Historical Stats from the Archives and More

 

It is back to practice today for the Allen Americans as they prepare for the game against Fort Wayne on Thursday. I will attend practice to get an update and report back in the morning. With not much to write about this morning I thought I would look into the archives for some stats that you might find interesting. 

- I talked yesterday about the likelihood Combs, Crone, Finlay and Hargrove will join the all-time Allen 30 goal club. Here is the 30 goal club:

• 44 goals - Gary Steffes (2014-15)
• 41 goals - Chad Costello (2014-15)
• 35 goals - Greger Hanson (2016-17)  
• 34 goals - Bruce Graham (2010-11)
• 34 goals - Nino Musitello (2010-11)
• 34 goals - Zach Pochiro (2018-19)
• 33 goals - Chad Costello (2016-17)
• 33 goals - Colton Yellow Horn (2010-11)
• 31 goals - Bruce Graham (2009-10)
• 30 goals - Corey Mackin (2020-21)

 

- Jack Combs, Kris Myllari and Ryan Gagnon have played in all 43 Allen games this season and have a chance to join the Ironman club. Congrats and stick taps to all Allen Ironmen past and present! It is a very exclusive club.

• 2021-22 - Kris Myllari 
• 2020-21 - Les Lancaster
• 2019-20 - None
• 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    

 

- Allen's average attendance this season is 3707. Here is the average attendance for every season in franchise history:

• 3220: 2021-22
• 1859: 2020-21 (COVID restricted)
• 4001: 2019-20 (shortened season)
• 4073: 2018-19
• 4082: 2017-18
• 4340: 2016-17
• 4571: 2015-16*
• 4096: 2014-15*
  
• 4216: 2013-14*
• 4157: 2012-13*
• 4336: 2011-12
• 3986: 2010-11
• 3810: 2009-10

*won championship

 

-  Allen Americans plus/minus leaders since joining the ECHL. The ECHL rank is in parenthesis:

• 2021-22 - Jack Combs +15 (#54)
  
• 2020-21 - Matt Register, +9  (#2)
• 2019-20 - Jack Sadek, +25  (#13)
• 2018-19 - Nick Boka, +6  (#153)
• 2017-18 - David Makowski, +28  (#13)
• 2016-17 - Joel Chouinard, +47  (#1)
• 2015-16 - Eric Roy, +11  (#85)
• 2014-15 - Chad Costello, +43  (#3)  

 

- Mikael Robidoux leads the Americans in fights this season with five. Here is a list of the players with the most fights each year since the start of the Allen Americans franchise. Oh how the fight game has changed:

• 2021-22:   Darian Skeoch & Dawson Butt (7 fights)
• 2020-21:   Dyson Stevenson (8 fights) 
• 2019-20:   Cole Fraser (6 fights)
  
• 2018-19:   Jake Doty (13 fights) 
• 2017-18:   Josh Thrower (10 fights)
• 2016-17:   Derek Mathers  (29 fights)
• 2015-16:   Dyson Stevenson  (16 fights)
• 2014-15:   Garrett Clarke  (16 fights)
• 2013-14:   Garrett Klotz  (20 fights)
• 2012-13:   Garrett Clarke  (12 fights)
• 2011-12:   Brett Clouthier  (13 fights)
• 2010-11:   Liam Huculak  (15 fights)
• 2009-10:   Liam Huculak  (16 fights) 

 

 

 

-  Here is a list of all Allen goalies in franchise history with a save percentages above .915 in a single season (minimum 10 game played). Games played is in parenthesis:

 

• .935 - Riley Gill, 2016-17  (43 games)
• .930 - Zach Sawchenko, 2019-20  (13 games)
• .927 - Jake Paterson, 2020-21  (27 games)
• .923 - Antoine Bibeau, 2021-22 (14 games) 
• .921 - Charlie Effinger, 2009-10  (14 games)
• .918 - Rejean Beauchemin, 2011-12  (33 games)
• .918 - Marco Cousineau, 2011-12  (25 games)
• .917 - Francis Marotte, 2020-21 (12 games) 
• .917 - Jake Paterson, 2017-18  (14 games)
• .917 - Jeremy Brodeur, 2017-19  (39 games)
• .916 - Aaron Dell, 2012-13  (44 games)
• .916 - Bryan Pitton, 2013-14  (43 games)

 

 - Allen's current points percentage is .500. Here is Allen's points percentage for each season since joining the ECHL:

• .549 - 2021-22
• .653 - 2020-21
  
• .710 - 2019-20
• .389 - 2018-19
• .542 - 2017-18
• .722 - 2016-17
• .618 - 2015-16*
• .736 - 2014-15*

*won Kelly Cup championship     

- I will end with Allen championship records that I think will never be broken.

• Steve Martinson's four straight championships.
• Six players have won three consecutive championships in Allen (Spencer Asuchak, Greger Hanson, Trevor Ludwig, Tyler Ludwig, Brian McMillin, Jamie Schaafsma). It will never happen again.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Reminder: Players overseas have eight more days to decide to return to North America if they wish to play in the ECHL this season. February 15 (3:00 p.m. EST) is the overseas deadline. This week lots of coaches and general managers will be checking in one last time with favorite players in Europe.

