Allen Record Against Mountain Division Teams, Longest ECHL Streaks, Top Eight ECHL Teams, Team Shutouts and More

 

It is back to practice for the Allen Americans today as they prepare for three games against the Utah Grizzlies this week with a playoff position on the line. Yesterday was an optional practice and one of the players on the ice was defenseman Eric Williams who was just acquired from Norfolk. Williams looks ready to go and will be in the lineup against Utah on Thursday.

 

- Allen has 16 games remaining in the regular season and will play every team in the Mountain Division at least one game. Here is Allen's record and points percentage against the other six division teams:

• Kansas City: 4-1-0-0 (.800)
• Utah: 6-2-1-0 (.722)
• Wichita: 6-6-0-0 (.500)
• Tulsa: 4-4-0-0 (.500)
• Rapid City: 2-3-0-0 (.400)
• Idaho: 0-5-0-0 (.000)

 

-  Allen's shutout loss in Idaho on Saturday wiped out a bunch of current point streaks, but Allen is all over the list of longest streaks in the ECHL season. Here is the list from the daily report:

• #1 goals - Hank Crone (8 games)
• #2 assists - Jack Combs (9 games from 1/22 to 2/09)
• #2 assists - Jack Combs (9 games from 2/15 to 3/10)
• #1 points - Colton Hargrove (23 games)
• #2 points - Jack Combs (20 games)
• #3 points - Hank Crone (15 games)
• #5 PIMS - Colton Saucerman (8 games)
• #1 home points - Colton Hargrove (15 games)
• #2 home PIMS - Mikael Robidoux (8 games)
• #1 road assists - Jack Combs (9 games)
• #1 road points - Hank Crone (16 games)
• #2 road points - Colton Hargrove (15 games)
• #4 road points - Liam Finlay (11 games)
• #3 road PIMS - Colton Saucerman (7 games)

 

 

- I will have a complete series preview on Thursday but wanted to share this one stat on shots after noticing how close Allen and Utah are in average shots for and against. Utah is ranked #21 in average shots for per game (30.77) and Allen is ranked #22 (30.70). In average shot allowed Allen is ranked #25 (34.93) and Utah is ranked #26 (35.09). Couldn't get two teams much closer than that.

 

 

- It is now two days from the ECHL trade deadline (Thursday 3:00 pm EDT). Based on the trade activity the last few days I wouldn't expect a lot of trades before the deadline. If you track ECHL transaction the most activity is college/junior players turning professional. There have been over 15 the last three days. Also a few SPHL players being loaned to ECHL teams. It is always possible high-end teams will trade with low end teams for high end players to bolster playoff chances.

 

 

- What do the top eight teams in the ECHL have in common? They all score a lot more goals than they allow. Here is the goal differential for the top eight teams. A reminder, since 2005 a team finishing lower than eighth place in the regular season has never won the Kelly Cup.

• 1. Idaho: +110
• 2. Cincinnati +51
• 3. Toledo +74
• 4. Newfoundland +46
• 5. Jacksonville +28
• 6. Florida +21
• 7. Indy +34
• 8. South Carolina +36

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about team shutouts. Allen has had just one shutout this season. Chase Perry stopped 37 shots to shutout Tulsa 6-0 on January 28. Allen's record for team shutouts in a single season was nine in 2016-17. Riley Gill had seven of the nine shutouts on his way to winning the ECHL Goalie of the Year.

Shutouts are a team stat. The top two ECHL defensive teams have nine (Toledo) and eight (Idaho) shutouts. The next highest total is five shutouts (Cincinnati). 18 teams have 0, 1 or 2 shutouts. Six ECHL goalies have three or four shutouts, five of them are from Toledo and Idaho. Here are the six goalies with more shutouts than 18 ECHL teams:

 

4: John Lethemon, Toledo

4: Sebastian Cossa, Toledo

4: Mark Sinclair, Cincinnati

3: Jake Kupsky, Idaho

3: Remi Poirier, Idaho

3: Adam Scheel, Idaho

 

The Week in Review, The Week Ahead, The Remaining Schedule, Outshooting Opponents and More

 

Last week was a tough one for the Allen Americans. The team started the week in fourth place with a four-point lead over fifth place Utah and two points from second place. The Americans ended the week in fifth place, two points behind Utah and Wichita and three points from second place. 

 

- Losing two games in Idaho was not a surprise when you consider the Steelheads home record this season is 25-3-0-0. In fact, other than Utah, there is not a single ECHL team that has visited Idaho and won a game this season, so Allen is in good company.  

 

- Allen has a great opportunity to get back on track this week and move back into a playoff spot. Three games against the Utah Grizzlies (Thursday, Friday, Sunday) with fourth place on the line. Allen has plenty of confidence when playing Utah with a 6-2-1-0 record against the Grizzlies this season.

 

- Allen has 16 games remaining, eleven at home and five on the road. Here is a list of the remaining games with the opponent's current points percentage (home and/or away) in parenthesis. 

