Lavoie Promoted to AHL, Odd Night In CHL, & Team Leaders

- Alex Lavoie got an early birthday present (he turns 21 today) as the Allen Americans rookie was loaned to the Oklahoma City Barons (AHL) and played his first AHL game last night as the Barons defeated Abbotsford 4-1. Lavoie had two shots on goal. The Baron's next game is Tuesday in San Antonio.

Alex Lavoie get first call up to AHL - Photo by SceneByKimberly.com

- With a break in the action until Friday when Allen takes on Tulsa thought is was a good time to share the team statistical leaders. The regular season is 19.7% complete at this point.
Points - Alex Lavoie (16)
Goals - Jonathan Lessard (8)
Assists - Alex Lavoie (11)
Plus/Minus - Tyler Ludwig (+5)
Penalty Minutes - Garrett Klotz (33)
Power Play Goals - Jonathan Lessard (3)
Power Play Assists - Alex Lavoie (5)
Shorthanded Goals - Spencer Asuchak (2)
Game Winning Goals - Kale Kerbashian & Alex Lavoie (2)
Shots - Jonathan Lessard (60)
Shooting Percentage - Phil Fox (.333) in only 3 games & Mike Berube (.200)
Goals Against Average - Bryan Pitton (2.55)
Save Percentage - Bryan Pitton (.920)


- In somewhat of an oddity all four games in the CHL last night ended up with the same score of 3-2 and the home team lost all four games. In the most anticipated game of the night  Missouri scored the first three goals of the game and went into the third period with a 3-0 lead but had to hold off a Rapid City comeback. Missouri skated without blueliner Dave Pszenyczny, suspended three games by the league for a blow to the head of Rush forward Konrad Reeder on Friday night. It is the second three game suspension for Pszenyczny this season. While the Mavericks and Rush split the two games this weekend maybe a more telling statistic is shots on goal where Rapid City out shot Missouri 92-64 in the two games.

- Arizona beat St. Charles (3-2) last night which was Arizona's third straight road game victory. They now head home for a five game home-stand including three games with Allen over Thanksgiving. The loss for St. Charles was their fourth in a row and they have now lost six of their last seven games. The Chill waived two of their best players this week (Chad Costello & Kyle Kraemer) who are rumored to be heading to the ECHL. To make matters worse the team is not drawing at the box office having averaged only 1809 fans per game thus far (7 games).

- In an effort to get more fans at the games the Chill recently announced they have unveiled a new pricing structure in which tickets start as low as five dollars. All upper level seating (Bronze level) for the remainder of the season will be general admission and only five dollars per ticket. The Chill has also simplified their pricing structure in the lower bowl to two price levels. The first seven rows including glass seats and the center ice sections (Diamond level) are just $20 per ticket and rows eight and above (Platinum level) are $15. Not sure if this is marketing genius or desperation as these are drastic price reductions from the start of the season. Wonder if the season ticket holders are getting a refund?

- Tulsa's overtime win last night (3-2) in Wichita is another indication how the Oilers have turned things around. Tulsa started the season 0-7 but in the last seven games have gone 6-1. Todd Robinson assisted in all three goals last night and was named the #1 star of the game.

DID YOU KNOW: Daniel Tetrault with 530 games ranks 21st all time in the number of games played in the CHL. There are two active players ahead of him as Scott Wray (Rapid City) ranks 6th all time with 698 games and Sebastien Thinel ranks 7th with 643 games. The all time leader in games played is Travis Clayton with 880. Clayton played in the CHL from 1997-2011 and won the championship with Bossier-Shreveport in his last season. He played many years for the Wichita Thunder and has his number (38) retired in Wichita.

Martinson Post Game Comments, Stats & More

The Allen Americans won a hard fought game last night 5-3 before a surprisingly large crowd (4667) given it was Friday night football and the Allen Eagles had a playoff game at home. The Americans were led by Phil Fox who had two goals and was named the games #1 star. Here are my thoughts on the game:

- Allen out shot Brampton 39-24 and had the advantage in all three periods which is a good sign. Win percentage is very high when you have this type of shot advantage.

- As has happened all too often this year the Americans scored early and often to take a 3-0 but let Brampton back in the game which wasn't secured until Spencer Asuchak scored a shorthanded goal (their league leading fourth of the year) at 16:28 of the third period.

- Phil Fox delivered as predicted by coach Martinson. In just his third game back in the lineup after knee surgery he showed what he can bring to the team. Two goals on three shots including the game winner and a plus two on the night.

