First Back to Back Losses of the Season, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Looking Ahead, Former Players in AHL and More

 

The Allen Americans lost in Wichita last night by a score of 5-2 before a crowd of 1630 at INTRUST Bank Arena. The Americans took three of a possible six points in the three game series against the Thunder and lost back to back games for the first time all season. Allen has now lost three of their last four games. 

 

- The game last night was similar to the American's loss in Allen on Friday night the difference being the timing. Wichita scored first, which they did in all three games in the series, but Allen came back to take the lead 2-1. Wichita then battled back and the Americans couldn't respond. On Friday night Allen took a 3-1 lead before Wichita scored the last three goals of the game to take the win 4-3. Last night Allen took a 2-1 lead before Wichita scored the last four goals of the game to take the win 5-2.

 

- On Friday night Allen didn't score a goal after the 17:29 mark of the first period. Last night they didn't score after the 1:29 mark of the second period. What is really atypical is no goals in the third period. Allen has been the best team in the league in the third period but came up blank the last two nights. 

 

- Despite giving up the first goal for the fourth straight game Allen battled back on Phil Beaulieu's second goal of the season to tie the score 1-1 at the first intermission. Allen took a 2-1 lead 89 seconds into the second period on Jesse Mychan's team leading 10th goal of the season. That was the end of the scoring for the Americans as they went the last 38 minutes and 31 seconds of the game without a goal and were outscored 4-0.

 

- Allen had their opportunities as they outshot Wichita 31-24 in the final two periods but couldn't generate enough offense. Special teams did not help as there were only three power plays in the entire game and the Thunder won the battle. The Americans had just one power play and did not score. Wichita had two power play opportunities and scored on one of them.

 

-  Here are the video highlights with all of the goals, the Stevenson fight and some great saves. 

 

 

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap/americans-lose-series-to-wichita-after-5-2-loss-in-kansas/    

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder:  https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/echl-news/wichita-closes-week-with-5-2-win.html

 

- Allen has now lost three of their last four games and won't have much time to sort things out before they take on the Utah Grizzlies on a rare Tuesday night game at the AEC. Too many odd man rushes, too many turnovers, poor starts and special teams play will have to improve. Allen has lost six games all season with three of them coming in the last week. Something is going to have to change.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- After Allen plays Utah on Tuesday the Americans will play Kansas City five straight games in a weeks time. February 13, 14, 15 (in Kansas City), 19, 20 (in Allen). Playing the same team five times in a week usually does not end up well.

 

- If you have been tracking the start of the AHL season you have seen some familiar names that have played in Allen. Iowa beat Texas 4-1 last night with four players in the lineup that have spent time in Allen. Goalie Dereck Baribeau stopped 21 of 22 shots to get the win, Tyler Sheehy had an assist, Dmitry Sokolov had a goal and defenseman Josh Atkinson had two shots and two PIMS. San Jose plays their first game today so will be interesting to see if Zach Sawchenko, Joe Garreffa or Jake McGrew crack the lineup. The Barracuda have a lot of forwards on their roster (20) so it will be tough to get in the lineup. 

 

- Other former Allen players that played yesterday include Vincent Arseneau (Utica) who had a 10 minute misconduct penalty (Unsportsmanlike conduct), Gabe Gagne (Rockford) and Jack Sadek (Ontario).    

 

- Seems like a long time ago that Joe Garreffa and Jake McGrew were recalled by San Jose. Even though they only played 11 games in Allen they are still tied for the ECHL lead in goals by rookies with six. It would be great if Joe and Jake return to Allen for the playoffs if not before. It is always better in my mind to have rookie prospects playing in the ECHL if they don't play regularly in the AHL. 

- Allen is tied for the ECHL lead in major penalties with Florida. They both have 13 major penalties, most of them for fighting. 

- Here is an odd stat. Wheeling has the worst points percentage in the ECHL (.321) but leads the league in shorthanded goals with five. The Nailers have just six power play goals but five shorthanded goals.