• 3 games at home against Utah (.532)
• 3 games at home against Idaho (.741)
• 3 games at Rapid City (.593)
• 3 games at home against Savannah (.426)
• 2 games against Wichita (1H, 1A) (.677H - .304A)
• 1 game at Tulsa (.500)
• 1 game at home against Kansas City (.339)

 

- When you consider five teams are competing for three playoff spots in the Mountain Division it is likely the final seedings won't be decided until the last weekend of the regular season. Idaho has already clinched the #1 seed and will take on the #4 seed in the opening round of the playoffs. The #4 seed will not be an enviable spot so the #2 or #3 seed is what teams will be striving for. Here is the schedule the last weekend of the season (April 14 & 15) for the five teams competing for three playoff spots:

• Allen - 14th at Wichita, 15th Wichita at home
• Kansas City - 14th and 15th Cincinnati at home
• Rapid City - 14th and 15th Idaho at home
• Utah - 14th and 15th Tulsa at home
• Wichita - 14th Allen at home, 15th at Allen 

 

- Allen has four players in the top seven in the ECHL in goals scored. They are all having fabulous goal scoring seasons even by their standards. How does this season compare to past seasons for these four players? I decided to check it out:

Hank Crone - Hank's 36 goals leads the ECHL and he is projected to hit 47 goals by the end of the season. The most goals Hank has ever scored was his last year in juniors in the USHL with the Fargo Force when he scored 24 goals in 56 games.  

Colton Hargrove - Colton is second in the ECHL with 33 goals and is projected to end the season with 44 goals. This is his first year in the ECHL having spent his first seven pro seasons in the AHL or in Europe. Going back to his junior career (NAHL & USHL) and all through his pro career, Hargrove has never scored more than 16 goals in a single season.

Jack Combs - Jack is fourth in ECHL with 31 goals and is projected to finish the season with 40 goals. Jack has had one 40 goal season as a professional. In 2010-11 he scored 40 goals playing for the Tulsa Oilers in the old Central Hockey League. FYI, his line mate was Chad Costello who had 34 goals and led the team with 84 points. By the way, Gary Steffes was also on that team (19 goals).

Liam Finlay - Liam is seventh in the ECHL in goals scored with 28 goals and is projected to finish the season with 38 goals. The most goals Finlay has ever scored in juniors, college or as a pro was in 2014-15. Playing junior hockey in the BCHL he had 23 goals in 55 games. 

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

-  Justin Cohn covers the Fort Wayne Komets for the local paper (The Journal Gazette). Fort Wayne's coach, Ben Boudreau, was kicked out of the game in the third period yesterday in a game the Komets lost to Indy 6-2. Cohn posted a string of post-game quotes which will clearly get the attention of the league. FYI, when I was named the official blogger for the Allen Americans, I was warned not to criticize the officials in my blog. Here are a couple of the "quote gems" posted by Cohn.  

 Ben Boudreau: "For me, it was the most embarrassing, unprofessional, worst performance by a referee, one referee, Sam Heidemann, and he set the tone. He came over and attacked one of the captains, called him a (expletive) right to his face, in front of the bench." 

More Boudreau: "He made up penalties and then punished us for asking where the call was, in a professional manner. So, you have one guy with a (history) of coming in here and making an impact, and you could see it from the first call on Pelletier through the rest of the game."  

 

- With 80% of the ECHL season completed the average attendance is 4574 per game, an increase of 639 per game over last season's 3935 per game average. More significant is the average attendance this season is above the pre-covid average attendance. In 2018-19 the average ECHL attendance was 4445.

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about shots. Allen has outshot its opponents 29% of the time, 16 of 56 games. Allen's record when outshooting the opponent 11-4-1-0. Allen has been outshot 71% of the time, 40 of 56 games. The Americans record when being outshot is 17-23-0-0.

 

ECHL teams that have outshot their opponents most frequently this season (by percentage):

 

79% (45 of 57 games)- South Carolina

75% (43 of 57 games) - Idaho

70% (42 of 60 games) - Toledo

68% (39 of 57 games) - Fort Wayne

67% (38 of 57 games) - Reading 

 

Here are the two teams that have outshot their opponents less than 20% of the time:

 

16% (9 of 59 games) - Wichita

17% (10 of 60 games) - Savannah

 

Allen Shutout First Time in 126 games, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Standings Update Including Remaining Games and More

The Allen Americans felt the full effect of the ECHL's best offense (4.07 goals per game) and best defense (2.14 goals per game) last night. Idaho poured in five goals while handing the Allen Americans their first shutout of the season. The 5-0 win before a home crowd of 5270 at the Idaho Central Arena was the 25th straight sellout for the Steelheads. Idaho improved its home record to 25-3-0-0 with its 12th straight home win. 

 

- It didn't take long for the game to go south last night. Idaho scored on its first shot on goal just 71 seconds after the opening puck drop and never looked back. Idaho outshot Allen in every period and outscored Allen in every period. The Steelheads had a 2-0 lead after the first period and a 3-0 lead after the second period. It didn't look good going into the third period considering Idaho's home record with a second period lead is a prefect 22-0-0-0.

