CHL Wichita Thunder

Thunder Weekend Draws over 17,500

Published on November 11, 2002 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release


THUNDER PACK COLISEUM- A crowd of 9,094 watched the Thunder fall 2-1 in a shootout to Indianapolis on Saturday at the Kansas Coliseum. The Thunder held a 1-0 lead in the third period on a goal by Doug Merrell, before the Ice stormed back and won the game in the sixth round of the shootout. The crowd was the largest at the Kansas Coliseum since a sellout crowd of 9,654 watched the Thunder shutout Oklahoma City, 2-0, on January 23, 1999. The night before, the Thunder dropped a 4-3 decision to Tulsa in front of 8,412 fans. Peter MacKellar led the Thunder with a pair of goals, while goaltender Patrik Lovisek made 35 saves in a losing effort.

ICE NIP THUNDER AGAIN- Indianapolis jumped out to a 2-0 lead, then hung on for a 2-1 victory Sunday at the Pepsi Coliseum. Travis Clayton scored Wichita's lone goal. For the second straight night, rookie Patrik Lovisek suffered the defeat, despite making 41 saves.

INJURY REPORT- The Thunder placed three players on 14-day injured reserve last week, goaltender Stephen Wagner, forwards Jeff Leiter and Jerod Bina. Leiter, who has been out since October 27th, hopes to return to the lineup this weekend. To fill the void, Wichita signed rookies Corey Lucas and goaltender Tomi Raisanen. Lucas picked up an assist over the weekend, while Raisanen should see his first action this week.

THUNDERBOLTS- The Thunder lead the CHL with 403 shots on goal...Travis Clayton is seventh in the CHL with 15 points...Defenseman Bob Rapoza had his nine-game scoring streak snapped over the weekend...He is currently fourth among CHL defensemen, with 11 points...Defenseman Chad Nelson is nine penalty minutes shy of 1,000 for his career...Jason Duda is just five points away from 400 for his career...Duda has played in a Thunder record 158 straight games...Rookie Ryan McLean picked up his first pro goal and assist this weekend.

UP NEXT- The Thunder hit the road on Tuesday night for a pair of home games. The Thunder return home on Saturday to host the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs at 7:30 PM. It is Red Light Night and all lower tickets are just $7 each for groups of 20 or more people. Saturday is also the first postgame skate of the season and fans will have the opportunity to skate with the Thunder players immediately following the game.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Friday, November 9- Tulsa 4 at Wichita 3
Saturday, November 10- Indianapolis 2 at Wichita 1 (SO)
Sunday, November 11- Wichita 1 at Indianapolis 2

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: Thursday, November 14- Wichita at Bossier-Shreveport 7:05 PM 1360 KAHS
Friday, November 15- Wichita at Memphis 7:05 PM 1360 KAHS
Saturday, November 16- Bossier-Shreveport at Wichita 7:30 PM

PRACTICE SCHEDULE: Ice Sports Wichita Tuesday 10:00 AM




Central Hockey League Stories from November 11, 2002


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