 

DID YOU KNOW: Allen has scored 68 goals in 19 games and is ranked #2 in goals per game (3.58). Of their 68 goals the Americans have scored 14 on the power play and three shorthanded. That computes to 25% of their goals coming from special teams. The ECHL ranges from 36.2% of goals being scored by special teams (Kansas City) to 17.9% of goals being scored by special teams (Wichita).   

Allen Loses in Overtime, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Rematch Preview, History of the First ECHL Championship and More

 

The Allen Americans lost to the Wichita Thunder 4-3 in overtime last night at the Allen Event Center before the largest crowd of the season, 2259. It was an up and down game for the Americans starting with a downer. Allen gave up the first goal of the game just 59 seconds after puck drop. That was the likely kiss of death given Allen and Wichita have a combined record when scoring first of 19-2. However, the Americans came roaring back scoring three unanswered goals (Asuchak, Bleackley, Franklin) before the first period ended and took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. Things looked bright at that point since Allen had a perfect 8-0 record when leading after the first period. 

 

- The second period proved to be Allen's undoing as Wichita out shot the Americans 15-6 and outscored them 2-0 to tie the score 3-3 at the second intermission. The second period has been the weakest for Allen all season. They have outscored their opponents 22-12 in the first period but have been outscored by their opponents 21-19 in the second period.

- There was reason for optimism starting the third period as Allen has excelled outscoring their opponents 23-10 in the third period. The third period was a standoff with no penalties, lots of opportunities by both teams but no scoring. 

 

- The game ended at 4:05 of overtime when Jesse Mychan lost his stick momentarily in the offensive zone which set up a 3-on-1 rush for the Thunder. Game over!

- Goals scorers for Allen were Spencer Asuchak (3), Conner Bleackley (4) and Zane Franklin (3). All three Allen goals came in a five minute period in the last part of the first period. Here are the video highlights and a link if you can't open the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jplcGAQslys

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap/thunder-get-the-second-point-in-a-4-3-overtime-win-over-the-americans/

 

- Here is the game recap from the Wichita Thunder: https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/echl-news/wichita-wins-ot-game-vs-allen.html

 

- The teams got on their buses right after that game last night for the 365 mile trip to Wichita where they will finish the three game series tonight (7:05 pm CST). This will be the last time these teams play until after April 3. Allen could open up an eight point lead over the Thunder with a win in Wichita.

 

- Allen has to find a way to get off to a better start tonight. They have given up the first goal in the first two games and last night it took just 59 seconds for Wichita to get on the scoreboard. 

 

- Neither team managed a power play goal last night, Allen was 0-2, Wichita 0-4. With the game tonight being the third game in four days between these teams, the fact both team are tired and they had to travel overnight, you have to expect there will be more rather than fewer power plays in the game tonight. Which team makes the adjustments to their power play and executes the best will win the special teams battle and likely the game.

 

- Allen's power play has been better on the road (20.9%) than at home (15.6%). It is just the opposite for Wichita who is worse at home (8.3%) than on the road (16.7%). Allen's road penalty kill (86.1%) is not as good as Wichita's home penalty kill (90.7%). 

 

- Matt Register had two more assists last night. He has at least one assist in five straight games. Matt has 16 points (2G, 14A) in 16 games. His 1.00 points per game average leads all ECHL defensemen.

 

- Jesse Mychan kept his point steak alive with an assist last night. Jesse has a point in five straight games with a total of eight points (2G, 6A). Jesse is tied for second in goals in the ECHL with nine.

 

- Wichita's #18, Gordie Green, has been the leading scorer for the Thunder against Allen this season. In four games he has seven points (4G, 3A) which includes the game winning overtime goal last night. 

 

- Here is the preview of the game tonight issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-day-preview-allen-at-wichita-3/

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- It may say how close the ECHL is in this strange pandemic season as the top four teams in points (Allen, Indy, Florida and South Carolina) all lost last night. Even more strange is they all lost at home.  

 

- Had a question about how to calculate the percentage that is shown in the standings which will be used instead of points to determine the playoff teams since all teams will not play 72 games. To start with that percentage is referred to as both winning percentage and points percentage which causes some confusion. I have used both terms over time but the precise definition is points percentage and it is simply what percent of a teams total possible points have they earned. 