 

- Allen's attempt at a third period comeback went nowhere. Idaho's smothering defense limited Allen to just four shots in the third period and the Americans lone power play turned into a shorthanded goal for the Steelheads. 

 

- Allen was held to 21 shots in the game while Idaho scored five goals on 33 shots. Five different players scored goals for Idaho who has 14 players with 10+ goals. In contrast Allen has five players with 10+ goals. 

 

- Here are the game recaps from both teams:

Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/americans-shutout-by-idaho-5-0/

Idaho Steelheads: https://www.idahosteelheads.com/en/articles/steelheads-pick-up-their-ninth-shutout-of-the-season-improving-home-win-streak-to-twelve-games 

 

- Here is the video highlight package from the Idaho Steelheads. You can see some of the defensive breakdowns that led to the Idaho goals. https://www.echl.com/en/video/2023/3/allen-americans-vs-idaho-steelheads---mar-11-2023-pavrIiJw

 

- The team will travel back to Allen today and get ready for another huge week. The Americans will be literally playing for a playoff spot when Utah comes to town for games on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. The loser of the series will likely end the week outside of a playoff position. Can't get much more important than that.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 - Matt Register has played great against the Americans at all of his stops since leaving Allen. From the playoffs in Colorado to this season in Idaho. Zane Franklin has done the same. In five games against Allen this season Idaho is 5-0. Register leads the Steelheads in points against the Americans with eight assists in the five games. Franklin leads Idaho in goals against Allen and has six points (4G, 2A). Allen fans will have the opportunity to get reacquainted with Register and Franklin when Idaho visits Allen for three games on March 22, 24 and 25.

 

- Cincinnati beat Tulsa 4-1 last night and became the third team to qualify for the Kelly Cup playoffs. The Cyclones join Toledo and Idaho as the first three of 16 teams that will qualify for the playoffs. Many of the playoff spots will not be decided until the last week of the regular season which ends on April 16. 

 

- With the loss last night Allen is now tied with Utah for the final playoff position in the Mountain Division. The Grizzlies play Kansas City at home this afternoon with a chance to push Allen out of a playoff position. Kansas City at Utah is the only Mountain Division game today.

 

- Here are the standings by points for the five teams competing for three playoff spots with the team's remaining schedule:

60 points: Kansas City (15 games remaining, 6H, 9A)

• at Utah today
• 5 games against Tulsa (2H, 3A)
• 3 games at Idaho
• 2 games against Wichita (1H, 1A)
• 2 home games against Cincinnati
• 1 game at Allen
• 1 home game against Rapid City

59 points: Wichita (13 games remaining, 5H, 8A)

• 3 games at Iowa
• 3 games at Utah
• 2 games against Allen (1H, 1A)
• 2 games against Kansas City (1H, 1A)
• 2 home games against Rapid City
• 1 home game against Tulsa

57 points: Allen (16 games remaining, 11H, 5A)

• 3 games at home against Utah
• 3 games at home against Idaho
• 3 games at Rapid City
• 3 games at home against Savannah
• 2 games against Wichita (1H, 1A)
• 1 game at Tulsa
• 1 game at home against Kansas City

57 points: Utah (16 games remaining, 11H, 5A)

• at home against Kansas City today
• 3 games at Allen
• 3 games at home against Cincinnati
• 3 games at home against Wichita
• 3 games against Idaho (1H, 2A)
• 3 games at home against Tulsa

53 points: Rapid City (15 games remaining, 9H, 6A)

• 3 games at home against Tulsa
• 3 games at Fort Wayne
• 3 home games against Allen
• 3 home games against Idaho
• 2 games at Wichita
• 1 game at Kansas City

 

- A few things standout when looking at the information above:

• Allen and Utah have the most games remaining (16) so more opportunities to earn points and the remaining games are mostly at home (11).
• Kansas City (9 of 15) and Wichita (8 of 13) have the most road games remaining and have poor road records. Wichita is 8-19-1-0 (.304) and Kansas City is 9-17-0-1 (.352) on the road. FYI, the best road points percentage of the group is Utah (.532) followed by Allen (.484).
• Wichita is the only team done playing Idaho. The other four teams play the Steelheads three times. Kansas City has to play its three games in Idaho.
•  Teams outside the division will have a say on who makes the playoffs. Kansas City plays Cincinnati twice at home, Allen plays Savannah three times at home, Utah plays Cincinnati three times at home and Rapid City visits Fort Wayne for three games. Only Wichita has all remaining games within the division.  

 

- You have to go back to opening night last season to find the last time the Allen Americans were shutout prior to last night. On October 23, 2021, Allen was shutout 7-0 by Wichita. That is a total of 126 games between shutouts for the American.   

 

- Allen gave up a shorthanded goal last night after scoring a shorthanded goal on Friday. The Americans have now scored six shorthanded goals this season and allowed six shorthanded goals. That is a big improvement over last season when Allen scored seven shorthanded goals but allowed a league high 20 shorthanded goals.

