Allen Wins Sixth Straight Against Wichita Behind Steffes Hat Trick, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Boka Leads Allen in Plus/Minus, Jersey Auction & More

It was the last home game of the season and it could not have gone better for Allen Americans fans. They watched the Americans beat their bitter rivals, the Wichita Thunder by a score of 7-1. It was the largest margin of victory (six goals) by Allen all season. It improved Allen's record against the Thunder this season to 8-2-0-2. A third of Allen's wins this season have come against Wichita and they have now won six straight against the Thunder. Since joining the ECHL in 2014, Allen's record against Wichita is 47-12-4-5.


- Gary Steffes was the #1 star of the game with a hat trick. I think I have this correct that Steffes now has more hat tricks in the 24 games he has played since his #12 was retired than in the 456 pro games before his number was retired. He came out of retirement last season for six games and had a hat trick and he came out of retirement again this season and in his 18th game scored another hat trick last night. In his pro career, prior to retiring the first time, Gary had just one hat trick. In 2014-15 when Steffes had 44 goals and set the Americans single season record for goals he had two goals in a game 11 times but never had a hat trick.


-  Allen hit all of the keys to the game last night. They got off to a great start by scoring the first goal at the 2:47 mark of the first period. After a season low seven shots on goal after two periods on Friday night the Americans had 15 shots on goal in the first period last night. The Americans had a 2-1 lead after the first period, 4-1 lead after the second period and added three more goals in the third period to make the final score 7-1.


- Another key to the game was staying out of the penalty box and winning the special teams battle. Mission accomplished as the Americans had only eight penalty minutes after taking 64 penalty minutes Friday night. Allen was 1-3 on the power play while holding Wichita, who has the best power play percentage in the ECHL, scoreless on their three power play opportunities.


- Dante Salituro had two goals against Wichita and has now scored six goals in the last four games. Dante has 13 points (8G, 5A) in his last eight games. He has taken over the team lead in points with 60, two more than Zach Pochiro.


- The goal scorers for Allen were Braylon Shmyr (20), Dante Salituro (21,22), Gary Steffes (4,5,6) and Malcolm Gould (1). It was Gould's first professional goal. Here are the Sporfie highlights on all of the goals.

Shmyr







Salituro - 1st goal

 




Steffes - 1st goal







Gould







Steffes - 2nd goal







Salituro - 2nd goal







Steffes - 3rd goal





 - When I stopped by Steve Martinson's office after the game he was obviously pleased with the team's performance but as always put everything in perspective. Here are a few of his comments:

"If you have to be done this early at home you might as well be done in the right fashion. It would have been really tough to go out on a game like we played last night (Friday)."

"I liked a lot of stuff we did tonight. I thought we had good speed, moved the puck better and we had more pucks at the net."

"It was definitely a better first period than last night and the good start was important."

"Salituro and Shmyr keep moving and they have been rewarded. Shmyr is moving the puck better right now than he has all season."

" Jake Doty broke his finger in his fight on Friday so he is on injured reserve. I am expecting to get additional player/players from Iowa."

"Just like last week we will have the day off tomorrow, have a team gym day on Monday and then get back on the ice for practice on Tuesday."


 - It has been quite the professional debut with the Americans for defenseman Nick Boka who just finished his collegiate career at the University of Michigan. Boka is a 2015 six round draft choice of the Minnesota Wild. Last night Nick had two assists and led Allen in plus/minus at +5. That is the second best plus/minus in a single game all season in the ECHL. Boka was +1 in his first game on Friday for a two game total of +6. He is already the team leader in plus/minus.

Boka didn't miss a game his last two seasons in college and was an alternate captain the past season. He is a defense first defenseman. His college major was Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience.


- There was another new defenseman in the lineup for Allen last night, Duggie Lagrone. He is from Plano and when coach Martinson needed an extra player he reached out to Lagrone. He just finished his collegiate career at Division III SUNY-Geneseo. Lagrone signed an ATO (amateur tryout) with Utah and played one game before being released. 


OTHER COMMENTS

- With the win last night Allen eliminated Wichita from the playoffs. The Mountain Division playoff teams are now set with seeding still to be determined. Kansas City beat Fort Wayne 5-2 last night to end their seven game losing streak and secure a spot in the playoffs as the #4 seed. If the top three teams win their remaining games Tulsa would be the #1 seed (94 points), Idaho #2 (91 points) and Utah #3 (87 points). It is not possible, however, for all of them to win out because they play each other. Here are the remaining games for the top three.

Tulsa - Utah (H), Kansas City (A), Kalamazoo (H), Kalamazoo (H), Wichita (H)
Idaho - Utah (H), Utah (A), Utah (A)
Utah - Tulsa (A), Idaho (A), Idaho (H), Idaho (H)

If Tulsa can beat Utah at home today they will have the best path to the #1 seed and home ice advantage for the first two rounds of the playoffs.


- Tulsa beat Utah last night 2-1 in a shootout and it broke a long drought for Tulsa. They had gone 840 days since their last shootout win. The Oilers were 0-9 in shootouts last season and 0-2 this season before the win last night. You have to go back to the 2016-17 to find their last shootout victory.


