Allen's Record Against the Division, Tiebreakers, Playoff Dates, Allen Stats Leaders, All Rookie Team, Help From Belleville, Allen Players in Europe Playoffs and More

 

The Allen Americans have reached the final three games of the regular season. As many predicted months the Americans playoff fate comes down to the upcoming series against the Tulsa Oilers. I will have a complete series preview tomorrow, but have a bunch of miscellaneous items to cover today, so here goes.

 

- How has Allen fared against its Mountain Division foes. Here is the Americans record against each team. The teams are listed from top to bottom in points percentage order:

• Kansas City: 4-10-1-0
• Idaho: 3-7-1-0
• Tulsa: 7-5-1-0
• Utah: 3-4-0-0
• Wichita: 8-1-0-0
• Rapid City: 3-3-0-0
  

Noteworthy from the records above is Allen beat Kansas City four times in regulation. It may not sound very impressive but when you consider the Mavericks lost just 11 games in regulation all season the Americans handed the Mavericks 36% of their regulation losses this season.

Allen had its best record against Wichita (8-1-0-0). It was the best record against Wichita since 2015-16 when the Americans were 13-0-0-0 against the Thunder. The rivalry between Allen and Wichita goes back to the CHL days but has been one-sided since the teams joined the ECHL in 2014-15. Allen has won two Kelly Cups and missed the playoffs just once while Wichita has only made the playoffs twice since 2014-15. Allen's regular season record against Wichita since the teams joined the ECHL is 87-33-13 which is a points percentage of .703.

The only team the Americans have a winning record against this season, other than Wichita, is Tulsa. Allen needs to win two of three games against the Oilers this weekend to pass them in the standings and secure a playoff spot. The Americans can also make the playoffs if they earn one more point than Utah this weekend. The Grizzlies play twice in Idaho. It will take all weekend to figure it out as the Americans can finish in the playoffs and as high as third place or out of the playoffs in fifth place.  

 

- If Allen does make the playoffs the first round home games will be between April 24-28. The exact dates are dependent on the team the Americans play in the first round.  

 

-  Kansas City has one regular season game remaining (at Iowa) in the best regular season in the Mavericks franchise history. Kansas City has already surpassed the ECHL all time record of 26 road wins. The Mavericks have 29 road wins and could make it 30. If they win the last game against Iowa the Mavericks will be #2 all time in points, #2 all time in points percentage and #3 in wins. The Mavericks have never won a championships in the 15 years history of the franchise. Will Kansas City overcome the Brabham Cup curse and win the Kelly Cup this season? The three best teams in the ECHL come from the Western Conference so getting past Idaho and Toledo won't be easy for the Mavericks, but they have to be considered the favorites. 

- The ECHL announced the all-rookie team yesterday and once again the Mountain Division was well represented. Last season four of the six players came from two teams. Hank Crone and Liam Finlay from Allen and Remi Poirier and Owen Headrick from Idaho. This season the Mountain Division had three of the six rookies. Max Adreev and Cade Borchardt from Kansas City and Kyle Mayhew from Utah. Here is a link to all of the rookies and their stats: https://echl.com/news/2024/04/echl-announces-2023-24-all-rookie-team

- Belleville won in overtime last night and is fighting for a playoff spot just like the Americans. Five of seven teams in the division make the playoffs and the Senators are in fifth place. They have five games remaining with the last one on April 20. There are two players on the Belleville roster that are qualified for the ECHL playoffs, goalie Leevi Merilänen and forward Tarun Fizer. Defenseman Donovan Sebrango has played four games in Allen and needs to play one more to be qualified for the playoffs. All three of these players have been playing but not everyday. Fizer played last night and has played in three of the last nine games. Sebrango didn't play last night but has played in four of the last nine games. Merilänen was the winning goalie last night and has played in five of the last nine games but just one in the last four. The bottom line is with Belleville in a tight race for the playoffs it is hard to see any of these players coming to Allen until after the AHL regular season concludes on April 20. And that assumes the Senators miss the playoffs. If Sebrango doesn't play at least one shift for Allen this weekend he will be ineligible for the playoffs.

 

- With the Mountain Division standings so close here is a reminder of the top three tiebreakers if there is a tie. Also included is the tiebreaker numbers going into the weekend:

1. Regulation wins
2. Regulation + OT wins
3. Goal differential 

• Regulation Wins
• 25 - Utah
• 24 - Allen
• 23 - Tulsa
• 21- Wichita

• Regulation + OT Wins
• 31 - Utah
• 29 - Allen
• 28 - Tulsa
• 26 - Wichita

• Goal Differential
• -10: Tulsa
• -24: Utah
• -44: Allen
• -45: Wichita

What this all means is if Allen ties with Tulsa the Americans will make the playoffs. If the Americans tie with Utah the Grizzlies will make the playoffs. 

- Here are the Allen leaders in the major stat categories:

• Games - Kris Myllari & Eric Williams (69)
• Points - Colby McAuley (61)
• Goals - Colby McAuley (24)
• Assists - Colby McAuley & Kris Myllari (37)
• Plus/Minus - Ty Farmer (+10)
• PIM - Mikael Robidoux (174)
• Points Per Game - Hank Crone (1.38)
• Shots - Colby McAuley (191)
• Shorthanded Goals - Gavin Gould (4)
• PP goals - Colby McAuley (12)
• PP Assists - Kris Myllari (22)
   

- The leagues in Europe are starting to crown champions and some former Allen players are involved. 

The Erste Liga (Hungary & Romania) just concluded its playoffs and the winner was Brasov. Two former Allen players, Judd Blackwater  and Jared VanWormer, played for Brasov. Spencer Asuchak's team lost in the semi-finals.

 The top league in Germany (DEL) is just staring the playoff finals, Bremerhaven vs Eisbaren Berlin. Former Allen goalie Jake Hildebrand in the #1 goalie for Eisbaren Berlin.

The EIHL in Great Britain has a unique playoff that is more reminiscent of a soccer playoff. It all take place in two weekends. The the first round of the playoffs is this week. Eight teams qualify (1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5) and they play a two game aggregate goal series. The four winners advance to the finals next week which is a single game elimination.  The two winners on Saturday play for the championship on Sunday. There are a lot of former Allen Americans involved in the eight team playoffs. Here is the list:

• Colton Saucerman (2022-23)
  
• Brett Neumann (2020-21)
  
• Dominic Cormier (2020-21)
  
• Colin Shirley (2020-21)
  
• Josh Brittain (2016-17 & 2019-20)
  
• J.D. Dudek (2021-22)
  
• Dallas Eharardt (2013-14)
  
• Evan Weninger (2019-20)  

 

- The WHL just granted exceptional status to a 14 year old defenseman, Landon Dupont, that will allow him to play in the WHL next season as a 15 year old. He is the first defenseman and second player (Connor Bedard the other) to be granted exceptional status into the WHL. Nine players across Canada have have been granted exception status. Here are the details: https://chl.ca/video/landon-dupont-becomes-the-ninth-exceptional-status-player-in-chl-history/ 
  

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here we go, the week ahead:

 

- Sunday (4/14): last day of the regular season. Eight of 16 playoff teams still need to be determined this weekend.