- The penalty kill was again outstanding as Brampton did not score in six opportunities and Allen got a shorty. The Americans penalty kill percentage is now at a league leading 90.12%

-  Seventeen of the 39 shots on goal came from the defense led by Tyler Ludwig (7) and Ross Rouleau (5).



STEVE MARTINSON POST GAME COMMENTS:

- The game tonight is an indication of what we are going through this year as we outplay teams for long periods of time and then give up good scoring chances and they score.

- It is frustrating as I don't think we are completely clicking yet. I'll have to look at the tape but it seemed we got beat one on one to give them a couple of 2 on 1 odd man breaks.

- I am pleased with the goalie play and our penalty kill.

- I haven't liked the decisions we are making on the power play especially in the first period. Officially we did not score on the power play but one of the goals was scored just as their player stepped out of the penalty box.

- The guys will get the weekend off and with the great weather that is predicted they hopefully will be reminded why Allen it is such a great place to play. Since we don't play again until Friday we will get a good week of work in and will hopefully start playing better at home.

- We have a team that is capable of beating any team in this league but we are just not clicking yet. There are a lot more positives than negatives with this group. Most teams would be happy to be 9-3-1.

- We are counting on Phil Fox to score goals. He scored 21 goals in 44 games last year which was a better pace than anyone on our team except Scott Howes. He is starting to find his legs after the knee surgery.

- The Brampton goalie (Rollheiser) has made some very good stops against us both tonight and in Brampton. What has happened too often is we get a good scoring chance which gets stopped and then they get a guy out and come down and score. We need to concentrate a little bit less on trying to hit the home run and just be smart. We need to do a better job of not beating ourselves.

- It was huge when Asuchak scored the shorthanded goal. I am sure, like me, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

- I have a theory that we won a championship last year and the guys who re-signed and came back this year are very comfortable living in the fabulous place we live with a great community, a great rink and great fans, living on a golf course, and hockey maybe became secondary for some of the players. If you look at our team the new guys have been good and are playing up to expectations. The guys that are underachieving all played for us last year. Guys get in trouble with me as what you did last year gets your foot in the door but after that everything starts from scratch. You can't live in the past and I think that got some guys in trouble and behind the eight ball. I try to keep an open mind and give guys a second chance.

- I call Jarret Lukin a "glue guy" as you can put him in any situation and you know exactly what you are going to get every night. Your glue guys are what makes your team successful. Team killers are guys that are great one shift and then turn the puck over the next shift. My message to the team the past week is we need more "glue guys" and if you are not there it is best to get there sooner rather than later.

- I am trying to keep an open mind but I think we might need another puck carrying skill guy on the team. While we have been making some mistakes on defense I don't see making changes on defense.

- The plans for practice this week will depend on what I see when I review the tape. We need to get harder to play against and stop giving up easy goal scoring opportunities. I think the chemistry will come as long as we keep winning. I need to get some guys to understand you need to do more than one thing really well. We want more interchangeable parts. That is what we will be working on this week.

- Trades are difficult in the CHL because if a player gets traded and they are a good player they always have the option of playing in the ECHL. Teams are generally hesitant to trade with Allen.

- Not having a reciprocal agreement with the ECHL has changed the entire landscape of coaching as players can always jump to the ECHL. I know some of our players are being called by ECHL teams. If you are too hard on guys they can say I will just go play in the ECHL. That is why I am a little more patient than in the past. I want things to work out for the guys I have signed but as the general manager I need to find that balance between giving guys a chance and making moves that will improve the team.

- The focus this past week or at least one of them was are you a player others want to play with? Are you a glue guy? Do you make the right decision and the high percentage play? I am a big believer in "hockey sense" which is making the right decision quickly.

- I thought we were physical tonight and responded with some good hits.

OTHER INFORMATION:

- The Rapid City Rush entered the CHL record books on Friday night with their come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Missouri Mavericks extending their record-tying, season-opening win streak to 10 straight games.
The Rush tie the record for the best start in League history equaling the marks set by the 2007-08 Laredo Bucks and the 2002-03 Austin Ice Bats (the New Mexico Scorpions also won 10 straight games to start a season in the WPHL).
Rapid City jumped out to a 2-0 lead over the also undefeated Missouri Mavericks (8-0-0) but in the third period, the Mavs scored three straight goals taking a 3-2 lead.  The Rush would bounce back with a power play goal from Winston Day Chief tying the game and just 50 seconds later, the game winning goal from Eric Giosa.
Rapid City will host Missouri again tonight sitting one win away from taking sole possession of the record.