- With the win last night Allen now has a four point lead (56-52) over Greenville in the battle to avoid the worst record in the ECHL. The Swamp Rabbits have four games remaining while Allen has just two. Greenville plays Orlando at home this afternoon.


- There are now nine teams that have qualified for the playoffs with seven more yet to be determined. The North Division has one team qualified (Newfoundland), the South Division two (Florida & Orlando) and the Central Division two (Cincinnati & Toledo).


- Allen has scored more than six goals four times this season and three of them have been against Wichita. Here are the four times the Americans scored more than six goals which were all victories.

7-3   Wichita (January 11)
8-3   Wichita (January 13)
7-5   Utah (February 22)
7-1   Wichita (March 30)


- Prior to last night you have to go back to 2017 to find a game that Allen won by six or more goals. You guessed it, the Americans beat Wichita 7-0 on April 5, 2017. It was Riley Gill's seventh shutout of the season which was tops in the ECHL that season.


- The Americans auctioned off the team's red jerseys live right after the game last night The jerseys went from a low of $300 to a high of $900 dollars. I am sure it is no surprise that the Gary Steffes #14 jersey was the jersey that went for $900. The average price was $500.
 



DID YOU KNOW: With his three goals last night Gary Steffes joins a crowd of Who's Who at the top of the Allen Americans all-time goal scorers. Chad Costello and Greger Hanson are tied at the top with 98 goals followed by Bruce Graham and Gary Steffes with 97 goals. Gary has two more games next weekend in Wichita to improve on his total.  

Allen vs Utah Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Allen vs Wichita Game Preview, Historical Penalty Minutes and More

It was a strange yet entertaining loss for the Allen Americans last night. They suffered their 20th regulation defeat at home this season before an Allen Event Center (AEC) crowd of 5365 on Steve Martinson Bobble Head Night. The Americans lost 5-3 to the Utah Grizzlies.


- The game had a little bit of everything from a fight seven seconds into the game, four fighting majors, controversial calls, pretty goals and great saves by both goalies but it all ended up with another loss for the Americans.


- Allen gave up the first goal of the game for the 42nd time in 69 games this season which was not a good sign since their record when allowing the first goal is 9-32-0-1. Allen gave up five goals and they were scored in every way you can score in a hockey game. An even strength goal, power play goal, shorthanded goal, penalty shot goal and an empty net goal. That has to a be a first.


- The Americans did show some resiliency despite getting in their own way by taking numerous undisciplined penalties. Allen had 13 infractions for 64 penalty minutes compared to eight infractions for 22 minutes for Utah. Allen actually tied in the special teams battle going 2-6 on the power play while Utah was 1-7 but Utah also had a shorthanded goal. What really hurt Allen was they played so much of the game shorthanded the few penalty killers that stayed out of the penalties box were exhausted.


- Allen never had the lead in the game but kept coming back to make the game close. The game wasn't decided until Utah scored an empty net goal with 12 seconds remaining. The Americans had just seven shots on goal in the first 40 minutes of the game which is the lowest shot total after two periods all season. They finished with 19 shots on goal which is not the lowest of the season but it is hard to win when getting fewer that 20 shots in an entire game.


- Braylon Shmyr and Dante Salituro did the damage offensively for the Americans and worked together very effectively. Salituro had two goals (19 & 20) and an assist, Shmyr had one goal (19) and two assists.


- Here is the game recap issued by the Utah Grizzlies: http://www.utahgrizzlies.com/team/utahgrizzliescomteamnews/?article_id=3660


- Here are the Sporfie highlights of the Allen goals:

Salituro 19th







Salituro 20th







Shmyr







- Here is the full game highlight package that goes six minutes and includes the goals, the fights and more.

- Here are Steve Martinson's post game comments.

ALLEN VS WICHITA GAME PREVIEW


- The Americans now have three games left in the season and they are all against Wichita. They play tonight at home and then finish the season next weekend in Wichita.


Wichita is one team Allen has played well against this season. The game tonight will be the 12th of 14 games between these teams and the Americans record against the Thunder stands at 7-2-0-2. Allen has won the last five times they have played Wichita.


- Head to head Allen has the edge in goals (47-36). Wichita has the edge in shots (388-377). If you look at season long averages Allen is #22 in goals per game (2.90) and Wichita is #18 (3.12). If you compare goals allowed per game Allen is #26 (3.77) and Wichita is #24 (3.57).


- Allen has dominated special teams in the five games (all wins) they have played against Wichita since the beginning of January. The Americans were 9-22 (40.1%) on the power play and 94.4% on the penalty kill (1-18). It is hard to expect those kind of stats tonight but if Allen can win the special teams battle it will go a long way in securing a win. If you look at season long special team stats it is a different story because Wichita has the best power play in the ECHL at 24.4%. At home Allen is 17.0% on the power play and 79.3% on the penalty kill.  On the road the Thunder are at 27.0% on the power play and 81.3% on the penalty kill.