 

- Monday (4/15): playoff rosters due (3:00 pm EDT)

24 maximum players

20 maximum on active roster (must fit under salary cap)

4 maximum on reserve list

 

- Wednesday (4/17): playoffs begin

Another Allen Overtime, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Playoff What Ifs, Allen Defensemen with 200+ Games Played, Best Special Teams and More

 

The Allen Americans wrapped up their three game series against Adirondack Sunday afternoon with another third period comeback before a crowd of 4206 at CUTX Event Center. Trailing 2-1 as the game wound down, Hank Crone scored his 16th goal of the season to send the game to overtime. Adirondack prevailed in overtime but the Americans earned an important point in the standings. It was a great series for Allen earning five of six points against the #1 team in the North Division.

- The Sunday afternoon matinee followed a familiar script. Just like the first two games Adirondack scored the first goal of the game and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. The script changed in the second period. Allen scored its first second period goal of the series when Chaz Smedsrud tipped in a shot from the point by Ryan Gagnon. It was Smedsrud's third goal and sixth point since the rookie joined the Americans six games ago. The game was tied 1-1 at the second intermission. I rarely quote tied stats but this one is noteworthy. Allen has been tied after the second period a league low eight times this season and in those games has a record of 2-5-1-0. Adirondack has been tied after the second period a league high 24 times and has a record of 14-5-3-2. 

- Adirondack took a 2-1 lead early in the third period (1:17) and as the game wound down you had to wonder if the Americans could score yet another late period goal to force overtime for the third time in the series. It was Hank Crone to the rescue as he flipped home a backhand from the side of the net to tie the score  2-2 and send the game to overtime. It was quite a series for Crone who returned after missing a month (21 games). Hank factored in all three games. He had the shootout winner in game one, the primary assist on the overtime game winner in game two and the game tying goal in game three. It is nice to have the MVP and his 1.38 points per game average back in the lineup.

 

- At 2:05 of overtime Adirondack ended the Americans streak of four straight extra time wins, but the point Allen earned was huge with the Kelly Cup playoffs on the line. Allen played four games last week (Monday-Sunday), all went to overtime and the Americans earned seven of eight points. How big was it? The two teams Allen is chasing in the standings (Tulsa and Utah) each earned just one point. 

 

- Here are the video highlights with the goals and the Easton Brodzinski fight: https://echl.com/videos/adirondack-thunder-vs-allen-americans-april-7-2024

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Adirondack Thunder with all of the details: https://echlthunder.com/news/2024/04/ashbrook-propels-thunder-to-3-2-ot-win-over-americans

 

- The game on Sunday could prove costly for the Americans as goalie Marco Costantini and forward Grant Hebert went down with injuries. Hopefully with treatment and rest this week one or both can be available for the Tulsa series that starts on Friday. The team will take the day off today and my guess is some players will take a maintenance day on Tuesday and not practice. Four overtime games in five days is tough anytime, but at this time of the season it is brutal. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Kris Myllari played in his 229th regular season game for the Allen Americans yesterday to tie Mike  Berube (2010-2014) for #2 all time for career games played by a defenseman. The all time leader is Tyler Ludwig (2011-2015) with 247 games played. In the 15 year history of the Allen franchise just six defensemen have reached the 200 games played milestone:

• 247 - Tyler Ludwig
• 229 - Kris Myllari
• 229 - Mike Berube
• 222 - David Makowski
• 213 - Eric Roy
• 205 - Joel Chouinard 

 - Here is an update on the Mountain Division standings with games remaining for the four teams fighting for the final two playoff spots:

• 110 points: Kansas City
• 96 points: Idaho
• 67 points: Tulsa - Allen (A) Friday, Allen (A) Saturday, Allen (H) Sunday
  
• 66 points: Utah - Idaho (A) Friday, Idaho (A) Saturday
  
• 66 points: Allen - Tulsa (H) Friday, Tulsa (H) Saturday, Tulsa (A) Sunday
• 63 points: Wichita - Rapid City (A) Thursday, Friday, Saturday
  
• 58 points - Rapid City

 

- Allen has their fate in their own hands playing Tulsa in the last three games of the season with two of the three at home. Tulsa has a one point lead in the standings (67 vs 66). Allen owns the first and second tiebreakers going into the series, regulation wins (24 vs 23) and regulation plus overtime wins (29 vs 28). If I have this figured out correctly Allen needs to earn one more point than Tulsa in this series to surpass the Oilers and make the playoffs.

Allen has a second way into the playoffs by surpassing Utah who has only two games remaining, both in Idaho. Utah holds the tiebreakers over Allen so the Americans need to earn one more point then Utah this weekend. Utah can earn a maximum of four points. Allen has two of three games at home and can earn six points. You have to like the Americans odds to earn one more point than the Grizzlies.

After all of the struggles to make the playoffs, if Allen beats Tulsa two out of three and Utah gets less than four points in Idaho, the Americans will finish in third place in the division and take on Idaho in the first round of the playoffs. 

 

- If Allen does make the playoffs there will little time to prepare. The Americans play their final game of the regular season in Tulsa on Sunday (April 14), playoffs rosters are due the next day and the first playoff games are on Wednesday (April 17). 

 

-  Six players that have played in Allen this season have averaged 1.00 or more points per game, but only two are currently playing. Here are the six with games played in parenthesis:

• 1.38 - Hank Crone (37 games)
• 1.17 - Colton Hargrove (12 games)
• 1.17 - Matt Marcinew (18 games)
• 1.00 - Chaz Smedsrud (6 games)
• 1.00 - Tarun Fizer (10 games)
• 1.00 - Phillippe Daoust (5 games)

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about special teams percentages. Allen's combined total is 98.5%. The power play percentage is 20.2% and the penalty kill percentage is 78.3%.