- Tulsa won in Wichita 7-4 and have won five of their last six games. They have gone from last place to sixth place very quickly and continue to play great hockey.

- Arizona has won two straight road games winning 1-0 in St. Charles last night. Garrett Clarke had the only goal of the game scoring on the power play in the third period.



DID YOU KNOW: Spencer Asuchak has two shorthanded goals in the last week. The American's single season record for shorthanded goals is three held by both Adam Pineault and Jarret Lukin.

Spencer Asuchak has two shorthanded goals in the last week - photo by SceneByKimberly.com

John Snowden Re-signs With Allen

- John Snowden has re-signed with the Allen Americans. This doesn't come as a big surprise as the posssibilty of re-signing was discussed when John was put on waivers but I am sure it has been a difficult 10 days for John and his family. It is now time for a fresh start. John's goal scoring ability will be important to the team going forward and it is just a matter of time before he goes on a goal scoring streak. Games like last January where Ft. Worth played Allen three times in four days and John had five goals or the game against Arizona in February where he had five goals in one game are indicative of what he is capable of producing. Welcome back John.

Welcome Back John Snowden - photo by SceneByKimberly.com

- With the singing of Snowden the Americans roster now numbers 20 players. Effective yesterday both Snowden and Trevor Hendrikx were placed on the seven day injured reserve. While they will miss the game tonight they will be eligible to come off IR before the next game which isn't until next Friday against Tulsa.

- The Americans haven't played a game since last Sunday and won't play again until next Friday. Combined that with some tough practices during the week and I predict (I usually regret this) the Americans will  play a great game tonight.

- With the way Bryan Pitton played in Brampton last weekend he will probably get the start in goal tonight.

- Special teams always play an important role and the big difference between Allen & Brampton in special teams play is power play goals. Allen's power play scores 20.8% of the time while Brampton is 9th in the league at 10.9%. This could be a difference maker in the game.

DID YOU KNOW: John Snowden was elected to the Hall of Fame this year for the junior team he played for (Lincoln Stars) or that he scored 37 goals one year playing in the ECHL.

Daily Dish - 11/14/13

The Americans continued preparation for the Friday game with Brampton yesterday with another long day of practice which appeared more like training camp with two hours on the ice. When the ice gets resurfaced at the midpoint of practice you know it is going to be a long day. My sense is this is a difficult week for the players and you could tell that by the seriousness and body language during practice. The game on Friday is something the players must be really looking forward to at this point.

- It is interesting to remember back to last year when Allen was twelve games into the season and recall how upbeat everyone was about the start the Americans were having and compare it to this year. Last year the 12 game record was 10-2 and the Americans were in first place in the standings. There was a very positive vibe around the team. This year the 12 game record is 8-3-1 but there are two teams that are unbeaten (Rapid City 9-0 & Missouri 8-0) and uncertainty surrounds the team. The thing to keep in mind is the talent is in place to be successful even though continuous roster improvement is always in process. There will be roster changes and some may very well happen this week but the underlying philosophy of these coaches is you can't be the best if you don't work the hardest. That is the emphasis right now.

- The difference between success and failure in a hockey season is very small and all you have to do is look at the last two seasons to prove this point. Most fans would say the 2011-2012  season was not a good one but the 2012-2013 was a magical one. But when you take a look at the regular season you would draw a different conclusion. The won-loss record in 2011-2012 was 39-18-9 and the won-loss record in 2012-2013 was 39-18-9. No typo here, the won loss record the last two years was exactly the same. The goals for and against were almost identical both years:

                     Goals For        Goals Against
2011-2012        212                      175      
2012-2013        210                      176

The big difference between the two years was the playoff run. In 2011-2012 Allen lost to the Brahmas in the first round while last year they went all the way. So as the team goes through the trials and tribulations of the regular season it is important to remember the goal is to be at your best in the playoffs.

- Jim McKenzie was a popular player while in Allen and his popularity continues in Quad City. He is having a good year thus far and more importantly staying healthy. He is tied for the team lead in goals with five. I saw the survey below on the Mallards web site which tells the story of Jim's impact in Quad City:

Which of these new Mallards has been most impressive this season?

51%: Jim McKenzie
39%: Vladimir Nikiforov
10%: Nicholas Rioux

- It is hard to see how the Denver franchise can survive as the attendance continues to dwindle. They drew a season low 777 for the game on Tuesday and have drawn less than 1000 fans for the last three games.

