Sports stats



CHL Wichita Thunder

Thunder rolls through North, increases first place lead

December 27, 2004 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release


THUNDER DROP BLAZERS AGAIN- Joe Blaznek scored the game-winner with 1:05 left in the second period, helping Wichita to a 4-2 win at Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Jason Duda, Chad Mazurak and Paul Esdale also scored goals and goaltender Jamie Vandespyker made 23 saves. The victory was Wichita's 10th straight over the Blazers and their fifth straight win at the Ford Center.

THUNDER EDGE TARANTULAS WITH LATE GOAL- Scott Allison broke a 2-2 tie with just 2:06 remaining, leading the Thunder to a 3-2 Christmas Night victory in Topeka. Travis Clayton and Nate Metcalf also scored goals for the Thunder, who are a perfect 4-0-0 at Landon Arena this season.

THUNDER POUND OILERS- Joe Blaznek, Scott Allison and Travis Clayton scored two goals each, as the Thunder rolled to their biggest win of the season, 7-1 at Tulsa on Sunday. Derek Parker also scored for Wichita. The two teams combined for 187 penalty minutes, 140 to Tulsa. The Thunder capitalized on their chances, going 5-19 with the man-advantage.

LIEBEL, SMOKIN' JOE KEEP UP CONTRIBUTIONS- After missing 17 games due to injury, rookie speedster Tyler Liebel has made a huge impact since his return, picking up two goals, five points and three major penalties in six games. The Thunder are now 10-1-0 this season with Liebel in the lineup. Veteran Joe Blaznek also continues to roll along. Blaznek has scored seven goals and three assists in the last eight games, including four game-winners. The Thunder are now 8-0-0 this season when Blaznek scores a goal.

CLAYTON TAKES OVER CHL SCORING LEAD- With eight points this past week, Travis Clayton has moved into the CHL scoring lead with 41 points. Clayton, who is riding a nine-game scoring streak, also leads the CHL with 28 assists. Fellow veteran Jason Duda now ranks third in the CHL with 39 points and is second to Clayton with 27 assists.

ALL-STAR ESDALE- Defenseman Paul Esdale was named a starter for the Northern Conference for the 2005 CHL All-Star Game. Esdale leads all CHL defensemen with 10 goals, seven power play goals and ranks second with 23 points, one point behind his CHL All-Star Game defense partner Derek Landmesser of Memphis. The CHL All-Star Game will take place on Wednesday, January 12th in Laredo, Texas. The reserves will be announced on Wednesday and both Travis Clayton and Jason Duda should warrant serious consideration.

FLICK STILL QUESTIONABLE- Goaltender Jason Flick made his third trip of the week to Via Christi St. Joseph Hospital on Christmas Eve and has now missed the last four Thunder games with an illness. Flick has undergone numerous tests to try and determine his ailment, but has been assured by infectious disease specialists that his problem is not serious. Flick remains questionable for this week's games. Robert Lackey has filled in as backup.

SICKNESS DOESN'T STOP 'SPYKER- With Jason Flick out, Jamie Vandespyker has been forced into action the last four games, including Sunday afternoon at Tulsa, where he made stopped 16 of 17 shots, despite playing with the flu. Vandespyker has now won four straight games and six of his last seven. He has started six straight games and eight of the last nine.

PARKER FIGHTING HIS WAY TO PENALTY MINUTES AND POINTS- Rookie enforcer Derek Parker is more than just one tough hombre'. Parker continues to help the Thunder in any way he can. He had perhaps the best day of his young career on Sunday, picking up a goal, an assist, two fighting majors and 16 penalty minutes on the way to his first Gordie Howe Hat Trick of the season (a goal, an assist and a fight in the same game). On the season, Parker now leads the CHL with 18 major penalties and 188 penalty minutes. He has also notched three goals and eight points, mostly by crashing the net and causing havoc for opposing goaltenders and defensemen. Parker leads the Thunder with a shooting percentage of 25.0%.

ROAD WARRIORS- With three more road victories this past week, the Thunder have now won five straight road games and have increased their road record to an amazing 12-3-0. Tulsa and Bossier-Shreveport are second in the CHL with eight road wins each. The franchise record for most road wins in a season is 20, set by the 1994-95 CHL Champion Thunder team. That team went 20-12-1 away from home. The Thunder will play in Fort Worth on Thursday, before starting a five-game home stand.

DISCIPLINED HOCKEY CARRYING THUNDER- The Thunder continues to use smart hockey to gain power play chances and beat opponents. In 27 games, the Thunder have had more power play chances in a game 17 times, and have enjoyed a total of 194 power play chances this season. The next closest team in the CHL is Memphis, with 159 power play opportunities. The other 16 CHL teams are averaging only 117 power play chances on the season. The Thunder rank third in the CHL on the power play, at 18.6% and their 36 power play goals are nine more than the next closest CHL team. The other 16 CHL teams are averaging only 19 power play goals this season. Only six times this season have the Thunder played a game in which the opponent had more power play chances. The Thunder have allowed 150 power play chances, second most in the CHL, but still rank fourth in the CHL in penalty killing, at 86.7%.

DISCOUNT TICKET NIGHT- In order to deal with bowl games and hangovers, the Thunder are offering a big reason for fans to attend the New Year's Day home game. To welcome the year 2005, all tickets for the 5:00 PM face-off are just $5 each. The Thunder will battle the second place Colorado Eagles on New Year's Day. With 39, Wichita currently leads Colorado by seven points, although the Eagles have played four less games. The two teams have split the season series with two wins each.

COACH'S SHOW- Tyler Liebel will be the guest on the Thunder TV Coach's Show, taped tonight at 5:00 PM at BG Bolton's, 21st and Maize Road. The show will air on Saturday at Noon on Cox Cable Channel 22, sponsored by Park City. Next week's show will be taped on Tuesday, as the Thunder will host Topeka on Monday, January 3rd.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:
Tuesday, December 21- Wichita 4 at Oklahoma City 2 Win
Saturday, December 25- Wichita 3 at Topeka 2 Win
Sunday, December 26- Wichita 7 at Tulsa 1 Win

THIS WEEK'S GAMES:
Thursday, December 30- Wichita at Fort Worth 7:30 PM
Friday, December 31- Tulsa at Wichita 7:30 PM
Saturday, January 1- Colorado at Wichita 5:00 PM

PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Tuesday Kansas Coliseum 10:00 AM
Wednesday Kansas Coliseum 9:00 AM

Check out the Wichita Thunder Statistics



Central Hockey League Stories from December 27, 2004


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.

Other Recent Wichita Thunder Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central