Thunder Fall in Regular Season Home Finale to Tulsa
April 8, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release
Wichita, KS - Jussi Olkinuora stopped 29 shots and a late empty-net goal from Adam Pleskach proved to the difference as Tulsa (36-30-3-2) held on for a 2-1 victory over Wichita (18-41-6-6) on Friday night at INTRUST Bank Arena.
Domenic Alberga had the lone Thunder tally of the night.
Both teams played an even first period as Wichita finished with nine shots while Tulsa had 10.
In the second, Tulsa had a chance to grab a lead when Christophe Lalancette stepped away down the middle of the ice, but was hooked up by Dan Milan near the Thunder line and was given a penalty shot. Lalancette didn't get a great shot off and the game remained scoreless. Phil Brewer broke the tie with a shorthanded breakaway goal with eight minutes to go in the frame and his 25th of the year.
Wichita had plenty of chances in the third and limited the Oilers to just 14 shots over the final 40 minutes of play. The Thunder unloaded 12 shots on Olkinuora and plenty more sailed over the net.
With just over a minute, David Shantz was pulled for the extra attacker only to see Pleskach get to a loose puck and fire it into the empty cage. 26 seconds later, Alberga tipped home a shot from Donnie Harris to cut the lead to one. The Thunder had one last face-off in front of Olkinuora, but lost the face-off and the final horn sounded.
Alberga netted his ninth of the season with assists to Harris and Dean Chelios. Shantz took the loss, stopping 22 of 23 shots. Olkinuora earned his 13th win of the season, stopping 29 of 30 shots he faced.
Wichita went 0-for-4 on the power play. Tulsa went 0-for-2 on the man advantage.
Wichita closes the regular season tomorrow night at Tulsa starting at 7:05 p.m.
Individual tickets for all games are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at the INTRUST Arena Box office, by calling 855-755-SEAT or go online at www.selectaseat.com.
• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...
ECHL Stories from April 8, 2016
- Beast Tame Jackals and Record Attendance Milestone in Final Home - Brampton Beast
- Mavericks Fall 4-2 to Steelheads - Kansas City Mavericks
- Royals Claim Playoff Spot Despite Slipping Down the Stretch - Reading Royals
- Pommells Hat-Trick Powers Rush - Rapid City Rush
- Wings Get Point in Overtime Loss; Playoff Hopes Hinge on Finale - Kalamazoo Wings
- Jackals Bit by Beast, 2-1 - Elmira Jackals
- Grizzlies Fall in Rapid City - Utah Grizzlies
- Mallards Clinch Playoff Berth - Quad City Mallards
- Monarchs Clinch East Division Despite Falling, 4-3, to Adirondack - Manchester Monarchs
- Thunder Fall in Regular Season Home Finale to Tulsa - Wichita Thunder
- Fuel End Home Schedule on a High Note with 5-2 Win - Indy Fuel
- Wheeling Nails It Down with Incredible Comeback - Wheeling Nailers
- Solar Bears Can't Overcome Everblades in 5-3 Loss - Orlando Solar Bears
- Olkinuora Makes 29 Saves for Oilers 2-1 Victory - Tulsa Oilers
- Stingrays Are South Division Champions with 6-2 Win at Norfolk - South Carolina Stingrays
- Lynch's Hat Trick Leads Everblades to 5-3 Victory over Orlando - Florida Everblades
- Six Unanswered Goals Sink Admirals - Norfolk Admirals
- Cyclones Fall to Quad City - Cincinnati Cyclones
- IceMen Come from Behind to Beat Americans - Evansville IceMen
- Swamp Rabbits Salute Fans with 3-2 Win in Home Finale - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- Gladiators Fall to Swamp Rabbits 3-2 in Final Road Game of Season - Atlanta Gladiators
- Bernie John Named Indy Fuel Head Coach - Indy Fuel
- Monarchs Announce Roster Move - Manchester Monarchs
- Donnay Reassigned to AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- ECHL Transactions - April 8 - ECHL
- Cyclones Game Notes: vs Quad City - Cincinnati Cyclones
- Thunder Host Oilers in Final Regular Season Home Game - Wichita Thunder
- Berschbach Receives Sportsmanship Award - Toledo Walleye
- Former First Round Draft Pick Assigned to Wings; Valk Back to Utica - Kalamazoo Wings
- Middleton signs ATO, Morris to Binghamton - Manchester Monarchs
- Toledo's Berschbach Receives 2015-16 ECHL Sportsmanship Award - ECHL
- Mallards Game Day - Quad City Mallards
- Americans Close out Regular Season at Home this Weekend - Allen Americans
- Nailers vs. Royals Game Day Snap Shot - Wheeling Nailers
- Oilers at Thunder Tonight: Game Preview - Tulsa Oilers
- Preview: Swamp Rabbits Close out Season against Atlanta - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- Game Preview: South Carolina at Norfolk, 7:30 p.m. - South Carolina Stingrays
- Florentino Receives 2015-16 ECHL Community Service Award - Florida Everblades
- Jarvis Award Recipient to be Honored - Rapid City Rush
- Jackals Conclude 2015-16 Regular Season Road Slate with Battle in Brampton - Elmira Jackals
- Florida's Florentino Receives 2015-16 ECHL Community Service Award - ECHL
- Monarchs Game Day Capsule - Manchester Monarchs
- ECHL Today - April 8 - ECHL
- Solar Bears Send Fans Home Happy with Last-Second 4-3 OT Win over Everblades - Orlando Solar Bears
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.
