Allen vs Kansas City Series Resumes Tonight, Game Preview, Roster Update, Overseas Deadline Today and More

 

 It is game day for the Allen Americans as they are in Kansas City to finish their five game series against the Mavericks with games tonight and Wednesday (7:05 CST start times). This will not be the end of the season series with the Mavericks. Four of Allen's final 11 regular season games are against the Mavericks. 

- The Americans will be without Branden Troock, who did not make the road trip. With just 10 forwards available and Allen struggling to score goals, I am sure general manager Steve Martinson is on the phone looking for some help.

 

 - Darian Skeoch is with the team but must sit out the games in Kansas City serving a two game suspension. Skeoch will play in the final game of the road trip on Friday in Wichita. Including Skeoch, there are seven defensemen on the trip so Americans are in good shape at the blueline.

 

- It is expected Luke Peressini will get the start in goal tonight and Frank Marotte tomorrow but that is always subject to change. In Peressini's two starts for Allen since joining the team, he had save percentages of .946 and .955. Marotte's only start since returning from the AHL was last Thursday against Kansas City and his save percentage was .967.  Both goalies are playing well and that needs to continue this week.

 

- The Americans won two of the three games against Kansas City last week but the Mavericks have a 4-1-1-0 record against Allen this season. 

- The three games in Allen were very close. One was 4-3 in overtime and the other two were 2-1 games plus an empty net goal in each. The cumulative totals for the three games show how close they were:

• Goals - Allen 8, Kansas City 7
• Shots - Allen 91, Kansas City 94
• Power Play - Allen 1-14, Kansas City 2-16
• PIMS - Allen 23 infractions/71 minutes, Kansas City 21 infractions/56 minutes

- If you compare averages per game, Allen scores more than Kansas City (3.2 vs 3.0) but also allows more goals (3.5 vs 3.3). The Americans take fewer shots (28.3 vs 32.8) and allow more shots (34.9 vs 31.3) than Kansas City. 

 

- Both teams have struggled scoring goals recently. Allen scored just one goal in three of its last six games. Kansas City has scored one or two goals in five of its last eight games. 

- The lack of scoring has carried over to the power play. In the penalty filled game last Friday both teams were 1-8 on the power play. In the three games, Allen was 1-14 (7.1%) and Kansas City was 2-16 (12.5%) on the power play. 

- Here are some keys to the two games in Kansas City:

• Good starts, the team that has scored first has won five of the six games this season.
• Take more shots, the team with the most shots has won five of six games this season.
• Play with a lead, Allen is 7-0-1-1 with a second period lead, Kansas City is 11-0-2-0.
• Win the special teams battle, the Americans have just one power play goal in the last five games against Kansas City.

 

 

- The referee scheduled tonight is Tyler Hascall (#8). Allen has had him three times this season. The number of power plays (combined) in the three games was seven, four and seven. Allen had no minor penalties in one of the games (against Rapid City) and just two minor penalties in another (against Newfoundland). The game tonight could be quite different from the game on Friday when Allen and Kansas City each had eight power play opportunities plus the Mavericks had a penalty shot. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- If the Americans lose tonight they will be back to a .500 points percentage and fall to sixth place in the Mountain Division standings, behind Kansas City. If the Americans win, their points percentage will improve to .523 and they will close the points percentage gap to fourth place Rapid City (.542) and third place Tulsa (.556). 

- There are just three ECHL games on the schedule tonight. In addition to Allen at Kansas City, Greenville is at South Carolina and Adirondack is at Trois Riviéres. 

- Finishing first in the division gives teams home ice advantage for the first two rounds of the Kelly Cup playoffs. Here are the top two teams in each division:

• North Division: Reading (.667), Newfoundland (.625)
• South Division: Jacksonville (.640), Florida (.598)
• Central Division: Toledo (.726), Wheeling (.580)
• Mountain Division: Utah (.649), Idaho (.606)

- The Mountain Division title will likely come down to the last 10 days of the season. Utah and Idaho always play each other a lot at the end of the season and this year is no different. The last five games of the season for both teams are against each other with three of the five in Idaho. 

- Games outside the Mountain Division will have a bigger impact this season than in the past. Here are couple of examples from the last six weeks of the season:

• Allen - at Cincinnati (3 games), at Toldeo (3 games) and Iowa at home (3 games).
• Idaho - Worcester at home (3 games), at Toledo (3 games), at Florida (3 games), at Kalamazoo (1 game).
• Utah has the most favorable schedule down the stretch. The Grizzlies play all games within the division after February 21. They will have six games against Kansas City, six against Rapid City, seven against Idaho and three against Tulsa.  
  

DID YOU KNOW:  Hopes of your favorite Allen player returning from overseas officially dies today. To be eligible to play in the ECHL this season, overseas players must return by today (February 15) at 3:00 p.m. EST.

