Game One Ends in OT Loss, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Kansas City Advances, Anatomy on the Playoffs, Saucerman Talks Championship and More

 

It was a heartbreaking 6-5 overtime loss for the Allen Americans in Idaho last night in game one of the playoffs. Allen went toe to toe with the Steelheads before a Monday night crowd of 4711 at the Idaho Central Arena. A turnover behind the Allen net just 23 seconds into overtime led to an open net goal and a disappointing ending to a game Allen should have probably won.  

 

Allen scored the first goal of the game, led 2-0, took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission, led 4-2 in the second period and led 5-4 in the third period but Idaho kept responding. The Americans were leading 4-2 with 98 seconds remaining in the second period when the two offensive defensemen Allen had to control (Register and Kudla) scored twice in 53 seconds to tie the score. Allen managed to take a 5-4 lead on a James Hardie goal early in the third period but lees than three minutes later Kudla scored again to tie the score. Allen was on its heels most of the third period as the Americans were outshot 13-3, but they managed to force overtime. Idaho won the overtime faceoff, dumped the puck behind the Allen goal, a turnover resulted, Costantini couldn't get back to the net and Idaho's leading goal scorer, Mark Rassell, put the puck in an empty net, just 23 seconds into the overtime.  

 

- Allen was in control the majority of the game but surrendered two goal leads twice. The Americans took a 2-0 lead at the 13:51 mark of the first period and a 4-2 lead at the 14:16 mark of the second period. Keys to the game included staying out of the penalty box and the Americans did that taking just four penalties for eight minutes. Battling the best power play unit in the league in Idaho, Allen gave up two power play goals in four opportunities. Allen matched Idaho going 2-4 on the power play themselves.

 

- The key to the game that cost Allen was this one:

"Another key to this series is controlling Idaho's offensive defensemen, specifically Matt Register and Patrick Kudla. Kudla was just selected as the ECHL Defenseman of the Year and Register finished third in the voting. Both were named to the All-ECHL teams. Just four ECHL defensemen had 60+ points this season, Register (10G, 54A) and Kudla (10G, 50A) were two of them. Register and Kudla combined for 104 assists this season. Allen's entire team of defensemen totaled 123 assists. For Allen to be successful it will have to take time and space away from Register and Kudla. It doesn't necessarily mean big hits but the Americans have to stay in their face."

Register and Kudla single-handedly turned the game around when Allen took a 4-2 lead. They scored Idaho's third, fourth and fifth goals. 

 

- Here are game recaps from both teams with goal by goal details:

• Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/04/americans-lose-heartbreaker-in-ot
• Idaho Steelheads: https://idahosteelheads.com/news/2024/04/mark-rassell-scores-23-seconds-into-overtime-as-idaho-takes-a-1-0-series-lead-on-allen
   

 - Five different players scored goals for Allen; Colby McAuley, Colin Jacobs, Liam Finlay, Chaz Smedsrud and James Hardie. Every Allen line scored goals. Here are the video highlights with all of the goals: https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-idaho-steelheads-april-22-2024-game-1

- The teams will take the day off today before resuming the series with game two tomorrow night (Wednesday, 8:10 pm CDT). The plan for Allen was to hold a practice today.

OTHER COMMENTS

- The Kansas City Mavericks advanced to the second round of the playoffs last night with a 2-1 win in Tulsa to sweep the Oilers 4-0. Kansas City advanced to the second round at 9:28 pm CDT, before Allen and Idaho completed the second period of their first playoff game. The Mavericks will have a long wait for the start of round two against either Idaho or Allen.

- There is just one playoff game on the schedule tonight. Indy is at Wheeling and the #2 seeded Fuel trails the #3 seed Nailers 2-0. It is the only one of the eight first round series that a lower seed is leading. 

- Here is a post game video after Sheffield won the EIHL playoff championship on Sunday. The "beard" Colton Saucerman is interviewed in this video. 

DID YOU KNOW: Here is a breakdown of the ECHL playoffs:

Anatomy of the ECHL playoffs after 19 games played:

 

1 - series completed (KC advances)

3 - shutouts

3 - series tied 1-1

5 - overtime games

11 - most combined goals 1 game

13-6: record for higher seeds (#1 & #2)

8-2: #1 seeds record

5-4: #2 seeds record

10-9: home teams' record

 

 

Status of all eight first round series:

 

North Division

1-1: #1 Adirondack vs #4 Maine:

2-1: #2 Norfolk leads #3 Trois Rivières 

 

South Division

1-1: #1 Greenville vs #4 Orlando

1-1: #2 Jacksonville vs #3 Florida 

 

Central Division

2-0: #1 Toledo leads #4 Kalamazoo

2-1: #3 Wheeling leads #2 Indy

 

Mountain Division

4-0: #1 Kansas City defeated #4 Tulsa

1-0: #2 Idaho leads #3 Allen

Allen vs Idaho Series Keys, Playoff Schedule, Former Players Win EIHL Championship, Best and Worst Goal Differential Teams and More

 

Playoff game day for the Allen Americans has finally arrived. The last of the eight ECHL first round series gets underway tonight (8:10 pm CDT) as Mountain Division #3 seed Allen visits #2 seed Idaho. For the Americans it is their 13th playoff run in 15 seasons. Allen has missed the playoffs just once in franchise history (2019) and there was no playoff in 2020.

 

- The playoff series that kicks off tonight is the 30th since the Allen franchise began in 2009-10. The Americans all time series record is 21-8. Allen's series record from its first playoff (2010) through it's last championship (2016) was 18-3. Since 2016 the Americans series record is 3-5.

 

- A lot of ground has been covered this week comparing stats between Allen and Idaho and it is abundantly clear the Steelheads were the better team during the regular season. The overall records of 33-25-3-1 (.486) for Allen and 48-20-2-2 (.694) for Idaho shows the contrast. Allen's head to head record against Idaho this season was 3-7-1-0 (.318). 

 

- If you look at the glass half empty you would say Allen only had three wins in the 11 games against Idaho during the regular season. The Americans were out shot 131-86 in the three wins and the common denominator in the wins was goalie Leevi Meriläinen. Allen was 3-0-0-0 with Leevi in goal against Idaho and 0-7-1-0 when he was not in goal. Meriläinen is in the playoffs, but it is in Belleville in the Calder Cup playoffs. There is a spot saved for him in Allen if/when Belleville is eliminated. The soonest that could happen is on Friday. Another point in the half empty glass is the #3 seed has never beaten the #2 seed in the first round of the Mountain Division playoffs since Allen joined the ECHL.

 

- If you look at the glass half full there is a lot to be encouraged about going into this series. Allen is missing its captain and best all around player, Colton Hargrove, but with that exception, the Americans enter this series with the healthiest and deepest lineup they have had all season. Allen hasn't played Idaho since the beginning of February and the Steelheads will see a much different Americans team tonight. Over half of Allen's playoff roster faced Idaho six or fewer games during the regular season. 