- The local television station in Casper, Wyoming recently reported that professional hockey is likely to be in Casper next year. Not a lot of details but the city manager said in the interview that potential owners have been identified, the facility will be ready thanks to a million dollar donation from a local businessman and the owners are looking at a couple of different professional leagues. At this point it is a matter of time before pro hockey comes to Casper according to the city manager.


- Former CHL Championship coach Doug Shedden has been named the Head Coach for the Canadian National Team at the 2013 Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland (Dec. 26-31).  This marks the second straight year that Shedden has coached his national team in the Spengler Cup (won Gold last December). 
Shedden has won more CHL Championships than any other coach winning back-to-back titles for the Thunder (1994 and 1995) and also for the Memphis RiverKings in 2001 and 2002.  In his time in the CHL, Shedden went 231-105-26 (.674 win percentage).
The Wallaceburg, Ontario has also coached in the AHL, UHL, ECHL and in Europe.


DID YOU KNOW:
 I'm sure many of you have read about the brawl that broke out at the end of a women's college hockey game (Bemidji State vs Ohio State) last weekend which resulted in a record number of penalties being called (see article below). What is the connection to Allen you may ask. One of the most popular stories I have ever written on this blog was about Wendy McMillin (Brian's better half) which you can find in the archives dated January 20, 2013 ("Wendy McMillin- Hockey Wife & Sports Star"). Wendy played hockey for and graduated from Bemidji State.


The Bemidji State women’s hockey team has made its way into the all-time NCAA record books.

Unfortunately it’s not the kind of record head coach Steve Sertich and the Beavers would like to be associated with.

Last Friday during their Western Collegiate Hockey Association game at Ohio State, the Beavers and the Buckeyes combined for 49 penalties and 318 total penalty minutes following BSU’s 3-2 win in Columbus.

Forty-one of those penalties occurred after the final buzzer sounded and resulted in 19 game disqualifications — nine for the Beavers and 10 for the Buckeyes.

The 318 penalty minutes shattered the NCAA record for combined penalty minutes in a game, men or women, at the Division I or Division III level.

The previous record was 268, which occurred in a men’s game between Boston University and Maine on Jan. 24, 2004.

The previous women’s record? Just 83 total penalty minutes, set by Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth on Dec. 14, 2003.

The Bemidji State men still hold the Division III record for penalty minutes in a game (266), set Nov. 26, 1993 against Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

The cause of the fighting in Friday’s game is unknown, but video from the game showed a tussle for the puck after the horn sounded followed by both benches emptying.

The disqualifications Friday resulted in both teams being shorthanded Friday — the Beavers and Buckeyes were limited to 10 players a side, meaning they could dress just two lines and two defensive pairings.

Sertich wouldn’t comment on the cause of the fighting other than to say he was disappointed that the penalties overshadowed a great game for the Beavers.

“It’s a disappointing way to end a hockey game, and in college athletics in general,” Sertich said. “We’ve tried to strive in the last three, four years to be the least penalized team in the league and it’s kind of our mantra to stay out of the box. So it was a tough way to end.

“And the hardest part was it overshadowed a great game… but it happened and we have to take our responsibility for it.”

The game saw a solid power play and penalty kill for the Beavers — who scored a shorthanded, 3-on-5 goal in the second period off the stick of Tess Dusik. Bemidji scored twice more in the 3-2 win.

Freshman Brittini Mowat made 31 saves in the win — she went on to make 50 saves in Saturday’s game, a 2-2 tie that ended with BSU getting the shootout victory.

It does not appear as though any additional penalties will be handed down to the Beavers, They return to the Sanford Center this weekend for another WCHA series against Minnesota State Mankato Friday and Saturday afternoon.

 

CHL Rankings, Roster Moves, Goal Projections, Radio Shows

- After watching the Allen Americans lose three of their last four games and listening to what Steve Martinson had to say after the Sunday loss in Brampton (see blog post for Monday) it was easy to predict a couple of things that were going to happen. This is especially true given the fact that Allen has only one game (Friday against Brampton) in over a week. The first is some long hard practices. Watching practice yesterday it was definitely an up tempo, practice like you play session. Lot's of game situation drills with speed and players going to the net. And when they left the ice it was time for video review. Would expect more of the same today.  The second thing you could predict based on the recent team performance is some roster changes. Nothing to report at this point but would assume there will be something announced this week.