A combined power play (PP) and penalty kill (PK) percentage greater than 105% is considered outstanding special teams play. Just three ECHL teams meet this standard:

 

107.2% - Toledo (25.8% PP - 81.4% PK)

107.0% - Idaho (28.3% PP - 78.7% PK)

106.9% - South Carolina (23.9% PP - 83.0% PK)

 

The odd stat of the day belongs to Orlando. The Solar Bears own a combination of the best penalty kill percentage (85.5%) and worst power play percentage (15.4%) in the ECHL.

Oops!...They Did it Again, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Costello Comments, Today's Preview, Playoff Scenarios and More

 

The cardiac kids did it again last night, scoring late in the game to force extra time and winning in overtime. Allen came away with a 2-1 victory over the Adirondack Thunder. It was the fourth straight extra time win for the Americans, the third straight late game comeback and back to back wins over Adirondack. Here are some stats that tell the story of this amazing four game extra time Allen Americans win streak:

• In Allen's first 64 games this season it won three extra time games.
• In Allen's last four games it has won four extra time games.
• In the four extra rimes wins the Americans have given up the first goal in all four games.
• In the last three wins the Americans have scored no goals in the first or second period and have trailed after the second period in all three games.
• In the last three wins Allen has scored a grand total of four goals in regulation time, an average of 1.33 goals per game.
• In the last three wins Allen has scored all four of its goals late in the third period (13:55, 15:51, 16:48, 17:17). 
• In the last three wins Allen has given up a total of four goals.
• Allen has won six games all season when trailing after the second period and have now won three straight.
• With four straight extra time wins Allen now has the second best extra time record in the ECHL with a 5-2 overtime record and 2-1 shootout record. Allen's extra time points percentage is .700.
• In Allen's four straight extra time wins goalies Marco Costantini and Mark Sinclair have combined for 141 saves on 148 shots for a save percentage of .953.

 

- The game last night was scoreless until the 5:22 mark of the second period when Adirondack took the lead on a power play goal. The Americans played a much better first period than Friday night (shots were 12-12) but had nothing to show for it. Adirondack controlled the second period outshooting Allen 15-8.  Even though Allen trailed 1-0 after the second period there was plenty of optimism after the Americans came back from a 2-0 deficit late in the game Friday night.

 

- It took until there was 4:09 left in the game for Allen to get on the scoreboard and tie the game. Liam Finlay put in a rebound for his 11th goal of the season. If you watch the replay McAuley and Gagnon were both going to the net and collided right at the side of the crease. Adirondack had all five players around the net but they were caught watching the puck and the two Allen players on the side of the net. Finlay skated in behind the mess of players as the puck bounced out and he put the puck in the net to force overtime.

 

- It took two minutes and 13 seconds into overtime for Allen to take its first shot but it was a big one. Kris Myllari was the hero taking a pass in the slot from Hank Crone (behind the goal line) and buried the puck. It was fitting the captain got the game winning goal. He left the ice for repairs in the second period after diving on the ice to clear a puck and taking a skate boot and skate blade to the face. He returned for the third period wearing a face mask. A gutsy performance by Kris and deserving of his recognition as the #1 star of the game. The goal was his 10th of the season and to go along with his team leading 36 assists. 

 

- Here are the game recaps and video highlights:

• Allen Americans game recap: https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/04/another-fantastic-finish-in-allen
  
• Adirondack Thunder game recap: https://echlthunder.com/news/2024/04/thunder-lose-lead-in-2-1-ot-loss-to-allen
  
• Video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/adirondack-thunder-vs-allen-americans-april-6-2024 

- I had a chance to check in with coach Costello after the game and get his thoughts:

"I liked how we played in the first period but after the first period I thought they were the better team."

"Our power play struggled tonight but the guys stayed positive and never gave up. After scoring twice late in the game last night to tie the score, there was confidence we could get the tying goal ." 

"I liked the fact we scored the tying goal when McAuley and Gagnon drove the net. The fancy plays weren't working and it is nice to see us score one of those greasy goals."

"It was great to see Myllari score the overtime winner after getting cut and coming back out with the face mask."

"We got another great goalie performance from Sinclair." 

 

- Game three of this series this afternoon will have two tired teams that have played two overtime games in just over a 24 hour period. The teams are headed back to the rink for a 2:10 pm puck drop this afternoon just 41 hours from the opening puck drop in game one on Friday night. This will definitely be a will over skill type of game.

 

- With an early start today look for Marco Costantini to be in goal for the Americans and coach Costello continuing to rotate fresh legs into the lineup. 

 

- Where can Allen improve this afternoon? Allen gave up its first power play goal in four games last night and was 0-3 on its own power play opportunities. The Americans have won four straight games and given up the first goal in all four. If you play percentages and know stats always regress to the mean, it is a safe bet if Allen gives up the first goal of the game this afternoon and loses the special teams battle they will lose the game.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- With the win last night Allen improved its Saturday night, big crowd, specialty jersey record to 2-7. The curse be damned. With attendance of 5992 last night the Allen average attendance this season is up to 4304, an increase of 788 per game over last season. I heard team president Jonny Mydra talking with Tommy Daniels on the broadcast last night saying the Americans have a chance to have the best year over year percentage attendance increase of any team in the league.       

- Had a couple of questions about Allen's four straight overtimes. Can't research everything but here is what I found. Since joining the ECHL in 2014-15 Allen has never participated in four straight extra time games. The Americans have reached three extra time games three times (2015-16, 2017-18, 2022-23). In 2017-18 they won all three of the extra time games. The only recent example I could find of a longer extra time streak was South Carolina in 2020-21. The Stingrays were involved in six straight extra time games losing the first four and winning the last two.

- Once again Allen got some help last night in the standings. Kansas beat Utah 4-3 in overtime after Utah tied the score with less than five seconds remaining in the game. Wichita beat Tulsa 4-0 and Idaho beat Rapid City 4-2. Here are the current standings with maximum possible points in parenthesis:

• 110 points - Kansas City (116)
• 96 points - Idaho (100)
• 66 points - Tulsa (74)
• 66 points - Utah (70)
• 65 points - Allen (73)
• 61 points - Wichita (69)
• 58 points - Rapid City (64) 

Tulsa at Wichita and Adirondack at Allen are the only Mountain Division teams in action today. If Allen wins and Tulsa loses today the Americans will be in third place in the division. Allen needs six points in its last four games to pass Utah even if the Grizzlies win their last two games in Idaho. If Tulsa wins today and Allen loses today the Americans will have to win two of three against Tulsa next week to pass the Oilers. This is all based on no overtime games. There are plenty of scenarios where ties can happen. 

