO to Allen this process of releasing them and then having Allen sign them is the paper process used. As of this writing nothing has been announced but I would be surprised if he hasn't been signed to an ATO with the Americans.


- Another player added to the Allen roster over the weekend according to a press release from his Federal Hockey League team is Dalton Jay, the leading scorer for the Port Huron Prowlers with 104 points (43G, 61A) this season. Here is the press release: https://www.phprowlers.com/news/dalton-jay-called-up-to-echl-team  


- Games missed because of injuries this season is now well over 400 and counting. As a reminder here is a list of missing players: Zabotel, Frazee, Gunn, Doty, J. Thrower, D. Thrower, Lang, Maloney, and Sundher.  


- Haven't done this for a while so thought it might be instructive to take a look at Allen's stats leaders with two games remaining in the season. Below are the team leaders in various statistical categories with the league rank in parentheses:

Points:
60 - Dante Salituro (19th)
58 - Zach Pochiro (28th)
47 - Spencer Asuchak (69th)
47 - Adam Miller (69th)


Goals:
34 - Zach Pochiro (3rd)
22 - Dante Salituro (41st)
20 - Braylon Shmyr (58th)


Assists:
38 - Dante Salituro (12th)
31 - Adam Miller (52nd) 
29 - Spencer Asuchak (68th)


Plus/Minus: (Games played for Allen)
+10 - Riley Bourbonnais (90th)
+6 - Nick Boka (145th)
+2 - Ben Owen (252nd)


Penalty Minutes:
238 - Curt Gogol (3rd)
123 - Zach Pochiro (26th)
120 - David Makowski (28th)


Fighting Majors:
13 - Jake Doty (8th)
12 - Curt Gogol (9th)
5 - Josh Thrower (43rd) 
  

Shots On Goal:
216 - Zach Pochiro (14th)
197 - Dante Salituro (23rd)
182 - David Makowski (39th)


Points by Defensemen
39 - Alex Breton (2nd)
32 - David Makowski (25th)
28 - Joel Chouinard (35th)


Goals by Defensemen
14 - Alex Breton (5th)
11 - David Makowski (13th)
6-    Joel Chouinard (44th)


Assists by Defensemen
25 - Alex Breton (21st)
22 - Joel Chouinard (33rd)
21 - Josh Atkinson (38th)
21 - David Makowski (38th)


Save Percentage
.910 - C.J. Motte (9th)
.890 - Lukas Hafner (32nd)


- Here is the weekly update from the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/americans-weekly-update-4/


- I have had several questions about a farewell event where fans will have a chance to meet with the players and say goodbye before the team disperses. Other than the date (April 10th) when this is supposed to take place, I have not heard any of the details. I will keep you posted.


- Several teams have already announced their first home playoff dates. All four playoff teams have been decided in the Mountain Division and the top two seeds will be Tulsa and Idaho. It is still to be determined who is #1 and #2. Tulsa will open the playoffs at home on April 11 and 14 against either Kansas City or Utah. Idaho will start the playoffs at home on April 12 and 13 against either Kansas City or Utah. If the playoffs started today Tulsa would be #1 and play #4 Kansas City while #2 Idaho would play #3 Utah. The odds are the final standings will be the same as they are today. Tonight Tulsa is in Kansas City to play the Mavericks. If Tulsa can win that game they will lock Kansas City into the #4 seed and extend the Oilers division lead over Idaho to three points with three games remaining.   



DID YOU KNOW: NHL superstar Connor McDavid has at least one point in an NHL high 85% of the games he has played this season. Allen's best is just over 60%. Three Allen Americans have at least one point in over 60% of their games played.

64.3% - Riley Bourbonnais (18 of 28)
62.3% - Zach Pochiro (38 of 61)
60.9% - Dante Salituro (39 of 64)   


     

Allen vs Greenville in the Battle for the Best of the Worst, Breton and Bourbonnais Update, Playoff Update and What is a Swamp Rabbit?

For Allen Americans fans the final week of the season has finally arrived. This will be the shortest season in team history (176 days) but it seems like the longest season in team history. The longest season in team history (233 days) was the Americans first Kelly Cup championship (2015) and it seemed like the shortest season ever.


- You can focus on who will win the regular season championship (Cincinnati) or the five teams left to secure a spot in the playoffs but my laser focus is avoiding that last place spot in the ECHL standings. Here is more info than you would ever want to know about the quest for the best of the worst. It is Allen vs Greenville with everything on the line this week. The Americans are clearly the favorites to come out on top in the battle for the bottom as they have 56 points with two games remaining while the Swamp Rabbits have 52 points with three games remaining.