• 0 games - Kameron Kielly
• 0 games - Chaz Smedsrud
• 0 games - James Hardie
• 0 games - Justin Allen 
• 2 games - Liam Finlay
• 3 games - Mikael Robidoux
• 6 games - Blake Murray
• 6 games - Bennett MacArthur
• 6 games - Grant Hebert
• 6 games - Colin Jacobs
• 6 games - Nolan Orzeck
• 6 games - Ty Farmer 

-  For a stats guy like me to see a key to this series that has nothing to do with numbers is unusual. I talk to the coaches everyday, watch the practices and check in with many of the players and there is no doubt this team truly believes they can win this series, despite what looks like an uphill battle. They have had a week to prepare and have a plan that everyone has bought into, but translating this belief into action will be a challenge.

 

- To be successful in this series Allen will have to stay out of the penalty box. Idaho has the best power play in the ECHL, ranked #1 at 28.5%. Allen is ranked #14 at 20.2%. Idaho scored 71 power play goals during the regular season compared to Allen's 49. In the 11 head to head games Allen held its own despite giving up more power play opportunities. Allen was 9-46 (19.6%) on the power play and Idaho was 10-53 (18.9%). 

Allen was ranked #2 in the league in penalty minutes (1211) while Idaho was ranked #20 (830). During the regular season Allen took more minor penalties (348 vs 300), five minute majors (25 vs 16), 10 minute misconducts (27 vs 12) and game misconducts (12 vs 2). Allen needs to be physical but disciplined to be successful in this series.

 

- Another key to this series is controlling Idaho's offensive defensemen, specifically Matt Register and Patrick Kudla. Kudla was just selected as the ECHL Defenseman of the Year and Register finished third in the voting. Just four ECHL defensemen had 60+ points this season, Register (10G, 54A) and Kudla (10G, 50A) were two of them. Register and Kudla combined for 104 assists this season. Allen's entire team of defensemen totaled 123 assists. 

For Allen to be successful it will have to take time and space away from Register and Kudla. It doesn't necessarily mean big hits but the Americans have to stay in their face. 

 

- It is worth repeating another key to this series because the stats are so compelling. Allen needs good starts and has to avoid playing from behind:

Allen does not want to play from behind in this series as Idaho is lethal with a lead. The Steelheads have the best record in the league when they score first. Allen's record is good when it scores the first goal at 22-8-1-1 (.719) but Idaho is almost unbeatable when it scores first with a record of 34-3-1-2 (.888). Odds are pretty good the team that scores first in this series wins the game.

Another stat that says beware of playing from behind against Idaho is goal differential by period. Allen has struggled in the second period most of the season. The Americans score more goals in the second period (85) than any other period but have allowed the most second period goals in the league (110). That is a second period goal differential of -25. Idaho on the other hand scored more second period goals (122) than any other team in the ECHL and allowed just 77 for a second period goal differential of +45. The second periods of this series will be critical. 

You combine Idaho's dominance in the second period with its record of 36-1-1-0 when leading after the second period and you can see why Allen can't play from behind in this series. If Allen can play with the lead the Americans are also dominant. The Americans record with a second period lead is 25-2-1-1.

    

-  Allen enters this series having a seven game points streak and a record of 6-0-1-0 just to make the playoffs. After the Americans made the playoffs, they traveled to Tulsa overnight for a meaningless game to end the season, they lost 4-1. Despite the success to end the season Allen averaged just 2.88 goals per games in its last eight games. In the Idaho series Allen will have to be more aggressive offensively to generate more offense without giving up a bunch of odd man rushes and breakaways. Averaging less than three goals a game in this series will not lead to success for the Americans. Remember, the winning team in the 11 head to head games against Idaho had eight goals once, six goals twice, five goals six times, four goals once and three goals once. It is now playoff hockey so there could be lower scores, but it is likely the winning team will have more than three goals in every game in this series.

 

- How important is game one of a seven game series? Across all  major sports the winner of game one in a seven game series will win the series between 75% -80% of the time. For a lot of reasons Allen needs a win tonight.

 

- As with all ECHL playoff games there will two referees working Allen's game tonight. Brendan Schreider (#12) and Tatu Kunto (#17) will be the referees. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

-  There are four games on the ECHL schedule tonight. One of them is Kansas City at Tulsa. The Mavericks lead the series 3-0 and can advance to the second round with a win tonight. Here is the ECHL Today with the previews and the status of all eight series: https://echl.com/news/2024/04/echl-today-april-22

 

- Congrats to former Allen players Colton Saucerman (2022-23), Brett Neumann (2020-21) and Dominic Cormier (2020-21) of the Sheffield Steelers who won the EIHL playoff championship yesterday with a 3-1 win over the Belfast Giants. The game was not without controversy in the one game final. Here are the details: https://www.bbc.com/sport/ice-hockey/articles/ceklv348xe7o

 

- The lower seeds (#3 & #4) won two of three games yesterday so the higher seeds (#1 & #2) record in the playoffs is now 10-5. No higher seed is down by more than one game. There are 28 games this week with at least one game every night. By the end of the week on Sunday many teams will have advanced to the second round. Here the the number of games by each day this week:

• 4 games - Monday  
• 1 game - Tuesday
• 4 games - Wednesday
• 1 game - Thursday
• 6 games - Friday
• 7 games - Saturday
• 5 games - Sunday

 

- You will see a couple of ECHL future Hall of Famers and all time ECHL playoff record holders tonight. One playing and one coaching:

• Matt Register - #1 most playoff games (146)
  
• Matt Register - #1 career playoff assist (87)
• Matt Register - #1 career assists final series (17)
  
• Chad Costello - #1 most assists, one playoff year (29)
• Chad Costello - #1 most assists in any playoff series (10)
  
• Chad Costello - #1 most assists in final series (10)  

- It is still very early in the playoffs and the playoff MVP almost always goes to the Kelly Cup champion, but two players are off to tremendous starts:

• Jordan Martel - Wheeling, has six points (2G, 4A) in two games for a 3.00 points per game average.
• Brandon Hawkins - Toledo, the ECHL MVP has five points (1G, 5A) in two games for a point per game average of 2.50. His goal was the game winner.

DID YOU KNOW: There ECHL Stats post today is about goal differentials. Here are Allen's goal differentials the last three seasons:

• -43: 2023-24
• -3: 2022-23
• -4: 2021-22 

ECHL best and worst goal differentials (goals for minus goals against) the last three seasons:

 

Best

+103: Kansas City (2023-24)

+137: Idaho (2022-23)

+74: Toledo (2021-22)

 

Worst

-77: Atlanta (2023-24)

-115: Norfolk (2022-23)

-70: Adirondack (2021-22)

 

In 2023-34 Atlanta started the season 8-0 with a goal differential of +22. In the final 64 games of the season Atlanta’s record was 15-45-3-1 (.266) with a goal differential of -99.

