Thunder continue third period magic
March 22, 2004 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release
COMEBACK NUMBER ONE- DUDA- Trailing 2-1 after two periods, the Thunder again looked for third period magic and found it, this time in the form of veteran Jason Duda. Duda scored a power play goal 1:52 into the third period, and then added the game-winner with less than nine minutes remaining, leading the Thunder to a 3-2 game one victory in Colorado on Friday. Duda finished the night with two goals and an assist, while Adam Calder and Travis Clayton added two points each. Nathan Grobins was stellar between the pipes, stopping 36 of 38 shots.
COMEBACK NUMBER TWO- HRAPCHAK- On Saturday night in Colorado, the Thunder had to dig even deeper, pulling off their biggest comeback of the season. Trailing 3-0 with less than two minutes left in the second period, Travis Clayton gave the Thunder life with a power play goal. In the third, Adam Calder pulled the Thunder within one, before Travis Clayton tied things up with another power play goal. With seven minutes remaining, rookie defenseman Les Hrapchak led the Thunder on a two-on-one break and beat goaltender Ryan Bach for the game-winner. The Thunder outshot the Eagles 14-7 in the third period, after notching just 18 shots in the first two periods. Clayton and Calder led the Thunder with three points each, making a winner out of goaltender Nathan Grobins. The victory was Wichita's 10th this season, when trailing after two periods, by far the most victories in the CHL. All 10 of the come-from-behind wins have come since January 9th.
TOP LINE CONTINUES TORRID PLAY- Through two games, Wichita's top line of Jason Duda, Travis Clayton and Adam Calder continue to tear up the CHL, combining for six goals and 15 points. All three players have notched two goals and five points, including five power play goals and one game-winner. Duda and Clayton are both riding 14-game scoring streaks, while Calder has a point in his last 12 games. Over the last 14 games, the trio has combined for 26 goals and a whopping 73 points. Duda is now the all-time Thunder leader with 35 career playoff games and his 45 career playoff points rank him third behind only Ron Handy (53 points) and Bob Berg (50 points).
ROAD DOMINATION CONTINUES- With two road victories this weekend, the Thunder have gone an unbelievable 14-3-1 in their last 18 road contests. Wichita has won four games in Colorado this season, going 4-1-1. No other CHL team won more than one game at the Budweiser Events Center all season long. The Thunder are now 14-16 all-time in road playoff games.
POWER PLAY HEATS UP AT THE RIGHT TIME- After going through a late-season slump, the Thunder power play unit has exploded in the playoffs, scoring five goals on 16 chances, for a CHL-leading 31.3% clip. The Thunder scored three power play goals on Friday, the first three-goal game since a January 15th shootout win at Memphis. Wichita finished the regular season, 11th in the CHL, at just 15.2%.
AROUND THE CHL- All four CHL playoff series are within one game of being over. Bossier-Shreveport leads Indianapolis, Laredo leads Rio Grande Valley and Amarillo is upsetting San Angelo. The Thunder return to action Friday, while the other three series resume on Saturday.
THUNDER FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF SCHEDULE:
Friday, March 19- Wichita 3 at Colorado 2 Win (Series 1-0 Wichita)
Saturday, March 20- Wichita 4 at Colorado 3 Win (Series 2-0 Wichita)
Friday, March 26- Colorado at Wichita 7:30 PM AM 1070
*Saturday, March 27- Colorado at Wichita 7:30 PM AM 1070
*Monday, March 29- Wichita at Colorado 8:05 PM AM 1070
(Best-of-five series *If Necessary All Times Central)
PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Tuesday-Wednesday Ice Sports Wichita 10:00 AM
Thursday-Friday Kansas Coliseum 10:00 AM
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Central Hockey League Stories from March 22, 2004
- Mudbugs Week in Review - Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
- Series shifts to Circle City this weekend - Indianapolis Ice
- Bucks & Law Out & About - Laredo Bucks
- Gorillas sweep first two games - Amarillo Gorillas
- Thunder continue third period magic - Wichita Thunder
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