Americans prepare to defend Kelly Cup title

ALLEN, Texas – The Allen Americans begin their drive to defend their Kelly Cup Championship this Thursday night against the Idaho Steelheads at the Allen Event Center. Allen finished the regular season in 6th place overall with 83 points (41-24-3-4) putting them 4thin the Western Conference and 2nd in the Central Division behind league leader Missouri.

The Americans and Idaho Steelheads played each other 4 times during the regular season with both clubs going 2-1-1 in their December series.

It was an up and down year for the Americans as they dealt with a host of injuries and AHL call ups, leaving them without some of their top players for long stretches and relying on an emergency backup goaltender for more games than was comfortable. Now heading into the post season the club is looking the healthiest it has in a long time, including having a full stable of three healthy goaltenders.

For the second year in a row Allen has the ECHL leading scorer in Chad Costello, finishing the regular season with 103 points, 24 goals and 79 assists and is the leading candidate for the ECHL MVP award. It’s a solid bet that the Americans will see steady production from Costello, Vincent Arseneau, Tristan King and Gary Steffes but the line of Dyson Stevenson, Greger Hanson and Spencer Asuchak will be one to watch. They were starting to click as the season wound down and if they get going, they will be a force to be reckoned with at either end of the ice.

For the Americans to make a deep run in the playoffs and defend their Kelly Cup title, they will need to be consistent on a nightly basis, something the club has struggled with this season. When they buckle down and play relaxed, Allen is one of the best at moving the puck with precision and ease while creating numerous scoring chances but more importantly, maintaining possession of the puck in the attack zone and the pressure off their goaltender and defense.

If the offense lays back and doesn’t play two-way hockey things quickly unravel for Allen, especially when facing a tenacious forecheck. The Americans have shown bad tendencies and decision making when facing strong pressure in their own end, and have not been as efficient at transitioning the play out of the zone and onto the attack as they should be given the talent level they have. Winning revolves around a cohesive five man unit on the ice on every shift, something the Americans have done well in the previous three years which is evidenced by their three consecutive championships.

With three goaltenders, it will be interesting to see which one steps up and demands Coach Steve Martinson plays him, not by words but by actions. The addition of rookie Jake Hildebrand creates a good selection to choose from and should put pressure on Riley Gill and Joel Rumpel to perform at their highest if they want to be number one.

The Americans special teams finished strong, with the #1 power play at 21.1% compared to Idaho who finished 22nd with the man advantage. Allen is #3 on the penalty kill at 86.4%, hot on the heels of Idaho in the number two spot, so special teams should prove to be a hotly contested battle.

The Allen Americans playoff roster:


Forwards
Justin Courtnall
Gary Steffes
Chad Costello
Greger Hanson
Vincent Arseneau
Tristan King
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Dyson Stevenson
* J.P. LaFontaine
* Kyle Neuber
Spencer Asuchak

Defensemen
Rick Pinkston
* Aaron Gens
Thomas Carr
Eric Roy
David Makowski
Danny Federico
Jordan Rowley
Matt Register

Goaltenders
Jake Hildebrand
Riley Gill
Joel Rumpel