Thunder Finishes Home Schedule on High Note
March 20, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release
WICHITA, KS- The Wichita Thunder defeated the Tulsa Oilers 6-2 in their final home game of the season on Friday night at the Kansas Coliseum. Jason Duda helped the Thunder get out to a quick start, scoring just 2:38 into the game. Duda then scored top shelf on the power play at 8:41 to make it 2-0. The Thunder extended their lead again when Anthony Monte became the eighth Thunder player this season to score his first professional goal. Monte's score came at 9:46.
Matt Maccarone finished off a rebound to get Tulsa on the board at 1:43 into the second, but Marc Belanger deflected a shot from the point off the stick of Jason Tessier into the net at 16:33 to move Wichita back in front by three goals.
In the third, Chris Tarkir got to his own rebound on a two-on-one, knocking past the left side of Oilers' goaltender Davis Parley to give the Thunder a 5-1 lead. After a goal from Brendon Hodge at 12:42, Belanger scored his second of the game, knocking in a rebound from Brad Thompson's shot from the high slot to give Wichita a 6-2 advantage.
Krister Toews saved 19 of 21 to earn the win and also chipped in his second career assist. Kevin St. Pierre took the loss for the Oilers, allowing the first three Thunder goals before being substituted for Parley. Jason Tessier added three assists, while Duda finished the night with three points. Wichita's 47 shots on goal were a season-high. The Thunder went 2 for 7 on the power play while going a perfect 4 for 4 on the penalty kill. Duda's three-point night moves him within three points of Doug Lawrence for third place all-time in CHL history with one game remaining this season.
With a crowd of 7,593, the Thunder leapfrogged Tulsa for second place in the CHL attendance standings and will finish second in the 16-team CHL in average attendance for the fourth consecutive year.
Prior to the game, the Thunder honored former player and Head Coach Rob Weingartner by retiring his jersey number (#15) during a pre-game ceremony. Wichita also announced its annual end of season awards prior to the game. Jason Duda was named Team MVP, Jason Tessier was named Defenseman of the Year, Brad Thompson earned the Thunder's Unsung Hero Award, Andrew Davis was voted Players' Player by his teammates, Joel Hanson was selected as Rookie of the Year, Troy Ofukany earned Most Improved Player honors, Jordan Hack netted the Lewis Street Glass Rattler of the Year, and Scott Rozendal earned the Thunder Award for Community Service.
The Thunder finishes the 2008-09 season Saturday night when they travel to the Ford Center to take on the Blazers. The Thunder are accepting new season ticket orders as well as renewals for the 2009-10 season which will be split between the Kansas Coliseum and the new Intrust Bank Arena downtown. For more information, call the Thunder office at (316) 264-GOAL.
• Discuss this story on the Central Hockey League message board...
Central Hockey League Stories from March 20, 2009
- Carroll, Mudbugs Shutout RiverKings - Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
- Thinel's Third Period Goal Drops Blazers, 3-2 - Odessa Jackalopes
- Gorillas squeeze by Rage in 5-4 victory - Amarillo Gorillas
- Colorado Clinches Gov. Cup in Loss - Colorado Eagles
- IceRays lose 3-1 to Killer Bees - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Thunder Finishes Home Schedule on High Note - Wichita Thunder
- Mudbugs Blank RiverKings 4-0 - Mississippi RiverKings
- Eagles Earn Third Governors' Cup - Colorado Eagles
- Tonight's Sundogs vs. Scorpions Game Delayed; Potential Start No Earlier than 7:30pm (Arizona Time) - Arizona Sundogs
- Champion Weingartner Honored by Thunder - Wichita Thunder
- Beech Named CHL Goaltender of the Year - Mississippi RiverKings
- Bucks Giveaway Free Gas For a Year - Laredo Bucks
- Mississippi's Kevin Beech Named CHL's Most Outstanding Goaltender - CHL
- Colorado's Aaron Schneekloth Named CHL's Most Outstanding Defenseman - CHL
- Shots from the Point - CHL
- Eagles Two Points Closer to Top Seed - Colorado Eagles
- Brahmas Breaking Records, Shutout Bucks 5-0 - Fort Worth Brahmas
- Bucks Fall 5-0 In Home Finale - Laredo Bucks
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.