 

The three teams that have clinched playoff spots happen to be the hottest teams in the ECHL right now. Led by Toledo with a winless streak of 17-0-0-1 and followed by Cincinnati with a streak of 13-0-1-1. The third playoff team, Idaho, is 9-1-0-0 over the last 10 games. The Western Conference playoffs will be something to watch this season. 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: There were 2 shootouts in the ECHL last night and all four goalies shined:

 

- Savannah goalie Michael Bullion and Jacksonville goalie Parker Gahagen both recorded shutouts, allowing no goals in 60 minutes of regulation and seven minutes of overtime. It took 18 shooters in the shootout before Savannah won the game 1-0.

 

- Kansas City goalie Shane Starrett and Utah goalie Trent Minor combined to stopped 15 straight shooters in the shootout before Utah scored in round eight to win the game.

Late Period Goals Cost Allen, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Costello Comments, Rematch Preview, Lancaster and Arseneau Updates and More

 

It is not the time of the season for moral victories so Allen's 6-4 loss in Idaho last night was painful even if it proved the Americans can hang with the best team in the ECHL in many years. The game wasn't decided until Idaho scored an empty net goal with 16 second remaining in the game.

 

- There were many bright spots for Allen in the game:

• Allen scored the first goal of the game (Jack Combs).
• Allen scored a shorthanded goal (Liam Finlay).
• Allen had leads in the game of 1-0, 2-1 and 4-3.
• Allen won the special teams battle going 1-3 on the power play plus the shorty.
• Allen outshot Idaho in the second period (11-6) and third period (12-10).
• Allen had two possible goals disallowed after referee review.

-  With the good there was also some not so good:

• After scoring the first goal Allen gave Idaho three straight power plays in the first period.
• Idaho outshot Allen 16-8 in the first period.
• Allen gave up late period goals in all three periods. Idaho scored with 61 seconds left in the first period, 83 seconds left in the second period and the game winner at the 17:39 mark of the third period.
• Allen gave up six goals in the game. In Allen's last six losses the Americans have given up 6, 5, 8, 6, 8 and 7 goals. In addition, in two of Allen's last four wins it has allowed five goals.
  

 

- The goal scorers for Allen were Jack Combs (31), Liam Finlay (28), Aidan Brown (13) and Colton Hargrove (33). Finlay also had two assists.  Here are the video highlights with all of the goals. Two former Allen Americans played key roles. Zane Franklin scored Idaho's third goal and Matt Register set up the fourth goal. https://www.echl.com/en/video/2023/3/allen-americans-vs-idaho-steelheads---mar-10-2023-LdIpRnXZ

 

-  Here is the game recap issued by the Idaho Steelheads with all of the details about the game: https://www.idahosteelheads.com/en/articles/steelheads-become-mountain-division-champions-with-6-4-victory-over-allen

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap-americans-lose-tight-battle/

 

- Hank Crone's eight game goal scoring streak was snapped last night but all the other streaks were extended:

• Jack Combs has an assist in nine straight games.
• Jack Combs has a point in 20 straight games.
• Jack Combs has an assist in nine straight road games.
• Colton Hargrove has a goal in five straight road games.
• Hank Crone has a point in 16 straight road games.
• Colton Hargrove has a point in 15 straight road games.

 

 

CHAD COSTELLO COACH'S COMMENTS

"We played hard enough to win, but we need to play smarter."

"Idaho is obviously a good team. We know we can play with them. The key now is to prove we can beat them."

"We had three or four obvious missed calls that went against us. And it really cost us. We need to overcome bad calls, but it would have been nice to see the right calls made."

"It takes everyone playing well to beat a team as good as Idaho. I love this match up for us. It is an opportunity to learn and see exactly what it is going to take to be successful."

"The lineup will be the same tomorrow (Saturday) other than Luke Peressini will get the start in goal."

 

 

REMATCH PREVIEW

- The typical keys to the game like scoring first, a good start, shot totals and special teams are all important tonight, but the primary key to beat Idaho is better team defense. You can't expect to beat a team as talented as Idaho giving up five or six goals. If the Americans can't do a better job at the defensive end of the ice it will be a long night. Goals allowed per game is the big difference between these teams. Idaho is #1 (2.18) and Allen is #22 (3.75). Allen is not going to be able to outscore bad defense against Idaho. That approach works against many teams, but is fool's gold against a team like the Steelheads.

 

- Consistency has been an issue for Allen all season and it was the case last night. Four of Idaho's six goals last night were scored in a total of 4:45 at the end of the periods. Those goals at the end of periods are real momentum changers. If you eliminate the lapses in just five minutes (total) at the end of the three periods the Americans win the game 4-2.

 

- Allen proved last night it can play with Idaho. A few tweaks for tonight and with everyone pulling on the defensive rope the Americans can come out on top.