- All remaining games for both teams are on the road. Allen's road record is 10-19-3-2. Greenville's road record is 10-21-1-1. Both teams will be playing the team just ahead of them in the standings who are also eliminated from the playoffs. The Swamp Rabbits will play Norfolk on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Greenville's record against Norfolk this season is 1-4-0-0. The Americans play Wichita on Friday and Saturday. Allen's record against Wichita this season is 8-2-0-2.


- If Allen and Greenville end up tied in points the Swamp Rabbits will come out on top based on the first tiebreaker which is wins minus shootout wins. Allen has 25 wins and a shootout record of 4-2 so for the tiebreaker only 21 wins count. Greenville is 0-3 in shootouts so their 23 wins all count.


- The bottom line is Allen's magic number is three points. Any combination of three points lost by Greenville or gained by the Americans will give Allen better record. Remember, victory is sweetest when you have tasted defeat and Allen has tasted plenty of defeat this season. Small victories are better than none so if it happens celebrate this small victory.


-  Riley Bourbonnais and Alex Breton have now been on loan to the AHL for one month. They have both found success at the next level and stand a good chance of getting AHL deals for next season. Here are the details:

Bourbonnais - Riley has played in 10 of 14 games since being loaned to Iowa. He played in the first four games once he arrived in Iowa, then sat out four games and has played in the last six Wild games. Bourbonnais scored his first AHL goal last Wednesday. Riley's total for the 10 games played is one goal, no assists, six shots, two penalty minutes and a plus/minus rating of -2. Iowa should make the playoffs but have lost five straight games.

Breton - Alex has played in seven of 14 games since being loaned to Springfield. He scored his first AHL goal on Saturday. Breton's totals in his seven games played in Springfield are one goal, no assists, nine shots, two penalty minutes and he has a plus/minus of +4. Springfield will not make the playoffs.


- The number of teams that have punched their ticket to the playoffs is now up to 11. Here is the list. Back in November (Thanksgiving) I predicted the 16 playoff teams based on the standings at that time under the historical fact that 80% of the teams in the playoff positions at Thanksgiving will make the playoffs. The teams with an asterisks were predicted to make the playoffs in November.

North
Newfoundland*
Adirondack*

South
Florida*
Orlando*
Jacksonville*

Central
Cincinnati*
Toledo*

Mountain
Tulsa*
Idaho*
Utah*
Kansas City*

So far so good as 100% of the 11 teams that have made the playoffs were in playoff positions back in November. Several of the five teams remaining to make the playoffs were not in a playoff position at Thanksgiving. I will have a complete recap once all 16 playoff teams have been determined.


- Tulsa made a real statement yesterday shutting out third place Utah 6-0. That loss pretty much ended Utah's hope of obtaining the #2 seed in the Mountain Division. First place in the division is now between Tulsa and Idaho. The Oilers lead Idaho in points (86-85) and winning percentage (.632-.616). Tulsa has four games remaining, Idaho just three. Tulsa is 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games, Idaho is 5-4-0-1. If you look at the stats and the schedules (see below) it looks good for Tulsa to finish first and get the reward of home ice advantage for the first two rounds in the playoffs.

Tulsa - Kansas City (A), Kalamazoo (H), Kalamazoo (H), Wichita (H)
Idaho - Utah (H), Utah (A), Utah (A)

 


DID YOU KNOW: Greenville changed their name from the Road Warriors to Swamp Rabbits in 2015 as part of a rebranding effort. What is a Swamp Rabbit? Back in the 1920's there was a railroad (Greenville and Northern Railway) that linked Greenville with the coal fields of Tennessee which became known as the "Swamp Rabbit" by locals who would use the freight train as a means of transportation to picnic in northern Greenville County. The Swamp Rabbits name is very familiar in Greenville. The old railroad bed is called the Swamp Rabbit Trail. At the time of the name change there was already a Swamp Rabbit cafe, inn, and brewery and even Swamp Rabbit Crossfit. The team's general manager had this to say when the decision was made about the name change, "We needed to have an identity that was more relevant to Greenville. We wanted to find something we felt was a real tie to the community. The Swamp Rabbit moniker is something you see every day in Greenville." 

Greenville Swamp Rabbits mascot "Stomper"