Allan earned Merrimack's Freshman of the Year
award and the 7th Player Award as voted by Warrior
fans. |
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Index
of Profiles
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Key Statistics: Allan
played all 34 games for the Warriors and contributed
two goals and nine assists from the blueline. More importantly
he helped Merrimack quadruple its win total from 2006-07.
What He Does: Head coach
Mark Dennehy calls Allan simply "a hockey player,"
and means it as the highest of compliments. Like a good
offensive lineman he doesn't draw attention to himself,
but his hockey intuition can be seen in the little things,
like crisp first passes and impressive one-on-one play.
The Bigger Picture: Allan
was a late recruit and wasn't all that impressive in
preseason fitness testing, so expectations weren't that
high entering his rookie season. He quickly earned the
coaching staff's trust on the ice and could develop
into an elite two-way defenseman. The former all-star
in the Saskatchewan junior league figures to benefit
from a year of off-ice conditioning and weight training
and should be even more comfortable on the power play
this season. His offensive numbers may improve, but
even if they don't, Dennehy is quick to point out that
the Warriors are happy with what they discovered in
this 6-1, 205-pound defenseman.
Merrimack coach Mark Dennehy on
Allan: "This may sound strange, but we
need to play him less. We were giving him upwards of
40 minutes a game, and I think we wore him down. He's
going to get less minutes this year and he'll be even
better for us."
—
Nate Ewell
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