More Allen vs Idaho Series Preview, Belleville Playoff Schedule, EIHL Championship Today, ECHL Series Update and 20+ Home and Road Win Teams

 The playoff journey begins this morning when the Allen Americans fly to Idaho to take on the ECHL's #3 team during the regular season. By any measurement it will be an uphill battle for the Americans whose regular season record against the Steelheads was 3-7-1-0. The first two games of the series will be in Idaho (Monday and Wednesday) before returning to Allen for games on Friday (7:10 pm), Saturday (4:10 pm) and Sunday (4:10 pm).

- Here is a comparison of a handful of stats between Allen and Idaho. Of the 12 on the list Idaho is better in 11 of them. The lone exception is team save percentage.

Goals Scored (average per game)

• 4.21 - Idaho
• 3.24 - Allen

Goals Allowed (average per game)

• 3.36 - Idaho
• 3.83 - Allen
  

Shots For (average per game)

• 35.79 - Idaho
• 30.22 - Allen
  

Shots Against (average per game)

• 32.35 - Idaho
• 39.90 - Allen
  

Shooting Percentage (goals as a percent of total shots)

• 11.8% - Idaho
• 10.6% - Allen

Power Play Percentage

• 28.5% - Idaho
• 20.2% - Allen

Penalty Kill Percentage

• 79.2% - Idaho
• 78.2% - Allen
  

Power Play Goals Scored

• 71 - Idaho
• 49 - Allen

Plus/Minus

• +203: Idaho
• -174: Allen
  

Goals Against Average (GAA)

• 3.31 - Idaho
• 3.78 - Allen
  

 

Save Percentage

• .904 - Allen
• .897 - Idaho

 

Record Last 10 Games

• 7-3-0-0 - Idaho
• 6-3-1-0 - Allen

 

- The question that will be answered over the next week is whether Allen can outperform its regular season results in the playoffs. The answer to that question is yes, especially if you look at the Americans playoff roster. Allen enters the series with all 22 players healthy which was not the case during the regular season. In addition, Allen's lineup has more depth than it did during the regular season games against Idaho. Allen played Idaho 11 times during the regular season. Here is a list of the players on the playoff roster with how many of the 11 games they played against Idaho. Idaho will get Allen's best in this series:

• 0 games - Kameron Kielly
• 0 games - Chaz Smedsrud
• 0 games - James Hardie
• 0 games - Justin Allen 
• 2 games - Liam Finlay
• 3 games - Mikael Robidoux
• 6 games - Blake Murray
• 6 games - Bennett MacArthur
• 6 games - Grant Hebert
• 6 games - Colin Jacobs
• 6 games - Nolan Orzeck
• 6 games - Ty Farmer
  
• 7 games - Ryan Gagnon 
• 7 games - Andrew Jarvis
  
• 8 games - Colby McAuley
• 9 games - Hank Crone
• 9 games - Easton Brodzinski
• 9 games - Ty Fournier
• 11 games - Kris Myllari
• 11 games - Eric Williams 

- One of the stats that presents the biggest challenge for Allen is goal differential. During the regular season Allen scored an average of 3.24 goals per game and allowed an average of 3.83 goals per game for a goal differential of  -0.59. Idaho's numbers are 4.21 goals scored and 3.36 goals allowed for a goal differential of +0.85.

If you compare the 11 head to head games Allen averaged 3.18 goals per game and Idaho averaged 4.45. It was feast or famine for Allen. In the Americans three wins against the Steelheads they averaged 5.33 goals per game. In the eight losses Allen averaged 2.38 goals per game and in six of the eight losses scored two or fewer goals. 

It is not this simple but in a broad way Allen has two choices in how it plays this series. The Americans can play a style to reduce the goals allowed or increase its goals scored. The winning team in the 11 games played during the regular season had five or more goals in nine of the games. The other two games the winning team had four and three goals. While team defense will be critical in this series the Americans will not be successful if their goal is to win games 2-1 or 3-2. Allen's mentality has to be more like the first team to five goals will win the game.

 

- Allen does not want to play from behind in this series as Idaho is lethal with a lead. The Steelheads have the best record in the league when they score first. Allen's record is good when it scores the first goal at 22-8-1-1 (.719) but Idaho is almost unbeatable when it scores first with a record of 34-3-1-2 (.888). Odds are pretty good the team that scores first in this series wins the game.

Another stat that says beware of playing from behind against Idaho is goal differential by period. Allen has struggled in the second period most of the season. The Americans score more goals in the second period (85) than any other period but have allowed the most second period goals in the league (110). That is a second period goal differential of -25. Idaho on the other hand scored more second period goals (122) than any other team in the ECHL and allowed just 77 for a second period goal differential of +45. The second periods of this series will be critical. 

You combine Idaho's dominance in the second period with its record of 36-1-1-0 when leading after the second period and you can see why Allen can't play from behind in this series. If Allen can play with the lead the Americans are almost as dominant. The Americans record with a second period lead is 25-2-1-1.

 

- I will have more series preview tomorrow, but if you want to delve deep into the stats checkout this series preview that was issued by Idaho. It covers all of the regular season stats, previous playoffs between these teams, head to head stats and playoff experience of the Idaho players. If you are a stats geek you will love this preview: https://idahosteelheads.com/news/2024/04/idaho-vs-allen-mountain-division-semifinals-series-preview      

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- The Belleville Senators clinched fourth place in the AHL North Division and will play the fifth place  Toronto Marlies in a best of three series in opening round of the playoffs. The games are scheduled for Wednesday (24th), Friday (26th) and Sunday (28th). The soonest Belleville's season could be over is Friday night if Toronto sweeps the Senators. The hope for help from Belleville is still alive, barely!

 

- The EIHL championship game is today and pits the Sheffield Steelers against the Belfast Giants in a one game winner take all event. Sheffield has been the best team in the league all season and is going for the EIHL grand slam which is winning the regular season, a tournament during the season called the Challenge Cup and the playoffs. Allen is well represented on the Sheffield team. Colton Saucerman, Brett Neumann and Dominic Cormier play for the Stellers. Neumann was injured in the semi-final game yesterday and from what I understand will miss the championship game today.  

 

- Here is where the ECHL playoff series stand:

• North Division
• #1 Adirondack trails #4 Maine 1-0
• #2 Norfolk leads #3 Trois Riviéres 2-1

• South Division
• #1 Greenville vs #4 Orlando play first game today
• #2 Jacksonville leads #3 Florida 1-0

• Central Division
• #1 Toledo leads #4 Kalamazoo 2-0
• #2 Indy and #3 Wheeling are tied 1-1

• #1 Kansas City leads #4 Tulsa 3-0
• #2 Idaho vs #3 Allen play first game on Monday

  So far the higher seeds have a record of 9-3.

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about teams that won 20 or more home games and road games. Since joining the ECHL Allen has accomplished it twice. In 2016-17 Allen won 25 home games and 24 road games. In 2014-15 Allen won 24 home games, 24 road games and topped the season off with its first Kelly Cup.