 

The Week Ahead, Oldest Hockey Rinks in Saskatchewan and Minnesota, Best ECHL Special Teams and More

 

The Allen Americans won't return to practice until tomorrow to start preparing for yet another important week in the quest to make the playoffs. This week Allen fans will get to see a team outside of the Mountain Division when the Fort Wayne Komets come to town for games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. If you remember the last game Fort Wayne played in Allen, it was one of the most disappointing games in franchise history. It was on June 19, 2021 in the playoffs (Conference finals) which were best of five series. Allen won game one 5-2 and were cruising to a 2-0 series lead in game two with a 4-1 lead going into the third period. Allen self destructed in the third period and ended up losing the game 5-4 in overtime. Fort Wayne went on to win the series and the Kelly Cup. I have always felt had Allen won that game the Americans would have won their third Kelly Cup. After Fort Wayne beat Allen in the conference finals, the Komets beat South Carolina 3-1 in the Kelly Cup finals.

 

 

- If you look at the standings, Allen and Fort Wayne certainly don't stand out. Fort Wayne is in fourth place in the Central Division and Allen is in fourth place in the Mountain Division with a .500 points percentage. However, these team come into this series as two of the hottest teams in the ECHL. I will have a complete series preview later in the week but check out these stats:

Fort Wayne - The Komets have won six straight games, the longest current streak in the ECHL. They are 8-1-0-1 in the last 10 games, the best record in the league.

Allen -The Americans are 8-2-0-0 over the last 10 games and have won 10 of their last 12 games. Allen did not win more than two games in a row from the beginning of the season to mid January. In the last three weeks the Americans have had a three game win streak, a four game win streak and are currently on another three game win streak. 

 

 

-  Here is another amazing stat you don't read about. Liam Finlay is tied for the ECHL lead in game winning goals (GWG) with six. The amazing part is Finlay has his six game winning goals in Allen's last eight games. That's six game winning goals in the last 18 days including the GWG in four straight games. This has to be some kind of record but the ECHL doesn't track this data. 

 

- What has distinguished Allen's great play recently is they are averaging five goals per game and scoring is coming from all three lines and from the defense. With that said Allen has four players with more than 20 goals. There are only 11 players in the entire ECHL with 21 or more goals this season and four of them play for the Americans. What these four players are accomplishing is not seen very often. They all have a realistic chance of scoring 30 goals this season and an outside chance at 40. In the history of the Allen franchise only eight players have scored 30 goals in a season. This season alone, Allen could add four more players to the 30 goal list. I asked yesterday about a name for this amazing group of four players that have scored 62% of Allen's goals this season and got some good ones. Fantastic Four (thanks Paul), Four Horsemen (thanks Derek) and Fearsome Foursome. Any other ideas out there?  I know Americans Man has some creative ideas. Let's see how many we can come up with.

• Colton Hargrove - 18 game point streak, 17 goals in last 17 games
• Liam Finlay - 10 game point streak, goals in 8 of last 9 games, GWG in 6 last 8 Allen wins
  
• Hank Crone - 13 game points streak, 22 points (8G, 14A), leading rookie scorer (55 points)
• Jack Combs - points in 16 of last 18 games, 1st in ECHL in goals (24) and 2nd in points (57)

 

 

- Here is the Mountain Division Notebook which will give you some good information about each team and the schedule for the week. Another key week for teams battling for a playoff spot: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/2/mountain-division-notebook-feb-6  

 

- You may have seen the video that has gone viral about the oldest (95 years) hockey rink in Saskatchewan which is in the small (population about 190) community of Lang. Two brothers from the town made it to the NHL briefly back in the 1970's. If you haven't seen the video here it is, a fun trip down memory lane: https://youtu.be/9pmO0JZyrFY

       

 

- Many of you remember Brian and Wendy McMillin from the years Brian played in Allen when he was part of  three championship teams. Wendy grew up in Hallock, MN, a small town (population about 900) but went to high school in Roseau, MN (population 2750) where she met Brian and played hockey. Wendy also played hockey in college. Hallock was the first town in Minnesota to have an indoor hockey arena which was built in 1894. This is a great story about the building of this rink. https://history.vintagemnhockey.com/page/show/1182463-hallock-ice-arena  

 

- Here is a story I originally wrote about Wendy McMillin over 10 years ago. She and Brian moved back to Roseau, MN after his pro career and have a two year old son who will undoubtedly play all kinds of sports including hockey. This story about Wendy is still relevant today when talking about what it is like playing pro hockey at the AA level. http://allenamericansblog.blogspot.com/2014/02/wendy-mcmillin-hockey-wife-and-sports.html

 

 

- DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about special teams. Allen doesn't make the outstanding list (105%) when combining PP and PK percentages. Allen's power play is 21.1% and the penalty kill is 81.8% for a total of 102.9% which is good but short of the 105% to be considered outstanding. 