Getaway Day, Travel Roster, Teams That Win More on the Road and More

 

It is getaway day for the Allen Americans as they will practice this morning and leave this afternoon for another important week. The Americans will stop in Kansas City for games on Tuesday and Wednesday, in Wichita for a game on Friday before finishing the week at home on Saturday against Wichita.

 

- Four games against the two teams behind Allen in the Mountain Division standings. With 65% of the season in the books by the end of the week, the Americans have to do better than a split of the four games this week. Anything less than six points will keep Allen around the .500 points percentage which isn't good enough to gain ground on the teams in the four playoff spots. It is do or die time for the Americans.

 

 -  I had a chance to check in with coach Martinson this morning on the travel roster. Every healthy player will make the trip. It won't be decided until after practice today whether Branden Troock will make the trip. Players definitely staying home are Tyler Poulson, Andrew Jarvis, and D-Jay Jerome. Here is the travel roster:

Goalies

#31 - Luke Peressini

#40 - Frank Marotte

Defensemen:

#3 - Darian Skeoch

#4 - Kris Myllari

#7 - Eric Roy

#8 - Jake Kearley

#20 - Ben Carroll

#23 - Ben Owen

#25 - Phil Beaulieu

 

Forwards

#10 - Jackson Leppard

#11 - Branden Troock (questionable)

#13 - Chad Costello 

#17 - Chad Butcher 

#18 - J.D. Dudek

#19 - Jared Bethune 

#21 - Jack Combs

#22 - Zach Hall 

#26 - Spencer Asuchak

#44 - Kolten Olynek

#49 - Dawson Butt

- Skeoch will miss the two games in Kansas City as he will be serving a two game suspension he was given for a game misconduct slashing penalty on Friday against the Mavericks. He will be able to practice with the team and be back in the lineup in Wichita on Friday.

 

- If Troock doesn't make the road trip, Allen will have 16 skaters on Tuesday and Wednesday, so the Americans will not have to play short unless there is an injury.  

OTHER COMMENTS

- Newfoundland is a good example of getting players back after playing shorthanded and turning things around. The Growlers are in a different situation than Allen because they had a lot of players out with COVID and they also have 10+ contracted players. Newfoundland lost eight of nine games and then got six or seven players back. Since then they have won four straight by scores of 5-0, 6-1, 4-1 and 4-3 in overtime.

 

- Allen's .512 points percentage is ranked #17 in the 27 team ECHL, #10 in the 14 team Western Conference and #5 in the seven team Mountain Division. The fourth place team in the division, which is the final playoff spot, has a points percentage of .542. To give you an idea of how things could change in just one week, if Allen goes 4-0-0-0 this week its points percentage will improve to .553. If the Americans go 0-4-0-0 their points percentage will drop to .468. It is mathematically possible Allen could be as high as #3 or as low as #7 in the division standings by weeks end. Hopefully they will be closer to #3 than #7.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about teams playing better on the road than at home. Allen hasn't had more road wins than home wins since joining the ECHL in 2014-15. Here are Allen's home (H) and road (A) wins the last five seasons:

• 2021-22: 11 (H), 8 (A)
• 2020-21: 26 (H), 19 (A)
• 2019-20: 22 (H), 18 (A) 
• 2018-19: 15 (H), 10 (A)
• 2017-18: 19 (H), 16 (A)

Over the last five seasons, 85% of ECHL teams had more wins at home than on the road. This season two good teams are on pace for a record, twice as many road wins (A) than home wins (H). 

 

Florida

8-10-0-2 (H)

16-5-4-1 (A)

 

Trois Rivières

6-6-2-1 (H)

13-7-0-0 (A)

 

 

The biggest difference between home and road wins in the last five season was six, which happened three times:

 

South Carolina (2019-20)

19-9-0-0 (H)

25-5-3-1 (A)

 

Brampton (2018-19)

15-17-4-0 (H)

21-12-1-2 (A)

 

Atlanta (2017-18)

13-18-2-3 (H)

19-17-0-0 (A)

 

 

Allen Has Some Work To Do - Playoff Prospects By the Numbers, Top ECHL Scoring Duos and More

 

Allen had a rare Saturday off yesterday which means a rare Sunday practice today as the Americans get ready for another four game week with three of them on the road. Here is the schedule:

• Tuesday @Kansas City
• Wednesday @Kansas City
• Friday @Wichita
• Saturday Wichita @Allen

 

- The Americans played well on the road early in the season but not so much lately. Allen has lost its last four road games and seven of the last eight. It will be a challenging week that will be impacted by roster changes yesterday. First, Goalie Antoine Bibeau was reassigned by Seattle back to Charlotte. That was not a surprise as coach Martinson knew Bibeau was sent to Allen to play a couple of games before returning to the Checkers. If you haven't been keeping track, Bibeau has played seven games in Allen since the first of the year but just two with Charlotte.