Consistent excellence. Five ECHL teams had 20+ home wins and 20+ road wins this season and all are in contention for the Kelly Cup. Two of the five also had 20+ home wins and 20+ road wins in 2022-23:

 

2023-24

Kansas City: 25H, **29A

*Idaho: 24H, 24A

Toledo: 23H, 25A

Greenville: 23H, 21A

*Jacksonville: 21H, 21A

 

*Only ECHL teams with 20+ wins, home and away, last two seasons.

 

**All time ECHL record for road wins in a single season.

 

  

 

 

Long Wait About Over for Allen, Playoffs Early Results, First Round Observations, Belleville Clinches Playoffs, Contracted Player Games, Allen's 15 Year Playoff Results

 

If it seems like it has taken forever for Allen's first round playoff series to start it is well founded. Of the eight first round series the Allen vs Idaho matchup will be the last to commence (Monday, April 22). However, once the series begins things will go very fast. In fact it will take only one day less to play the series than the wait the Americans had between the last game of the regular season and their first playoff game. If the series with Idaho goes seven games it will mean seven games in 10 days with two trips to Idaho.

 

- The Americans will have a final practice today before flying to Boise on Sunday. Having been at all of the practices this week it is clear to me the coaches and players have put in the time and effort to be ready for this series. Plus the team is as healthy as it has been for a long time. All 22 players on the playoff roster are ready to go. I will delve into the nuts and bolts of this series the next two days, but here is one stat that may help understand how the Americans will have to play to beat Idaho. Allen won three times against Idaho during the regular season and scored five, six and five goals in the wins. Allen scored two or fewer goals six times and lost all six games. Tight low scoring games tend to play into Idaho's strengths. Allen will have to play a more offensive style to be successful. More details tomorrow.   

- While Allen has been waiting, the Kansas City vs Tulsa series is in full swing. The Mavericks won again last night and already have a 3-0 lead in the series. Kansas City can close out the series and be waiting for its second round opponent before Allen vs Idaho completes its first game. Both series play Monday, but with the time difference the Kansas City vs Tulsa games will be completed earlier.

- Six of the eight playoff series are already underway. Here is where they stand:

• North Division
• #1 Adirondack trails #4 Maine 1-0
• #2 Norfolk is tied with #3 Trois Riviéres 1-1

• South Division
• #1 Greenville vs #4 Orlando play first game on Sunday
• #2 Jacksonville leads #3 Florida 1-0

• Central Division
• #1 Toledo leads #4 Kalamazoo 1-0
• #2 Indy leads #3 Wheeling 1-0

• #1 Kansas City leads #4 Tulsa 3-0
• #2 Idaho vs #3 Allen play first game on Monday

- A few observations on the first round playoff series:

• Tulsa made the playoffs with a win against Allen in the last game of the regular season. It was a meaningless game for Allen and if you watched the game the Americans did not give a good effort. That 4-1 win over Allen to get the Oilers into the playoffs is Tulsa's only win since March 22. Over the last nine games Tulsa's record in 1-7-2-0. 
• Toledo had the second best points percentage in the ECHL during the regular season (.739) and won the Central Division by 19 points. Conventional wisdom would say the Walleye would easily get to the Conference finals, However their first round opponent, #4 seed Kalamazoo gave Toledo fits during the regular season. Toledo was 4-7-2-0 against Kalamazoo. The Walleye won game one of the playoffs last night but it wasn't easy. Kalamazoo took a 2-0 lead in the game before Toledo came back to win in overtime. This is a #1 vs #4 series to keep an eye on.
  
• Florida got off to a poor start in its attempt to become the first team in ECHL history to three-peat. The Everblades are the #3 seed in the South Division and got shutout 4-0 by #2 seed Jacksonville in game one. 
• The higher seeds win the vast majority of first round series. It is very early in the first round but the higher seeds are 7-2 so far.
• I am not a big fan of FloHockey but once the ECHL playoffs start it is nice there is no extra charge for the playoffs for annual memberships and switching from series to series and between home and away broadcasts is easy. Switching between games also allows viewers to compare the difference in production from team to team. I was switching between the Kansas City at Tulsa game and Kalamazoo at Toledo game last night and the production contrast could not have been more stark. Tulsa uses one camera with a very long shot for the entire game. Toledo uses multiple cameras from various angles with closeups of the action and the benches. The Tulsa feed was almost unwatchable while the Toledo feed was very professional with use of graphics and long form interviews between period interviews. 

 

- The Belleville Senators beat the Laval Rocket 3-2 last night to clinch a Calder Cup playoff spot. It was one of those rare games that Laval had to win in regulation time to keep its playoff hope alive. Belleville tied the score 2-2 late in the third period (14:18) on a power play goal. That forced Laval to pull its goalie to try and win the game. Belleville scored and empty net goal with one second remaining to take the win 3-2. 

 

- Belleville has its final game today and will finish in either fourth or fifth place in the North Division. The fourth and fifth place teams will play a best of three series with the winner becoming the #4 seed in the North Division playoffs. Tomorrow (Sunday) is the final day of the AHL season. It is possible the best of three series Belleville will play could take place next week and be over before the weekend. Dates can't be set until the season ends because the standings are so close. Bottom line is don't give up on Belleville sending Meriläinen and/or Fizer to Allen before the conclusion of the Americans series with Idaho. It may be a slim chance but definitely a chance.

 

- Here is my ECHL Stats post from this morning:

Total regular season ECHL games played by NHL/AHL contracted players for the 16 ECHL teams in the Kelly Cup playoffs. The number in parenthesis is the number of games of the total played by NHL/AHL contracted goalies. A big variance (271 games) from top to bottom on this list:

 

462: Trois Riviéres (61)

461: Wheeling (47)

443: Indy (69)

440: Florida (72)

436: Orlando (77)

420: Kansas City (55)

402: Maine (40)

342: Norfolk (64)

336: Kalamazoo (41)

323: Adirondack (57)

293: Tulsa (66)

280: Jacksonville (23)

260: Toledo (73)

230: Idaho (50)

193: Allen (42)

191: Greenville (67)

 

Allen is at the bottom of this list, but when you look behind the numbers it tells the story of how little help the Americans have received from its affiliate. If you subtract the goalie games (42) from the total the number is 151. Next you need to subtract games played by NHL/AHL contracted players that Chad Costello recruited. 132 games were played by Hank Crone, 40 games (Chicago - AHL), Blake Murray 49 games (Carolina - NHL) and Bennett MacArthur 43 games (Tampa Bay - NHL). Subtracting these 132 games leaves just 19 games played by skaters provided by Ottawa/Belleville (defensemen - 4 games, forwards 15 games). I think this paltry number of skaters deserves a C'MON MAN!