- While Allen was losing to Utah last night Wichita was beating Tulsa at home by a score of 3-1. Over the last 10 games Allen's record is 4-6-0-0 and Wichita's is 5-3-2-0.


- Penalties will play a big part in the game tonight. The referee scheduled seems to call a lot of penalties and with these team's history you never know what will transpire. In their 11 head to head match ups this season they have had as few as nine penalties for a combined 18 minutes and as many as 33 penalties for 112 minutes. Both teams will be missing key players when it comes to dropping the gloves. Allen will be missing Josh Thrower (injury) and Jake Doty was injured during his first period fight last night so unsure if he will play tonight. Wichita will be missing Dyson Stevenson and Pierre-Cedric Labrie who are on loan to AHL teams. 



- It is not hard to come up with the keys to victory. All you have to do is look at the game last night and do the opposite. A better start is mandatory. If Allen can't generate more than four shots in the first period and three in the second like last night they don't deserve to win. The Americans don't do well when they allow the first goal and they are 6-21-0-1 when trailing after the first period so they will have to get off to a good start tonight. Key number two is stay out of the penalty box. Last night Allen gave up seven power play opportunities and had four 10 minute misconduct penalties including a game misconduct. That is not the formula for success.


- Dante Salituro has been the leading scorer for Allen against Wichita. He has 15 points (6G, 9A) in 11 games. Zach Pochiro has 13 points (8G, 5A) in nine games against the Thunder.


- The referee scheduled tonight is the same as last night, Jeff Parker (#22). The linesmen will be Michael Miggans (#47) and Jordan Solomon (#78).



OTHER COMMENTS

The Mountain Division winners last night were Idaho, Utah and Wichita. The losers were Tulsa, Kansas City, Rapid City and Allen. Kansas City lost their seventh straight game last night and continue to give hope to Wichita and Rapid City who are trying to catch the Mavericks for the final playoff spot. It is still a long shot but Kansas City has to find a way to get some points. It won't get any easier tonight as they are in Fort Wayne to take on the Komets.


- There is just a week left in the season but every team in the North Division and the Central Division  still has a reasonable chance to make the playoffs.


- The two teams that have separated themselves from the rest of the league are Cincinnati (103 points) and Florida (100 points). They are also the two teams along with Tulsa that have the best record over the last 10 games (8 wins).


- Alex Breton played last night as his Springfield team lost to Binghamton 4-3 in overtime. Alex had no points, a minor penalty for tripping and was -1. Riley Bourbonnais was in the lineup for Iowa as they lost at home to Texas by a score of 5-2. Riley had all zeros in the box score. Springfield will not make the playoffs but Iowa should even though they have lost four straight games.



DID YOU NOW: The one stat Allen is guaranteed of finishing #1 in the ECHL this season is penalty minutes. The Americans have 1525 penalty minutes which is 136 more than second place Rapid City. What has hurt Allen is all of the 10 minute misconduct, game misconduct and match penalties. The Americans lead the league in all three categories. Of Allen's total penalty minutes (1525) almost one third (32%) have been the result on these major 10 minute penalties which for the most part are undisciplined penalties.

The Allen Americans are on pace to have the second most penalty minutes in team history. Here are the penalty minutes for each year in franchise history. The 2018-19 number is a projection based on average penalty minutes per game this season.

2018-19:   1591
2017-18:   1411
2016-17:   1432
2015-16:   1189*
2014-15:   1644*
2013-14:   1498*
2012-13:   1571*
2011-12:   1336
2010-11:   1184
2009-10:   1243

*championship seasons

   

Allen vs Utah Preview, Steve Martinson Bobble Head Night, Playoff Race in Depth, Playoff Rosters and Allen's Final Game This Season Earliest Ever

It is game day as the Allen Americans are down to their last two home games of the season. Allen takes on the Utah Grizzlies tonight on Steve Martinson Bobble Head Night. A little over a month ago Utah visited Allen for three games as the top team in the Mountain Division with a record of 31-15-4-1 and winning percentage of .657. Allen swept those three games 7-5, 4-2 and 5-4. Last weekend the Americans split two games with Utah at the Allen Event Center (AEC). The game tonight will be the last of 11 games against Utah this season. The Americans are 5-5-0-0 in the first 10 meetings. Allen lost the first four times these teams met, were outscored 17-3 and were shutout three times. The Americans have won five of the last six times these teams have played and outscored Utah 28-21.


- The Grizzlies have lost 14 of their last 17 games and have fallen to third place in the division with a winning percentage of .576 and record of 34-24-4-4. Utah is currently seven points behind first place Idaho, six points behind second place Tulsa and seven points ahead of fourth place Kansas City. Unless something unusual happens the Grizzlies will enter the playoffs as the #3 seed in Mountain Division.


- If you look at season long stats Utah averages 3.3 goals per game, Allen just 2.9. Utah allows 3.0 goals per game, Allen 3.8. Utah's record when scoring first is 25-6-3-2. Allen's record when scoring first is 15-7-4-1.