 

- Secondly, Darian Skeoch was suspended for two games after receiving a game misconduct penalty for slashing in the game against Kansas City on Friday. Like so many of the penalty calls on Friday (against both teams) the penalty didn't seem to match the crime. Skeoch will miss both games in Kansas City (Tuesday & Wednesday).

 

- Coach Martinson has talked to me several times how the team takes two steps forward and then two steps back. I decided to go through the blog and pick out some of the dates that included the standings to see where Allen's points percentage has been this season. Sure enough it shows exactly what Martinson has been talking about. The question that remains is whether Allen can break out of the recent pattern of staying around a .500 points percentage. Here is Allen's points percentage at various dates this season:

• .600 - November 6
• .433 - November 27
• .406 - December 7
• .543 - January 1
• .580 - January 8
• .485 - January 27
• .513 - February 3
• .512 - February 12

- The question going forward is how much better than the current points percentage (.512) can Allen become? The answer to that depends on a combination of three factors. Can Allen play better and improve the areas that have been problematic this season? All teams have injuries but can Allen get healthier and avoid losing so many players down the stretch? Finally, can Allen get any help from Seattle/Charlotte as the season progresses? If you can answer these questions you will know what is in store for the Americans in April.

 

- One big piece of the playoff puzzle is improving on current performance. Allen is now on the outside looking in for a playoff spot in the Mountain Division. Here is how Allen ranks on some key stats if you just look at the Mountain Division. Allen's rank in the division is in parenthesis:

Goal Differential (tied #5)

• +34  Idaho
• +20  Utah
• Even Tulsa 
• -8   Rapid City
• -15  Kansas City
• -15  Allen
• -16  Wichita 

 

Average Goals Scored (#2)

• 3.49 - Utah
• 3.16 - Allen
• 3.13 - Idaho
• 3.06 - Rapid City
• 3.00 - Kansas City
• 2.98 - Tulsa
• 2.94 - Wichita 

Average Goals Allowed (#7)

• 2.40 - Idaho
• 2.98 - Tulsa
• 3.06 - Utah
• 3.23 - Rapid City
• 3.28 - Wichita
• 3.33 - Kansas City
• 3.51 - Allen

Average Shots For Per Game (#7)

• 34.98 - Tulsa
• 32.83 - Kansas City
• 32.74 - Utah
• 32.42 - Rapid City
• 31.96 - Idaho
• 31.47 - Wichita
• 28.26 - Allen

 

Average Shots Allowed Per Game (#6)

• 28.43 - Idaho
• 29.18 - Tulsa
• 30.89 - Utah
• 31.30 - Kansas City
• 33.92 - Rapid City
• 34.91 - Allen
• 37.72 - Wichita
  

Power Play Percentage (#4)

• 23.1% - Idaho
• 22.2% - Rapid City
• 18.3% - Wichita
• 18.1% - Allen
• 17.9% - Utah
• 17.4% - Kansas City
• 16.9% - Tulsa

Penalty Kill Percentage (#5)

• 84.7% - Rapid City
• 83.2% - Wichita
• 83.0% - Idaho
• 81.5% - Tulsa
• 80.2% - Allen
• 79.4% - Kansas City
• 75.9% - Utah

Shorthanded Goal Differential (goals scored minus goals allowed) (#7)

• +14: Utah (18-4)
• +1: Kansas City (6-5)
• 0: Wichita (7-7)
• -1: Idaho (5-6)
• -2: Tulsa (3-5)
• -3: Rapid City (5-8)
• -10: Allen (6-16) 

Overtime Points Percentage (#7)

• .750 - Tulsa
• .750 - Kansas City
• .625 - Utah
• .571 - Idaho
• .417 - Wichita
• .400 - Kansas City
• .250 - Allen

Team Save Percentage (#5)

• .916 - Idaho
• .913 - Wichita
• .906 - Rapid City
• .901 - Utah
• .900 - Allen
• .899 - Tulsa
• .894 - Kansas City

- If you look at the stats above it is abundantly clear Allen needs to improve across the board to not only make the playoffs but play well in the post season. 

- The conventional wisdom is Allen had a poor start to the season and is now playing better hockey. The facts show something a little different. Yes, Allen had a good stretch for a month, but if you look at the Americans record the first 18 games of the season and last 18 games it is telling:

• 7-8-3-0: 1st 18 games (October 23 - December 10)
• 6-9-2-1: Last 18 games (January 8 - February 11)

 

- Allen clearly has the talent to play better hockey and the injury situation is improving. There is little doubt Steve Martinson will make some moves down the stretch to improve the roster and you have to believe help will come from Charlotte at some point. The Americans have just 29 games remaining (16 on the road) to show they belong in the playoff discussion, there is no time to waste.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: ECHL teammates with 80+ combined points this season. The ECHL top duos. 