It is not an official stat but a combined power play + penalty kill percentage of 105% is considered outstanding special teams play. Eight ECHL teams currently meet the 105% standard. Here is the list with the team’s ECHL rank in points percentage in parenthesis. All of these teams are currently in playoff positions:

 

108.0% - Idaho (1st)

107.4% - Fort Wayne (14th)

106.9 % - Newfoundland (2nd)

106.9% - Wichita (12th)

106.8% - South Carolina (3rd)

105.9% - Indy (5th)

105.5% - Atlanta (11th)

105.0% - Reading (7th)

 

- South Carolina has the best power play percentage (26.0%) and Idaho has the best penalty kill percentage (85.2%).

  

Allen Alone in 3rd Place, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Gens Comments, Series Stats, Another Rant, Rookie Scoring Percentages and More

 

It was the most impressive game of the most impressive series of the season for the Allen Americans as they smoked the Utah Grizzlies 8-1 last night before a crowd of 6415 at the Maverik Center. Allen made a statement right out of the gate, outshooting Utah 20-5 in the first period and outscoring them 3-0. It was the most shots on goal in one period all season. Mikael Robidoux got the first goal followed by Liam Finlay and Colton Hargrove.

- Allen scored two more goals early in the second period to take a 5-0 lead and the game was essentially over. Jack Combs and Hargrove were the goal scorers for Allen. Utah scored its only goal of the game late in the period on a scrum in front of the net when the puck squirted out from under Chase Perry.

- Three more goals in the third period from Gavin Gould, Jared Bethune and Hargrove's third of the game made the final score 8-1. The final three minutes of the game got out of hand with 76 penalty minutes being called, 57 of the 76 against Utah. Here is my opinion on what happened. It is perfectly understandable that a team that was embarrassed at home getting swept in the series and losing 8-1 would want to do something. There is respectful way to go about it as there are plenty of players on Allen's roster that are willing to fight and would gladly accept the challenge. Instead, Utah chose to run guys and jump guys that don't fight or can't fight because of injuries. The goalie fight was laughable. To have a goalie that was pulled after giving up five goals in less than 28 minutes, come back in the game because his replacement got kicked out and expect the opposing goalie to fight him in an 8-1 game is crazy. Chase Perry did exactly what he should have, stay in his crease. When the Utah goalie showed up in Perry's crease after game to fight, Perry acquitted himself quite well. I don't think the league thinks too much of the Utah's goalie's actions either. He has been suspended for one game. These teams play three more games at the end of the month and it should be a great series.

- Goal scorers for Allen were Mikael Robidoux (4), Liam Finlay (21), Colton Hargrove (19,20,21), Jack Combs (24), Gavin Gould (1), and Jared Bethune (5). Hank Crone had three assists, Finlay, Combs and McAuley two. Here are the video highlights. https://www.echl.com/en/video/2023/2/allen-americans-vs-utah-grizzlies---feb-4-2023-0gxQciOB

 

- Here are the game recaps:

Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/media/americans-sweep-utah/  

Utah Grizzlies: https://www.utahgrizzlies.com/en/grizzlies-news/fight-night-at-maverik-center

 

AARON GENS COACH'S COMMENTS

"Loved the game from our team again tonight. Our team is very skilled, so we continue to focus on the defensive side of the puck. Our guys have bought into our system and structure and are playing for our head coach."

'In Chad's absence, we have been executing his plan by committee. I'm proud of our leadership, and I am humbled to be part of it."

"We will take the day off on Monday to rest and recuperate and be back on the ice on Tuesday to get ready for another big series, against Fort Wayne."

"We came out of the game last night with no additional injuries. I expect Bernard and Hebert will be back in the lineup against Fort Wayne."

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Some random stats from the Utah series:

• Eight goals by Allen last night were the most all season, previous high was six.
• 150 combined PIMS last night are second most in the ECHL this season.
• 96 PIMS by Utah is most in the ECHL this season.
• Allen was 3-9 (33%) on the power play last night.
  
• Allen's penalty kill in the series was 94.4% (1-18).
• Allen outscored Utah 18-4 in the series.
• Allen averaged 6.0 goals per game in the series, Utah averaged 1.33.
• Allen scored the first goal in all three games.
• Allen set a season record for most shots in a period (20).
• Chase Perry's save percentage was .966 (saved 57 of 59 shots).
• Luke Peressini's save percentage was .941 (saved 32 of 34 shots)  

 

- Allen's win last night combined with Kansas City and Rapid City losing, vaulted the Americans into sole possession of third place in the Mountain Division. It may be short lived since Allen is idle today while Kansas City plays in Indy and Rapid City plays in Wichita. Here are the Mountain Division standings by points. Points percentage is in parenthesis:

• 68 points - Idaho (.810)
• 51 points - Wichita (.593)
• 43 points - Allen (.500)
• 41 points - Kansas City (.500)
• 41 points - Rapid City (.477)
• 39 points - Utah (.453)
• 36 points - Tulsa (.439)

Have to admit I am getting a stronger craving for the crow I will be eating if Allen makes the playoffs. If the Americans make it to second place I will have a double helping of crow. 