- Here is the ECHL Today with previews of the five games on the schedule today. https://echl.com/news/2024/04/echl-today-april-7  

DID YOU KNOW: The top three ECHL points percentages by season. No Kelly Cup for the top three in 2021-22 or 2022-23. Will that change in 2023-24? These lists are dominated by Western Conference teams but the Kelly Cup went to the Eastern Conference (Florida) the last two seasons. The Western Conference won five straight Kelly Cups from 2014 to 2018, but just once since and that was the season only 14 teams played and the series were best of five:

 

2023-24

.797 - Kansas City

.732 - Toledo

.686 - Idaho

 

2022-23

.826 - Idaho

.715 - Cincinnati

.781 - Toledo

 

2021-22

.708 - Toledo

.697 - Reading

.664 - Newfoundland

Allen Wins Shootout Thriller, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Costello Comments, Tonight's Preview, Playoff Picture, Brabham Cup Curse and More

 

If you watch or listen to Allen Americans broadcasts you hear two mantras from Tommy Daniels and Maurice Fitzgerald almost every game. Maurice will say a two goal lead is the most dangerous lead in hockey and Tommy will say never leave a hockey game early. Last night a lot of fans ignored both mantras only to find out when checking the final score from the bar, restaurant or when they got home that Allen didn't get shutout 2-0, but won the game 3-2 in a shootout. 

 

- Playing meaningful games at the end of the season is always suspenseful, but to win a game the way the Americans did last night has more impact than just one game. The Americans are finding a way to win at the most crucial time of the season. Prior to the last three games Allen had gone to overtime six times in 64 games (9.4%) which was the lowest percentage in the league. Now the Americans are on a three game extra time win streak. A week ago Allen beat Rapid City 4-3 in overtime, last Wednesday Allen beat Wichita 2-1 in overtime and last night it was a 3-2 shootout win against Adirondack. FYI, Adirondack has gone to overtime in 21 of 66 games (32%), by far the most in the ECHL.

- How much did Allen beat the odds last night?

• Allen gave up the first goal of the game. The Americans record when allowing the first goal was 8-27-1-0 (.236).
• Allen was out shot 17-5 and trailed 1-0 after the first period. Adirondack's record with a first period lead was 18-3-3-1 (.800)
• Allen trailed 2-0 after the second period. Adirondack's record when leading after the second period was 23-2-1-0 (.904).

 

- Despite being out shot and out played in the first period it looked like the Americans were going to escape the opening frame tied 0-0. That is until Adirondack scored with 28 seconds left in the period. Allen played better in the second period but the only goal was scored by Adirondack at the 4:19 mark.

 

- A big momentum swing came in the game a few minutes after Adirondack had taken the 2-0 lead. A dangerous kneeing penalty sent Colby McAuley to the ice. It was the type of play you often see serious knee injuries as a result. Ryan Gagnon immediately went after the player that kneed McAuley. That fight did two things. It showed the importance of a player standing up for his teammate, but just as important, it fired up the entire team. When Grant Hebert deflected a shot from Easton Brodzinski from the point into the net it was game on. Allen had cut the score to 2-1 with just 3:12 left in the game and hope was revived. Adirondack took a delay of game penalty 32 seconds after the Hebert goal. Coach Costello called a time out to let the power play unit how long they had to score before he would pull Costantini for an extra attacker. As it turned out six seconds after Easton Brodzinski jumped on the ice as the extra attacker, Kris Myllari made a perfect pass to Blake Murray for a one timer goal from the playoff dot. There were 103 seconds remaining when Murray tied the score 2-2 to send the game to overtime.

 

- Allen dominated the overtime period and had several great opportunities to win the game. Shots in overtime favored Allen 8-2, but the game moved on to a shootout. Both teams missed in the first round of the shootout. Adirondack missed in the second round which brought up Hank Crone, playing in his first game after missing a month. Crone was in his favorite spot, the second round of shootout. Using one of his favorite shootout moves that works best for teams Allen doesn't see often, Hank went forehand-backhand-forehand and slipped the puck into the net. It was a very different move than the one he used to win the 3ICE championship last season, which was decided in a shootout. 

 

- Here are the game recaps and video highlights:

• Adirondack Thunder game recap: https://echlthunder.com/news/2024/04/young-scores-in-adirondacks-3-2-shootout-loss-to-allen  
• Video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/adirondack-thunder-vs-allen-americans-april-5-2024

 

- Coach Costello and captain Kris Myllari addressed the season ticket holders after the game and here are some of their comments:

 "That came aged me five years. I told the guys before the third period that Adirondack is a team that plays very very hard and takes defense as serious as offense. The teams in the North Division play a little different style than the Mountain Division. They are more systematic and every player is always where they are supposed to be.".....Costello

"I challenged the guys, if your dream is to play in the AHL this game is perfect and it is will before skill. It was great to see the fireworks in the third period. It was great to have Crone back. The deflection by Hebert of the Brodzinski shot was huge and once again Costantini was fantastic.".....Costello

"This game was not easy on our defensemen. Adirondack continually dumps pucks in, hunts them down and hit every single time.".....Costello

"We are starting to find ways to win games now where in the past we would play well but not get the results. Finding ways to win is all that matters right now. We have to find a way to take that last eight or none minutes tonight and bring that into all 60 minutes.".....Myllari

"It was huge that we stayed out of the penalty box tonight. It wasn't a coincidence after Gagnon stepped up for his teammate we started playing well. That speaks volumes about this group."....Costello

"We decide in our pregame prep work which players will be used if the game goes to a shootout but the order they go we discuss on the bench before the start of the shootout.".....Costello

"With three games in three days against Adirondack and the way they play and then going right into the three games against Tulsa, I think the freshest bodies, the freshest athletes is what we are going to go with.".....Costello

"This time of year numbers get crunched, players come down from the AHL and decisions have to be made. Johnny Walker is a fantastic person and teammate. I don't think there is a guy in the locker room that would say a bad thing about him. Unfortunately you can only have a limited number of guys. Coach has to make some tough decisions, but I know Johnny will land on his feet.".....Myllari

"I told the team before the game a meaningful game in April with everything we have gone through this season (on and off the ice) is something we should be thankful for.

 

TODAY'S PREVIEW

- Allen has to get off to a better start tonight. Playing from behind like last night will end in a loss most of the time. If the Americans can take the energy they showed at the end of the game last night and apply that for 60 minutes tonight, there will be a good outcome.

 

- Both teams enter the game tonight in different but desperate position. Adirondack was caught by Norfolk last night for the top spot in the North Division. They both have 87 points with Adirondack having two games in hand. Allen gained ground on the field in the Mountain Division but is still on the outside looking in for the playoffs. It should be an intense, playoff style and entertaining game tonight.