- As always special teams will be key tonight. Head to head Allen is 7-47 (14.9%) on the power play, Utah is 13-54 (24.1%). If you look at season long stats and compare Utah's road stats to Allen's home stats the advantage goes to the Grizzlies on the power play (21.9% vs 16.3%) and on the penalty kill (86.4% vs 79.1%). These stats show how important it will be for the Americans to stay out of the penalty box.


- Allen has struggled on the penalty kill since Riley Bourbonnais and Alex Breton were loaned to AHL teams and it is clear at this point they won't be returning to Allen this season. The Americans have given up at least one power play goal in their last eight games and in half of the eight games surrendered multiple power play goals. During that time the Americans penalty kill percentage is 69.0%. (13-42). 


- It is always hard to predict how much rough stuff will happen when Allen plays Utah. Both teams have plenty of players willing to drop the gloves. According to the website hockeyfights.com Utah is second in the ECHL in fighting majors with 59 compared to Allen's 37. These teams have played five times at the AEC since February 22 and there have been a total of three fights.


- David Makowski practiced for the first time all week yesterday but it is not a certainty he will play tonight. If Makowski can't play Allen will be two players short with only 14 skaters. Coach Martinson was working on getting a couple of reinforcements for the weekend but nothing has been announced so it is wait and see.


- As a reminder, games lost due to injuries are now well over 400. While Makowski will be a game day decision definitely not playing is Zabotel, Frazee, Gunn, both Throwers, Lang, Maloney, and Sundher.   


- The referee scheduled tonight is Jeff Parker (#22) and the linesmen will be Michael Miggans (#47) and Aaron Schacht (#31).



OTHER COMMENTS

-  Make sure to get to the AEC early tonight if you want one of the 1500 Martinson bobble heads the Americans will be giving out. Doors open at 6:05 pm. If you are not interested in the bobble head still arrive in time for the pregame ceremony honoring Steve Martinson's 1000th win. After practice yesterday I asked coach Martinson about what would take place and as you might imagine he was much more focused on beating Utah than the ceremony but he said and I quote, "There will be a short ceremony prior to the game and they will play clips throughout the game." 


- Greenville lost at home to Jacksonville last night by a score of 2-1 in the only game scheduled in the ECHL. The loss helps Allen in the goal of avoiding the the worst record in the ECHL. The Americans have a four point lead (54-50) over the Swamp Rabbits but have played one more game than Greenville. While Allen is taking on Utah tonight Greenville will be playing Orlando at home.


- This will be a huge weekend around the ECHL in determining the final nine teams to make the Kelly Cup playoffs. There are 12 games tonight, 13 on Saturday and eight games on Sunday. Here is a great breakdown of the playoff races with magic numbers and more written by Matt Harding from The Sin Bin. https://thesinbin.net/race-for-the-kelly-cup-playoffs-40/


- The AHL season doesn't end until April 14 while the ECHL playoffs start on April 10. This can create a dilemma for ECHL coaches when they are putting together their playoff rosters which are due to the league office on April 8. Do they save roster spots for qualified players that are playing in the AHL? If an AHL affiliate isn't making the playoffs it is a big advantage because their ECHL affiliate will know who they will get back. But what if ECHL coaches are not sure if their AHL affiliate is going to make the playoffs or if their affiliate goes into the AHL playoffs as a lower seed and will likely lose in the first round. It is always difficult for ECHL coaches to save valuable roster spots and then not have the player in the AHL available.


- There are several parts to the playoff roster which can have a maximum 23 players. A team can have up to 20 players on the active roster and three on the reserve list. The active roster has to have a minimum of 19 active and available (not injured or recalled) players. Finally, teams provide a list of players who meet playoff eligibility but are on recall to the AHL. As these recalled players become available, as long as it is prior to the conference finals, they can be added to the roster up to the maximum of the 23 player limit. Let's use Allen last season as an example. Their playoff roster had 19 on the active roster and two on reserve for a total of 21, so the Americans had two slots saved for AHL players. The Americans submitted a list of five players (Vincent Arseneau, Olivier Archambault, Colby McAuley, Alex Schoenborn, Stephon Williams) who were eligible but were in the AHL. As these players became available Allen could add two and only two to the roster. Unfortunately, none of the five players were available before Allen was ousted in the first round.         


DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans season will end on April 6 which is the earliest in team history but only by a few days. In 2011-12 Allen lost in the first round of the CHL playoffs and their last game was April 10. The latest Allen has played was their first Kelly Cup when they won the championship on June 14. Here is the last game for all 10 Allen seasons.

2018-19 - April 6
2017-18 - April 25
2016-17 - May 9
2015-16 - June 9*
2014-15 - June 14*
2013-14 - May 10*
2012-13 - May 11*
2011-12 - April 10
2010-11 - May 8
2009-10 - May 4

*Championship seasons

Practice Update, Jack Gulati in Town, ECHL Expansion, Mountain Division Playoffs, Power Play Goals as Percentage of Total Goals and More

The most noticeable thing at Allen practice yesterday was the number of missing defensemen. Just four healthy defensemen, five if you count Curt Gogol. David Makowski was injured in the last Allen game and has not practiced all week. The unknown question is whether coach Martinson will bring in a defenseman for the weekend or just play shorthanded. The way it looks now the defensive group for the weekend will be Chouinard, Atkinson, Boutet and Owen with Gogol the fifth defensemen. 


