CHL Wichita Thunder

Thunder hits CHL All-Star break on fire

January 15, 2007 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release


THUNDER SLOWS DOWN SCORPIONS- CHL All-Star Goaltender Sebastien Laplante continued his stellar play, making 36 saves in a 3-1 victory over New Mexico on Wednesday at the Kansas Coliseum. Fellow CHL All-Star Joe Blaznek broke a 1-1 tie with a breakaway goal in the third period and Jason Duda added the empty-netter, Wichita's first of the season.

THUNDER CONTINUES MASTERY OF LUBBOCK- Goaltender Andrew Martin, making his first appearance in 28 days, turned away 34 shots in a 3-1 Thunder victory at Lubbock on Friday. Kris Wiebe and Ryan Lauzon staked the Thunder to a 2-0 lead, while Scott Rozendal sealed the game with an empty-netter. The victory was Wichita's seventh straight over the Cotton Kings, against whom the Thunder is 8-1-0 all-time and has not lost to since December 22, 2001.

POSTPONED AGAIN- Wichita's game at Tulsa on Saturday was postponed due to unsafe travel conditions. No makeup date has been announced. After going 14 seasons without postponing a game, the Thunder have now had an unprecedented five games postponed due to weather this season.

DEFENSE KEEPS ROLLING- The Thunder is 4-0-1 in their last five games thanks to a nearly impenetrable defense. Wichita has allowed just seven goals in the last five games, including four one-goal games. In that span, the Thunder has outscored their opponents 19-7. Sebastien Laplante has been the hottest, moving up to second in the CHL with a .927 save percentage and third overall with a 2.60 goals against average.

SIZZLING SPECIAL TEAMS- Wichita's special teams have been on fire the last nine games, led by the penalty killing unit. In that span, the Thunder has been shorthanded just 37 times and has killed off 36 of those power play opportunities, including 21 straight over the last five games. Wichita's penalty killing unit now ranks fourth in the CHL, at 85.7%. Meanwhile, the Thunder have scored a power play goal in eight of the last 10 games, moving up to seventh in the CHL, at 16.9%.

OUT OF THE BOX- A big part of Wichita's recent surge has been their ability to avoid bad penalties and stay out of the penalty box. Several players have done that, led by Ryan Lauzon, who has gone 17 games without taking a penalty. Perhaps the most impressive has been defenseman Troy Barnes, who has notched seven points, a +3 rating and has still yet to take a penalty in 16 games with the Thunder. Other contributors include Kim Brandvold (13 games without a penalty), Joe Blaznek (12 games) and Darren McMillan (nine games).

TAKING CHARGE- After falling behind far too often earlier this season, the Thunder has asserted themselves as one of the most dangerous first period teams. The Thunder has scored in the first period five straight games, outscoring their opponents 8-0. Wichita is 11-4-2 when scoring first this season.

ROSTER UPDATE- The Thunder filled their open roster spot, signing 6-3, 235-pound defenseman Tyler Hanchuck. A fifth-year pro, Hanchuck will make his Thunder debut on Friday. Defenseman Darren McMillan, who has missed the last two games due to personal reasons, is questionable for this weekend. The Thunder have played with a full 18-man lineup just six times this season.

MILESTONES- With 293, veteran Travis Clayton needs just one more goal to tie Luc Beausoleil for third place in CHL history...Clayton, who is one power play goal shy of 100, played in his 600th career Thunder game on Wednesday...Joe Blaznek played in his 500th career game on Friday...With 122, Blaznek needs three assists to tie Cam Plante for sixth place in Thunder history...Ryan McLean is one point shy of 100 for his career...With 77 points, Daniel Tetrault passed Steve Chelios for fifth place among all-time Thunder defensemen.

THUNDERBOLTS- Wichita still ranks second in the CHL, averaging 6,128 fans per game...Steve Dix is third in the CHL with 152 penalty minutes...Joe Blaznek is second in the CHL with five game-winning goals...Daniel Tetrault ranks second among CHL defensemen with six power play goals...Wichita is still last in the CHL, averaging 30 shots per game.

LAST WEEK'S GAMES:

Wednesday, January 10- New Mexico 1 at Wichita 3 Win

Friday, January 12- Wichita 3 at Lubbock 1 Win

Saturday, January 13- Wichita at Tulsa Postponed

THIS WEEK'S GAMES:

Wednesday, January 17- CHL All-Star Game at Bossier-Shreve. 7:05 PM

Friday, January 19- Wichita at Rio Grande Valley 7:35 PM

Saturday, January 20- Wichita at Laredo 7:30 PM 1410 AM

PRACTICE SCHEDULE:

Tuesday-Wednesday Wichita Ice Center 10:00 AM

METAL BLADE RECORDS PLAYER OF THE WEEK-

Right Wing Joe Blaznek 2 GP, GWG, 3A, 4 PTS, +5

Check out the Wichita Thunder Statistics



Central Hockey League Stories from January 15, 2007


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