 

- Special teams was the difference maker last night. Allen killed all three Adirondack power plays and the Americans scored the game tying goal on a power play. Allen hasn't allowed a power play goal in the last three games and only given up eight opportunities. Over the same three games the Americans were 2-9 (22.2%) on the power play.   

- Here is the game preview from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/04/game-day-preview-three-straight-overtime-games-for-the-americans

 

- I haven't received the lineup for today, but with three games in three days and the comments coach Costello made last night there will be changes. I would assume Mark Sinclair will get the start in goal and some if not all of the healthy scratches from last night (Gould, Fournier, Jarvis) will be in the lineup tonight. Three games in less than 46 hours is tough enough but adding overtime to the mix makes it even worse. Three players (Myllari, McAuley and Crone) had over 26 minutes times on ice last night. Per usual Myllari led with 27:55 time on ice.

 

- The Texas jersey the Americans wore last night looks great and has a record of 5-2 (.714). With tonight being another big crowd, Saturday night, specialty jersey game, can the curse be overcome. The specialty jersey record this season is 1-7 (125). Maybe tonight is the night to turn the Texas jersey into a specialty jersey. Haha.  Or better yet, improve the specialty jersey record to 2-7.  

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen got plenty of help last night in the playoff race. Wichita beat Tulsa (3-2) in overtime, Idaho beat Rapid City (7-5) and Kansas City beat Utah (7-4). Here are the current standings with each teams possible maximum points in parenthesis:

• 108 points - Kansas City (116)
• 94 points - Idaho (100)
• 66 points - Tulsa (76)
• 65 points - Utah (71)
• 63 points - Allen (73)
• 59 points - Wichita (69)
• 58 points - Rapid City (66) 

 

- There will be a lot of scoreboard watching again tonight. Here are the games Allen fans will be tracking:

• Tulsa plays in Wichita.
  
• Utah plays Kansas City at home.
  
• Rapid City plays in Idaho.

 

- There are 12 games on schedule tonight. Indy is the only team that can clinch a playoff spot tonight. Here is the ECHL Today with the previews: https://echl.com/news/2024/04/echl-today-april-6

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Kansas City clinched the Brabham Cup last as the ECHL regular season champion. The Mavericks now must deal with the Brabham Cup curse. The Brabham Cup winner hasn’t won the Kelly Cup since 2014. Here is the regular season finish for the last nine Kelly Cup champions:

 

8th, Florida, 2022-23

3rd, Florida, 2021-22

5th, Fort Wayne, 2020-21

3rd, Newfoundland, 2018-19

4th, Colorado, 2017-18

3rd, Colorado, 2016-17

5th, Allen, 2015-16

2nd, Allen, 2014-15

1st, Alaska, 2013-14

 

Allen vs Adirondack Series Preview, ECHL All Time Single Season Penalty Minute Stats by Player and More

 

With a spot in the Kelly Cup playoffs on the line the Allen Americans will take on the North Division leader, Adirondack Thunder, tonight, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. While Allen is fighting just to make the playoffs, Adirondack is fighting to win its division and the #1 seed in the playoffs which comes with home ice advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

 

- It always special when teams outside the Mountain Division visit the CUTX Event Center but even more so with Adirondack. It will be old home week for three Thunder players:

• Darian Skeoch (D) - played 70 games for Allen in 2020-21 and 2021-22. He led the Americans in penalty minutes (135) in 2021-22.
• Jeremy Brodeur (G) - played 53 games for Allen in 2017-18 and 2018-19. In 2017-18 he led Allen goalies in games played (39), minutes (1942), saves (1233), wins (15) and save percentage (.917). He was top 10 in the ECHL in saves and save percentage. 
• Bray Crowder (D) - played nine games for Allen earlier this season.
   

What is really unique about this series with Adirondack is Thunder coach, Peter MacArthur. He played in Allen but he also has a strong connection to Chad Costello: 

• Adirondack coach Peter MacArthur played 22 games for the Allen Americans in 2017-18 before suffering a season ending injury.
• MacArthur signed in Allen after being the captain in Adirondack to be closer to his family. His wife was the television host for Great Day San Antonio at the time.
  
• MacArthur and Chad Costello both went directly from the locker room as captain to the head coach for their team in 2022-23.
• MacArthur and Costello first met when both played the first season of 3ICE after they had retired to become ECHL head coaches.
• Both spent time in Europe for a few years and both played in the top league in Germany (DEL) plus other countries.
• Costello is 37 and played in 375 games in the ECHL. MacArthur is 38 and played in 265 ECHL games.
  
• With such parallel careers they have become good friends.

- Here is a  comparison between Allen and Adirondack:

• Record
• Allen: 29-34-2-1 (.462)
• Adirondack: 39-18-5-3 (.662)

 

• Last 10 Games
• Allen: 4-6-0-0
• Adirondack: 5-5-0-0

 

•  Goals Scored Average 
• Allen: 3.27 (ranked #10)
• Adirondack: 3.35 (ranked #8)

 

• Goals Allowed Average
• Allen: 3.95 (ranked #27)
• Adirondack: 2.95 (ranked #9)

 

• Shots For Average
• Allen: 30.03 (ranked #22)
• Adirondack: 34.60 (ranked #3)

 

• Average Shots Against
• Allen: 39.85 (ranked #27)
• Adirondack: 31.20 (ranked #11)

 

• Power Play Percentage
• Allen: 20.6% (ranked #10)
• Adirondack: 19.7% (ranked #14)

 

• Penalty Kill Percentage
• Allen: 78.1% (ranked #19)
• Adirondack: 82.5% (ranked #5)

 

• Record When  Scoring First
• Allen: 21-7-1-1 (.733)
• Adirondack: 25-7-3-1 (.750)

 

• Overtime Record
• Allen: 4-2
• Adirondack 8-5

 

• Shootout Record
• Allen: 1-1
• Adirondack: 4-3

 

• Goal Differential (goals for minus goals against)
• Allen: -45
• Adirondack: +26

 

•  Penalty Minutes
• Allen: 1146 (ranked #2)
• Adirondack: 832 (ranked #13)

 

• Minor Penalties
• Allen: 328 (ranked #3)
• Adirondack: 271 (ranked #16)

 

• Team Save Percentage
• Allen: .901
• Adirondack: .907 

 

 - It is no surprise when you look at all the stats above, most favor Adirondack. The Thunder rank #5 in the ECHL in points percentage and Allen ranks #23. One stat that standout is the fact that Adirondack has allowed a full goal per game less than Allen on average. Allen rarely wins if they allow four or more goals. 