-  It is not like the Americans are in good shape with forwards. I spotted Mitch Maloney, Chase Lang and Thomas Frazee watching practice from the stands yesterday. If Gogol plays defense that will leave only nine healthy forwards.


- Team owner Jack Gulati is in town and spent some time watching practice and chatting with the players. Jack reiterated to me that he will be spending more time in Allen now that he has sold the Reading Royals. As usual, Jack will be on the concourse before the game on Friday meeting and greeting fans. On Saturday Jack will have a book signing for his new book, "Serial Entrepreneur, Balancing Business and Family to Achieve True Wealth and Happiness, Second Edition." The book signing will be outside the team store from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. The doors will open 30 minutes early at 5:30 pm for this book signing event.


- I was having a conversation with some fans the other day about ECHL expansion. The new arena in Fort Worth is scheduled to open in November. There is a new facility being built in the Houston area and Oklahoma City always gets mentioned as a possibility. You don't hear much about expansion actually happening into these markets but any of them would help the Americans in my view. I don't know if there is a non-compete clause in the ECHL that Allen would have to waive for Fort Worth to get a franchise but the Americans vs Brahmas rivalry back in the CHL days was one of the best.  


- Kansas City lost their sixth straight game last night while Wichita and Rapid City both won. The Mavericks still have a five point lead over Rapid City and eight point lead over Wichita for the final playoff spot. It will take a colossal collapse for Kansas City to miss the playoffs but they have to be feeling the pressure at this point. The Mavericks play on the road in Toledo, Fort Wayne and Indy this weekend so this losing streak could easily continue.


- Here are the points earned in the last 10 games for each team in the Mountain Division with their current position in the standings in parentheses.

16 points - Tulsa (2nd)
12 points - Rapid City (5th)
11 points - Idaho (1st)
10 points - Wichita (6th)
8 points - Allen (7th)
7 points - Kansas City (4th)
7 points - Utah (3rd)


- There is only one game in the ECHL tonight but it is a key game in the battle for the worst record in the ECHL. Jacksonville is at Greenville and the Swamp Rabbits are the only team in the league with as worse record than the Americans. Jacksonville is battling for a playoff spot so they will be very motivated to beat Greenville.


DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL leaders in goals are Tulsa's Adam Pleskach (35), Allen's Zack Pochiro (34) and Fort Wayne's J.C. Campagna (34). The three are tied for most power play goals with 13 which is just over one third of their goals. Here are the power play goal leaders for the last four seasons with the percentage of their total goals scored on the power play.

2017-18:  Jared VanWormer (Kansas City) led the ECHL with 14 power play goals. 64% of his goals (14 of 22) were scored on the power play

2016-17:  Cody Wydo (Wheeling) led the ECHL with 15 power play goals. 50% of his goals (15 of 30) were scored on the power play.

2015-16:  Nick Huard (Cincinnati) led the ECHL with 15 power play goals. 71% of his goals (15 of 21) were scored on the power play.

2014-15:  Gary Steffes (Allen) led the ECHL with 18 power play goals. 41% of his goals (18 of 44) were scored on the power play.      

Martinson Bobble Head Sponsor, How Matt Canavan Brought Sporfie to the ECHL, 18 Free Agents to Watch, Playoff Perspective and More

A couple of topics I talked about in the blog yesterday were the video replay system that will be installed across the ECHL next season and the Steve Martinson bobble head night on Friday. I wanted to mention who played big roles related to these topics but hadn't talked to them to get their okay. Now I have so I can give credit where credit is due.

Steve Martinson Bobble Head - Mark Fisher and his wife, Elizabeth have been big fans and supporters of the Americans for many years. Mark has been a corporate sponsor and years ago started providing Thanksgiving dinner for the team because they are always on the road that day. The Fisher family also provides a steak extravaganza at a local restaurant for the team at the beginning of each season. Mark and his company, Electrical Midstream, are responsible for the Steve Martinson bobble head that will be given out to the first 1500 fans at the game on Friday. If you end up with on the Martinson bobble heads give a thanks to Mark for his generous support in honoring Martinson on his 1000th win.


Video Replay - A couple of years ago Allen Americans President, Matt Canavan was at a hockey tournament with his son in Arizona and came across a start up company that was headquartered in Phoenix by the name of Sporfie. Sporfie's video capture platform allows you to capture video highlights after you have seen them happen. Matt saw the potential of Sporfie which was in use at the rink where his son was playing and worked with the company to install the system in the Allen Event Center. Matt shared the idea with with his counterpart from the Kansas City Mavericks and they installed Sporfie in their facility. From that point presentations were made at league meetings and Sporfie started to grow. Now, the ECHL will implement video replay across the ECHL using Sporfie. As the co-founder of the company, Sami Karoui was quoted in the ECHL press release announcing the video replay, "Our relationship with the ECHL started with just one team, growing organically to two, then five, twenty and now the entire league."