 

92 - Blake Winiecki & John McCarron, Florida

88 - Chad Costello & Jack Combs, Allen

86 - Darik Angeli & Nick Pastujov, Kansas City

84 - Dylan Sadowy & Jack Doremus, Tulsa

82 - A.J. White & Luc Brown, Idaho

81 - Louie Caporusso & Jesse Schultz, Cincinnati

81 - Nick Hutchison & Patrick Watling, Wheeling

Allen Loses Penalty Filled Game, Recap, Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Bibeau Returns to Charlotte, Stats When Trailing After 2nd Period and More

 

The boxscore shows Allen lost a close game to Kansas City last night by a score of 3-1 before a crowd of 2929 at the CUTX Event Center. The game wasn't decided until the Mavericks scored an empty net, shorthanded goal with 96 seconds remaining. The final score doesn't come close to painting a picture of what took place in the game.

 

- In many games in the ECHL the referee is not a big factor. That was clearly not the case last night as the referee was front and center the entire game calling the first penalty 39 seconds into the the game and the last penalty with five seconds remaining in the game. Here is a recap of a game where the impact of the referee made sure the game wasn't decided by the players on the ice. When you have close to two periods worth of penalty minutes where one or both teams are shorthanded, it is not great hockey game for fans of either team.

• There were 16 power play opportunities, eight by each team. 
• 16 power plays were the most combined power plays all season. Previous high was 12. 
• 18 minor penalties (12 different types)
• 3 major penalties (2 fighting, 1 slashing)
• 2 misconduct penalties (continuing altercation)
• 1 game misconduct penalty (slashing)
• 1 penalty shot
• 1 goal disallowed

- With all of the penalties, both teams had trouble capitalizing, with each going 1-8 (12.5%) on the power play. However, just one of the four goals in the game was scored even strength and that was by Kansas City.

 

- Putting the penalties aside, Allen's stats show why they lost:

• Allen gave up the first goal of the game. The team that scored first won all three games in this series.
• Allen was outshot 32-27. The Americans record when being outshot is 10-17-4-1. When they outshoot opponents Allen's record is 9-1-1-0.
• Allen trailed 1-0 after the first period. The Americans record when trailing after the first period at home is 2-7-0-0.
  
• Allen trailed 2-0 after the second period. The Americans record when trailing after the second period stands at 3-15-2-0.

 

- It was an uphill battle for Allen all night. The Americans had a power play 39 seconds after the opening puck drop but didn't get a single shot on goal. They gave up the first goal of the game late in the first period, which has happened several times recently. Last night it was a power play goal with 22 second remaining. 

 

- Kansas City scored the only goal of the second period and again it came in the last minute. With 50 seconds remaining the Mavericks scored an even strength goal to make the score 2-0 at the second intermission.

 

- Allen came out strong in the third period. After managing only five shots in the first period and eight in the second period and being out shot 22-13, the Americans had a 14-10 shot advantage in the last period. Allen finally got on the scoreboard midway through the third period when Chad Costello scored on the power play to cut the score to 2-1. 

 

- It looked like Allen tied the score with another power play goal with five minutes remaining in the game but the referee disallowed the goal. If you watch the replay, it looks like the Mavericks goalie initiates contact with Spencer Asuchak, who is outside the crease, and goes to the ice. The puck trickles behind him and Jackson Leppard puts it in the net. You can look for yourself and decide if this was goalie interference.

 

 -  https://sporfie.app.link/888cOlpLAnb

 

 

- Allen had a final chance to tie the game on yet another power play with 2:06 left. With 1:38 left in the game Allen pulled the goalie for a 6-on-4 power play. Kansas City scored an empty net goal almost immediately to make the final score 3-1. A disappointing loss to end the three games at home against Kansas City. The teams now travel to Kansas City for two more games (Tuesday and Wednesday). 

 

- Chad Costello scored his 19th goal of the season and his 400th regular season point in an Allen jersey. Chad increased his ECHL points lead to four and now has 50 points (19G, 31A). I am sure he would have traded that milestone point last night for a win. Here are the game highlights.  https://youtu.be/m1h9xRYXhP4 

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap/penalties-cost-americans-final-game-of-the-homestand/

 

- The three games in Allen were very close. One was 4-3 in overtime and the other two were 2-1 games plus an empty net goal in each. The cumulative totals for the three games show how close they were:

• Goals - Allen 8, Kansas City 7
• Shots - Allen 91, Kansas City 94
• Power Play - Allen 1-14, Kansas City 2-16
• PIMS - Allen 23 infractions/71 minutes, Kansas City 21 infractions/56 minutes

 

 

COACH'S CORNER WITH STEVE MARTINSON

 

- I had a chance to talk to Steve Martinson at length this morning and as you can imagine he wasn't pleased with the officiating last night. Here are the comments I can share from that conversation:

 

"On the disallowed goal you can see from the video the referee called it a good goal right away. After he reviewed the play he told me it was goalie interference. The goalie initiated the contact with his blocker and Asuchak was outside the crease. It is tough when a play like that costs a game."