 

- If Allen can make the games in this series low scoring it will greatly improve its chances. Adirondack is 4-3-0-0 in the last seven games. The Thunder scored five goals in each of the four wins. They scored two or fewer goals in the three losses. Since January 12 (31 games) Allen has scored 5+ goals just four times and scored two or fewer goals 16 times. Allen has been a run and gun high scoring team for much of its history with a win games 6-5 mentality. Not the case this season.

 

- Special teams stats are a mixed bag when you look at the stats above. Allen has the better power play percentage while Adirondack has the better penalty kill percentage. The problem is the Americans take so many more penalties than Adirondack. They have given up 59 power play goals (highest in the league) while the Thunder have given up just 35 power play goals. Allen has done a better job of staying out of the penalty box recently and that will have to continue in this series.

 

- Playing from behind is never a good idea, but especially against Adirondack. Allen has trailed after the first period 22 time this season with a record of 5-17-0-0. Adirondack has trailed after the first period 18 times with a record of 6-9-1-2. Both teams are almost impossible to beat if they have a lead after the second period. Allen is 23-2-1-1 and Adirondack is 23-2-1-0. 

 

- Allen had 42 shots and scored just two goals on Wednesday in Wichita and the second goal was in overtime. If you watched the game one area that needs improvement for the Americans is more net front presence. It is not easy as you take a beating and get hit by the puck, but those greasy goals are needed especially when the pretty pass attempts are not working. If you watched the overtime goal, Blake Murray went right to the front of the net to screen the goalie. He was the only player that didn't get a point on the overtime goal, but played a vital role.     

 

- Will one of the games in this series go to overtime? The odd stat of the day is Adirondack has been involved in more extra time games (13 overtimes, 7 shootouts) than any team in the league and it is not close, five more than any other team. Adirondack has gone extra time in 31% of its games. Allen is at the other end of the spectrum with only 12% (8 of 66) of its games going extra time. However, the Americans won their last two games in overtime. Odds are you see an overtime goal in this series.

- Rosters change everyday at this time of the year so this may not be 100% accurate but here is the latest. Adirondack has four NHL/AHL contracted players, 10 rookies and one veteran on the roster plus eight players on injured reserve. Allen has four NHL/AHL contracted players, six rookies and one veteran on the roster plus five players on injured reserve.

- Hank Crone will be in the lineup tonight after being out with an injury since February 7th. Crone is averaging 1.41 points per game so his presence should help the offense that has averaged 1.57 goals in the teams last seven losses. To make room for Crone the American released forward Johnny Walker yesterday.

- The referee scheduled for the game tonight is #9 Hunter Mottinger. He was the referee in Wichita on Wednesday.

OTHER COMMENTS

- There will be a lot of scoreboard watching tonight and the entire weekend. Here are the games Allen fans will be tracking:

• Tulsa plays Wichita in Tulsa on Friday, in Wichita on Saturday and Sunday.
• Utah plays Kansas City at home on Friday and Saturday.
• Rapid City plays at Idaho on Friday and Saturday.

- There are 11 games on the ECHL schedule tonight. Despite the outcomes, no team can clinch a playoff spot tonight and join the seven teams that have already qualified. Kansas City can clinch the Brabham Cup tonight. Here is the ECHL Today with the previews: https://echl.com/news/2024/04/echl-today-april-5

 

- Two Newfoundland players have signed with other ECHL teams. On of them is defernseman Joe Gatenby who signed with the Idaho Steelheads yesterday. Gatenby played 23 games in Allen earlier in the season. Idaho will be his fourth team this season. He started in Fort Wayne and then moved to Allen, Newfoundland and now Idaho. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about penalty minute leaders. The Allen Americans all time single season penalty minute leader is Derek Mathers who lead the league in 2016-17 with 274 penalty minutes. If you want to include coaches, Steve Martinson led the AHL in penalty minutes back in 1985-86 playing for the Hershey Bears. Martinson totaled 432 penalty minutes in 69 games, an average of 6.26 penalty minutes per game. 

 

The ECHL leader in penalty minutes, Mark Liwiski (Norfolk) is an AHL contracted player (Manitoba) currently recalled. If he doesn’t return to Norfolk for its final five games this season he will still have the highest penalty minute total since 2014-15. His 310 penalty minutes still only ranks him #97 on all time list for penalty minutes in a single season. The top 90 all time played before 2006 and the vast majority in the 1990’s. 

 

310 - Mark Liwiski, NOR, 2023-24

265 - Nicko Blachman, NOR, 2022-23

258 - Mikael Robidoux, KC, 2021-22

163 - Cole Fraser, UTA, 2020-21

164 - Kyle Haas, FW, 2019-20

289 - Kyle Kessy, IDH, 2018-19

259 - Garrett, Clarke, IND, 2017-18

274 - Derek Mathers, ALN, 2016-17

277 - Garet Hunt, AK, 2015-16

311 - Brett Lyon, BRM, 2014-15

 

FYI, the all time leader in penalty minutes in a single season in the ECHL is Rob McCaig. Playing for the Louisiana IceGators in 1995-96 he finished with 512 penalty minutes.

 

 

Allen With Big OT Win, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Costello Comments, Looking Ahead, New Record and More

 

An early wake up call, a quick breakfast and out the door on the bus at 8:00 am is not the typical game day routine for the Allen Americans. It worked yesterday in Wichita with a 10:30 am puck drop. The Americans beat the Thunder 2-1 in overtime before a crowd of 4492 (mostly kids) on Education Day to keep their playoff hopes alive. Allen improved its morning game record to 3-1 this season.  

 

- Allen beat the odds in a game that had a lot of shots but very few goals, thanks to great goaltending by both goalies. The Americans gave up the first goal of the game, trailed after the first period and trailed after the second period. Wichita's record when leading after the second period was 17-2-3-1 and Allen's record when trailing after the second period was 3-27-1-0. Yes, the Americans beat the odds. 

- Allen outshot Wichita 42-38 which was only the seventh time all season the Americans outshot an opponent. Wichita scored on its first shot of the game at 3:50 of the opening period. That 1-0 lead held up until less than seven minutes were left in the game. The Americans scored on their 33rd shot of the game.  Liam Finlay won a puck battle behind the net and made a quick pass to Chaz Smedsrud at the side of the net, who scored from in close. Smedsrud has now played in three pro games, has points in all three and a total of five points (2G, 3A). 