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: You often hear the culture when you play for the Allen Americans is different. Many franchises consider it a successful season if the team makes the playoffs. When you have a franchise like Allen, that made it to the championship finals in its first season in existence and won an unprecedented four straight championships, making the playoffs is not considered a successful season. Here is the playoff history over the 15 years of the Allen Americans franchise. The coach is in parenthesis:

 

2009-10: Lost in finals (Dwight Mullins)

2010-11: Lost in third round (Dwight Mullins)

2011-12: Lost in first round (Dwight Mullins)

2012-13: Won championship (Steve Martinson)

2013-14: Won championship (Steve Martinson)

2014-15: Won championship (Steve Martinson)

2015-16: Won championship (Steve Martinson)

2016-17: Lost in second round (Steve Martinson)

2017-18: Lost in first round (Steve Martinson)

2018-19: Missed playoffs (Steve Martinson)

2019-20: No playoffs (Steve Martinson)

2020-21: Lost in second round (Steve Martinson)

2021-22: Lost in first round (Steve Martinson)

2022-23: Lost in second round (Chad Costello)

2023-24: ???????????

 

 

Playoff Preparation, NHL/AHL Contracted Games Played Comparison, Regular Season Schedules Compared, Playoff Opening Round Historical Results and More

 

While some ECHL teams had two days to prepare for the Kelly Cup playoffs the Allen Americans have seven days, the longest playoff prep time ever. After two days of full speed practices the team will take a day off the ice today and devote time to video review. The coaching staff has spent an inordinate amount of time going through every aspect of a hockey game looking at video from Allen's recent games, Idaho's recent games and the head-to-head games this season. The result of all of that work will be shared with the team in a video review session today followed by a team dinner tonight. Then there will be two more full speed practices before the team leaves for Idaho on Sunday.

 

- Watching practice the last two days you could see the intensity ramp up from day one to day two. Lack of preparation will not be an issue in this series. The week off always raises concerns about rust but there are certainly advantages for the Americans. A lot of players were dinged up to the point of missing games. A week without contact means the entire roster will be ready to go for ths series.

 

- Another advantage of the week off relates to help from Belleville. The Senators won last night 2-1 in a shootout. The win gives Belleville a four point lead for the final playoff spot with two games remaining. Five of seven teams in the North Division make the playoffs. Belleville is in fifth place with 78 points and Laval is in sixth place with 74 points. As fate would have it the last two games of the season for these teams is a home and home against each other on Friday and Saturday. Belleville needs one point from the two games to clinch a playoff spot. If Laval gets all four points the teams will be tied, but Laval owns the tiebreaker so will make the playoffs. If Belleville misses the playoffs you could see Leevi Meriläinen and Tarun Fizer assigned to Allen before the start of the series with Idaho. It is a long shot, but certainly possible.

 

- I will have an in-depth Allen vs Idaho series preview later in the week but today want to share some miscellaneous stats and information I dug up this week. 

 

- Of the 23 players on Allen's opening day roster just 10 are on the playoff roster. Here are the players used during the regular season by the four Mountain Division playoff teams. The number of NHL/AHL contracted players each team used is in parenthesis:

• 50 - Tulsa  (9)
  
• 48 - Allen (9)
  
• 47 - Idaho (6)
  
• 36 - Kansas City (11)  

- If you notice the number of NHL/AHL contracted players used by each playoff team was relatively close so I decided to look deeper at how many ECHL games did the NHL/AHL contracted players play for each team. 

• 420 games - Kansas City
• 293 games - Tulsa
• 230 games - Idaho
• 193 games - Allen  
  

 

- Of  the 193 games played by NHL/AHL contracted players in Allen this season just 61 games were players from the Americans' affiliate Ottawa/ Belleville. 132 games were played by Hank Crone, 40 games (Chicago - AHL), Blake Murray 49 games (Carolina - NHL) and Bennett MacArthur 43 games (Tampa Bay - NHL). If Chad Costello hadn't recruited Murray and MacArthur from other NHL organizations, I doubt the Americans would be in the playoffs.

 

- Another stat I researched yesterday was how frequently there were upsets in the first round of the playoffs. Data across all four division for the last four playoffs is in the DID YOU KNOW section below. If you look at the Mountain Division, since Allen joined the ECHL in 2014-15 there has never been a first round upset. Over seven season (2020 no playoffs, 2021 short playoffs) here are the series records:

• #1 seeds vs #4 seeds: #1 seeds were 7-0 (3 of the 7 series did go 7 games)
• #2 seeds vs #3 seeds: #2 seeds were 7-0 (3 of the 7 series did go 7 games)
  

 

- The Mountain Division playoffs got underway last night with #1 seed Kansas City defeating #4 seed Tulsa 4-2. Tulsa took a 1-0 lead 40 seconds after the opening puck drop, led 2-0 at the midpoint of the game and took a 2-1 lead into the second intermission. The Mavericks were the most prolific goal scoring team in the third period, by far, during the regular season with a goal differential of  +60. It was not a surprise that Kansas City outscored Tulsa 3-0 in the third period to win the game 4-2  

- Two teams in the Mountain Division playoffs had a losing record during the regular season (Allen & Tulsa) and that is very rare. Just one other playoff team (Atlanta, 2017-18) has entered the playoffs with a losing record since Allen joined the ECHL in 2014-15. When you consider the Mountain Division has the #1 team (.792) Kansas City and #3 team (.694) Idaho in the ECHL it makes sense the other teams in the division will have lower points percentages. The Mountain Division schedule is heavily inter-divisional, but even within the division some teams played Kansas City and Idaho more than others. Kansas City and Idaho had a combined record of of 87-25-6-2 (.765) against the other five teams in the division. Here is how many times the five division teams played Kansas City and Idaho combined:

• 26 times - Allen (11 home, 15 away)
  
• 23 times - Rapid City (12 home, 11 away)
  
• 23 times - Utah (10 home, 13 away)
  
• 18 times - Wichita (7 home, 11 away)
  
• 17 times - Tulsa (13 home, 4 away)

 

- It is pretty clear Allen had the toughest schedule with the most games against Kansas City and Idaho (26) and the most road games (15). Add to the division games Allen's schedule outside the division and it is even more telling.

 

Atlanta - When the Americans played Atlanta early in the season the Gladiators were the best team in the league in the midst of what would become the second longest winning streak from the start of the season (8 games) in the history of the ECHL.

 

Adirondack - Adirondack arrived in Allen late in the season as the #1 team in the North Division and maintained that position and is the #1 seed in the division playoffs. 

 

Kalamazoo - Allen's third opponent outside the division is also a playoff team. Kalamazoo is the #4 seed in the Central Division and had a .556 points percentage in the regular season. 

Bottom line is Allen had the toughest schedule in the division and needed a seven game point streak with six wins to make the playoffs. For the second season Allen played its best hockey at the end of the season and finished #2 (2022-23) and #3 in the division. FYI, only three division teams (Allen, Idaho, Kansas City) have made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. 