 

- Here is the lineup for tonight

• Crone-Hargrove-McAuley   
• Combs-Hebert-Finlay 
• Fournier-Brown-Robidoux
• Young

• Myllari-Saucerman 
• Skelly-Massicotte
• Gally-Gagnon 

  

• Peressini
• Perry (backup)
  

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Colton Hargrove's goal last night keeps alive his goal per game average. Since December 31, Hargrove has 29 goals in 29 games, and he is now #2 in the ECHL in goals scored with 33. He trails teammate Hank Crone who leads the league with 36 goals.

 

-So much for getting ready for low scoring and tight checking playoff hockey. The odd stat of the day is six games in the ECHL last night, including the Americans, had a final score of 6-4.

 

- Former Allen Americans defenseman and ECHL Defenseman of the Year in 2021 when he had 64 points (26G, 38A) just set the all-time single season record for points by a defenseman for his team. Lancaster plays for Ilves in the top league in Finland (Liiga). He is the second leading scorer on the team with 47 points (13G, 34A) in 59 games. Les is the leading scorer in the league among defensemen and he is fifth overall in points. Ilves is in second place in the 15-team league.

Les Lancaster

 

- Here is a story about another former Allen Americans player. Vincent Arseneau was a fan favorite in Allen on both Kelly Cup championship teams, and he is still a fan favorite after spending the last six seasons in the AHL. This story was written by Laura Kirk and Arseneau talks about his role on the Abbotsford Canuck's and how that role has changed over time. A great read for Arseneau fans or anyone that wants to read about an Allen player that could hit like a truck, score critical goals and drop the gloves. He played 86 games in Allen, had 68 points (24G, 34A). and 194 penalty minutes: https://abbotsford.canucks.com/news/behind-the-bench-the-defender-of-arseneau-s-house

 

- Allen got some help last night to soften the consequences of the loss to Idaho. The two teams ahead of Allen in the standings (Wichita and Kansas City) both lost. The two teams right behind Allen in the standings (Utah and Rapid City) both won. With just three weeks remaining in the regular season the standings have tightened up even further. Idaho at the top and Tulsa at the bottom are determined, but the other five teams continue to fight for three playoff spots. Here are the current standings by points with points percentage and games remaining in parenthesis:

• 91 points - Idaho (.813, 16 games)
• 59 points - Kansas City (.527, 16 games))
• 59 points - Wichita (.509, 14 games)
• 57 points - Allen (.518, 17 games)
• 55 points - Utah (.500, 17 games)
• 51 points - Rapid City (.455, 16 games)
• 46 points - Tulsa (.418, 17 games)

 

-  If you believe home games are an advantage, especially in the last three weeks of the season, here are the number of remaining home games for the five teams fighting for the playoffs.

• 12 - Utah
• 11 - Allen
• 10 - Rapid City
• 6 - Kansas City
• 5 - Wichita

 

- There are 12 games on the ECHL schedule today and many of them have playoff implications. Here are the previews:  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/3/echl-today-march-11

 

- Toledo clinched a playoff spot winning its 15th straight game last night. Toledo is now #4 all-time for consecutive wins. The three teams left for the Walleye to pass:

• 23 games: South Carolina (2015)
• 17 games: Colorado (2017)
• 17 games: Cincinnati (2008)
• 15 games: Toledo (2023)

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Idaho beat Allen last night and clinched a playoff spot and the Mountain Division championship in the same game. The Steelheads have 91 points and a 32-point lead over second place. Idaho has 16 games remaining (9 home, 7 road) and is on pace to set many all-time records. Here is a list with Idaho’s current number and the all-time record in parenthesis:

 

Most Points: 91 (116)

Points percentage: .813 (.806)

Most wins: 44 (56)

Most home wins: 24 (30)

 

The home wins record seems the most attainable. Idaho has nine home games remaining and has only lost three home games all season (24-3-0-0). The Steelheads need to win six of the remaining nine home games to tie the record of 30 set in 2001-02 and again in 2003-04.

Allen vs Idaho Series Preview, Tonight's Lineup, Mountain Division Weekend Schedule, WOW Numbers from Stat Sheet and More

 

 

It is game day for the Allen Americans as they are in Idaho to take on the Steelheads tonight (8:10 pm CT). It will be the fourth of eight regular season games against Idaho. The teams will play again on Saturday night and then play the last three games in Allen on March 22, 24, 25.

 

-  Allen is 0-3 against Idaho but those games were early in the season. Allen visited Idaho at the end of November and lost 7-4, 5-1 and 5-2. The Americans are a much better team now, but the challenge is no less daunting. Idaho's home losses list is very short; October 28, December 3 and January 13. Interestingly, Utah is the only team to beat the Steelheads at home, however Idaho is 11-4-0-0 overall against the Grizzlies this season.

 

-  When you look at the ECHL stats so many of them show why Idaho is still on pace to have the best points percentage in the history of the league. Maybe the most impressive stat is Idaho is #1 in average goals scored (4.02) and #1 in average goals allowed (2.15). That makes for a goal differential of +103. Another Idaho stat that is hard to comprehend is the Steelheads are 12-0-0-0 when being outshot by their opponent.