 

- Both teams had plenty of opportunities to win the game. The Americans out shot Wichita 7-5 in the last six minutes of the game with five of the Allen shots coming in the minute after Smedsrud had tied the score 1-1. Wichita's best chance came as time expired. 

 

- Wichita had more puck possession in the overtime and the better opportunities until the Thunder took an interference penalty at the 4:16. It took just 35 seconds into the 4-on-3 power play for Kris Myllari to make a perfect cross ice pass to Liam Finlay who rifled a one-timer into the net for the game winner. It was Finlay's 10th goal of the season and Myllari's team leading 36th assist.

 

- One of the keys to the game I talked about in the preview yesterday was special teams. Wichita has one of the best power plays in the ECHL and Allen couldn't stop it in the first eight games these teams played this season. Wichita was 8-20 (40%) on the power play. In the game yesterday Allen most importantly stayed out of the penalty box taking only three minor penalties in the game. The Americans killed all three Tulsa power play opportunities. Allen won the special teams battle when the Americans scored the game winning overtime goal on the power play.

 

- How good were the goalies in this game? Wichita goalie Trevor Gorsuch stopped 40 of 42 shots for a save percentage of .952. Allen goalie Marco Costantini was even better saving 37 of 38 shots for a save percentage of .974. Here are the video highlights with the three goals along with what I would call a highlight reel for both goalies who made numerous grade A saves. You can also see the interference penalty in overtime that had Wichita so incensed and judge for yourself. It looks like a basketball pick play that led to a breakaway for the Thunder. https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-wichita-thunder-april-3-2024     

 

- Here is the game recap issued by both teams:

• Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/04/back-to-back-overtime-wins
   
• Wichita Thunder: https://wichitathunder.com/news/2024/04/thunder-loses-series-finale-to-americans-in-ot

 

- I had a chance to talk to coach Costello as he was traveling back to Allen after the game. Here is what he had to say:

"The game today was as close to a must win as you can have. I am so proud of how the guys stuck with what were were trying to do and they were rewarded."

"We did not play a good first period and were lucky to only be down 1-0."

"After the first period I thought we controlled the game." 

"Liam Finlay made a great play on the first goal and had a great finish off a picture perfect pass from Kris Myllari on the game winner in overtime. Finlay is playing better and better after missing so many games.

"We had a couple of players get dinged up in the game but I am hopeful everyone will be ready for the weekend against Adirondack."

"Hank Crone will return on Friday so that will require a roster change." 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Yesterday went as good as possible with the Americans earning two points on the road while both Rapid City and Utah lost. Here are the current Mountain Division standings with each team's maximum possible points in parenthesis:

• 106 points - Kansas City (116 points)
• 92 points - Idaho (100 points)
• 65 points - Tulsa (77 points)
• 65 points - Utah (73 points)
• 61 points - Allen (73 points)
• 58 points - Rapid City (68 points)
• 57 points - Wichita (69 points)

 

- The playoff picture won't be decided this weekend but it will get clarified somewhat. Here is the schedule for the five teams battling for two playoff spots:

• Tulsa plays Wichita in Tulsa on Friday, in Wichita on Saturday and Sunday.
• Utah plays Kansas City at home on Friday and Saturday.
• Allen plays Adirondack at home on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
• Rapid City plays at Idaho on Friday and Saturday.

- Kansas City needs two points in its last five games to win the Brabham Cup as the ECHL regular season champion. The Mavericks have 106 points and will likely end the season in the top seven all time in single season points. The top seven in points all time range from 119 (Idaho last season) to 112. The Mavericks could end up with 116 points if they win their last five games.  

- Seven of the 16 teams that will make the Kelly Cup playoffs have been determined. Here is the list:

• North Division - Adirondack, Norfolk
• South Division - Greenville, Jacksonville
• Central Division - Toledo
• Mountain Division - Kansas City. Idaho

Toledo and Kansas City have clinched the #1 seed as the division champion in its respective division.

 

- I have had several questions about the player acquired from Newfoundland (forward Serron Noel) for the futures Allen was owed when it traded Joe Gatenby to the Growlers. Noel's rights to Allen are for next season. All of the Newfoundland ECHL contracted players are unrestricted free agents and can sign with any ECHL team for the remainder of this season, but some have opted to just go home. My reporting is Noel is one of those players that will not play the rest of the season.   

DID YOU KNOW: Often tied but never broken, until last night. ECHL all time record, most road wins, one season:

 

27 - Kansas City Mavericks, 2023-24

26 - Idaho Steelheads, 2022-23

26 - Toledo Walleye, 2022-23

26 - Cincinnati Cyclones, 2007-08

26 - Texas Wildcatters, 2007-08

26 - Louisiana IceGators, 2001-02

 

Kansas City’s road record is 27-3-2-1. With three road games remaining the Mavericks have a chance to reach 30 road wins. Only one ECHL team has ever had more than 30 home wins. In 2022-23 Idaho set the all time record with 32 home wins.

 

 

Allen vs Wichita Preview, Today's Lineup, My Kris Myllari Case for All-ECHL Team, Newfoundland Folds and NHL/AHL Contracted Player Numbers

 

It is game day or more appropriately game morning for the Allen Americans as they are in Wichita for an  Educational Day Game with an early wakeup call and 10:30 a.m. puck drop. The game couldn't be more important for the Americans as they try to make the playoffs with seven games remaining in the regular season. Allen trails third place Utah and fourth place Tulsa by six points.

- Allen is 7-1-0-0 against the Thunder this season and is undefeated in Wichita (5-0-0-0). Here are some other head to head stats:

• Allen has outscored Wichita 37-21.
• Wichita has outshot Allen 276-258.
  
• Allen has scored first in five of the last six games against Wichita and won them all. .  

 

- As always special teams will be a key in the game this morning and the head to head stats in the previous eight games tell an interesting story. Despite Allen having a record of 7-1-0-0 against Wichita the Thunder has dominated special teams. Here are the somewhat unusual facts:

• Allen has had fewer penalty minutes in just one of the eight head to head games.
• Total penalty minutes: Allen 83 vs Wichita 130.
• Allen has had 33 power play opportunities and Wichita has had only 20.
• Allen's power play is 15.2% (5-33) in the eight head to head games.
• Wichita's power play is 40.0% (8-20) in the eight head to head games.
• 38.1% of Wichita's goals (8-21) against Allen this season  have been power play goals.
• Allen's penalty kill percentage against Wichita this season is a meager 60.0%.  

Allen has to do a better job on the penalty kill and continue to have the advantage in power play opportunities. Winning the special teams battle will go a long was in winning the gme.
 