DID YOU KNOW: How frequently are there upsets in the opening round of the Kelly Cup playoffs? The answer is very rare for the #1 seeds and rare for the #2 seeds. Here are the series records in the first round of the last four ECHL seven game playoffs (2023, 2022, 2019, 2018). There were no playoffs in 2020 and the playoffs were best of five series in 2021.

 

 #1 vs #4 seeds: #1 seeds were 15-1. The only #4 seed to win a first round series was in the South Division. In 2023, #4 Florida beat #1 South Carolina 4-2 on the way to its second straight Kelly Cup.

 

 #2 vs #3 seeds: #2 seeds were 12-4. The #3 seeds to win first round series were:

 

2022

#3 Jacksonville beat #2 Atlanta 4-0

#3 Wheeling beat #2 Fort Wayne 4-3

 

2019

#3 Manchester beat #2 Adirondack 4-1

 

2018

#3 Orlando defeated #2 South Carolina 4-0

 

 

- In the Mountain Division the #1 and #2 seeds were a perfect 8-0 in the first round in 2023, 2022, 2019, 2018.

 

 

-The 2024 Kelly Cup playoffs got underway last night with two games, the higher seeds won both.

#1 seed Kansas City beat #4 seed Tulsa 4-2 in the Mountain Division.

#2 seed Norfolk beat #3 seed Trois Rivières 4-2 in the North Division.

Playoff Roster, Comparing Mountain Division Playoff Teams, Allen Home Record by Day and Jersey, 2024-25 Jersey Plans, Ironman Club and More

 

The Kelly Cup playoffs kick off tomorrow night with two of the eight first round series getting underway. The Allen vs Idaho series will be the last one to start (April 22) so the Americans have a full week to prepare. The Kansas City vs Tulsa series starts tomorrow (April 17) and if the Mavericks sweep the series it will be over the same day Allen is playing game one.

 

- The big news yesterday was the release of the Allen Americans playoff roster. The ECHL will issue a press release with all of the playoff rosters today, but individual teams can put out their list if they desire and that is what Allen did yesterday afternoon. Here is the playoff roster:  

  

 - Who is not on the list? There was some hope Colton Hargrove might be ready at some point if Allen made the playoffs but it was not to be. Coach Costello saved two roster spots for Tarun Fizer and Leevi Meriläinen who will be assigned to Allen when Belleville finishes its season. That date could be as soon Belleville's final game (April 20) if they don't make the playoffs. The Senators are currently in the fifth and last playoff spot in the division. If Belleville makes the playoffs (first round is best three) it is hard to tell when its season will end. 

- To fit within the playoff roster limit of 24 players, three players had to be released. Those three players were Solag Bakich, Gavin Gould and Dalton Skelly. It is never easy to see players released at this time of year, but you never know, you could see them back in Allen next season.

 

- Many years ago I started what I called the Barry the Blogger Matrix to compare division playoff teams and come up with a numerical score to predict playoff success. Below is how the four teams in the Mountain Division playoffs stand in 12 statistical categories. Fairly easy to see the strengths and weaknesses (if any) of each team. Because Kansas City and Idaho were so much better than the rest of the division during the regular season, the outcome of this matrix was predictable. 


Goals Scored (average per game)

• 4.24 - Kansas City
• 4.21 - Idaho
• 3.24 - Allen
• 3.98 - Tulsa
  

Goals Allowed (average per game)

• 2.81 - Kansas City
• 3.24 - Tulsa
• 3.36 - Idaho
• 3.83 - Allen
  

Shots For (average per game)

• 36.94 - Tulsa
• 35.79 - Idaho
• 33.03 - Kansas City
• 30.22 - Allen
  

Shots Against (average per game)

• 29.58 - Kansas City
• 30.61 - Tulsa
• 32.35 - Idaho
• 39.90 - Allen
  

Shooting Percentage (goals as a percent of total shots)

• 12.8% - Kansas City
• 11.8% - Idaho
• 10.6% - Allen
• 8.3% - Tulsa
  

Power Play Percentage

• 28.5% - Idaho
• 21.3% - Kansas City
• 20.2% - Allen
• 18.8% - Tulsa
  

Penalty Kill Percentage

• 79.3% - Kansas City
• 79.2% - Idaho
• 78.2% - Allen
• 76.8% - Tulsa
  

Power Play Goals Scored

• 71 - Idaho
• 57 - Kansas City
• 49 - Allen
• 42 - Tulsa
  

Plus/Minus

• +409: Kansas City
• +203: Idaho
• -7: Tulsa
• -174: Allen
  

Goals Against Average (GAA)

• 2.75 - Kansas City
• 3.19 - Tulsa
• 3.31 - Idaho
• 3.78 - Allen
  

 

Save Percentage

• .906 - Kansas City
• .904 - Allen
• .897 - Idaho
• .895 - Tulsa
  

 

Record Last 10 Games

• 9-1-0-0 - Kansas City
• 7-3-0-0 - Idaho
• 6-3-1-0 - Allen
• 3-5-2-0 - Tulsa
  

- Finally, I tallied up the rank for each team in every category to get an overall score. The lower the score the better. If you finished first in every category you would get a final score of 12. Kansas City was first in nine of the 12 categories. Here are the results:

• 16 - Kansas City
• 26 - Idaho
• 38 - Tulsa
• 40 - Allen
  

 - Based on the stats it is no surprise Kansas City comes out as a big favorite over Tulsa and Idaho is a big favorite over Allen. If Kansas City and Idaho make it to the division finals this matrix gives Kansas City a good sized edge. 

 

- Another metric to consider is how these teams did against each other during the regulars season:

• Kansas City was 6-1-1-0 against Tulsa
• Idaho was 8-3-0-0 against Allen
• Kansas City was 4-1-1-0 against Idaho
• Kansas City was 11-4-0-0 against Allen
• Idaho was 5-4-0-0 against Tulsa  

 

- I will have more series preview information later in the week as the Idaho series gets closer. In the meantime here are a couple of other topics of interest:

 

- Here is a breakdown of Allen's home record in two ways. First by the day of the week and second by which jersey the team was wearing. Those of you that are superstitious can adjust accordingly. The percentage is win rate not points percentage:

• 8-3: Friday (72.7%)
• 4-2: Wednesday (66.7%)
• 2-4: Sunday (33.3%)
• 3-9: Saturday (25.0%)
• 0-1: Monday (0.0%)

• 7-3: Texas Jersey (72.7%)
• 6-3: Red Jersey (66.7%)
• 2-6: White Jersey (25.0%)
• 2-7: Specialty Jersey (22.2%)

 

- For those of you that are interested in jerseys here is the tentative plan for next season. The team will have four different jerseys. The blue/Texas jersey will return. It has been the most popular jersey in team history. There will not be a white jersey next season. In addition to the traditional red jersey the team will have a light grey jersey and a black jersey.  