 

- There is a pretty heavy schedule around the ECHL for a Sunday. Ten game are on tap starting as early as 2:05 pm (Rapid City at Wichita) and as late as 5:15 (Wheeling at Toledo). Here is the ECHL Today with the previews:  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/2/echl-today-feb-5

 

- The Iowa Heartlanders broke their 20 game road winless streak, the second longest all-time, in style . Iowa now has a two game road win streak, beating Wheeling 2-1 on Friday and 7-2 last night. 

 

- This group of four will have to get a special name soon if they keep putting up the numbers they have been putting up. They all had 3+ points last night.

Allen is averaging exactly five goals per game over its last eight games. Here is an update after last night:

• Colton Hargrove - 18 game point streak, 17 goals in last 17 games
• Liam Finlay - 10 game point streak, goal in 8 of last 9 games, GWG in four straight games
• Hank Crone - 13 game points streak, 22 points (8G, 14A), leading rookie scorer (55 points)
• Jack Combs - points in 16 of last 18 games, 1st in ECHL in goals (24) and 2nd in points (57)

Allen has won 21 games this season. This group of four has the game winning goal in 15 of the 21 and nine of the last 10 wins.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stat post today is about rookie scoring. Allen rookies have scored 142 of the team's 377 points which is 37.7%. 

ECHL teams with the largest percentage of total points scored by rookies. Rookie points and total points are in parenthesis:

 

54.0% - Utah (161 of 298)

53.5% - South Carolina (207 of 387)

52.8% - Trois Rivières (186 of 352)

47.6% - Norfolk (148 of 311)

45.2% - Iowa (128 of 283)

 

- The only team on the list that is currently in a playoff position is South Carolina.

 

- At the other end of the spectrum, Kansas City has just 5.8% of its points from rookies (20 of 345).

 

Allen Wins, Looks for Series Sweep, Game Recap, Gens Comments, Tonight's Lineup, Rookies Setting Team Records and More

 

Welcome to a playoff spot ladies and gentlemen. The Allen Americans beat Utah 6-2 last night and all other ECHL teams not named Idaho that played, lost. The Americans are now in a three-way tie for third place in the Mountain Division with 41 points. To maintain the playoff spot the Americans will likely need another win tonight. A three game sweep on the road is always difficult, even more so against a team that has been playing as well as the Grizzlies. 

 

- Allen has been very impressive in the two road wins against Utah. The Grizzlies came into this series with a four game win streak, having won five out of six games and hadn't lost back-to-back games in a month. Allen has played two of its most complete games of the season, scored first in both games, had outstanding goalie play in both games and out scored Utah 10-3.

- The rookies led the team to victory last night scoring five of the six goals including the first two of the game. The Americans had a 2-0 lead after the first period. Liam Finlay (11:57) and Hank Crone (18:44) gave the Americans the lead. 

 

- Allen improved its record when scoring the first goal of the game to 15-5-1-0 (.738). The Americans record when leading after the first period is now 12-4-0-0 (.750). 

 

- The Americans increased their lead in the second period. Defenseman Zach Massicotte scored early in the period, Utah then cut the lead to 3-1 before Hank Crone scored his second goal of the game at 17:28 mark to restore Allen's three goal lead (4-1) which the Americans took into the second intermission. 

- Allen extended its lead in the third period to 6-1 on two unassisted goals by Grant Hebert and Jack Combs before Utah scored late in the period on the power play to make the final score 6-2. 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Liam Finlay (20), Hank Crone (21,22) Zach Massicotte (6), Grant Hebert (4) and Jack Combs (23). 

 

- Here are the game recaps:

Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/media/americans-explode-for-six-goals-in-a-6-2-win-over-utah/

Utah Grizzlies: https://www.utahgrizzlies.com/en/grizzlies-news/americans-defeat-grizz-6-2

 

- AARON GENS COACH'S COMMENTS

"We have a strong team and we are very pleased with the way they are approaching each game."

"The guys are playing hard and smart all over the ice."

"Peressini had a great game and made a couple of monster saves that kept the game in our hands."

"We have to be patient with Bernard and Hebert, they both got stitches and are warriors for battling through the medical side. Bernard will not play tomorrow night and Hebert will be a game time decision. If he can't go, we will run with 10 forwards."

"We will reset and be ready for tomorrow. Coming out of here with six points is our focus now, and we will approach the game properly."

 

- After talking to coach Gens here is the tentative lineup for the game tonight:

• Crone-Hargrove-McAuley
• Combs-Butcher-Finlay
• Gould-Hebert-Robidoux
• Bethune-Young
•  
• Myllari-Saucerman
  
• Skelly-Massicotte
  
• Gally-Gagnon 
•  
• Perry
• Peressini (backup)
•  
• Bernard (will not play) 

 

- Won't bore you with the same keys to the game other than to say the Americans have scored first in games one and two of the series and good start tonight is critical. Allen had the best of the special teams in the first two games. The Americans were 3-12 (25%) on the power play while holding Utah to 1-13 (7.7%). The Americans took too many penalties last night (11 for 27 minutes) which led to nine Utah power play opportunities. Giving up that many power plays will be costly if it continues.  