 

"We are still struggling on the power play, we had plenty of opportunities to win that game."

 

"Defensive mistakes led to both of the goals against. On one we had full possession of the puck but could not get it cleared and on the other it was a missed assignment. 

 

"Antoine Bibeau is headed back to Charlotte today."

 

"We will take today off and practice on Monday and Tuesday (before we leave in the afternoon) for the final two games of the series in Kansas City."

 

"Peressini and Marotte will each get a game in Kansas City," 

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS 

 

- Darian Skeoch was given a game misconduct for slashing. That isn't an automatic suspension but could lead to a suspension at the Commissioner's discretion. From my reporting, everyone I talked to thought it should have been a minor penalty for slashing.   

 

- Allen, Rapid City and Idaho lost last night. Utah, Kansas City, Wichita and Tulsa won. Here is how the Mountain Division looks now:

• .641 - Utah
• .587 - Idaho
• .568 - Tulsa
• .532 - Rapid City
• .512 - Allen
• .500 - Kansas City
• .478 - Wichita

 

The points percentage gap between first and last place (.163) in the Mountain Division is the smallest of any division in the ECHL. The gap between 2nd place and last place is just .109. Any team can still make the playoffs.

 

 

-  While Allen and Kansas City are idle tonight, Utah is at Iowa, Wichita is at Rapid City and Tulsa is at Idaho. 

DID YOU KNOW:

How difficult is it to win on the road in the ECHL when trailing after the second period? Teams trailing after the second period on the road have a record of 27-201-13-2 which is a points percentage of .142. Here are the teams with the worst records when trailing after the second period on the road:

 

0-12-0-0: Indy

0-11-0-0: Cincinnati

1-14-0-0: South Carolina

1-10-0-0: Kalamazoo

1-10-0-0: Orlando

 

 

Another Close Win, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Coach's Corner with Steve Martinson, Game Three Preview, ECHL Shutouts and More

 

The Allen Americans won again last night, beating the Kansas City Mavericks 3-1 before a crowd of 1700 on a rare Thursday night game at the CUTX Event Center. The game wasn't decided until Spencer Asuchak scored an empty net goal with 28 seconds remaining.

 

- The Americans took advantage of Chad Butcher returning to the lineup after spending a couple of weeks on injured reserve. Chad led the team with two points (1G, 1A) and his goal was the game winner. He was selected the #2 star of the game, eclipsed by the #1 star, Frank Marotte who stopped 29 of 30 shots, many of them grade A opportunities. Marotte's save percentage for the game was .967, his best performance of the season. 

- What went well in the game last night:

• Allen scored first, the team that scored first has won 80% (4 of 5) of the games between Allen and Kansas City this season.
• Allen had a strong third period, scoring twice while allowing no goals.
• Allen allowed just one goal, the eighth time in nine games it has allowed three or fewer goals.
• Allen's penalty kill was perfect going 0-3.
  

 

- What didn't go well in the game last night:

• Allen was outshot 30-24 after outshooting the Mavericks 40-32 on Wednesday.
• Allen was blanked on the power play (0-2) after going (0-3) on Wednesday
• Allen gave up way too many odd man rushes
• Allen had just six shots on goal in the second period and that included two power plays. 

 

- Allen goal scorers were Zach Hall (2), Chad Butcher (4) and Spencer Asuchak (15). Here are the video highlights:  https://youtu.be/qdQs93EIu2Q

 

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/americans-win-tight-battle/

 

 

COACH'S CORNER WITH STEVE MARTINSON

- When I caught up with coach Martinson this morning he was already at work putting together video clips of the mistakes in the game last night he will go over with the team in preparation for the game tonight. Here is what he had to say:

"It is good to get another win but we can play better for sure. We played better on Wednesday than we did last night."

"I thought we had a good start, a bad second period and then played better again in the third period."

"We gave up way too many odd man rushes, we need to clean that up tonight."

"Our defense has been the strength of the team recently. Getting Beulieu and Roy back along with the addition of Kearley has helped.  Our goalie play has also been a strength recently".

"Antoine Bibeau will get the start in goal tonight. I still don't know if he will be on the trip to Kansas City next week."

"We missed Chad Butcher when he was out and it was good see him contribute last night."

 

GAME THREE PREVIEW

-  The formula for success tonight:

• Get off to a good start again and play with the lead. This worked in the first two games of the series.
• Allen had a -6 shot differential last night after a +12 on Wednesday. If Allen can get back on the plus side tonight they will be in good shape.
• Allen has to do a better job on the power play. The Americans don't have a power play goal in the last four games against Kansas City. A power play goal will go a long way to sweeping the three games this week.
• Antoine Bibeau has been Allen's best goalie this season with a GAA of 2.74 and a .926 save percentage. His record is 7-2-1-0. In the games he hasn't been in goal Allen's record 12-12-4-1. Bibeau is only in Allen for a few games so take advantage of his talent. 
  