 

- Here is an example using the Allen Americans current record of 13-4-1-0. If the Americans had won every game (18 total) they would have earned 36 points. What they have earned as reflected in the points column in the standings is 27 points, 2 x 13 = 26 for the wins plus one point for the one overtime loss. You then take the 27 points earned and divide by the maximum points they could have earned (36) and the percentage is .750. which is what is reflected in the "PCT" column in the standings. 

 

- Allen's average attendance after their pandemic restricted sellout last night of 2259 is 1919 which ranks them #8 of 13 teams. The average attendance ranges from a high of 3256 (Jacksonville) to a low of 931 (Wheeling). The ECHL average is 2207.

 

- The Iowa Wild opened their season at home last night losing to the Texas Stars 8-4. Tyler Sheehy played in the game, had no points, three shots and was one five players that didn't have a negative plus/minus. 

 

- The AHL is going through the same COVID startup issues as the ECHL experienced. I have seen five or six games impacted through postponement, cancellation or switched opponents in this opening weekend. If the ECHL is an indicator it will get worse for the AHL and then improve significantly.  

 

- If you follow the ECHL transactions you noticed that Bryan Moore, who was recently traded to Wichita by Greenville, has been suspended by the Thunder. It is obvious he has failed to report to Wichita so the suspension is a way to remove him from the roster and retain his ECHL rights.

 

- I had a chance to check in with coach Martinson this morning and he verified that as expected, Justin Kapelmaster will get the start in goal tonight. When I asked Martinson the one thing the team needs to do better tonight he didn't hesitate, "avoid odd man rushes" which accounted for three of the four goals last night.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: In the first ECHL season (1988-89) there were just five teams and four of them made the playoffs. The #1 seed (Erie) lost to the #4 seed (Carolina) 4-0 in the first round. The #2 seed (Johnstown) beat the #3 seed (Knoxville) 4-0 in the first round. In the finals, called the Riley Cup at the time, the fourth seeded Carolina Thunderbirds won the cup beating the Johnstown Chiefs 7-4 on the road in game seven. Check out a few of the facts from the finals as the underdog Carolina Thunderbirds won the first ECHL championship. 

- Carolina lost the first two games by a combined score of 14-2

- Game four was postponed because the Carolina rink ice melted because of compressor problems.

- After several fights in game six ECHL Commissioner Pat Kelly suspended three Carolina players for game seven.

- Playing on the road in the deciding game seven with just 11 skaters, Carolina beat Johnstown 7-4 to win the first Riley Cup. 

 

The top three spots for most penalty minutes in an ECHL final series is still held by the three players from Carolina who were suspended for game seven. A record that has held since 1989:

95 PIMS - Steve Plaskon

68 PIMS - Michel Lanouette

58 PIMS - Bill Huard

 

 

Allen vs Wichita Game Preview, Kelly Cup Playoff Format and More

 

The Allen Americans take on the Wichita Thunder tonight at the Allen Event Center (AEC). It will be the fifth time these teams have played this season with the Americans winning three of the first four. The teams will travel to Wichita immediately after the game where they will play for the sixth time on Saturday. After the two games this weekend Allen will not see Wichita again for two months. The ECHL schedule has not been announced for games after April 3. You can expect a heavy dose of games against Wichita when the final schedule is released. If the three games against Wichita that were postponed earlier are rescheduled along with additional games you could see as many as one third of Allen's 30 remaining games between April 3 and the end of the regular season (June 5) be against Wichita.

 

- Here is a look at the game tonight by the numbers. In the last five seasons Allen's record at home against Wichita is 20-7-1-0. This season Allen is 1-1 at the AEC against the Thunder. Allen's home record this season is 5-1 with the only loss to Wichita. Wichita's road record this season is 4-1 with the only loss to Allen.