 In a recent email to Matt and Brent Theissen (his KC counterpart) the founder of Sporfie said this in part, "I still recall that first meeting at Ice Den Chandler in Arizona on a Sunday morning with you Matt and then quickly many others followed with a second push from you Brent. Your trust and support have been generous and visionary. We (Sporfie) are so grateful and proud to have deserved your engaged participation as we were developing, testing new things and learning by working with you and your teams. More than a destination, we have truly enjoyed the journey and are excited about the new one ahead."

So when you see the video replay in action next season remember it was all started by a dad, Matt Canavan, watching his son play hockey in a tournament in Arizona. Congrats to Matt to have the vision and initiative to bring Sporfie to Allen and help it grow in the ECHL.


- Riley Bourbonnais scored his first AHL goal last night in a losing cause as his Iowa Wild team lost to Grand Rapids 5-2. Riley not only scored the first goal of the game he was the only Iowa player that had a positive plus/minus at +1. He has played in eight of 12 games since being loaned to Iowa on March 1. Until last night all of the games played by Riley were on the road. Nice he got his first goal on home ice. Iowa plays at home on Friday and Saturday against Texas.


- When you think about all of the former Allen Americans who will be free agents after this season there are three categories. Those that are coming off NHL/AHL deals, those that are playing in the ECHL as veterans and those playing in Europe. All of these categories of players can sign with any ECHL team. Steve Martinson has a reputation of bringing players back to Allen but who knows if next season will be different. He talks about improving team speed and having core players that are primarily interested in winning in Allen rather than pursuing an AHL career. Here is a list of players from this season who are vets or will become vets and players from the past who I think will be free agents. This is just a partial list and has no bearing on who will actually be signed next season. The point being is these players can sign with any ECHL team.

Vets from this season:
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Spencer Asuchak
Joel Chouinard
David Makowski
Thomas Frazee
Adam Miller
Gary Steffes
Curt Gogol

Free agents from the past:
Dyson Stevenson - vet
Matt Register - vet
Bryan Moore - coming off AHL deal
Colby MacAuley - coming off AHL deal
Emerson Clark - coming off AHL deal
Rick Pinkston - playing overseas
Tanner Eberle - playing overseas
Alex Guptill - playing overseas
Vincent Arseneau - coming off AHL deal
Olivier Archambault - coming off AHL deal

Those players coming off AHL deals first priority will be to find another AHL deal before they even consider signing with an ECHL team.


- It is that time of the season when you see a lot of "if the playoffs started today" posts. The season is down to the last two weekends but only seven of 16 teams have qualified for the playoffs. With trepidation, if the playoffs started today this is how it would look:

Mountain Division
#1 Idaho vs #4 Kansas City
#2 Tulsa vs #3 Utah

Central Division
#1 Cincinnati vs #4 Kalamazoo
#2 Toledo vs #3 Fort Wayne

South Division
#1 Florida vs #4 South Carolina
#2 Orlando vs #3 Jacksonville

North Division
#1 Newfoundland vs #4 Maine
#2 Adirondack vs #3 Manchester


- How important is it how you finish in the regular season when it comes to the playoffs? You don't have to be the best team in the regular season but you have to be one of the better teams. The top regular season team rarely wins the championship but the bottom teams in the playoffs never win the championship. Here is how Allen rated during the regular season in their four championship seasons:

2016 - Allen finished second in the division, third in the conference and sixth in the ECHL
2015 - Allen finished first in the division, first in the conference and second in the ECHL
2014 - Allen finished third in the conference and third overall in the CHL
2013 - Allen finished first in the conference and first overall in the CHL.


- Here is where the Kelly champion placed in the regular season over the past 10 years.

2018   #4  Colorado
2017   #3  Colorado
2016   #6  Allen
2015   #2  Allen
2014   #1  Alaska
2013   #2  Reading
2012   #7  Florida
2011   #1  Alaska
2010   #5  Cincinnati
2009   #4  South Carolina

- The odds are stacked against you if your team isn't one of the top seven during the regular season and if you want real good odds in the playoffs you need to finish in the top four during the regular season. Here are the top seven teams with two weekends remaining in the season:

#1   Cincinnati
#2   Florida
#3   Newfoundland
#4   Idaho
#5   Tulsa
#6   Toledo
#7   Orlando



DID YOU KNOW: With the addition of hometown guy Ben Owen to the roster last week Allen has now used 42 players this season. Nothing out of the ordinary in the number of players used this season. It is worthy of note the year Allen used the most players (46) they won the Kelly cup.

2018-19   42
2017-18   41
2016-17   42
2015-16   46
2014-15   41
          

Stats Say the Mountain Division is the Weakest, ECHL Video Replay Details, Biscuit Tells His Story and More

After a couple of days away from the rink it will be back to practice today for the Allen Americans as they prepare for the final two home games of the season. Allen will play Utah on Friday and Wichita on Saturday. The Americans home record stands at 14-19-1-0 which is by far the worst record since joining the ECHL. There are a lot of stats to describe just how bad it has been this season but this one really struck me. In their first three seasons in the ECHL Allen had a total of 24 regulation losses at home, an average of eight per season. With two home games remaining the Americans have 19 regulation losses this season.