 

- Allen's offense has been on fire recently. The Americans have scored six goals twice all season and they both came in the last four games. Allen is averaging 4.6 goals per game over its last seven games. Here are a few of the amazing accomplishments of this team:

• Colton Hargrove - 17 game point streak, 14 goals in last 16 games
• Liam Finlay - 9 game point streak, goal in 7 of last 8 games, GWG in four straight games
• Hank Crone - 12 game points streak, 19 points (8G, 11A), leading rookie scorer (52 points)
• Jack Combs - points in 15 of last 17 games, 2nd in ECHL in goals (23) and points (54)
• Grant Hebert - 10 points (4G, 6A) and +5 in first 11 pro games
  

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Since Allen joined the ECHL in 2014-15 there have been two rookie 20 goals scorers prior to this season. Tyler Sheehy scored 26 goals in 2020-21 and Braylon Shmyr scored 20 goals in 2018-19. This season two rookies already have 20 goals with an excellent chance of reaching 30 goals. Based on their average goals per game, Hank Crone (22 goals) and Liam Finlay (20 goals) are on pace to finish with close to 40 goals if they play in all of Allen's 30 remaining games. There have been only two 40 goal scorers in Allen franchise history, both in the same season and both on the current Allen coaching staff. In 2014-15, Allen's first in the ECHL, on the way to the Americans first Kelly Cup, Gary Steffes had 44 regular season goals and Chad Costello had 41. Steffes added 13 more goals in the playoffs, Costello added nine.  

 

- Since the beginning of 2023, Allen has won 11 games. Rookies had the game winning goal in nine of the 11, Colton Hargrove the other two. Rookie Zach Massicotte had the game winner last night, breaking Liam Finlay's streak of four straight game winning goals. 

 

- The other teams battling for a playoff spot have an advantage over Allen and Utah because they will all play games on Sunday in addition to tonight  Allen will likely have to win tonight to keep pace. Then again, if Utah wins, Rapid City loses in Wichita and Kansas City loses in Indy (all in regulation time) tonight there will be a four way tie for third place in the Mountain Division with 41 points. Here are the teams with two more games this weekend.  

• Idaho is at Tulsa, Saturday, Sunday
• Rapid City is at Wichita, Saturday and Sunday 
• Kansas City is at  Indy, Saturday and Sunday 

 

- It is a full schedule in the ECHL tonight with all 28 teams in action. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/2/echl-today-feb-4  

- Allen's 8-2-0-0 record over the last ten games is tied for tops in the ECHL with the exception of Newfoundland who is 9-1-0-0 over the last 10 games. Maine, Jacksonville and Toledo are also 8-2-0-0.

DID YOU KNOW: Fun facts about the top two on the list below. In 2015-16 Allen defeated Missouri and Josh Robinson 4-2 in the second round of the playoffs on the Americans way to their second Kelly Cup. Robinson took the loss in three of the Allen wins. In 2014-15 Allen defeated South Carolina and Jeff Jakaitis 4-3 in the finals on the way to the Americans first Kelly Cup. Jakaitis took the loss in all four Allen wins. Robinson (2015-16) and Jakaitis (2014-15) were the ECHL Goalies of the Year but were no match for Allen goalie Riley Gill in the playoffs. Gill picked up his second and third Kelly Cup rings and still owns the ECHL record for most wins in the playoffs (53). 

Idaho goalie Rémi Poirier won his 12th straight game last night. Here is the ECHL all-time list for consecutive wins:

21 - Josh Robinson, Missouri (2015-16)

16 - Jeff Jakaitis, South Carolina (2014-15)

13 - Angus Redmond, Newfoundland (2019-20)

13 - Daniel Berthiaume, Roanoke (1994-95)

12 - Cory Cadden, Knoxville (1993-94)

12 - Rémi Poirier, Idaho (2022-23)

 

Allen vs Utah Preview, Tonight's Lineup, Gens Comments, Belleville Changes Coach, Six Teams Average Attendance 6000+ and More

The challenge continues for the Allen Americans tonight (8:10 pm CST) as they take on the Utah Grizzlies in the second game of a three-game series. After Allen's big 4-1 win on Wednesday you can look for Utah to come back strong tonight. The Grizzlies have not lost back to back games in over a month. 

 

- The lineup for tonight's game is the same as Wednesday with the exception of Luke Peressini will get the start in goal.

• Crone-Hargrove-McAuley
• Combs-Butcher-Finlay
• Gould-Hebert-Robidoux
• Bethune-Young
•  
• Myllari-Saucerman
  
• Bernard-Massicotte
  
• Gally-Gagnon 
•  
• Peressini
• Perry (backup)
•  
• Skelly (healthy scratch)

 

- What does Allen have to do to win tonight. I posed that question to coach Gens. Here is what he had to say.

"We need to continue to limit any chances against. I thought our defensive play was good on Wednesday, but we are striving for greatness."