 

- Record When Scoring First: Allen 10-1-0-0, Wichita 8-1-0-0

 

- Overtime Record: Allen 2-0, Wichita 1-1

 

- Power Play Record: Allen 16.7% (home), Wichita 21.4% (road)

 

- Penalty Kill Record: Allen 79.2% (home), Wichita 81.0% (road)

 

- Average Goals Scored Per Game: Allen ranked #2 (3.71), Wichita ranked #4 (3.36)

 

- Average Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen ranked #1 (2.35), Wichita ranked #2 (2.36)

 

- Both teams play well with the lead. Allen is 8-0 when leading after the first period and 10-0 when leading after the second period. Wichita is 4-0 when leading after the first period and 8-1 when leading after the second period.

 

- The stats clearly show how important it is to score first and play with the lead. If you combine their records Allen and Wichita are 18-2 when scoring first and 30-1 when leading after the first or second period. Definitely a key to the game tonight.

 

- If you look at special teams percentages above the advantage goes to Wichita but if you look at the four head to head games these teams have played it is a different story. Allen has scored a power play goal in all four previous games against Wichita and had two on Wednesday. Wichita has a single power play goal in three of the four games against the Americans. Another stat worth noting is Allen has five power play goals in their last three games going 5-17 (29.4%). 

 

- As much as you think about physical play and fighting when Allen and Wichita meet the facts are they more often than not don't drop the gloves. They have played 16 times since the beginning of last season and 70% of the time there were only minor penalties called in the game. It is clear both Allen and Wichita have plenty of skill and toughness so they have the ability to play any style that is necessary. What has made the Americans so strong this season is they can adapt to whatever style is needed.

 

- Former Allen forward Bryan Moore was just acquired in a trade by the Wichita Thunder with Greenville. Moore was off to a poor start with Greenville. In nine games Bryan had two goals and no assists. Even though he only played in nine games he took 14 minor penalties which leads the league. Moore hasn't reported to Wichita yet.

 

- Look for Jake Paterson in goal for the Americans tonight with one other possible lineup change as well. If you want to watch the game within the game look for how coach Martinson uses his last change at home to get the Lammon line out against Wichita's top line.    

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- I am sure by now most of you have seen the Kelly Cup playoff format that was released by the ECHL yesterday. The top four teams by points percentage from each conference will make the playoffs which means eight of the 14 teams playing will make the playoffs. With eight teams in the playoffs it will take only three rounds to win the Kelly Cup as opposed to four rounds normally. All three rounds of the playoffs will best of five series with the higher seeded team having the option to play the first two or final three games at home. I was hoping the final round would be best of seven but it was not to be.  With fewer rounds and best of five series the Kelly Cup playoffs will be lightning quick from start to finish. It will all happen in less than a month starting on June 7 and ending no later than July 3.

 

- The AHL starts their season tonight but not is all well as the Canadian Division, which was established for this season only because of the pandemic border crossing issues, is not playing. There are five teams in the Canadian Division; Belleville,  Manitoba, Toronto, Laval and Stockton (playing in Calgary). The problem is the province of Ontario is not ready to approve play for its two AHL teams (Belleville & Toronto). Their statement yesterday says, "Our government is monitoring the public health trends very closely and while we are starting to see the bend curve in Ontario, it is too early to speculate on how and when further restrictions will be loosened. At this time the NHL is the only professional sport league in Ontario that is allowed to play in accordance with a return to play plan approved by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health."

 

- The ECHL has now gone six days without a player being added to the Commissioner's Exempt List. Hopefully there will be few COVID related issues the remainder of the season. 

 

- There is a full slate of six games on tap in the ECHL tonight. Here is the ECHL Today with a preview on all of the games: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2021/2/echl-today-feb-5 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The 2021 Kelly Cup finals will be a five game series. It will be the first time in the 33 year history of the ECHL that the championship final has been a five game series. The last time any Kelly Cup playoff series was five games was the first round of the 2012 playoffs.   

Allen Wins, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Interviews and More

 

The Allen Americans defeated the Wichita Thunder 4-3 last night in a game that was described to me in a message as the "cardiac kids" excitement. It was an entertaining game between two excellent teams and there wasn't as much as a roughing penalty let alone a fight between these rivals. There were just eight minor penalties called in the game and the Americans had only two. 