• Finally, keep up the good defensive. Be aggressive on offense but don't cheat to score. Keep in mind it is more important to win than to score. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

    - Allen's wins the last two nights has put some distance between the Americans and the Mavericks in points percentage (.524 vs .489). Rapid City lost yesterday so Allen has closed the gap to the final playoff spot (.524 vs 543). Rapid City plays at home tonight against Wichita.

 

- Chad Costello was held off the scoreboard last night but is still atop the ECHL with 49 points, three more than second place. His next point will be his 400th playing for Allen. Here are the all-time top five in points with games played in parenthesis:

• 399 - Chad Costello (258 games)
• 345 - Spencer Asuchak (451)
• 235 - Bruce Graham (184)
• 225 - Greger Hanson (195)
• 183 - Gary Steffes (183)

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about 2021-22 shutouts. Allen has just one this season, the 8-0 shutout in Tulsa by Hayden Lavigne. Allen's all-time record for shutouts in a single season is held by Riley Gill who had seven shutouts in 2016-17. 

Most ECHL team and individual shutouts in the 2021-22 season. Only two teams have more shutouts than the individual leader: 

 

TEAM SHUTOUTS

7: Idaho

5: Indy

4: Utah

4: Newfoundland

4: Fort Wayne

4: Florida 

 

INDIVIDUAL SHUTOUTS

4: Trent Minor, Utah

3: Colton Point, Idaho

3: Keith Petruzzelli, Newfoundland

 

Allen Starts Series With OT Win, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Game Two Preview and More

 It wasn't easy but the Allen Americans kicked off their five games series against Kansas City last night with a come from behind 4-3 overtime win over the Mavericks. It was a big win for the Americans in their quest to get back into a playoff spot.

 

- Allen got off to a great start when JD Dudek scored the first goal of the game 40 seconds after the opening puck drop. The lead didn't last long as defensive mistakes led to an easy goal for the Mavericks right at the goal mouth. The period ended with the score tied 1-1.

 

- Allen took a 2-1 lead with another early period goal. Just 108 seconds into the second period, Spencer Asuchak took a great pass from Jackson Leppard, was all alone in front of the goalie and buried the puck. Once again Kansas City came back with two unanswered goals exactly two minutes apart (6:42 & 8:42) to take a 3-2 lead into the second intermission. It didn't look great for the Americans at that point given Allen's record when trailing after the second period was 2-14-2-0.

 

-  Allen scored the only goal of the third period and for a change it was a Kansas City mistake that led to the tying goal that sent the game to overtime. If you watch the replay on this goal, it was Spencer Asuchak that forced the mistake that led to the goal. Asuchak hustled down the ice to cover the Mavericks player in the corner. You can see the goalie, who is behind the net, was about to pass the puck up the boards in Spencer's direction but changed his mind at the last second and passed the puck the other direction, right on Costello's stick. Chad passed in front of the net and Combs put it into the open net. If it hadn't been for Asuchak's hustle play on the forecheck, that goal doesn't happen. 

 

- When the game headed to overtime it also didn't look good for the Americans. Allen's overtime record was 0-5 and Kansas City's was 4-1. To make matters worse, the Americans took a late penalty in regulation time and 1:41 carried over to overtime. Allen killed the 4-on-3 penalty time and won the game at the 4:11 mark of the overtime period. If you watch the replay you will see Zach Hall and Spencer Asuchak plus three Kansas City players in the front of the net with bodies falling all over the ice. Spencer gets up, pulls the puck from pile, makes a quick move on the goalie and uses his reach to tuck the puck in the goal to send the Allen fans home happy. 

- Goals scorers for Allen were JD Dudek (3), Spencer Asuchak (13,14) and Jack Combs (13). Chad Costello had two assists and now has a league leading 49 points. Here are the video highlights:  https://youtu.be/4FiTjuDZnbI

 

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/americans-grab-overtime-win/

 

ALLEN VS KANSAS CITY GAME TWO PREVIEW

- Allen did some good things last night that hopefully will continue tonight. The Americans got off to a good start scoring the first goal just 40 seconds into the game. The team that scored first has won three of the four games these team have played this season.

 

- Allen doesn't out shoot many opponents but when they do, like last night (40-32), they usually win. The Americans have outshot their opponents in just 11 of 41 games. Allen's record in those 11 games is 9-1-1-0. More of the same in this category tonight.

 

- Allen lost the special teams battle last night and that is an area that needs to turnaround tonight. The Americans were blanked on the power play (0-4), Kansas City was 1-5. With Chad Butcher returning to the lineup tonight, he should get plenty of power play time.

