Struggling with injuries, Americans march towards playoffs

ALLEN, Texas – Cupids arrow may have flown true for some lonely hearts this Valentines Day, but the god of love’s aim was off the mark for the Allen Americans. The month of February got off to a rocky start for Allen as some important injury losses plagued the team and tested their depth.
 
The welcome return of former Captain Erik Adams ( Adams is now an Alternate Captain while Jarret Lukin retains the ‘C’) from IR, was balanced by the loss of defenseman Jordie Benn to injury. The Allen defense had already sustained some losses with the departure of Kurtis Dulle to Corpus Christi and Chris Kaufman to the 14 day IR, Kaufman currently leads the Americans in plus/minus at +20.
 
CHL All Star and one of Allen’s leading goal scorers, Justin Bowers, received a call up to Abbotsford of the AHL on January 27. Bowers’ stay with the Heat was to be cut short due to injury, forcing him to miss the month of February with the Americans. Mick Berge, activated from IR to fill Bowers’ spot, also fell to injury within days. In the middle of all this, backup goaltender Charlie Effinger was traded to Missouri as part of a previous deal. The Americans went on to sign Alexandre Vincent to fill Effinger’s slot, placing David McKee on goaltender IR.
 
The past week saw a busy schedule of play in what has already been a hard month on the Americans roster; Allen has a few days to rest, recuperate and regroup. Finishing a tough six games in eight day schedule, the Americans split the week with three wins and three losses. The absence of some key players has been obvious, as each of those wins came in overtime while the losses were in regulation.
 
As the season heads to the home stretch, the Americans are pushing hard to catch the elusive Odessa Jackalopes who have been ahead of them in first place in the Southern Conference all season long. Steadily, the Americans have been closing on their quarry and have caught fleeting glimpses of bushy tails and antlers as the Jacks dart through the brush, but key injuries have slowed their pursuit. As these key players return to the Americans bench, we can expect to see a pitched battle for first place as the season comes to a close.
 
Contact the author at maurice.fitzgerald@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com