 

- What made the game so exciting is the teams kept trading goals until Allen took their one and only lead midway through the third period. The game didn't start out well for the Americans when Wichita scored the first goal of the game midway through the first period. Prior to last night's loss the Thunder were a perfect 8-0 when scoring the first goal. What helped the Americans is they got the equalizer just 23 seconds after Wichita took the 1-0 lead.

 

- The Americans kept falling behind and kept coming back. Wichita had leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 before the Americans finally took the lead with two third period goals. It was a great effort by Allen who have now handed Wichita three of their five losses this season.

 

- One of the many things that make the Americans successful is they are the best third period team in the ECHL. They outscored Wichita 2-0 in the third period last night and now have scored 23 third period goals and allowed just 10. Only four ECHL teams have a positive third period goal differential; Allen +13, Florida +8, South Carolina +7 and Indy +4.

 

- The Americans snapped two Wichita streaks in the game last night. In addition to being 8-0 when scoring first the Thunder were 8-0 when leading after the second period. Their 3-2 second period lead evaporated in the third period. Incidentally the Americans record when trailing after two periods improved to 2-3 after the win last night.

 

- Another factor in Allen's win was special teams. They did allow a power play goal but they only took two penalties. Wichita took six minor penalties and the Americans scored on two of them. Allen now has five power play goals in their last three games going 5-17 (29.4%). 

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Jesse Mychan (9), Josh Lammon (5,6) and Corey Mackin (8). Five players had two points in the game. In addition to the three goal scorers, Conner Bleackley and Sam Laberge had two points. Here are the video highlights and post game interviews coach Martinson and the games #1 star, Josh Lammon. If you have any problems with the videos you can find them at this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4skvqPU3CGKx-vRDPCD4tA 

 

    

Martinson post game interview:

Lammon post game interview:

 

- When I had the chance to check in with coach Martinson this morning he was pleased with how the team stuck with it when they kept getting behind by a goal. He emphasized how the Lammon line was able to hold Wichita's top line with out a point. The #1 and #3 ranked players in the ECHL in points per game are on that line. Bobby McMann was averaging 1.33 points per game and Matteo Gennaro was averaging 1.31 points per game before last night. To hold them to no points was the key to the Allen win. Having last change at home allows Martinson to get the matchups he wants.

- Martinson also was pleased with the power play as it has been improving and had two more goals last night including the game winner.

- Turnovers and odd man rushes were costly in the game. Martinson looks to fix that before tomorrow night when the teams play again. Not at practice however, as with three games in four days Martinson gave the team the day off today. 

OTHER COMMENTS

- With goals in the last two games Jesse Mychan is back at the top of the ECHL goal scorers list tied with two other players. Corey Mackin had a goal last night and is tied for #4 in the league in goals with eight. Corey's 17 points is tied for third in the ECHL.

- Allen is now the only team in the Western Conference with a point percentage above .700. After the win last night Allen's point percentage is .765. Three teams in the Eastern Conference are above .700; Indy (.833), Florida (.706) and South Carolina (.700). 

 

- Allen's record in their last 10 games (8-2-0-0) is the best in the ECHL. 

 

- Corey Mackin has a goal in his last three home games. That is tied for the longest home goal streak in the ECHL this season. Here is a trivia question for you. Who has the current longest home goals streak for the Allen Americans? The answer is Gabe Gagne who had scored in five straight home games when he was loaned to Rockford (AHL) last season and never returned. If Gabe happens to be assigned to Allen this season (the Americans hold his ECHL rights) his streak is still alive. 

- The AHL season finally gets underway tomorrow with seven games on the schedule. The San Jose Barracuda do not play (game canceled) but Iowa opens the season at home against the Texas Stars.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Alex Lavoie has had a great start with his team in Sweden. In three games Alex has five points (2G, 3A). 

Allen vs Wichita Series Preview, History of the PHPA, AHL Update and More

 

It is a big day in our household as we will be getting out second COVID shot this morning so the blog will brief and posted early. However, I didn't want to miss a day, especially when the Americans play at home after 10 straight road games. Here goes:

 

- It is finally game day at the Allen Event Center (AEC) as the Allen Americans take on the Wichita Thunder in the first of three games. The teams will play at the AEC again on Friday and then travel to Wichita for a game Saturday night.