- With close to 20% of the season now completed I thought it would be interesting to look at the goal scoring thus far and compare it to something coach Martinson said at the media kickoff luncheon. Martinson said the Americans should have balanced scoring as all of the forwards have the ability to score 20 goals. There are eight forwards that have played in all 12 games thus far. I took the goals scored by each of these eight forwards in the first 12 games and projected that same pace of scoring over the entire season (66 games). So here are the projected goals for the entire season for each player if they score at the same rate as they have in the first 12 games. Obviously, the pace of scoring will change as the season progresses but an interesting exercise nevertheless.
Jonathan Lessard - 44
Kale Kerbashian -  33
Darryl Bootland -   33
Alex Lavoie -         28
Spencer Asuchak - 17
Jarret Lukin -         11
Corey Tamblyn -     6
Jamie Schaafsma -  6


- I recently joined forces with the team from the Minor League Hockey Report and another blogger from Missouri (Sin Bin Blog) to put together the CHL power rankings. This will be a weekly effort as we try to identify the comers and goers, the hot the cold, the tough schedules and easy schedules, and other factors that will impact the standings. We just completed our first effort and the results are below. It has been a lot of fun and if you are on twitter I would encourage you to follow Minor League Hockey Report (@ML_HockeyReport) and the Sin Bin Blog (@SinBinMavs).

T-1:Missouri & Rapid City
3. Allen
4. Brampton
5. Denver
6. Quad City
7. Tulsa
8. St. Charles
9. Arizona
10.Wichita

- In an effort to already shake up the weeks power rankings and make a statement to move up next week the bottom two teams (Arizona & Wichita) both won last night on the road. Arizona beat Denver 4-3 in overtime and Wichita scored the first five goals of the game to spank Tulsa 6-1.

- Roster changes continue around the CHL with some well known names being moved. Arizona waived veterans Damian Surma and Darcy Verot. In additon the Sundogs have acquired defenseman Micheal Trebish in a trade with Denver. However, the biggest surprise is St. Charles waiving forward Chad Costello. Costello has been a prolific scorer throughout his professional career and has averaged over a point a game. He was the MVP in the ECHL as recently as 2011-2012 despite missing a third of the season because of a knee injury. He had 76 points (29 goals 47 assists) in 47 games playing for the Colorado Eagles. This year he had nine points (4 goals 5 assists) in six games with the Chill. Not sure what happened but comments attributed to coach Jamie Rivers about Costello include the St. Charles Chill organization only want players that want to be here and represent the city of St.Louis and St.Charles to the best of their abilities. It doesn't matter what your resume is if you're not wanting to be dedicated to your teammates, the organization and the City. Would love to hear the full back story on this one.

- Tommy Daniels just put the finishing touches on his radio show schedule for the rest of the year. A great opportunity to interact with players and coaches. A very ambitious schedule indeed!

Tuesday, November 19^th    The Steve Martinson Show – Solutions Automotive in McKinney - 5:00 pm

Tuesday, December 3^rd   Daniel Tetrault and Bryan Pitton - The Allen Wickers in Plano - 6:00 pm

Wednesday, December 11^th   The Flow Brothers (Lukin and Berube) - Palios Pizza in Allen/Fairview - 6:30 pm 

Wednesday, December 18^th Steve Martinson Show - Hirsch’s Meat Market in Plano -5:30 pm

Thursday, January 2^nd The French Connection with Lavoie and Lessard - Freebirds in Allen -1:00 pm

Tuesday, January 7^th   Darryl Bootland and Jamie Schaafsma - Abuelos in Plano - 6:30 pm

Monday, January 13^th Garret Klotz and Spencer Asuchak - Solutions Automotive in McKinney - 5:00 pm

Wednesday, January 22^nd Ross Rouleau and Phil Fox - Cowboy Chicken in Allen - 6:00 pm

Tuesday January 28^th Richard Matvichuk and Corey Tamblyn - Game On Sports in Allen - 6:00 pm

Tuesday, February 11^th The Flow Brothers (Lukin and Berube) - JC’s Burger House in McKinney - 6:00 pm

Wednesday, February 19^th Steve Martinson Show - Mooyah in Allen - 1:00 pm

Tuesday, February 25^th Trevor and Tyler Ludwig - Solutions Automotive in McKinney - 5:00 pm

Tuesday, March 4^th Richard Matvichuk and Kale Kerbashian - Game On Sports in Allen - 6:00 pm

