ECHL: Tahoe Knight Monsters Clinch 2026 Kelly Cup Playoff Berth

Key Pieces

The Tahoe Knight Monsters have had no problem finding the back of the net this season as they are averaging 3.56 goals per game and are tied for second in the league with 242 goals, just one behind the Allen Americans and Kansas City Mavericks. They also have five players with at least 20 goals this season (Devon Paliani, Casey Bailey, Sloan Stanick, Trent Swick, and Jack McGrew). Paliani has been the biggest piece of the five, as he’s done a little bit of everything this season for the Knight Monsters, with 30 goals and 30 assists for 60 points, along with 105 PIMs in 68 games. On the blueline, Tahoe has been led by Samuel Mayer, who has 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points in 56 games, along with 93 PIMs.

Special Teams

Tahoe hasn’t had many issues on the PP this season, as they rank fifth in the ECHL (22.1%), which isn’t a surprise given how many weapons they have. However, they are just one of four teams that have over 1,000 penalty minutes this season, and their PK has not been a bright spot, sitting at 22nd (79.3%), and could hurt them in the playoffs.

Goaltending

The goaltending has been iffy at best this season for the Knight Monsters with seven different goaltenders seeing time in the net this season. Newly assigned goaltender Alex Tracy looked solid in his first two pro games, including a 43-save shutout in his pro debut. Jordan Papirny is the other goalie on the roster as he’s seen actions in 35 games this season. In those 35 games, he’s 16-16-3 with a 3.58 GAA an .903SV%.

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