 

- Not to bring up a bad memory but the last Allen home game was actually last year, December 31. Just so happens it was against Wichita and the Thunder rolled the Americans 7-2. The silver lining is the teams played in Wichita the next two days and Allen won both games, 5-1 and 4-3 in overtime.

 

- This should be a great three game series between the two best teams in the Western Conference. Allen's record is 12-4-0-0 with a points percentage of .750. Wichita's record is 9-3-1-0 with a points percentage of .731. Based on points percentage these are the #2 (Allen) and #3 (Wichita) ranked teams in the ECHL. 

 

- In the three head to head games against Wichita the Americans have a combined shot advantage of 115-98. The totals are misleading because Allen gave up 46 shots in the 7-2 loss and the very next night in Wichita allowed only 12 shots in beating the Thunder 5-1. If you look at season shot averages you would predict a high shot game tonight with the advantage slightly favoring the Americans. Allen ranks #2 (34.00) in average shots taken per game while Wichita is ranked #4 (32.92). In average shots allowed Allen is ranked #10 (32.06) and Wichita is ranked last (#13) at 34.54.

 

- Even though Allen and Wichita give up a lot of shots they are the two best teams in the ECHL in goals allowed. What that means is outstanding goaltending. Wichita is #1 (.935) in team save percentage and Allen is #2 (.928). It should be quite the series. Another fun fact is the most goals Allen has allowed in a game this season was against Wichita (7) and the most goals the Thunder has allowed this season was against Allen (5). It is definitely like that proverbial box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get when these teams get together. 

 

- Combined penalty minute totals in the three head to head games was 56 for Allen and 72 for Wichita. You are never sure what to expect as the teams could start fighting in warmups or go the entire game with only minor penalties. One thing is certain, former Wichita captain Dyson Stevenson will be playing his old team for the first time (he was injured for the last series) and will be mixing it up as only he can do. 

 

- Head to head Allen scored a power play goal in all three games against Wichita. The Americans total was 3-20 (15%). Wichita had a power play goal in two of the three games with a total of 2-16 (12.5%). If you look at season averages Allen at home is 12.5% on the power play and 81.8% on the penalty kill. Wichita on the road has a power play percentage of 16.7% and penalty kill percentage of 86.7%. 

 

- Odds are special teams will play an outsized role in this series given the past history between these teams. A key for Allen will be the penalty kill which had a streak of seven games when they allowed just one power play goal and scored three shorthanded goals. However, the penalty kill went south last weekend in Utah giving up four power play goals in three games. I know coach Martinson has made some adjustments to the penalty kill unit so hopefully you will see improvement against Wichita.

 

- Players to watch in this series for Wichita are the #1 and #3 players in the league in average points per game (minimum 10 games). Bobby McMann (#22) is averaging 1.33 points per game and Matteo Gennaro (#34) is averaging 1.31 points per game. For Allen the top scorers are Corey Mackin (15 points), Jesse Mychan (13 points) and Matt Register (13 points). 

 

- I was lucky enough to attend practice yesterday using my media credential and noticed a couple of players are banged up and will be a game time decision. Braylon Shmyr was out of the no contact jersey and a full participant in practice so he will see his first action of the season tonight. 

 

- The referee scheduled tonight is #20 Jacob Rekucki. He was the referee in an couple of Allen vs Wichita games last season. Not sure if it was the referee or the players but not a lot of penalties in those two games, a total of 18.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 - There is one other game in the ECHL tonight with Greenville visiting South Carolina.

