Thunder Drops Three
March 16, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release
The Wichita Thunder lost three contests last week, beginning with a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Texas Brahmas on Friday at the Kansas Coliseum. Chris Tarkir and Troy Ofukany helped wipe out an early 1-0 Brahmas' lead. However, Texas scored four unanswered goals for the win. John Daigneau saved 20 of 25 in the loss.
Wichita dropped a 7-3 decision to the Odessa Jackalopes on Saturday night at the Coliseum. The Thunder battled back from an early 4-0 deficit, pulling within 4-2 at the start of the thrid period. A five-minute Jacks' power play proved to be the Thunder's undoing though, as the Jackalopes scored two quick goals on the man advantage and added another goal on a penalty shot. Troy Ofukany scored a goal for the third straight game, while John Daigneau saved 15 of 18 in relief of Krister Toews.
The Thunder lost its seventh straight game on Sunday, dropping a close 3-1 decisin to the Brahmas in North Richland Hills. Chris Tarkir scored midway through the second period to cut the Brahmas' 2-0 lead in half, but Texas scored an empty net goal in the closing minute to finish off the game. John Daigneau saved 26 of 28 in the loss. Mike Zbriger extended his scoring streak to four games.
10th Annual Wheelchair Game on March 16th
The Wichita Thunder will participate in the 10th annual Thunder vs. Plunder Wheelchair Hockey Game on Monday, March 16th at the Wichita State University Heskett Center. Several Thunder "legends" will be on hand that night to participate in the game, including Sean O'Reilly, Bobby Desjardins, Tom Roulston, and Rob Weingartner. The jerseys worn by the Thunder will be auctioned off following the game. The same jerseys were worn during Friday's game versus Texas. The event begins at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $4.00 for adults and $2.00 for children, and will be on sale at the doors of the Heskett Center.
Thunder Ironman
Though the Thunder has been slowed by many injuries this season, veteran defenseman Jason Tessier has played in all 61 of the Thunder's contests. The Thunder has had at least one player appear in every regular season game in each year of its history, with the exception of 1998-99. Tessier's five game-winning goals are tied for first among CHL defensemen.
Youth Serving
The Thunder currently has 11 rookies on its roster, 10 of which are in their first professional season. Three of Wichita's rookies have reached double digits in goals scored, including Troy Ofukany (16), Joel Hanson (14), Jordan Hack (11), and Chris Tarkir (11), the most on a Thunder team since 1998-99 when rookies John Kachur, Kevin Powell, Thomas Migdal, and Nolan Weir all eclipsed 10 goals. Chris Shudo (9), and Marc Belanger (7) each have the chance to reach 10 goals with the Thunder before the end of the season as well. The franchise record for most rookies with 10 or more goals is eight, set back in the Thunder's first season in 1992-93.
Chasing Lawrence
Jason Duda is gradually approaching Doug Lawrence for third place on the CHL's all-time points list. Duda has 868 career CHL points, trailing Lawrence's 875 by seven. Earlier this season, Duda passed Joe Burton for second place on the all-time games played list, and Hardy Sauter for third place all-time in assists.
Player Notes
Chris Tarkir has scored a goal in three of his last four games. Mike Zbriger is on a four-game point streak, with six assists in the four games. Zbriger has 19 points in 23 games with Wichita since coming over in a deadline trade for Chris Greene. Troy Ofukany had a three-game goal scoring streak snapped on Sunday at Texas.
Injury Update
Last week, the Thunder added Scott Rozendal to the Season-Ending IR due to a knee injury, while Joel Hanson was placed on the 30-Day IR, essentially ending his season as well, with a wrist injury. Hanson joins Jonathan Bernier, who has been on the 30-Day IR since January 6th with a foot injury. Rozendal joins Greg Cassista (knee), Stan Yanchishyn (ankle), Pascal Bedard (shoulder), Mike Batovanja (knee), Connor MacDonald (shoulder), and Tim Boron (hip) as players who have had their seasons cut short due to injury.
Annual Season Ticket Holder Party Next Week
The Wichita Thunder's annual Season Ticket Holder party will take place Tuesday March 24th at America's Pub located on Mead Street on Old Town at 6:00 p.m.
Up Next
The Thunder wraps up the 2008-09 season this week, beginning with a Wednesday match against the Rapid City Rush at the Coliseum. Hot dogs will cost just $1.00 throughout the game, courtesy of Bar S Foods. The Thunder plays their final home game of the season on Friday, hosting the Tulsa Oilers. Both games begin at 7:05 p.m. The season concludes Saturday in Oklahoma City, when the Thunder head to the Ford Center for one more game against the rival Blazers. For tickets to Wednesday and Friday's games, call the Thunder office at (316) 264-GOAL.
• Discuss this story on the Central Hockey League message board...
Central Hockey League Stories from March 16, 2009
- Mudbugs Weekly - Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
- Rays Gets Point, Reduce Magic Number To Two Points - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Bucks Centomo-Rific In 2-1 Shootout Win - Laredo Bucks
- Rocky Mountain Rage Weekly Update - Rocky Mountain Rage
- Shots from the Point - CHL
- Colorado's Ed McGrane and Andrew Penner Earn Weekly Awards - CHL
- Kassab Named CHL's Athletic Trainer of the Year - Rocky Mountain Rage
- Rapid City's Shawn Smith Voted Equipment Manager Of The Year - Rapid City Rush
- Season Finale - Tulsa Oilers
- CHL Athletic Trainer and Equipment Manager of the Year Awards Announced - CHL
- Eagles Week In Review - Colorado Eagles
- Thinel Sets Records During Perfect Week for Odessa - Odessa Jackalopes
- Weekend Results Clinch RiverKings Division Title - Mississippi RiverKings
- Thunder Drops Three - Wichita Thunder
- Bucks Finish Road Trip Tonight In Corpus - Laredo Bucks
- Back-To-Back Shutouts at the BEC - Colorado Eagles
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.
