8,158 Witness Sudden-Death Thriller
Published on February 6, 2006 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:
Saturday, February 4- Colorado 2 at Wichita 3 Win (SO)
THIS WEEK'S GAMES:
Wednesday, February 8- Wichita at Colorado 8:05 PM
Friday, February 10- Colorado at Wichita 7:05 PM
Saturday, February 11- Tulsa at Wichita 7:05 PM
PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Friday-Saturday Kansas Coliseum 10:00 AM
THUNDER ROOKIES EDGE EAGLES- Ben Murphy's 10th-round shootout goal, the first goal of his pro career, gave the Thunder a 3-2 win over the high-powered Colorado Eagles, before a frenzied crowd of 8,158 fans on Saturday night at the Kansas Coliseum. The Thunder jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a shorthanded goal by Travis Clayton and a second period goal by Tyler Liebel, before the Eagles tied things up on goals by Matt Desrosiers and Greg Pankewicz. After a scoreless overtime, the two teams endured a nerve-racking shootout. Goaltenders Sebastien Laplante and Jeff Blair stopped the first five shooters each, before Riley Nelson put Colorado up with a sixth-round goal. Rookie Kris Wiebe, attempting his first shootout ever, tied things up, prolonging the sudden-death session, but each team missed their next four opportunities. Following a miss by Nick Parillo in round 10, Ben Murphy beat Blair high to the glove side, sending the Coliseum into pandemonium. Including the shootout, Laplante stopped 49 of 52 Colorado shots, as the Thunder extended their winning streak to a season-high four straight, including five in a row at the Kansas Coliseum.
WHAT A SERIES- For the nearly three seasons of Colorado Eagles hockey, no team has given them more trouble than the Wichita Thunder. In 19 all-time regular season meetings the Thunder are 9-9-1 versus the Eagles, including a 2-2-0 mark this season. Including playoffs, the Thunder are now 14-14-1 versus Colorado, by far the most wins over the Eagles than any other CHL team.
HOME SWEET HOME- With another win this past weekend, the Thunder moved their home record to a CHL-best 17-1-3, a winning percentage of .905. The Thunder record for fewest regulation home losses is four, set by the 1993-94 CHL Champion Thunder Team. Veteran Joe Blaznek has been a force at the Kansas Coliseum, notching 18 goals and 38 points in those 21 games, while goaltender Sebastien Laplante has gone an amazing 14-1-2, with a 2.23 goals against average and a .933 save percentage. Wichita has outscored their opponents 88-57 at the Kansas Coliseum this season.
THUNDER ATTENDANCE KEEPS RISING- With Saturday's attendance of 8,158 fans, the Thunder moved their average attendance to 5,367 fans per game, passing Colorado for the fourth-best attendance in the 15-team CHL. The Thunder also moved within striking distance of the second-place Laredo Bucks (5,540) and third place Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (5,367). With crowds of 8,259 and 8,158 the past two weekends, the Thunder recorded their first back-to-back weekends with two crowds of at least 8,000 people, since all the way back in November of 1993. With 11 home dates left, Wichita's home attendance is the third highest total in their 14-year history.
SHOOTOUT SUCCESS- Saturday's shootout win was Wichita's second straight, after dropping their first three this season. In those last two shootouts, Thunder goaltenders Jon Volp and Sebastien Laplante have stopped 14 out of 15 attempts, moving Wichita into sixth in the CHL for shootout save percentage, at .723%. Unfortunately, Wichita ranks second to last in the CHL, ironically ahead of only the Colorado Eagles, for shootout percentage, at just 18.5%. Wichita is 3-1 all-time versus Colorado in overtime/shootouts, 3-0-0 at the Kansas Coliseum. The 10-round shootout was the sixth longest in Thunder history. The Thunder has played three 12-round, one 11-round and two 10-round shootouts all-time.
THUNDERBOLTS- Joe Blaznek leads the CHL with 17 power play goals and ranks second in the CHL with 31 goals and 62 points...Jason Duda, riding an eight-game scoring streak, ranks fourth in the CHL with 61 points and is second with 44 assists...Travis Clayton is riding a seven-game scoring streak...Sebastien Laplante ranks fourth among CHL goaltenders with 18 wins, just two shy of the CHL lead...Daniel Tetrault ranks third among CHL defensemen with 42 points...Rookie Chris Bain ranks fifth in the CHL with 18 major penalties...Wichita leads the CHL, averaging 31.8 penalty minutes per game...The Thunder have scored a CHL-high 66 power play goals...Wichita has not allowed a power play in their last two games, killing off all 12 opportunities...The Thunder are 17-0-4 when leading after two periods...Wichita is second in the CHL with 11 shorthanded goals.
SATURDAY, MARCH 18th IS PACK THE HOUSE NIGHT VERSUS THE OKLAHOMA CITY BLAZERS "" CHECK THE THUNDER WEBSITE LATER THIS WEEK FOR DETAILS!!
Central Hockey League Stories from February 6, 2006
- Egeland on SportsLine - Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
- SteelHounds Weekly Hockey Report - Youngstown SteelHounds
- Oakley CHL Goaltender & Player of the Week announced - CHL
- Mudbugs weekly release - Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
- 8,158 Witness Sudden-Death Thriller - Wichita Thunder
- The "Buss" Comes to Lubbock - Lubbock Cotton Kings
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