 

- With the AHL starting play in two days the expectation is some extra players from training camp may start being assigned to ECHL teams. It has only been a trickle so far with four players being assigned yesterday. It could be AHL teams will keep a larger number of extra players on their roster this season because of concerns about COVID.  The San Jose Barracuda have already cancelled their first game on Friday and moved their Saturday game to Sunday. The Barracuda's exhibition game last Saturday was canceled between the second and third period because of a positive COVID test. Here is the San Jose press release on the issue: http://www.sjbarracuda.com/news/detail/american-hockey-league-adjusts-san-jose-barracuda-2020-21-schedule

 

-  I saw that Patrick Williams, who covers the AHL, reported the players association (PHPA) will be waiving AHL player dues this season. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The PHPA was founded in 1967 in Portland, Oregon when members of the Portland Buckroos (of the now defunct Western Hockey League) recognized that Canadian players playing in the US who were starting families had to send their wives home to Canada to give birth because they had no health insurance coverage in the US. Over the 1967-68 season the AHL got involved and on May 20,1968 the WHL and AHL players voted to form the Professional Hockey Players' Association (PHPA). The ECHL joined the PHPA for the 1995-96 season. Here is a link with more detail on the history of the PHPA: https://phpa.com/site/history  

Barry the Blogger's Daily Dish

 The Allen Americans will be back at practice today as they prepare for their game against Wichita  tomorrow (Wednesday). It will be the first of three straight games against the Thunder. These three games will provide a good test for the top two teams in the Western Conference. Both teams have something to like about the only three games they played against each other earlier this season. On New Year's Eve Wichita came to Allen and gave the Americans their worst defeat on the season (7-2). The teams then traveled to Wichita and the Americans won 5-1 and 4-3 in overtime. Wichita has lost four games all season with two of them coming at the hands of the Americans. 

 

- Having just completed three games in three days in Utah and with three games in four days coming up against Wichita, coach Martinson will have an easy practice today. There will be special teams work and the players that take faceoffs will have some extra faceoff practice. 

 

- I get asked about the roster numbers all of the time and it has been a moving target this season. Here are where the numbers stand and should remain this way for the remainder of the season. The number of players that can dress for a game was 18 (16 skaters) in prior seasons but this season started with 20 (18 skaters). The number has now been reduced to 19 (17 skaters). There can be up to 20 players on the active roster as long as they fit under the salary cap. Outside of the salary cap you can have up to four players on the reserve list. While the reserve players don't count toward the salary cap they still are paid so there are budget restrictions (different for each team) in addition to salary cap restrictions. The final place to put players is on injured reserve (minimum 14 days). If you add it all up the Americans could have 24 players on the roster not counting players on IR. 

 

- At the start of the 2020-21 season each ECHL team could have a maximum eight NHL/AHL contracted players with three of them having to be provided to the ECHL team at no cost. That rule is no longer in effect. ECHL teams can now have an unlimited number of NHL/AHL contracted players assigned and must reimburse the NHL/AHL $525 per week for all of them.

 

- Matt Register has been moving up the leader board for defensemen. He is now #2 in points (13), #3 in assists (11), #2 in power play assists, #1 in power play assists (6) and #1 in shots (45). Matt has a three game point streak and has seven points (2G, 5A) in his last five games.

 

- Braylon Shmyr is ready to be activated from the IR this week. He has been practicing with the team and could be available against Wichita.  

- The long AHL negotiations for their return to play have concluded with the approval of a revised CBA. The first games will take place on Friday. The Canadian Division, which was established because of the pandemic border issues, will have a delayed start as some teams await approval to play by their provincial government. No date has been given on when the division will start.  

DID YOU KNOW: Spencer Asuchak scored the ECHL's first penalty shot goal of the season on Sunday. He is now a perfect two for two on penalty shots as a member of the Allen Americans. In his rookie season on January 24, 2014 at home against the St. Charles Chill, Spencer had a three point game (2G, 1A) which included a penalty shot goal. 

 

Allen Loses Finale in Utah, Game Recap, Video Highlights, AHL Startup, News and Notes

 The Utah Grizzlies flipped the script on the Allen Americans yesterday winning the final game of their three game series 4-3 before a Sunday afternoon crowd of 1088 at the Maverik Center. The Americans fly home this morning having earned four of six points this weekend and finishing their 10 straight road games with a record of 8-2.

- The Grizzlies did to Allen what the Americans did to them in the first two game. Utah scored first, held Allen scoreless in the first period and took a lead (2-0) into the first intermission. Allen was able to get back to within one goal a couple of times during the game but could never tie the score. 