- The ECHL Stats post below is about the ECHL Ironmen this season. Kris Myllari once again played every game this season. It is hard to overestimate the value of a player that never misses a game in a single season, let alone for three straight seasons. Here is a list of the Allen Americans exclusive Ironman's club:

 

• 2023-24 - Kris Myllari
• 2022-23 - Kris Myllari, Ryan Gagnon
  
• 2021-22 - Kris Myllari 
• 2020-21 - Les Lancaster
• 2019-20 - None
• 2018-19 - Spencer Asuchak  
• 2017-18 - Joel Chouinard, Casey Pierro-Zabotel
• 2016-17 - Chad Costello, Joel Chouinard
• 2015-16 - Chad Costello
• 2014-15 - Chad Costello, Aaron Gens, Jamie Schaafsma
• 2013-14 - Spencer Asuchak, Daniel Tetrault, Mike Berube
• 2012-13 - Jamie Schaafsma, Jason Deitsch
• 2011-12 - Jason Deitsch
• 2010-11 - Colton Yellow Horn, David Strathman
• 2009-10 - Bruce Graham, Christian Gaudet  
  

 

 

DID YOU KNOW:

 

THE IRONMEN

 

1062 players played in the ECHL this season. Just 30 of them (2.8%) played in every game for their team. Stick taps to all 30 Ironmen, but especially to these four multi year Ironmen:

 

Haven’t miss a game the last three seasons:

Kris Myllari, Allen

Tyler Penner, Utah

 

Haven’t missed a game the last two seasons:

Alex Aleardi, Rapid City

Patrick Polino, Cincinnati 

 

How do you play in more than 72 games in a season? One player, Jesse Jacques, played in 74 games this season. He played 22 games for Iowa, was traded, and played 52 games for Orlando.

 

 

 

Regular Season Ends, Playoffs Begin, Game Recap, Playoff Roster, ECHL Playoff Schedules, Overseas Playoffs and More

 

The Allen Americans finished the regular season yesterday with a 4-1 loss in Tulsa. Not going to spend much time recapping the game that was meaningless for the Americans and very important to Tulsa. With the win the Oilers claimed the final playoff spot in the Mountain Division and eliminated Utah.

 

- Allen managed to score the first goal of the game at the 8:12 mark of the opening period on a power play goal by Blake Murray, his 21st goal of the season. Liam Finlay and Hank Crone had the assists. Unfortunately that was the extent of Allen's offense for the game. 

 

-  If I told you Crone had two thirds of a Gordie Howe hat trick in the meaningless last game of the season and the third he was missing was a goal, most would be very surprised. In the third period Hank had his second professional fight, his first was in Reading last season. Not sure if it was part of the plan, but by fighting right off a faceoff, Crone not only earned a five minute major but a game misconduct based on the new fighting rule that prohibits fighting immediately before or right after a faceoff. 

- Here is the recap from the Allen Americans if you want more details about the game: https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/04/americans-fall-in-the-regular-season-finale

 

- I am sure it took very little time after the game for Chad Costello to switch from coach Costello to general manager Costello. That is because by 2:00 pm this afternoon (Allen time) Costello has to submit his playoff roster which will require some tough decisions. There can be 24 players on the playoff roster which includes 20 on the active roster that must fit under the salary cap and four players on reserve. FYI, players can move back and fourth between the active roster and reserve at any time. Here are the details:

• By my count there are 25 players on Allen's current roster that could be placed on the playoff roster.
• If Costello wants to save roster spots for the two players in Belleville (Meriläinen & Fizer) who are qualified for the ECHL playoffs, he can only put 22 of the 25 players on the current roster on the playoff roster.   
• Because the roster Costello submits today is set for the entire playoffs one consideration is how many defensemen and forwards should be on the playoff roster. If you remember, last year in Idaho injuries caused Allen to play with four and sometimes three defensemen. That experience could mean you will see eight defensemen on the playoff roster.
• My opinion is you have to save two roster spots for the Belleville players. The AHL regular season is over on Saturday (20th) and Allen's first playoff game is the following Monday (22nd). Currently Belleville is in fifth place in the seven team AHL North Division, but five of the seven teams make the playoffs. Belleville has three games remaining, two against Laval, the team in sixth place in the standings. If Bellevile loses twice to Laval and its third game against Syracuse (#1 team in the division) the Senators would miss the playoffs and you could see Meriläinen and Fizer join Allen before the start of the playoffs. If Belleville does make the playoffs the first round is best of three.
• The bottom line is when the playoff roster is released there will be some players missing that have helped Allen get to the playoffs. Some tough decisions for Chad Costello today.  

 

- If you haven't seen the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoff schedule here is the complete list. All series in the playoffs will be best-of-seven series.

North Division Semifinals

#1 Adirondack Thunder (43-18-11) vs. #4 Maine Mariners (32-32-8)
Game 1 – Friday, April 19 at 7 p.m. ET at Adirondack
Game 2 – Sunday, April 21 at 5 p.m. ET at Adirondack
Game 3 – Friday, April 26 at 7:15 p.m. ET at Maine
Game 4 – Saturday, April 27 at 6 p.m. ET at Maine
Game 5 – Sunday, April 28 at 3 p.m. ET at Maine (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m. ET at Adirondack (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Wednesday, May 1 at 7 p.m. ET at Adirondack (If Necessary)
 
#2 Norfolk Admirals (41-21-7) vs. #3 Trois-Rivières Lions (31-30-8)
Game 1 – Wednesday, April 17 at 7 p.m. ET at Trois-Rivières
Game 2 – Friday, April 19 at 7 p.m. ET at Trois-Rivières
Game 3 – Saturday, April 20 at 7 p.m. ET at Trois-Rivières
Game 4 – Wednesday, April 24 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Norfolk
Game 5 – Saturday, April 27 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Norfolk (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Sunday, April 28 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Norfolk (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Wednesday, May 1 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Norfolk (If Necessary)
 
South Division Semifinals
 
#1 Greenville Swamp Rabbits (44-23-5) vs. #4 Orlando Solar Bears (38-24-10)
Game 1 – Sunday, April 21 at 3:05 p.m. ET at Greenville
Game 2 – Monday, April 22 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Greenville
Note: Dates for games 3-5 in Orlando will be announced on Monday, pending NBA Playoffs schedule
Game 6 – Tuesday, April 30 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Greenville (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Wednesday, May 1 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Greenville (If Necessary)
 
#2 Jacksonville Icemen (42-23-7) vs. #3 Florida Everblades (40-23-9)
Game 1 – Thursday, April 18 at 7 p.m. ET at Jacksonville
Game 2 – Sunday, April 21 at 3 p.m. ET at Jacksonville
Game 3 – Wednesday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Florida
Game 4 – Friday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Florida
Game 5 – Saturday, April 27 at 7 p.m. ET at Florida (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m. ET at Jacksonville (If Necessary)
Game 7 –Wednesday, May 1 at 7 p.m. ET at Jacksonville (If Necessary)
 