 

- Here is the latest weekly update issued by Idaho which will give you a much better synopsis of the team and this two-game series than I could put together. Game previews usually include players to watch on the opponent's team. In Idaho's case it is half of the team. Check this out and you will be all ready for the series:  https://www.idahosteelheads.com/en/articles/idaho-steelheads-weekly-week-21-3-8-23   

 

- Here is the Allen Americans Weekly with team leaders and other stats. Note the start times are not correct. Both games in Idaho will start at 8:10 pm Allen time. https://allenamericans.com/media/americans-weekly-36/

 

- Idaho certainly doesn't want to underestimate the Americans. Yes, Allen is in fourth place in the division and trails Idaho by 32 points, but the Americans have been one of the best teams in the league since January 1 with a record of 19-8-0-0. The Americans can match Idaho's offensive firepower, they have averaged 5.0 goals per game over the last 19 games. This series will turn on the defensive end of the ice and that is where Allen will have to excel. Idaho gives up an average of 2.15 goals per game and has a team save percentage of .926. Allen gives up an average of 3.70 goals per game and has a team save percentage of .894. For Allen to be successful this weekend the Americans will have to be much better defensively.

 

- Allen has a better overall power play percentage than Idaho (24.4% vs 22.4%). However, Idaho has the best home power play percentage in the league (28.1%). Allen's road power play percentage is 23.9%. The penalty kill also favors the Steelheads. Idaho's penalty kill at home is #1 at 87.6%. Allen's road penalty kill is ranked #10 at 80.9%. When it comes to penalty minutes and power play opportunities there is a big discrepancy. Allen has taken 980 penalty minutes including 325 minor penalties. Idaho has taken 623 penalty minutes and just 235 minor penalties. A key to the game will be Allen staying out of the penalty box.

 

-  Both of these team are excellent when they score first. Allen is 17-6-1-1 (.729) and Idaho is 31-4-1-1 (.865). Odds are the first goal will win both games in this series.

 

- Neither of these teams have gone to overtime very much this season. Allen has gone to overtime five times (9%) and Idaho six times (11%). If there is an extra time game this weekend Allen has a slight advantage. The Americans are 3-1 in overtime and 1-0 in shootouts. Idaho is 2-1 in overtime and 1-2 in shootouts.

 

- There are plenty of  player streaks on the line in the game tonight:

• *Hank Crone has scored a goal in eight straight games.
• Jack Combs has an assist in eight straight games.
• Jack Combs has a point in 19 straight games.
• *Jack Combs has an assist in eight straight road games.
• Colton Hargrove has a goal in four straight road games.
• *Hank Crone has a point in 15 straight road games.
• Colton Hargrove has a point in 14 straight road games.

*Longest streak in the ECHL this season.

 

TONIGHT'S LINEUP 

- With Chad Butcher placed on injured reserve this week, Grant Hebert will move up to center the line between Combs and Finlay. Aidan Brown will center the third line. Chase Perry gets the start in goal.

 FORWARDS 

• Crone-Hargrove-McAuley   
• Combs-Hebert-Finlay 
• Fournier-Brown-Robidoux
• Young
  

 

DEFENSEMEN

• Myllari-Saucerman 
• Skelly-Massicotte
• Gally-Gagnon 

 

GOALIES

• Perry
• Peressini 
  

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Wichita beat Rapid City 6-4 last night to jump ahead of Allen in points. Here are the Mountain Division standings with points percentage in parenthesis:

• 89 points - Idaho (.809)
• 59 points - Kansas City (.536)
• 59 points - Wichita (.518)
• 57 points - Allen (.528)
• 53 points - Utah (.491)
• 49 points - Rapid City (.445)
• 46 points - Tulsa (.426)

 

-  Mountain Division teams have between 15-18 games remaining, so every game is now critical. Here is the weekend schedule. Who is going to gain ground and who will lose ground. 

• 2 games: Allen at Idaho (Friday, Saturday)
• 2 games: Cincinnati at Tulsa (Friday, Saturday)
• 2 games: Wichita at Rapid City (Friday, Saturday)
• 3 games: Kansas City at Utah (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

 

- Two ECHL divisions have a pretty wide gap between the last playoff spot (fourth place) and fifth place. In the North Division Newfoundland, Maine, Reading and Worcester are in the playoff spots. Worcester has a nine-point lead over fifth place Adirondack. The same is true in the Central Division. Toledo, Cincinnati, Indy and Fort Wayne are in the playoffs. Fifth place Wheeling trails fourth place Fort Wayne by nine points. 

 

- It is a big night all over the ECHL with 13 games on the schedule. Here is the ECHL Today with the previews:  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/3/echl-today-march-10

 

DID YOU KNOW: Some WOW numbers from the stat sheet:

 

- Toledo has a 16-game point streak (15-0-0-1).

- Greenville has gone to overtime in 30% of its games.

- Idaho is #1 in both average goals scored (4.02) and average goals allowed (2.15).

- Idaho’s record when being outshot by its opponents is 12-0-0-0.

- Florida is 13-0-0-0 when leading after the 1st period.