 

- Both teams have struggled recently but come into the game this morning having won its last game. Allen has lost five of the last seven games but beat Rapid City in overtime last Saturday. Wichita has lost five of the last six games but beat Tulsa last Saturday. 

 

- Wichita isn't mathematically eliminated from the playoffs but would have to win all of its remaining games and hope for a collapse by the teams ahead of them in the standings. It is always dangerous playing against a last place team at this point in the season. This game is clearly a lot more important to Allen than Wichita.      

 - The keys this morning will sound familiar. Get off to a good start, don't play from behind, win the special teams battle, hold Wichita to fewer than four goals and stay out of the penalty box.You can add to this list control of the neutral zone by avoiding turnovers. 

 

- Why Allen doesn't want to get behind and/or play from behind this morning. Here are the records this season:

• Scoring First
• Allen: 21-7-1-1 (.733)
• Wichita: 11-7-5-0 (.587)

• Leading After the 1st Period
• Allen: 15-1-1-1
• Wichita: 12-3-3-1

• Leading After the 2nd Period
• Allen: 23-2-1-1
• Wichita: 17-2-3-1

• Trailing After the 1st Period
• Allen: 4-17-0-0
• Wichita: 8-17-2-0

• Trailing After the 2nd Period
• Allen: 3-27-1-0
• Wichita: 3-26-1-0

- Here is a game preview issued by the Wichita Thunder with more details to get you ready for the game. https://wichitathunder.com/news/2024/04/wichita-hosts-allen-for-educational-day-game

 

 

 

- Here is the lineup for the game this morning. Kameron Kielly will play his first game since being claimed of waivers. Gavin Gould and Mikael Robidoux are not on the trip and Solag Backich was placed on injured reserve (3/31): 

 

Forwards

McAuley-Smedsrud-Finlay

Hardie-Hebert-Brodzinski

MacArthur-Murray-Kielly

Fournier                 Jacobs

 

Defense

Myllari-Farmer

Jarvis-Gagnon

Allen-Williams

 

Goalies

Costantini

Sinclair (backup)

 

 

 

 - The referee scheduled for the game this morning is #9 Hunter Mottinger who is a first year ECHL referee. He has refereed three times in Allen games all early in the season. One of the games was a 6-0 shutout loss to Atlanta back in October that had 19 penalties, but those kind of games typically end up with a lot of penalties. His other two Allen games had eight and seven penalties.

 

 

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS 

 

- I had a chance to talk to Hank Crone during practice on Monday and he is planning on returning to the lineup on Friday against Adirondack. He was a full participant in practice and looks ready to go. 

- The league will announce the All-ECHL first and second teams next week if they follow the timing from past seasons. The Thursday before the last day of the season (season ends April 14) is the likely date. The ballots from coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media have already been submitted.

 

- Last season Hank Crone was on the first team and Jack Combs was selected to the second team. Colton Hargrove was #2 in the ECHL in goals (39), #6 in points (85) and had 21 goals in the last 28 games of the season and should have been selected but was not. 

- The only player that has a shot to make the All-ECHL team this season is captain Kris Myllari. He certainly has my vote. Here are the stats and my thoughts on his value to the Allen Americans:

 

• Leads the team in time on ice at 25:03 minutes per game, also one of the highest averages in the league
• Leads the team in blocked shots (85).
• Leads the team in takeaways with 558 (81% in the defensive zone).
• Leads the team in puck retrievals and puck retrievals after shots by a wide margin (this contributes to quick transitions).
• Wins 57% of puck battles.
• Leads the team in assists (35). The only defensemen to do that since Allen joined the ECHL were three time Defenseman of the Year Matt Register and Defenseman of the Year Alex Breton.
• #2 among all ECHL defenseman in power play goals.
  
• #3 among all ECHL defemsemen in power play assists.
• #3 among all ECHL defensemen in power play points.
• #7 among all ECHL defensemen in points.
• Hasn't missed a game since joining the Americans in 2021-22, 225 straight games.
• After being selected to the ECHL All-Star team this season opted to not attend so he could play a game with his team.
• Selected by his peers around the ECHL Western Conference as the best defensive defenseman in the conference.
• Took on the role as captain when Colton Hargorve had a season ending injury early in the season. 
• Is always one of the first on the ice and last off the ice for practice.
• You can tell a lot about a player by what his teammates say about them. Nothing but high praise for Myllari.

I know some of you look at this list and will say what about his -19 plus/minus. I have something to say about that as well. 

• It is easy to have great plus/minus numbers when your team scores a ton of goals and team defense is great. Kansas City's goal differential is +94 and Allen's is -46.
• Kris spends more time on the ice than any other player and it is not close.
• Part of the pre-scout the coaches do before every game is identify the best player going for the opponent. Kris Myllari will be on the ice with that opposing player the majority of the time.
   

Since the voters for these teams typically just look at the numbers like points, goals, assists and plus/minus, Kris may not make the cut. But if anyone took the time to look at his entire body of work and what he means to the Allen Americans he would definitely be selected. I also believe if the players in the Mountain Division had a vote he would be recognized. 

Kris has a degree in Business Management from Penn State University and was honored as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar that goes to students that have earned Academic All-Big Ten honors and have a GPA of 3.70 or higher. Bottom line is Myllari is playing hockey for enjoyment and will have no problem finding a great job outside of hockey when the time comes. I only hope he returns to Allen next season.

 

 

 

- The Newfoundland Growlers ceased operations yesterday. I know most of you have seen the press release with the details but here it is just in case. Wouldn't it be amazing if Toronto would consider Allen as an affiliate. Nonstop flights from Dallas to Toronto are a big plus. The rumor over the last couple of weeks is Newfoundland and Trois Riviéres would both fold if they didn't find new ownership. There was no announcement about Trois Riviéres so they must have been given more time because they have a buyer interested. https://echl.com/news/2024/04/echl-terminates-newfoundland-membership 

 

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Update: NHL/AHL contracted players on each ECHL team as playoffs approach. Includes players on injured reserve and excludes Newfoundland who ceased operations yesterday. Some of the Growlers 10 NHL/AHL contracted players could end up on other ECHL teams over the next few days.

 

12: FW

10: *KC

9: SC, WOR, ATL, IND, TR

8: TUL, UTA

7: FLA, SAV, MNE

6: *ADK, NOR, ORL, WHL, REA

5: IDH, IA, JAX, RC

4: ALN, *GVL, KAL, *TOL, WIC

3: CIN

 

*Division Leaders