 

- Allen had some basic breakdowns on the goals against that need to get cleaned up tonight. Allen outplayed the Mavericks last night but can clearly play better tonight.

 

COACH'S CORNER WITH STEVE MARTINSON

"It was an important game last night to start the series and it was good to finally get an overtime win."

"Chad Butcher will be back in the lineup tonight. He will center the second line. Combs and Butcher work well together and will give us two strong scoring lines."

"Butcher will also add to our power play which was 0-4 last night."

"Seattle sent Antoine Bibeau to us to get in some work but he will only be here for a few games. He will return to Charlotte sometime next week."

"I haven't decided which goalie will get the start tonight. We need to get all of them some work."

"On the goals against last night we got beat, which happens, but didn't react well to help out after we got beat. We have to do a better job of covering when there is a breakdown. Almost all goals are not the result of just one mistake, but several mistakes."  

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- As the number of games played goes up, the points percentage increase or decrease from each game goes down. With the win last night, Allen's points percentage improved by just .012 from .500 to .512. The Americans have a ways to go to secure a playoff spot. Here are the Mountain Division standings:

• .633 - Utah
• .600 - Idaho
• .558 - Tulsa
• .544 - Rapid City
• .512 - Allen
• .500 - Kansas City
• .455 - Wichita

 

- There are only two games on the ECHL schedule tonight. Other than the Allen game, Wichita is at Rapid City. If Allen wins and Rapid City loses in regulation tonight the gap between the two teams will shrink to ..009. Rapid City would still be in fourth place at .533 with Allen close behind at .524.

 

- Newfoundland showed what a difference it makes getting six or seven players back in the lineup. After losing six straight games (three in Allen) playing shorthanded, the Growlers beat Maine last night by a score of 5-0. 

 

- Chad Costello extended his ECHL points lead to three with his two assists last night. There are two players at the top of the leader board in this series with Kansas City. Here are the top five scorers in the ECHL:

• 49 points (18G, 31A), Chad Costello, Allen
• 46 points (20G, 26A), Blake Winiecki, Florida
• 43 points (22G, 21A), Dylan Sadowy, Tulsa
• 43 points (20G, 23A), Darik Angeli, Kansas City
• 43 points (19G, 24A), John McCarron, Florida

Costello's next point will be his 400th as a member of the Allen Americans in the regular season. If you include his 76 playoff points his total points in Allen swells to 475 in 317 games for a points per game average of 1.498.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about players with the largest percentage of their team's total points. Chad Costello leads the ECHL in that category with 13.7% of Allen's points. How does that compare to Chad's previous seasons in Allen? In 2014-15 he had 15.7% of Allen's points, 2015-16 he had 16.5% and in 2016-17 he had 15.3%.

 

Rather than looking at which players have scored the most points, here is another way to look at players that contribute the most to team offense. Here are the ECHL players with the highest percentage of their team’s total points. The player’s points and the team’s points are in parenthesis.

 

13.7% - Chad Costello, Allen (49 of 357)

12.3% - Liam Pecararo, Greenville (37 of 301)

11.7% - Darik Angeli, Kansas City (43 of 366)

11.7% - Alex Tonge, Norfolk (31 of 266)

11.7% - Dylan Sadowy, Tulsa (43 of 367)

11.6% - Zach O’Brien, Newfoundland (34 of 293)

 

 

   

A Script for an Exciting Series, Allen vs Kansas City Preview, Bibeau Returns, Coachella Valley Firebirds, Brabham Cup Curse, Top Scoring Rookies and More

 

If you wrote a script for an ECHL series to make it exciting you might include the following factors:

• Teams fighting for a playoff spot
• Teams with identical .500 points percentage
• Teams with a long rivalry, one wins championships, one wins franchise of the year awards
  
• One team on a three game losing streak, one on a three game winning streak
• One team leading the league in penalty minutes, the other leading the league in fights
• Make the teams play five straight games to add to the drama
• Bring back your AHL contracted goalie with a 6-2-1-0 record, 2.74 GAA and .928 save percentage for the series
  
• One head coach with 1105 wins and one coach with 52

 

- The script may sound unrealistic but it is exactly what will play out between Allen and Kansas City starting tonight at the CUTX Event Center. The first of five games between two teams scrambling for a playoff spot in the Mountain Division.

- Allen comes into the series with the most to prove. The Americans have lost three straight games, the Mavericks have won three straight. The teams have played three times this season and Kansas City has won all of them:

• Allen 2 @Kansas City 3 SO (January 15)
• Kansas City 7 @Allen 4 (November 13)
• Allen 5 @Kansas City 7 (November 6)

 

- If you compare averages per game, Allen scores more than Kansas City (3.2 vs 3.0) but also allows more goals (3.6 vs 3.4). The Americans take fewer shots (28.1 vs 32.9) and allow more shots (35.2 vs 31.4) than Kansas City. 