- Jacksonville is the only team that has not allowed a shorthanded goal on the road.

- Toledo’s road penalty kill percentage is 88.4%.

- Jacksonville is 24-1-1-0 when scoring the first goal of the game.

- Utah is #1 averaging 18.43 PIMS per game, Worcester is #28 averaging 8.96 PIMS per game.

 

 

Getaway Day, Roster Update, Eric Williams Player Profile, ECHL Best Home and Road Records and More

 

It is getaway day for the Allen Americans as they fly to Boise this morning to take on the Idaho Steelheads on Friday and Saturday. It is a critical two game series against the best team in the ECHL. There are so many stats that can describe the challenge the Americans have this weekend. Here are two that put the challenge in perspective. First, Idaho is still on pace to set the ECHL all-time record for points percentage in a single season. Second, Idaho hasn't lost a home game in two months and has lost just one home game since the beginning of December. In Allen's favor it is riding a four-game win streak, the longest current streak in the division and third longest win streak in the league right now. 

 

- Allen made two roster changes yesterday. Chad Butcher was placed on injured reserve (effective March 6) after being injured in the game against Rapid City on Sunday. Also, the Americans made a trade with Norfolk for defenseman Eric Williams. The trade was for future considerations. At this point in the season future consideration trades always entail players to be named later, so it is safe to assume that is the case in the acquisition of Williams. 

 

- Here is the press release issued by the Allen Americans on the acquisition of Eric Williams:  https://allenamericans.com/media/americans-trade-for-admirals-captain/

 

- Eric Williams is driving to Allen so will meet his new teammates on Monday. 

 

- Allen will be missing Chad Butcher who was placed on injured reserve yesterday. I would assume Grant Hebert will move up to be the center with Jack Combs and Liam Finlay. Justin Young is on the trip and is still recovering from a blocked shot that has kept him out of the last three games. I am sure he wouldn't be on the trip if it wasn't expected he could play in one or both games.    

 

ERIC WILLIAMS PROFILE

 

Eric Williams - photo by Paul Jensen

 

 

 - Eric Williams is a 27-year-old right shot defenseman, 6'1" 200 pounds, from Newmarket, ONT. He is a fifth-year professional who played his college hockey at Northeastern University where he earned his degree in criminal justice with a minor in psychology. He has played 203 pro games, 168 in the ECHL, 35 in the AHL. Here are some facts, scouting reports items and other items of interest about Eric:

• He was the team captain in Norfolk.
• He won two conference (Hockey East) championships at Northeastern.
• Eric has something in common with his new coach. Chad Costello also attended Northeastern for two years (2006-08).
• Eric has anchored the power play in juniors, college and as a pro.
• Per a scouting report Eric has a cannon of a shot from the point along with the ability to get the puck to the net.
• He is a puck moving defenseman who is very cerebral.
• Eric was #2 in Hockey East in blocked shots (81) as a junior in college, one behind the league leader.
• Williams and Colton Saucerman were teammates at Northeastern in 2015-16.
• Eric did not miss a single game in his college career (156 straight games).
• Eric will wear #20 in Allen, the same number he was wearing in Norfolk.
  

 

- Eric Williams led Norfolk in assists this season as a defenseman (21 assists). I have seen several comments that he also led Norfolk in the worst plus/minus (-29). To quote Brian Burke from a couple of days ago, "It is pretty simple. If your team sucks, so does your plus/minus. And it is compounded if you play against the opposition's top players." FYI, Williams has played in 35 AHL games over three season and has a plus/minus of +2.   

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- The odd stat of the day has to be the results of the five ECHL games last night. None of the five losing teams scored more than one goal. The average for the five games was 0.80 goal per game. The five winning teams averaged 4.4 goals per game. Here were the scores:

• 7-0: Cincinnati beat Iowa
• 5-1: Maine beat Adirondack
• 4-1: Toledo beat Wheeling
• 4-1: Trois Riviéres beat Reading
• 2-1: Florida beat South Carolina

 

- Toledo's win last night was number 14 straight. One more win and the Walleye will be in the top five all-time for consecutive wins in a single season. Toledo's next game is tomorrow night in Kalamazoo.

 

- Iowa got shutout at home last night 7-0 by Cincinnati. The attendance was 901. Iowa is the only team in the ECHL averaging fewer than 2000 fans per game. The Heartlander's average is down to 1751 per game. 

 

- Hank Crone has the longest goal streak in the ECHL this season. He has scored in eight straight games. You have to go back to 2016 to find the last time a player scored in nine straight games.