Tuesday, March 11^th Trevor and Tyler Ludwig – Quaker Steak and Lube - 6:00 pm

Tuesday March 18^th – The Steve Martinson Show - Solutions Automotive in McKinney - 5:00 pm

Monday March 24^th Dallas Ehrhardt and David Brown – On The Border in Allen - 6:00 pm

Tuesday March 25^th Steve Martinson Show - 5^th Street Pizza in Allen - 6:30 pm

DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans franchise record for most goals in a season is held by Bruce Graham and Nino Musitelli who scored 34 goals in 2010-2011. When you talk about prolific goal scorers in the CHL it is hard to beat Don Parsons. He had over 50 goals four different years while playing for the Memphis Riverkings.

57 - 2002-2003

56 - 2000-2001

55 - 2004-2005

54 - 2001-2002

Pitton Brothers Square Off, News Around The CHL, Dell Wins

With the Americans traveling back from Toronto yesterday there is not much new to report so thought I would share the CHL's "Shots From The Point" which has some interesting information from around the league. I am also including a portion of an article from the Brampton Guardian written by Stuart McComish which talks about the Pitton brothers. Finally, there is some info on Aaron Dell & Adam Pineault and their contribution to the Utah Grizzlies win last night. I plan on attending practice today so hope to have some new information for tomorrow.

Three Things You Need to Know

1.)  Perfection on the Line- Looking ahead to this weekend, something’s got to give as the two remain undefeated clubs in the CHL go head-to-head with the Rapid City Rush (9-0-0) hosting the Missouri Mavericks (8-0-0).  The CHL record for best start to the season is 10 straight wins claimed by both the 2007-08 Laredo Bucks and the 2002-03 Austin Ice Bats (New Mexico did it in the WPHL).  The Rush and Mavs meet on Friday and Saturday in what should be an electric atmosphere in the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.  The Mavs/Rush showdown on Friday looks to be one of the biggest early season clashes in CHL history.  On November 10, 2007, the 10-0 Laredo Bucks hosted the 8-0-1 Youngstown SteelHounds where the Hounds ended the Bucks 10-game win streak to start the season. 

2.)  Oilers Still Rolling- The Tulsa Oilers (4-5-2) have turned around a slow start that saw them start the season with an 0-5-2 record.  In their last four games, the Oilers have gone undefeated moving to within a game of the .500 mark.  Adam Pleskach has been a huge addition for the Oilers scoring six goals with six assists in his six games played with the team.  Last week, the rookie scored four goals with three assists in three wins earning him the Oakley CHL Player of the Week award.  Brandon Coccimiglio has also been hot with 11 points (4-7=11) in six games since being activated from the injured reserve.  Pleskach and Coccimiglio have combined for a +17 plus/minus rating.  Tulsa will look for their fifth straight win on Tuesday night when they host the Wichita Thunder (1-7-3) who have lost eight straight games (0-6-2). 

3.)  Mallards Enjoy the Home Cooking- The Quad City Mallards (4-2-1) are coming off back-to-back wins over the Denver Cutthroats on home ice moving their home mark to 4-2-0 on the season.  The Flock erased a 2-0 deficit and a 3-2 deficit against the Cutthroats on Saturday night to win the game 4-3 and on Friday, a three-goal third period and a 2 for 6 power play led to a 5-2 victory.  The Mallards are averaging 4.83 goals per game, tops in the League.  Mike Stinziani is pacing the offense with 11 points (4-7=11) in seven games.  The Flock travels West to Denver for games on Friday and Saturday and with wins in both games, Mallards Head Coach Terry Ruskowski will tie Chris Stewart at 415 CHL coaching wins, third most in CHL history. 

By the Numbers
5: The number of wins the Rapid City Rush has this season over the Arizona Sundogs after wins on Friday and Saturday upping their all-time record against the Sundogs to 33-8-0.  The Rush have outscored the Sundogs 21-13 with former Sundog Konrad Reeder leading the way with five goals and five assists.   