 

- Both teams have struggled scoring goals recently. Kansas City has won three straight games but two of the wins were 2-0 and 2-1. In their the last five games the Mavericks have scored just 11 goals, an average of 2.2 per game. Allen has lost three straight but two of the loses were 3-1 and 2-1. Allen has scored one or two goals in five of the last nine game.

 

- Allen ran into the reigning ECHL Goalie of the Month against Tulsa last weekend. In the Kansas City series the Americans will face the reigning ECHL Goalie of the Week, Danil Chechelev who was 2-0 last weeks with a 0.50 GAA and .988 save percentage.

 

- Special teams will play an important role in this five game series. If you look at overall stats the Americans have a slight edge on the power play (19.1% vs 17.8%) and penalty kill (79.5% vs 78.5%). Allen's special teams have been improving as the season has progressed and that could be key against the Mavericks. Kansas City is the most penalized team in the ECHL. They have taken 271 minor penalties compared to Allen's 170. If you compare misconduct penalties (10 minute and game) the Mavericks have 28 compared to six by Allen. If the Americans can take advantage of the lack of discipline by the Mavericks by winning the special teams battles, Allen will have success. 

 

- Can't talk special teams without bringing up shorthanded goals because Allen leads the league in allowing shorties. The Americans have allowed 15 shorthanded goals, Kansas City has allowed just five. Allen had scored six shorthanded goals, Kansas City five.

 

- If any of the games in this series go extra time a big advantage goes to Kansas City. The Mavericks are 4-1 in overtime, Allen is 0-5. The Americans are 1-1 in shootouts, Kansas City is 2-0. 

 

- The referee scheduled for tonight is Alec Rounds (#7). I would expect he will be in Allen for all three games. In his two prior games in Allen this season, Rounds called 20 penalties (12 power play opportunities) in a game against Wichita and 11 penalties (6 power play opportunities) in a game against Orlando. Would expect there will be plenty of power play opportunities tonight. 

 

COACH'S CORNER WITH STEVE MARTINSON

"Antoine Bibeau has been assigned to Allen for a few games. He will get the start in goal tonight."

"It will be good to get Eric Roy back in the lineup tonight and Chad Butcher on Thursday."

"I will make some changes to the power play tonight and more when Butcher returns."

"The line combinations will also change when Butcher gets back in the lineup."

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 - Chad Costello was given credit for a third assist in the overtime loss to Tulsa on Saturday and now leads the ECHL in scoring with 47 points (18G, 29A). Chad is the only player in ECHL history to win three scoring championships and has a chance to make it number four this season. 

 

- The AHL affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, Coachella Valley Firebirds, will start play next season. If the Americans are still affiliated with the Kraken next season, the Firebirds will become a familiar name in Allen. Here are some of the details on the Firebirds arena which is under construction:

• Name - Acrisure Arena (Acrisure is a financial services company)
  
• Location - Thousand Palms, CA
• Hockey Capacity - 9918
• Projected Cost - $250,000,000
• Schedules Completion - Fall 2022 

Here is a video about the new arena: https://youtu.be/YGGYXl0yll4

- It sounds like the Firebirds will have something in common with the Allen Americans. Because of construction delays the arena will not open in time for the start of the AHL season. In 2009-10 the construction of the Allen Event Center was not complete so the Americans played the first seven games in franchise history on the road. The Firebirds arena may not be ready until December. AHL President had this to say in his recent interview, "The challenge will be when can they (Firebirds) play their first home game? That is still to be determined. Certainly we expect it to be in the fall some time, but are they going to have to spend a couple of weeks on the road? Six weeks on the road? We don't know the answer to that."

- The Toledo Walleye have a substantial lead in the ECHL standings with a .720 points percentage. Second place is Reading (.676) and third place is Jacksonville (.628). The Walleye have to be the favorite to win the Brabham Cup as the best regular season team. Is winning the Brabham Cup the kiss of death, is there a Brabham Cup curse? The regular season champion hasn't won the Kelly Cup since 2014 (Alaska).

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about high scoring rookies. Gavin Gould was one of the top rookies in the league until an injury put him out for the season. His speed, ability to finish, along with his puck battle skills and willingness to finish every check is certainly missed.

38 ECHL players are averaging more than one point per game (minimum 20 games). Just seven of the 38 are rookies. Here are the ECHL rookies averaging more than one point per game: 

 

1.45 - Kris Bennett, Iowa

1.17 - Brandon Cutler, Utah

1.08 - Yauheni Aksiantsiuk, Idaho

1.05 - Orrin Centazzo, Newfoundland

1.04 - Gavin Gould, Allen

1.04 - Benjamin Tardiff, Utah

1.03 - Jack Doremus, Tulsa