 

DID YOU KNOW:  Best ECHL home and road records this season. Teams with 20+ wins. All teams are in playoff positions. Idaho (Mountain) Newfoundland (North) and Toledo (Central) all lead their respective divisions:

 

HOME

23-3-0-0 (.885), Idaho

21-6-0-0 (.778), Newfoundland

20-6-0-1 (.759), Florida 

 

ROAD

22-6-2-1 (.758), Toledo

20-6-1-2 (.741), Idaho

20-10-1-0 (.661), Indy

 

Practice and Roster Update, Two ECHL Captains Return for Playoffs, Minnesota High School Hockey Tournament, ECHL 40+ Points Scorers and More

 

You never know what surprises await when you attend the Allen Americans practice and yesterday was full of surprises. Top of the list was no Xavier Bernard at practice after I had just written about Belleville loaning him to Allen. Turns out he had arrived in DFW but before he could get to Allen, he was informed he had been traded to Bakersfield (AHL) so he returned to the airport to catch a flight to California.  

 

- It is disappointing Bernard is not in Allen as he would have been a big help, but when you consider the big picture, you can't criticize the trade. My reporting is a trade has been a possibility for a while. Bernard played just one game for Belleville since January 1st, so the trade to Bakersfield will be a fresh start for him. What I don't understand is why he was sent to Allen before the AHL trade deadline had passed. The trade deadline is Friday.  

 

- Practice also had a couple of bright spots. Aidan Brown took a big hit at the end of the game on Sunday. He was a full participant in practice yesterday. Justin Young was also practicing yesterday albeit in the red no contact jersey. It is expected Young will travel with the team to Idaho. The status of Chad Butcher for the Idaho trip is still unknown.

 

- Jared Bethune has signed with the Birmingham Bulls in the SPHL. Birmingham is in second place in the 10 team SPHL. The SPHL regular season ends on April 8. The top eight teams make the playoffs, and all series are best of three.    

 

- If you follow Elite Prospects, you may have noticed the website listed two goalies being signed by Allen yesterday. These are erroneous listings. The goalies were signed by Atlanta.

 

- With more and more college teams being eliminated from the playoffs every day there has been a flood of players signing with ECHL teams. There have been over 15 college players added to ECHL rosters in the last two days. In addition, the ECHL trade deadline is a week from tomorrow so look for an uptick in trades over the next week. Teams in the playoff hunt will be acquiring players now and giving up futures which will be players at the end of the season.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- The Minnesota High School boy's hockey tournament starts today, and it is a spectacle beyond belief. The state tournament has two classes (small schools and big schools) with eight teams qualifying for each class. There are 150 high schools with a hockey program in Minnesota. Over the four-day tournament the attendance will top 125,000. As a comparison Allen's attendance last season was 115,000 for 36 games. The finals of the state tournament, which is at the Excel Energy Center where the Minnesota Wild average attendance is over 18,000, will be standing room only over 20,000. The largest crowd ever to attend an indoor hockey game in the state of Minnesota was at the at the high school tournament (21,609). 

 

- There will some Allen connections paying close attention to the state tournament. Riley Gill's high school team (Northfield) is the #5 seed in Class A (small schools) tournament. Prior to this season Northfield had made the state tournament only one other time (2017) in the history of the team. In 2017 the team lost in the second round. Northfield plays #4 seed Orono at 8:00 pm tonight. Allen goalie Chase Perry will also have an interest in the tournament. His high school team (Andover) is the #4 seed in the Class AA (big schools) tournament. Andover plays the late game (8:00 pm) tomorrow night against #5 seed Lakeville South. Andover is the defending champion having won the tournament last season.   

 

- There are five games on the ECHL schedule tonight, none in the Mountain Division. Here is the ECHL Today with the previews: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/3/echl-today-march-8

 

-  Florida and Toledo met in the Kelly Cup finals last season with Florida winning the championship. The captains for both teams chose not to play this season. John McCarron led Florida last season with 70 points (29G, 41A). The 30-year-old did not return this season for the start of the season, but recently signed with Florida. Just in time to get back in playing shape for the playoffs. The same thing happened with Toledo captain, T.J. Hensick. Last season Hensick led the Walleye with 78 points (22G, 56A) but started this season on the sidelines. The 37-year-old, with 112 NHL games on his resume, just signed with Toledo. Again, just in time to get in playing shape for the playoffs. Florida and Toledo have both enhanced their playoff chance with the addition of these high scoring veteran players late in the season. 

 

- Allen has had four NHL/AHL contracted players assigned at some points this season. The total games played by the four players totals 80 games. Defensemen have played 63 games; goalies 17 games and Allen hasn't had a forward assigned yet this season. At the other end of the spectrum is Newfoundland who has had over 20 NHL/AHL contracted players assigned at some point this season. I counted six with over 40 games played for the Growlers and four with over 50 games played.

       

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here is the ECHL Stats post for today. What is unique about Allen as it relates to the post is Allen has four players with 40+ points but two have 70+ points, one 60+ points and the fourth 59 points. No other ECHL team has more than one player with 59+ points. 

 

There are seven ECHL teams with four or more 40+ point scorers this season. The list includes the top five teams in the league. All seven teams are currently in playoff positions.

 

6: Idaho

5: Newfoundland

5: Toledo

5: Indy

4: Allen

4: Cincinnati

4: Wichita 

 

 

Four teams (Trois Rivières, Norfolk, Kalamazoo, Iowa) have no 40-point scorers. All four are currently outside playoff positions.