- It has been a tough season for the Americans but also for the Mountain Division. Three of the five worst teams in the ECHL come from the Mountain Division. Rapid City is ranked #23, Wichita #25 and Allen #26. The best winning percentage in the division is Tulsa at .631. The other division leaders have winning percentages of .765 (Central), .716 (South) and .657 (North). The Mountain Division has a losing record in inter-divisional play against all of the other divisions. Here are the records.

19-27-4-3    Central
7-12-0-0      South
3-7-0-1        North

It doesn't mean the Mountain Division won't do well in the playoffs but it does mean they are going into the playoffs as the weakest of the four ECHL divisions.


- You probably saw the press release issued by the ECHL yesterday that the video replay test in four facilities this season (Idaho, Kalamazoo, Toledo, Worcester) will be expanded to all ECHL teams next season. When I interviewed ECHL Commissioner, Ryan Crelin in February he had this to say about video replay, "We wanted to do the pilot to make sure it would work well as we were using a new vendor. I wanted to see how our officials would react to replay on the ice and that feedback has been it is easy to use and is working well. I also wanted to make sure we didn't stall the game for 10 minutes. The feedback I have gotten from coaches is it is fast because they look at the video and it is settled. The referee doesn't need to talk to both coaches and it has actually been able to speed up close calls. Expanding is more of an issue of infrastructure than cost but I do see replay expanding."


- I checked with the league office and as of yesterday there have been 26 reviews this season at the four test sites and six calls have been overturned.


- The video replay is limited to five specific circumstances:

Puck crossing the goal line
Puck entering the net using a distinct kicking motion
Puck directed, batted or thrown into the net by an attacking player
Puck entering the net before the goal frame is dislodged from moorings
Puck crossing the line prior to time expiring


- The only camera that will be used is one above the goal in the rafters. No other video such as ECHL-TV or other Sporfie views will be used.  Referees will be able to review video streams from the overhead camera on the ice using a tablet device. There is no challenge system involved on when plays get reviewed, the decision is at the discretion of the referee.


- Here is the ECHL press release on video replay in case you haven't seen it: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/3/echl-to-utilize-video-replay-review-for-2019-20-season


- The last two Allen home games this weekend will be well attended and should be a lot of fun. The game on Saturday will be fan appreciation night. On Friday the Americans will celebrate Steve Martinson's 1000th win with a bobblehead (first 1000 fans), a video tribute and more. Martinson is the first US born coach and third overall coach to reach the 1000 win milestone as a pro hockey coach.


- Allen fans will have another milestone to celebrate next season. Martinson will finish this season needing between 21 and 25 wins to pass John Brophy for second on the all-time win list. Brophy had 1027 wins. It will take Martinson a few more years to reach number one all-time. Scotty Bowman had 1244 wins in his pro coaching career.


- Here is the Americans Weekly Update, issued by the team that reviews last week, lists the team stat leaders and other stat facts. https://allenamericans.com/americans-weekly-update-3/


- Who knew there is a website called "The Mascots' Tribune" dedicated to providing mascots with a platform to connect directly with their fans, in their own words. Biscuit just posted his story on the site in a story titled, My Life as Biscuit, Mascot for the Allen Americans. Check it out:  https://medium.com/the-mascots-tribune/my-life-as-biscuit-mascot-for-the-allen-americans-240c12a94de3


- This video will make you smile as it captures what all NHL fans are going through with the playoff race in full swing. Enjoy!

- Colton Yellow Horn's team, Graz 99ers, has advanced to the semifinals of the EBEL (Austrian League) playoffs. They won their first round 4-2 with three of the games decided in overtime. Colton's team finished second in the regular season and will now take on the third place team in the semifinals which is a best of seven series.


DID YOU KNOW:  Here are some Allen alumni that lead their team in goals and/or points this season.

Alex Guptill (34G, 22A)
Colton Yellow Horn (34G, 34A)
J.C. Campagna (34G, 10A)
Matt Foget (19G, 27A)
Ben Duffy (23G, 35A)
Tyler Barnes (27G, 28A)
Greg Chase (22G, 23A) 

This, That and the Kitchen Sink

Not sure where the blog post is headed this morning and that is why I started with the title, "This, That and the Kitchen Sink." I will make it up as we go along. Here goes:


- It was quite the weather event in the Allen area last night as some places got a considerable amount of hail of various sizes. Here at Heritage Ranch we got very little but Kelly Dennis, who is in charge of the ice crew at the Allen Event Center (AEC) and Community Rink, was on Facebook Live from the south parking ramp at the AEC and the ground was covered in hail. I hope all of you that were in the direct path of this hail storm escaped any damage but I know that is not the case for some.


