The teams square off in the first of a two-game series at CUTX Event Center.
In one of two games on the ECHL schedule Tuesday night, the Tahoe Knight Monsters travel to Allen to face the Americans in the opener of a two-game series. It’s the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.
The Knight Monsters (8-6-2) find themselves fifth in the Mountain Division, just one point in front of the Americans. They continue a road trip that saw them drop two of three to the Idaho Steelheads last week. It marked the first time this season Tahoe has dropped back-to-back games in regulation.
Tahoe has scored first in 11 of its 16 games, but have had trouble maintaining that momentum throughout the rest of the game. Over their two-game losing streak, the second period has been their undoing, as the Steelheads tallied seven goals combined in the middle frame.
Simon Pinard leads the Knight Monsters with 16 points (10-6-16) and also leads in goals. Sloan Stanick is having a solid rookie campaign. He’s tied for the team lead with Bear Hughes in assists (9) and ranks second on the team with 15 points (6-9-15). He’s fourth among ECHL rookies in power play points with six (1-5-6).
The Americans (7-6-3) took four of six points against the Rapid City Rush last weekend, winning back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday. Marco Costantini led the charge for Allen on Saturday night, stopping 35 of 36 Rapid City shots to earn the win.
Easton Brodzinski leads Allen with 10 goals on the season, and has recorded two or more points in four of his last five games. He’s currently tied for second on the team in points with 18 (10-8-10).
The Americans hope to start playing better in front of their home crowd. They come into Tuesday 2-3-3 at the CUTX Event Center as opposed to a 5-3-0 record on the road.
Allen has been strong on the power-play this season, ranking third overall in the ECHL at 25.5% (12-for-47). Kyle Crnkovic, Spencer Asuchak, and Brodzinski are tied for the team lead with three power-play goals each. Crnkovic is tied for the league lead with 10 power play points.