"Offensively, we just need to keep making smart reads on the rush. If we have numbers we want to try and make plays. If we don't have numbers, we need to make smart chip ins, so we can retrieve the puck."

"Overall, we love our team, we are playing with our hearts on fire with our head coach at the forefront of our minds."

 

- More of the same would be the easy answer to how does Allen win tonight. On Wednesday the Americans scored first, won the special teams battle, out hit Utah 18-10,  had a 21-14 advantage in blocked shots and Chase Perry had a 971 save percentage. But there are a few areas where Allen could improve.

• Allen was outshot by Utah 35-25 on Wednesday. The Americans record this season when being outshot is 11-18-0-0 and when outshooting their opponents it is 8-3-1-0. Allen needs to keep the shots closer tonight. 
•  The penalty kill was perfect on Wednesday (0-4) and the power play was good (1-6) but it was only 16.7%. If the Americans get an advantage on power play opportunities tonight they have to make Utah pay.
• Faceoffs won on Wednesday were dead even. Goal for tonight should be above 50% on faceoffs, especially on special teams.  
  

OTHER COMMENTS 

- It is important to remember what is at stake this weekend. The Mountain Division standings are so close one win or loss can move a team two positions. Allen and Utah have identical records of 19-21-1-0 (.476). If either team wins both games this weekend its points percentage will improve to .500. If either team loses both games its points percentage will drop to .453. It means after the weekend the Americans could be anywhere from fourth to seventh in the standings. 

 

- While Allen is in Utah for two games this weekend here is the schedule for the other Mountain Division teams. If the Americans can take care of business in Utah they will have a great chance of getting closer to that playoff spot the covet.

• Idaho is at Tulsa for three games (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
• Wichita and Rapid City are idle tonight, play each other in Wichita on Saturday and Sunday 
• Kansas City is on the road in Toledo tonight and Indy on Saturday and Sunday  

 

- Here is the ECHL Today with previews on all 12 games in the ECHL tonight: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/2/echl-today-feb-3

 

- The Belleville Senators fired head coach Troy Mann yesterday saying, "A change like this is a difficult decision, but we are aligned internally and feel this is necessary for the short and long term growth of the players in our organization as well as the cohesion in systematic play between Ottawa and Belleville." 

Certainly an interesting statement if you read between the lines. It remains to be seen how this might change the affiliate relationship with Allen. Assistant coach David Bell will be the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Bell knows what it is like to play and coach AA hockey. As a player he won the Kelly Cup in 2001 playing for the Greenville Growl and he was the head coach for the Quad City Mallards in the Central Hockey League in 2011-12. Here is the press release from the Ottawa Senators with all of the details:  https://www.nhl.com/senators/news/senators-announce-changes-to-the-belleville-senators-coaching-staff/c-340678764

 

- How much help has Allen received from its affiliation with Ottawa/Belleville so far this season? Two goalies, two defensemen and no forwards have been assigned to Allen. Here is the list with games played in Allen.

• 32 games - Zach Massicotte (D)
• 13 games - Xavier Bernard (D)
• 11 games - Logan Flodell (G)
• 6 games - Kevin Mandolese (G) 

 

- Allen's record over the last 10 games is 8-2-0-0. Only two ECHL teams, both in the North Division, have a better record. Newfoundland and Maine are 9-1-0-0 in the last 10 games. Allen is ranked #18 in average goals scored (3.10). The #1 ranked team is Newfoundland who averages 3.98 goals per game. However, if you look at the last 10 games the Americans have averaged 3.9 goals per game. That average is one of the best in the league.

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about average attendance. Six teams are averaging 6000+ this season, a couple of them for the first time. The highest average attendance for Allen in franchise history was in 2015-16 when the Americans won their second Kelly Cup and averaged 4571 per game. This season Allen is averaging 3707 per game.

 

Six teams (FW, TOL, JAX, SAV, TUL, CIN) are averaging 6000+ in attendance this season. That is the most teams averaging 6000+ in the last 10 years. Here are the number of times since 2012-13 current ECHL teams have averaged 6000+ in attendance. No teams averaged 6000+ in 2020-21 when there were covid restrictions:

 

9 - Fort Wayne

9 - Toledo

4 - Orlando

4 - Tulsa

2 - Jacksonville

1 - Savannah

1 - Cincinnati

  

 

Allen Starts Utah Series with a Win, Game Recap, Gens Comments, Streaks Extended, Mountain Division No Longer the Toughest, Young ECHL Goal Scorers and More

 

It was a big start to a big series in Utah as the Allen Americans beat the Grizzlies last night by a score of 4-1 before a crowd 3311 at the Maverik Center. Allen got the good start they were looking for when Colton Hargrove scored the first goal of the game, a power play goal, at 9:26 of the first period. The lead didn't last long as Utah tied the score 1-1 just 28 seconds later. It would be the only goal Utah would score. Goalie Chase Perry and the Allen defense would turn away the next 30 shots the Grizzlies would throw at them. The first period would end with the score tied 1-1.