One-Timers
-The Wichita Thunder has dropped eight straight games (0-6-2) and have still not won a game in regulation this season.  The lone victory for the team who reached the CHL Finals in each of the past two seasons came in a shootout in Allen on October 20.  The 1-7-3 start to the season for Wichita is the worst since 2002-03 when they began the year 1-8-3.
-The third period has been a strong one for the Arizona Sundogs this season as they are an even (9-9) in the final frame.  Trailing 5-0 in Rapid City in the second period on Saturday, Arizona scored twice in the second period and three times in the third period and ultimately fell by a 6-5 count.
-St. Charles has fared well in the close games this season going 2-0-2 in games decided by one goal.  On Saturday, the Chill’s Kyle O’Kane scored with less than two minutes remaining in the game against Tulsa tying the score and forcing OT.  The Chill eventually fell in a shootout.
-After starting the season with five straight wins on home ice, the Denver Cutthroats (6-3-1) hit the road for five straight games and managed just three points going 1-3-1 (scored just 12 goals during the five games).  The Fish return home beginning a six-game home stand on Tuesday night against the Arizona Sundogs (1-8-1).
-Of Brampton goaltender Grant Rollheiser’s three wins on the season, two have come by way of a shutout.  Rollheiser leads the League with two shutouts and is tops with his .956 save percentage. 
-The Allen Americans have a pair of shorthanded goals in their last five games and with their three SHG’s are tied for the League lead.  
-Missouri forward Sebastien Thinel is just two assists away from tying Chris Richards for third on the League’s all-time list.  Thinel, the defending CHL scoring champion and MVP, has five goals and eight assists this season for the undefeated Mavericks (8-0-0).

Jason outduels Bryan in battle of Pitton brothers

Photo by Bryon Johnson

Brampton Beast captain Brett Smith gains control of the puck while Allen Americans goaltender, and Brampton native, Bryan Pitton keeps watch during Central Hockey League action at Powerade Centre on the weekend. The Beast took two of three from the defending league champion Americans, winning 4-3 on Thursday and 2-0 Sunday while dropping a 6-1 decision on Friday.

Brampton Guardian

ByStuart McComish

BRAMPTON — Jason Pitton got the better of his younger brother Sunday.

Pitton, a left winger for the Brampton Beast, beat his brother Bryan, a goaltender for the Allen Americans, with a third-period power-play goal as the Beast beat the Americans 2-0 before a crowd of 2,760 at the Powerade Centre. Grant Rollheiser made 34 saves against the league’s highest-scoring team to record his second shutout of the season.

The Pittons, both Brampton residents, had played in the Ontario Hockey League but had never squared off against each other until the Americans came to town for a three-game series. The Beast edged the Americans, the reigning Central Hockey League champions, 4-3 in the series opener Thursday night with the visitors skating to a 6-1 win the following night behind a 31-save performance by the younger Pitton.

“Bryan is a good goalie and he is going to make the saves when he has to,” said Jason, who led the Beast with five shots on goal. “To score on him you’re going to have to crash the net and bang the puck in or it will have to be pretty. We did our best to get shots through. We knew we had to generate some offence and good things happen when you get pucks on the net.”

After weathering a scoreless first period that saw the visitors test Rollheiser a number of times on the way to a 14-6 edge in shots, Tylor Michel opened the scoring at 9:06 of the second as his shot from the right-wing circle went off Bryan Pitton’s leg and into the net.

 “I was trying to do too much with that shot instead of just stopping it,” said Bryan Pitton. “I was trying to control the rebound as opposed to just making the save.”

The Beast took advantage of a slashing call to Allen’s Tyler Ludwig to find an insurance goal when Pitton one-timed a pass from Calin Wild past his sprawling brother for his third goal of the season.

“That goal was big for us,” said Jason. “We knew heading into the third that we had to buckle down because they were going to come hard. That was a much-needed victory for us after dropping that game Friday night.”

Bryan Pitton gave a tip of the cap to his brother.

“Jason had a good game today. He made a great shot. Jason was just trying to fire everything on net, he was doing the same thing Friday night. He was bearing down really hard to score and he made a great shot to score.”

The younger Pitton admitted to some mixed emotions returning to the arena where he had spent three seasons with the Brampton Battalion of the OHL and set the club record for career wins by a goaltender.

“It was weird. Being back in Brampton and playing against my brother and playing in front of all my family was on my mind. It was probably a good thing I got that night off to get everything under control. I was really excited to go Friday. Things went well for me, I was seeing the pucks well.


- Former Americans Aaron Dell and Adam Pineault played a big part in the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) 3-2 shoot out win last night over the Ontario Reign. Adam got his first goal of the season to tie the score 2-2 in the third period and Aaron played great in goal as he stopped a breakaway with the game 2-1 Ontario to keep Utah within a goal in the third period. He stopped 26 of 28 shots in the game, four of five in the shootout and made several spectacular stops in overtime to improve to 2-1 with Utah. Dell was named the #1 star and Pineault the #2 star of the game.