Central Division Semifinals

#1 Toledo Walleye (48-14-9) vs. #4 Kalamazoo Wings (38-30-4)
Game 1 – Friday, April 19 at 7:15 p.m. ET at Toledo
Game 2 – Saturday, April 20 at 7:15 p.m. ET at Toledo
Game 3 – Wednesday, April 24 at 7 p.m. ET at Kalamazoo
Game 4 – Friday, April 26 at 7 p.m. ET at Kalamazoo
Game 5 – Saturday, April 27 at 7:15 p.m. ET at Toledo (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m. ET at Kalamazoo (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Wednesday, May 1 at 7:15 p.m. ET at Toledo (If Necessary)
 
#2 Indy Fuel (39-25-8) vs. #3 Wheeling Nailers (38-28-5)
Game 1 – Friday, April 19 at 7 p.m. ET at Indy
Game 2 – Saturday, April 20 at 7 p.m. ET at Indy
Game 3 – Monday, April 22 at 7:10 p.m. ET at Wheeling
Game 4 – Tuesday, April 23 at 7:10 p.m. ET at Wheeling
Game 5 – Saturday, April 27 at 7 p.m. ET at Wheeling (If Necessary) *
Game 6 – Monday, April 29 at 7 p.m. ET at Indy (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m. ET at Indy (If Necessary)
 
* - Game 5 is at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa.
 
Mountain Division Semifinals
 
#1 Kansas City Mavericks (54-12-6) vs. #4 Tulsa Oilers (30-33-9)
Game 1 – Wednesday, April 17 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Kansas City
Game 2 – Thursday, April 18 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Kansas City
Game 3 – Friday, April 19 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Tulsa
Game 4 – Monday, April 22 at 7:10 p.m. CT at Tulsa
Game 5 – Thursday, April 25 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Tulsa (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Friday, April 26 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Kansas City (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Sunday, April 28 at 4:05 p.m. CT at Kansas City (If Necessary)

#2 Idaho Steelheads (48-20-4) vs. #3 Allen Americans (33-35-4)
Game 1 – Monday, April 22 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Idaho
Game 2 – Wednesday, April 24 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Idaho
Game 3 – Friday, April 26 at 7:10 p.m. CT at Allen
Game 4 – Saturday, April 27 at 4:10 p.m. CT at Allen
Game 5 – Sunday, April 28 at 4:10 p.m. CT at Allen (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Tuesday, April 30 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Idaho (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Wednesday, May 1 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Idaho (If Necessary)

- A couple of things to note in the schedules above. Series are typically 2-3-2 but other factors cause changes:

• #2 Norfolk vs #3 Trois Riviéres (North Division) will be a 3-4 series with Norfolk starting on the road.
• #1 Toledo vs #4 Kalamazoo (Central Division) will be a 2-2-1-1-1 series because the teams are in close proximity to each other (150 miles).
  
• #2 Indy vs #3 Wheeling (Central Division) will be a 2-3-2 series but one of Wheeling's games will be played at the Pittsburgh Penguins practice facility in Cranberry, PA with attendance capacity of under 1000. 

- I have had several questions about Allen's home games in the playoffs. Specifically, the early start time on Saturday (4:10 pm vs 7:10 pm) and the later than normal start time on Sunday (4:10 pm vs 2:10 pm). Here are the answers from team president Jonny Mydra:

• Saturday: "We had much better attendance from families and kids when our Saturday games started at 4:00 pm instead of 7:00 pm this season. We are looking into all Saturday games starting at 4:00 pm next season, so wanted to get another data point on a 4:00 pm start."
• Sunday: "The Sunday game we felt since the teams won't travel back to Boise until Monday, we might as well give the players a little extra time Sunday morning since it will be the third game in as many days."
      

 

OTHER COMMENTS
 

- The ECHL averaged 4981 fans per game this season, an increase of 352 per game over last season. According to the ECHL the average attendance this season is the highest since the 1997-98 season.

 

- In Great Britain the first round of the EIHL playoffs took place over the weekend. Eight teams took part and the final four were determined by aggregate goals over two games. The aggregate scores ranged from 13-5 to 3-2. The final four teams advance to a single elimination tournament next weekend in a neutral site (Nottingham). On Saturday it will be the Sheffield Steelers vs the Guildford Flames and the Cardiff Devils vs the Belfast Giants. The two winners play for the championship on Sunday. The playoff champion will have played four games in a week on the way to the title. Much different than the slog in the ECHL that could take 28 games over a six week period. Here are the former Allen Americans in the final four:

• Sheffield:
• Colton Saucerman (2022-23)
  
• Brett Neumann (2020-21)
  
• Dominic Cormier (2020-21)

• Belfast:
• J.D. Dudek (2021-22)

 

 - Scores of Allen players have played in the EIHL over the years. The league is similar to the style of play in the ECHL and each team is allowed 15 imports (non-homegrown players) on the roster which is much higher than other European leagues. Bruce Graham, Matt Register and Josh Lammon are just three examples of former Allen players that won championships in the EIHL.

- Josh Winquist is another former Allen player (2021-22) with a chance to win a championship in Europe. Josh plays in Denmark and his team (Esbjerg) is in the finals with the best of seven series tied 1-1. Josh has 15 points (7G, 8A) in 16 playoff games. During the regular season he had 50 points (18G, 32A) in 42 games. 

- Here are the Allen Americans players that finished in the top five in ECHL stats during the regular season:

 

• Mikael Robidoux: 5th in PIM (176)
• Colby McAuley: 4th in power play goals (12)
• Kris Myllari: 5th in power play assists (22)
• Gavin Gould: 2nd in shorthanded goals (4)
• Hank Crone: 1st in points per game, 20+ games (1.38)
• Kris Myllari: 2nd in power play goals, defensemen (6)
• Kris Myllari: 4th in power play assists, defensemen (22)
• Kris Myllari: 2nd in power play points, defensemen (28)
   

 

DID YOU KNOW: Four teams from each ECHL division make the playoffs. That means the points percentage for the playoffs teams varies widely by division. Here are the spreads this season:

North: .674 - .500

South: .646 - .597

Central: .739 - .556

Mountain: .792 - .479

 

- The best team to miss the playoffs this season, with a .590 points percentage, is South Carolina who had the 11th best points percentage in the league. Tulsa had the lowest points percentage of any playoff team. The Oilers point percentage of .479 is ranked #19 in the league.

 

- Just four times since 2013-14 teams with losing records made the playoffs, two of the four are this season:

 

2023-24

.479 - Tulsa

.486 - Allen

 

2017-18

.479 - Atlanta

 

2013-14

.333 - Las Vegas*

 

*In 2013-14 in the five team Pacific Division, San Francisco folded mid-season, so the four remaining teams all made the playoffs. That meant the worst team in the league, Las Vegas, with a .333 points percentage and record of 22-44-4-4 made the playoffs. Las Vegas was swept 4-0 in the first round by Alaska, the eventual Kelly Cup champion.