 

- Allen took charge with two goals in the second period, both even strength goals. Liam Finlay and Grant Hebert were the goal scorers. Allen took a 3-1 lead into the second intermission. There was no scoring in the third period until Colby McAuley put the game away with an empty net goal to make the final score 4-1.

- Goal scorers for Allen were Colton Hargrove (18), Liam Finlay (19), Grant Hebert (3) and Colby McAuley (1). Jack Combs had two assists. Hargrove extended his point streak to 16 games (23 points - 14G, 9A). Liam Finlay extended his point streak to eight games (14 points - 8G, 6A). Finlay also extended his game winning goal streak. He has scored the game winning goal in Allen's last four wins and five of the last six. The league doesn't track game winning goals stats but I did check Allen's games since joining the ECHL and four straight has never happened before. 

 

- Hank Crone spent the day traveling from Ontario, CA to Salt Lake City to meet up with the team. Crone had an assist in the game to extend his point streak to 11 games (16 points - 6G, 10A). 

 

- Here are the game recaps from both teams:

Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap-americans-beat-utah-4-1/ 

Utah Grizzlies: https://www.utahgrizzlies.com/en/grizzlies-news/allen-defeated-utah-4-1-in-series-opener

 

- I touched base with coach Gens this morning and here is what he had to say;

"We came out of the game without any injuries. We will have an optional skate today at noon."

"I loved our game last night from top to bottom. We had strong goaltending, we defended pretty well and our forwards played the right way."

"When we are cycling the puck and using our high rolls in the offensive zone, we are a scary team."

"We didn't have a perfect game, but I loved the effort from the guys."

 

- Allen scored the first goal of the game to improve its record when scoring first to 14-5-1-0 (.735). When Allen gives up the first goal of the game its record is 5-16-0-0 (.238). 

 

- Allen won the special teams battle holding Utah scoreless in four power play attempts. A big improvement from the three game series these teams played in November when Utah scored a power play goal in all three games. The Americans were 1-6 on the power play last night. In the four games against Utah this season Allen is 2-14. 

 

- Two stats that say a lot about how the team has been playing. Last night Allen out hit Utah 18-10 and blocked 21 shots compared to Utah's 14.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen has done a better job of staying out of the penalty box recently. The last three games Allen has had more power play opportunities than its opponents. That was a rare occurrence early in the season.

 

- Allen has traded away or waived a lot of its toughness. Everyone would agree the Mountain Division doesn't have the toughness it had in the past. Allen has 18 fighting majors this season, ranked #7 in the league but #1 in the division. Three of the top four in fights, Pochiro (4), Blachman (3) and Leppard (2) are no longer with the team. Only Mikael Robidoux (3) and Colton Hargrove (2) have more than one fight. Hargrove is way too valuable to be fighting no matter who he takes off with him and the possibility of hurting his hands is way too high. 

 

- Little doubt the toughest division in the ECHL is now the South Division. Five of the top six teams in fighting majors, all with 20+ fights, are in the South Division including league leader Orlando who has 27 fights. It is a long way from just five years ago when Rapid City averaged more than a fight per game over an entire season (81 fights in 72 games).  

 

- The Mountain Division standings are so close one win or loss can move a team two positions. After the win last night Allen and Utah have identical records of 19-21-1-0 (.476). If either team wins both games this weekend its points percentage will improve to .500. If either team loses both games its points percentage will drop to .453. It means after the weekend the Americans could be anywhere from fourth to seventh in the standings. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL stats post today is about goal scorers 23 years old or younger. Allen has a couple of high scoring rookies in Hank Crone (20 goals) and Liam Finlay (19 goals) but both are over 23. Crone is 24 and Finlay is 25. Allen has two forwards that are 23, Mikael Robidoux and Aidan Brown.

They are young and talented. Most goals among players 23 or younger this season:

 

22 - Brayden Watts, Wichita

20 - Michal Stinil, Wichita

20 - *Jeremy McKenna, Kansas City

18 - *Chad Yetman, Indy

17 - *Orrin Centazzo, Newfoundland 

 

*Have spent time in AHL this season

McKenna - has played one game and is currently with Coachella Valley

Yetman - played 2 games in Cleveland and 3 in Belleville

Centazzo - played 5 games in Toronto

    

Allen vs Utah Series Preview, Roster Update, Crone Returns, Starting Lineup, Best Team Save Percentages and More

 

It is game day for the Allen Americans which means yes they did make it to Salt Lake City yesterday. It was a long day with a lot of time waiting on the plane, but they made it. The team boarded the plane at 8:00 am but didn't take off until noon.

- Tonight begins another important week for the Americans. Three games against Utah beginning tonight (8:10 pm CST) and then Friday and Saturday. These are the two best teams in the Mountain Division over the last 10 games and both had a great records in January. Utah was 8-2-1-0 in January, Allen was 9-4-0-0. Two teams fighting for a playoff spot should make for a great series. 

