Saturday, December 19, 2015

Road Trip Goes From Bad To Worse For Allen, Lose 6-3 to Idaho, Chance For Redemption Tonight

The frustrating road trip continued for the Allen Americans last night losing to the Idaho Steelheads 6-3 before a crowd of 4078 at CenturyLink Arena. After spending the better part of two days just to make it to Boise (they ended up getting off the bus and flying) just in time for the game, the Americans came out flying in the first period. They out shot Idaho 15-5 and killed off a five minute major penalty (Justin Courtnall got a game misconduct for boarding) but all the Americans got for their effort was a 1-1 tie after the first period. Allen had leads of 2-1 early in the second period and 3-2 early in the third period but couldn't hold them. The roof fell on Allen in the third period as Idaho scored four unanswered goals including an empty net goal to make the final score 6-3.

- All three Allen goals were scored on the power play as they went 3-4. Goal scorers for the Americans were Ian Schultz (4), Tristan King (6) and Eric Roy (6).

- The teams meet again tonight (8:05 CST) and it is obviously important for Allen to salvage two points for the three game road trip that is already one of the worst in team history both in terms of weather and game results. The one good thing about losing the front end of a back to back is you don't have to wait long to do something about the loss.

- Allen has now lost their last three games while Idaho is riding a four game win streak.

- The six goals given up by Allen last night was the fourth time in 26 games they have allowed at least six goals. Last season they gave up six or more goals just four times in 72 games.

- Chad Costello had two assists in the game to increase his league leading points total to 37. Chad has 12 points (4 goals 8 assists) in the last five games. He now leads the ECHL scoring race by eight points.

- Eric Roy had a goal and an assist in the game as he continues to move up the scoring ladder. His 19 points (6 goals 13 assists) make him the second leading scorer on the Americans. He is fourth in scoring among ECHL defensemen and is the top scoring rookie defenseman in the league.

- A couple of the most striking stats when you compare last season to this season is goal differential and plus/minus. Last season Allen scored 89 more goals than they allowed. After 26 games this season they have scored just two more goals than they have allowed. Last season the Americans had a team plus/minus of +291. After 26 games this year they are -24.

- Despite their inconsistent play and three game losing streak Allen still has the fourth best winning percentage (.596) in the Western Conference.

- If you didn't have a chance to watch the game you can see the highlights by visiting the ECHL website (echl.com) and going to the "ECHL Rewind" section. All three Allen power play goals were excellent passing plays with some great finishes.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Don't look for any roster changes over the next week as the Christmas waiver/trade freeze went into effect last night at 5:00 pm EST. The freeze ends on the 26th at noon. Doesn't mean coach Martinson won't be working the phones but any transactions regarding waivers or trades will have to wait until after Christmas.

- In other Central Division action last night Wichita beat Tulsa 3-2 in overtime and Missouri beat Cincinnati 5-2. Here are the standings:
41 points - Missouri
31 points - Allen
23 points - Tulsa
15 points - Wichita

- The Central Division represents the best and the worst of the ECHL when it comes to points. Missouri leads the league with 41 points and Wichita has the fewest points in the league with 15.

- The San Jose Barracuda (AHL) lost 3-2 in overtime last night to the San Diego Gulls. Greger Hanson played but did not factor in the scoring. Daniel Doremus is currently out with an injury.

DID YOU KNOW: In the odd stat category, Allen fan favorite Spencer Asuchak, who now plays for the Chicago Wolves (AHL) has struggled scoring goals this year. Spencer has light the lamp in only one of the 20 games he has played for the Wolves. But in that one game he scored three goals and was named the games #1 star.

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