Thunder Takes Five First Place Honors in 2013-14 Best-Of-The-Best Poll
March 19, 2014 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release
Wichita, KS (March 19th) - The Central Hockey League's annual 'Best of the Best' Poll was released this afternoon and Wichita earned first place honors in five categories including Best Arena, Most Annoying Fans, and Best Locker Rooms. The Thunder placed second in four categories and third in three others.
The poll consists of 50 categories that cover all aspects of the league including on-ice performance, in-game entertainment as well as top venues, concessions, websites, etc. and was voted on by CHL players, coaches and operational staff from all 10 CHL teams (each team submitted one ballot). Each team provided three top choices for each category, with first place votes counting as five points, second place votes counting as three points and third place votes counting as one point.
For the fifth-straight season, INTRUST Bank Arena was named Best Arena and took home Best Locker Rooms for the second year in a row. The facility is a modern, state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue, perfect for concerts and conventions alike. The arena features 22 suites, 40 loge boxes, and 300 premium seats with a total 15,000-seat capacity (www.intrustbankarena.com). The Thunder has played at INTRUST Bank Arena since January 23rd, 2010.
In the player categories, Jesse Dudas was given the league's Hardest Shot as he took home five first place votes, four more than Tyler Ludwig and Jason Pitton who were second and third. It was the second Thunder player to grab the honor as Kevin Young won Hardest Shot last season. Andrew Martens was picked second for Best Offensive Defenseman. He was also picked second last year, finishing with 22 totals points in this year's poll. Erick Lizon was second in Best Fighter in the Heavyweight Division while Dustin Donaghy was second for Best Fighter in the Pound-for-Pound category.
Wichita wins Most Annoying Fans for the second year in a row and took third in the Best Fans category. The Thunder also took home Best Press Box for the second consecutive season. Mike McQuilliam was honored this season as he took third in the Best PA Announcer category. The Holiday Inn Express and Suites grabbed third in the Best Host Hotel category and the Wichita Storm Booster Club finished second in Best Booster Club competition.
For the results and complete listing of all 50 categories and all the winners, visit www.centralhockeyleague.com . Catch all the coverage of the results of this year's poll at www.MinorLeagueHockeyReport.com and listen to their podcast with opinions about the winners and the categories.
Wichita continues its road trip tonight against the Allen Americans at 7:05 p.m. The Thunder returns to INTRUST Bank Arena on March 22nd to host Tulsa for the final regular season meeting between the two teams at 7:05 p.m., which is also Youth Jersey Night. The Alumni will be hosting a Watch Party for Friday night's game while the team is playing at Tulsa. Head over to Pucks Sports Bar located at the Wichita Ice Center starting at 7:30 p.m.
2014-15 season tickets are on sale now! Don't delay, contact the Wichita Thunder Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at (316) 264-4625. Stay up-to-date on all the news this season by visiting www.wichitathunder.com .
Central Hockey League Stories from March 19, 2014
- Americans Erupt Late for 6-3 Win over Thunder - Allen Americans
- Mallards Overcome Chill 4-1 - Quad City Mallards
- Chill Battle to End in 4-1 Loss - St. Charles Chill
- Rush Garner CHL "Best of the Best" Awards - Rapid City Rush
- Tulsa's Ben Gordon Nominated as CHL Man of the Year Finalist - Tulsa Oilers
- Wichita's Flath Selected as CHL Man of the Year Finalist - Wichita Thunder
- Lavoie Cleans up in Rookie Votes - Allen Americans
- CHL Man of the Year Finalists Announced - CHL
- Thunder Takes Five First Place Honors in 2013-14 Best-Of-The-Best Poll - Wichita Thunder
- Thunder Takes Five First Place Honors in 2013-14 Best-Of-The-Best - Wichita Thunder
- CHL Man of the Year Finalists Announced - CHL
- Tommy Daniels Named CHL's Best Broadcaster in the Best of the Best Awards - Allen Americans
- Denver Cutthroats Top Notch in Seven of the CHL's "Best of the Best" Categories - Denver Cutthroats
- Oilers Recognized in CHL's Best-Of-The-Best Poll - Tulsa Oilers
- Ruskowski, Mallards Among CHL's Best of the Best - Quad City Mallards
- Sundogs Named 11 Times in CHL's Best of the Best Poll - Arizona Sundogs
- Williams, Latos Highlight Thunder Alumni Roster for Saturday's Game - Wichita Thunder
- Mavericks Place 1st in Thirteen CHL 'Best of the Best' Categories - Kansas City Mavericks
- 2013-14 CHL âÃâ¬ÃËBest of the Best' Results Announced - CHL
- Rush Bracket Challenge: Head to Head with Mark Binetti - Rapid City Rush
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