 

- I had a lot of questions yesterday relating to the roster, here is an update:

- Hank Crone - Hank played in his second straight game last night as the Reign beat Colorado at home 5-2. Hank had an assist in the game and was +1. Ontario had two forwards returned from the NHL yesterday, so Crone is headed back and will meet the team in Utah and is expected to be in the lineup tonight. 

- Zach Pochiro - Zach was traded to Maine yesterday to fulfill the future considerations trade that brought defenseman Dalton Gally to Allen on December 6. Pochiro played 36 games for Allen and had 22 points (7G, 15A). He also led the Americans in penalty minutes with 82. I think Zach would tell you it was difficult for him to adapt to the style of play in Allen and it wasn't a good fit. A fresh start in Maine is a great opportunity. Maine has been the best team in the ECHL over the last two months with a record of 18-3-0-1.

- Kolten Olynek - Had several questions why Olynek was signed one day and released the next. When you consider the rules that typically apply to fulfilling future consideration trades, my guess, based on the timing, is it is related.

 

- Every healthy player made the trip to Utah. If you go by the official ECHL website the roster comprised of two goalies, eight defensemen and 10 forwards. It is a little misleading because Jared Bethune started the season as a defenseman, but has been playing forward, his natural position, for most of the season.  

 

- Here is how the lineup looks for tonight:

• Crone-Hargrove-McAuley
• Combs-Butcher-Finlay
• Gould-Hebert-Robidoux
• Bethune-Young
•  
• Myllari-Saucerman
  
• Bernard-Massicotte
  
• Gally-Gagnon 
•  
• Perry
• Peressini (backup)
•  
• Skelly (healthy scratch)
  

 

Here is a weekly update issued by Utah. It does a much better job of providing team and individual stats to get you ready for the series than I could do. If you want to see what Allen is up against this week give this a read:  https://www.utahgrizzlies.com/en/grizzlies-news/grizzlies-weekly-homestand-continues-vs-allen

 

- Here are some comparisons between Allen and Utah;

• Allen road record 10-13-0-0, Utah home record 9-8-0-0
• Goals per game: Allen #18 (3.08) - Utah #24 (2.80)
• Goals allowed per game: Allen #22 (3.65) - Utah #16 (3.35)
• Power play: Allen #16 (20.1%) - Utah #11 (20.8%)
• Penalty kill: Allen #15 (80.6%) - Utah #9 (82.7%)
• Shorthanded goals: Allen (4) - Utah (3)
• Shorthanded goals allowed: (3) - Utah (5)
• Record when scoring 1st: Allen (13-5-1-0) - Utah (12-3-0-0)
• Overtime Record: Allen (3-1) - Utah (2-1)
• Penalty minutes per game: Allen #2 (17.10) - Utah #3 (16.08)

 

 - One thing to keep in mind when you look at Utah stats is 11 of the Grizzlies 19 regulation losses have been to Idaho. The Steelheads lead the league is average goals scored (4.08) and allowed (2.03) and also has the best team save percentage at .928. Playing Idaho 15 times has to skew the Utah stats.

 

- As always the three keys of scoring first, out shooting Utah and winning the special teams battle will be important in the series. Utah is almost unbeatable with a lead. The Grizzlies record when leading after the first period is a perfect 6-0-0-0 and when leading after the second period is 14-1-0-0. Allen doesn't want to be playing from behind in this series.

 

- Both teams have goalies that have been hot recently. Chase Perry was selected as the ECHL Goalie of the Week yesterday. Since Perry joined the Americans he is 4-1 with a 2.43 GAA and .932 save percentage. Utah's top goalie, Trent Minor, has a 5-0-1 record in his last six starts with a GAA of 1.64 and .957 save percentage. 

 

- For Allen to stay in the playoff race the goal is to win every series. Allen is going to need four of the possible six points this week to keep pace. Anything less than two wins in Utah will be a disappointment.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Liam Finlay was runner-up for ECHL Player of the Week. Utah's Brandon Cutler (#29) was the winner. Cutler had eight points and five goals in three games so was certainly deserving. Finlay had five goals in four games but had three straight game winning goals, a rare feat for sure. You have to wonder if Chase Perry being selected as the Goalie of the Week hurt Finlay's chances.  

 

- Colton Hargrove and Hank Crone will try to extend point streaks tonight. Hargrove has the longest point streak in the ECHL this season (15 games) and Hank Crone has the second longest current points streak at 10 games. 

 

- Just four games on the ECHL schedule tonight. Of interest to Allen fans will be how Kansas City fares in Cincinnati against the Cyclones. Here is the ECHL Today with the previews: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/2/echl-today-feb-1

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats page is about team save percentages. Allen is one of the 12 teams with a save percentage under .900. The Americans team save percentage is. 894.

In today’s ECHL teams must have two good goalies and good team defense and even that doesn’t guarantee success. 12 ECHL teams have a team save percentages below .900. Just six teams have a percentage of .910+. 

 

.928 - Idaho*

.922 - Wichita

.913 - Atlanta*

.911 - Florida*

.911 - Savannah 

.910 - South Carolina*

 

*Top 10 ECHL teams in points.