- The goals scorers for Allen were Spencer Asuchak, Matt Register and Jesse Mychan. Asuchak's goal, his second of the season, was scored on a penalty shot early in the second period and cut the score to 2-1. Register scored his second goal of the season on the power play at the 8:24 mark of the second period to cut the score to 3-2. Jesse Mychan scored his team leading eighth goal on the power play with five minutes remaining  in the game to cut the score to 4-3. Allen pulled goalie Jake Paterson and had a couple of good opportunities but could not get the equalizer. Here are the video highlights with all of the goals including Asuchak's penalty shot goal and Colby McAuley's one-sided fight.

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap/americans-end-10-game-road-trip-with-a-4-3-loss-in-utah/

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Utah Grizzlies:  https://www.utahgrizzlies.com/en/grizzlies-news/skinner-s-2-goals-lead-grizzlies-to-sunday-win

 

- Allen's three goals came on a penalty shot and two power play goals. The team struggled creating offense even strength. To be fair there was a lot of time spent on the power play and penalty kill by both teams. It is probably a factor of playing three games in three days but total penalties increased each game with the same referee for all three games. Friday night had seven penalties for 14 minutes, Saturday night increased to 11 penalties for 28 minutes and yesterday ended with 15 penalties and 38 minutes. 

 

- The Americans did manage two power play goals yesterday but were unable to score on a long 5-on-3 power play in the second period with a chance to tie the game. For the three game series the power play was a respectable 3-14 (21.4%). The Allen penalty kill had a tough weekend giving up  four goals in the three games. The Americans were the #1 ranked road penalty kill unit when they arrived in Utah with a percentage of  95.5% having allowed 1 goal in 22 opportunities. Allen leaves Utah ranked #4 in road penalty kill percentage (86.1%). In the three games in Utah the Americans gave up four power play goals in 14 opportunities for a penalty kill percentage of 71.4%. 

 

-  Allen heads home today to get ready for three straight games against Wichita, Wednesday and Friday at home and Saturday in Wichita. The Americans and Thunder have been the two best teams in the Western Conference. Allen has won six of their last seven games, Wichita has won five of six. This will be a critical three game series for both teams with first place in the conference at stake. 

 

- In talking to coach Martinson there will be work on special teams and faceoffs at practice this week along with some systems issues that need work. 

 

- There have been six penalty shots awarded in the ECHL this season. Spencer Asuchak's penalty shot goal yesterday was the first successful one all season.

 

- Allen was trailing 2-0 after the first period yesterday. A reminder of how important a good start is for success even for a team as talented as the Americans. Allen's record when scoring first is 10-1, when they don's score first their record is 2-3. When the Americans have a lead after the first period their record is 8-0. When they trail after the first period their record is 1-2.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- How the AHL moves forward on their return to play may be made public this afternoon after the league's Board of Governors meet. AHL teams will break camp this week as they start the regular season on Friday. In the last two weeks over 40 players went from the ECHL to AHL training camps. Look for the trend to reverse this week as some of the extra players at AHL training camps get assigned to ECHL teams.

 

- I had a question asking if there are any places Allen fans can go to watch road games. In past years there were various watch party options. I checked with team President Mike Waddell and he tells me he has been working on this issue and hopes to have an announcement very soon. With the pandemic many bars are closing early and with limited capacity they may be reluctant to spend advertising dollars on watch parties. Stay tuned.

 

- After a busy ECHL schedule over the weekend there are just five teams with a points percentage above .600. Indy leads at .833 followed by Allen (.750), Wichita (.731), Florida (.706) and South Carolina (.679). As a reminder a team with a regular season points percentage below .600 hasn't won the Kelly Cup since 2012 when Florida finished #7 in the regular season with a points percentage of .590 and went on to win the Kelly Cup.   

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: There have been 101 games thus far in the ECHL with just six penalty shots awarded which computes to 5.9% of the games with a penalty shot. With just one being successful (Asuchak) the success rate this season is 17%.

In the shortened 2019-20 season 797 game were played and 39 penalty shots awarded which is 4.9%. Of the 39 penalty shots nine were successful for a success rate of 23%.