- It is an unusual day for practice at the AEC. There will be one ECHL team practicing but from what I understand that team will be the Utah Grizzlies. Utah plays in Wichita on Wednesday and then will be back in Allen to play the Americans Friday night. The Grizzlies decided to stay in Allen rather than head to Wichita right away after the game on Saturday. While Utah will practice today the Americans will not be practicing. According to coach Martinson the team will have a group gym day this morning rather than another on ice practice. Martinson has said many times he gets tired of yelling at the players for more than three straight practice days and the players get tired of being yelled at. This is especially true at this time of the season with the team not going to the playoffs. Allen will still get in three practices before the next game on Friday against Utah.


- Toledo lost to Fort Wayne last night 2-1 in overtime but the one point the Walleye earned in the loss punched their ticket to the playoffs. There are now seven teams (Newfoundland, Florida, Cincinnati, Toledo, Idaho, Tulsa, Utah) in the playoffs with nine more yet to be determined. The Kelly Cup playoffs will have a first year team (Newfoundland) and a team (Idaho) that is going to the playoffs for the 22nd straight year, having never missed the playoffs. The Steelheads franchise started in 1997 as part of the West Coast Hockey League and joined the ECHL in 2003-04. Idaho won the Kelly Cup in their first year in the ECHL.


- Fort Wayne's overtime loss last night was the 19th time this season they have gone to overtime. That is 30% of their games going to overtime. Rapid City has also had 19 games go to overtime. At the other end of the spectrum is Jacksonville who have gone to overtime just nine times. Maine is the best team in the league with a .800 winning percentage and a combined record in overtime and shootout games of 12-3. The worst team is Adirondack who has a winning percentage of .273 and record of 3-8. Despite their poor overtime record Adirondack is in second place in the North Division.


- Luckily for the Tulsa Oilers, who will be in the Kelly Cup playoffs for the first time since 2015, they won't have to worry about shootouts. The Oilers haven't won a game in a shootout for two years. Tulsa was 0-9 in shootouts last season and with seven games remaining this season they are 0-2 in shootouts.


- Last season Michael Joly (Colorado) led the ECHL in goals with 41 and nobody else was close. This season there are three players battling for the league lead in goals. Adam Pleskach is #1 with 35 goals, Zack Pochiro and J.C. Campagna are tied for second with 34 goals. Pochiro has five games left and the other two have seven games remaining.  Who will end up on top and will any of them make it to 40 goals?


- Three teams are tied for the current longest winning streak in the ECHL, Idaho, Tulsa and South Carolina have won four straight games.


- It looks like Cincinnati will be the highest scoring team in the ECHL this season. The Cyclones have 264 goals, 10 more than second place Florida and 23 more than third place Newfoundland. Cincinnati has six games remaining, one more than the other two. Rapid City will easily be the team scoring the fewest goals. With five game remaining they have scored 154 goals, 17 fewer than any other team.


- If you look at the longest streaks of the season in the ECHL, Allen is on top or tied for the top in three categories

Dante Salituro - longest assist streak, nine games
Allen - longest road winless streak, 11 games
Zach Pochiro - most goals in one game, four


- Riley Bourbonnais has been loaned to Iowa (AHL) since March 1st and hopefully will stay for the rest of the season. Best case scenario for Allen would be for Iowa to sign Riley to an AHL contract. He has played in seven games, has no points, five shots, two penalty minutes and his plus/minus is -2. Riley has played in seven of 11 games in Iowa. He played in four straight when he was first called up, then was a healthy scratch for the next four games and has played in the last three games. Iowa plays Tuesday, Friday and Saturday this week. They will make the playoffs.


- Alex Breton has been on loan to Springfield (AHL) since March 1 and has played in five of 12 games. He has no points, six shots, and his plus/minus is +2. Springfield plays again on Friday and Saturday. It is highly unlikely they will make the playoffs.


- Allen is winning the battle with Greenville for the worst record in the ECHL. It is not much of a goal but about all the Americans have left. Allen's winning percentage is .397 with a record of 24-38-4-2 and they have four games remaining. Greenville's winning percentage is .379 with a record of 22-38-3-3 and they have six games remaining. I know this is overkill but here are the games remaining in the battle for the basement. I bet I am the only one previewing these two teams.

Allen - Utah (H), Wichita (H), Wichita (A), Wichita (A)
Greenville - Jacksonville (H), Orlando (H), Orlando (H), Norfolk (A), Norfolk (A), Norfolk (A)


- The Mountain Division has five of the six most penalized teams in the ECHL but only two of those teams will make the playoffs. Here are the penalty minutes for the division. While high penalty minute teams have won the last four Kelly Cups (Allen & Colorado) the bottom three in the division in penalty minutes this season will make the playoffs. Who will emerge as the Mountain Division champion in the playoffs? The first round of the playoffs could pit the higher penalty minute teams (Idaho & Utah) against the lower penalty minute teams (Kansas City & Tulsa).  

1461 - Allen
1349 - Rapid City
1298 - Idaho*
1152 - Wichita
1110 - Utah*
876 -  Kansas City*
864 -  Tulsa*

*playoff teams



DID YOU KNOW: The optimistic stat of the day. Since joining the ECHL Allen has never lost their final two home games of the season. The Americans were 2-0 in 2014-15 and 2016-17. They were 1-1 in 2016-16 and 2017-18.