DID YOU KNOW: The timing of the just completed series with Brampton coincided with the Hockey Hall of Fame induction weekend where former NHL players Chris Chelios, Scott Neidermayer, and Brendan Shanahan were among the group of five inducted. It gave the opportunity for some of the Allen Americans fans and players to take part in the induction activities. Did you know the youngest person ever to be inducted to the Hall of Fame was Bobby Orr who was just 31 when he was inducted in 1979.

Martinson Post Game Comments, Game Recap & More

The Allen Americans finished the three games series against Brampton with a 2-0 shutout loss yesterday afternoon before a crowd of 2760 at the Powerade Centre. Allen was unable to capitalize on a big first period shot advantage of  14-6. They had some excellent scoring opportunities but could not get the puck in the net. Brampton scored the first goal of the game midway through the second period and that goal proved to be enough. Allen was unable to mount a charge in the third period because of  numerous penalties that put Brampton on the power play. The Americans applied pressure with an extra attacker late in the game but could not score.

- Allen remains in second place in the CHL standings with 17 points but has played three more games than first place Rapid City (18 points) and four more games than third place Missouri (16 points).

- The shutout yesterday was the first time the Americans have been shutout  since a 4-0 loss to Missouri on March 23rd of last season. It was the only time Allen was shutout in the 2012-2013 season.

- The Lavoie, Lessard, Bootland line was held scoreless for only the second time all year but led the team with 13 shots on goal. Jonathan Lessard had seven shots on goal and leads the team with 54 shots on goal for the year which places him second in the CHL. Nobody else on the team has more than 37 shots on goal.

- Allen has now lost three of their last four games as they return to the Allen Event Center for their next three games against Brampton and Tulsa (twice).

- The game yesterday was Darryl Bootland's 700th of his professional career. How fitting it took place in the Brampton area where he first started playing hockey and with many of his family and friends in attendance.

- There was a new line combination in the game as the coach juggles players in an attempt to get more scoring from other than the top line. Jarret Lukin was playing with Kale Kerbashian and Phil Fox.

- The power play was 0-5 and the power play percentage has fallen to 20.83% which is 3rd in the league. While still a respectable percentage it has been slowly falling for the last couple of weeks.



STEVE MARTINSON POST GAME COMMENTS:
- I didn't think we played very physical today. That is something we have to do to be successful.

- We had the puck a lot early in the game but couldn't score.

- We didn't use the points enough when Brampton collapsed toward the net.

- Brampton played a lot more desperate than we did. We have too much "living in the past" on this team. Our guys earned a ring last year but we need to put that in the past. Last year gets your foot in the door. Now you have to play again, but we haven't figured that out yet. We are way too comfortable and that has to change and it will, one way or another.



OTHER COMMENTS:
-  As you see coaches around the CHL making changes to their rosters it is important to realize how important it is to continually improve your team. In the last two weeks there have been over 60 changes to rosters around the CHL. You can be assured Steve Martinson is still talking to players and player agents from the ECHL and in Europe in an attempt to upgrade the roster.

- Former Tulsa defenseman Sean Erickson who was a teammate with Brian McMillin for the Coventry Blaze (EIHL) has returned to the US and signed with the Rapid City Rush. As the European season progresses and players see their team will not make the playoffs you will see more and more of them trying to hook  up with contending teams in North America. And don't forget the Americans have two veteran slots available.

- Tommy Daniels had Alex Lavoie's mom, Christine Gegear, on his radio broadcast between periods. Christine shared that skating was a big part of the family as Alex's dad and brother both played hockey and his sister is a figure skater. Alex started skating at 18 months and if I remember what Christine said correctly in his first year of organized hockey he had 140 points in something like 29 games. Yes, he was good from the outset.

- The Americans were staying overnight in Brampton last night and will fly home this afternoon scheduled to arrive at DFW  around 5:30 pm. An expensive road trip for the team and contrary to rumors earlier in the year that Brampton supplements travel costs for visiting teams, this is not true.

- With the shutout yesterday Brampton goaltender Grant Rollheiser has lowered his GAA to 1.62 and has a league leading save percentage of  95.6%. By the way, the league leader in GAA is Missouri goaltender, Shane Owen, who has a GAA of 1.32.


DID YOU KNOW: The Americans overall power play percentage is 20.83% but the power play percentage at home is only 13.3%.