Thunder Weekly
Published on November 5, 2007 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release
METAL BLADE RECORDS PLAYER OF THE WEEK-
Goaltender Sebastien Laplante 1-0-0, shutout
BRAHMAS NIP THUNDER- The Thunder scored first, fell behind, and then tied the game late, but Texas got a goal from Greg McConnell with six minutes left to take a 3-2 win on Wednesday night at the Kansas Coliseum. Tyler Liebel and Travis Clayton scored the Thunder goals. Jon Horrell suffered the loss, making his first start of the season.
STEELHOUNDS PULL AWAY FROM THUNDER- The SteelHounds broke open a 1-1 game with thee unanswered goals, rolling to a 4-1 win on Friday night at the Coliseum. Tyler Liebel scored the lone goal for Wichita, who was outshot for the first time this season. The game between the CHL's top two penalized teams featured 12 majors and 172 penalty minutes.
THUNDER, LAPLANTE SHUT DOWN BLAZERS- Goaltender Sebastien Laplante stopped all 36 shots, leading the Thunder to a 3-0 home win over the Blazers on Saturday. Laplante's shutout was Wichita's first shutout since March 22, 2006 versus Lubbock. Laplante now ranks second in Thunder history with four shutouts, one shy of Greg Smith's franchise record. Veteran Bruce Richardson led the Thunder with two goals and three points, while Mathieu Wathier also had a goal. The two teams combined for just 32 penalty minutes and no major penalties. The Thunder scored a second period goal and held their opponent scoreless on the power play for the first time this season.
THUNDER TIES RECORD- The Thunder has dropped their first four games in regulation for only the second time in franchise history. The 2002-03 Thunder lost their first four games in regulation, starting the season 0-6-2. The only other Thunder team to start slow was the 2000-01 squad, which started 0-1-1.
FINALLY LEGAL- After practicing with the team and waiting to get in the lineup for three weeks, forward Mike Batovanja finally received his P-1 visa from USCIS today. Batovanja, who played the last three seasons at Michigan Tech, will make his Thunder debut on Friday.
CLAYTON MOVES UP IN MINUTES, CLOSES IN ON GOALS- With six penalty minutes on Friday Travis Clayton passed longtime teammate and friend Jeff Leiter for second in franchise history, with 1006. Ryan McLean is the all-time Thunder leader with 1094 penalty minutes. Clayton also scored his 311th career goal on Wednesday and is now just two goals shy of passing former Thunder star Paul Jackson for second place in CHL history. Clayton is 14 points shy of becoming the third player in CHL history to reach the 800-point plateau.
THUDERBOLTS- Wichita ranks second in the CHL, averaging 6,096 fans per game...Bruce Richardson ranks second in the CHL for shooting percentage, at 37.5%...Dominic D'Amour is third among CHL defensemen with 29 shots on goal...Wichita ranks second in the CHL, averaging 40.2 penalty minutes per game...The Thunder ranks 16th on the power play (7.7%) and 13th in penalty killing (79.5%)...Wichita is one of just four CHL teams to record a shutout so far this season.
PROMOTIONS- The first 5,000 fans on Saturday will receive a Thunder Schedule Poster courtesy of Ensignal, Kansas One Call and The Rede. Saturday is also Military Appreciation Night. Military equipment will be on display around the Kansas Coliseum and the Thunder will wear special jerseys that will be auctioned off during the game.
LAST WEEK'S GAMES:
Wednesday, October 31- Texas 3 at Wichita 2 Loss
Friday, November 2- Youngstown 4 at Wichita 1 Loss
Saturday, November 3- Oklahoma City 0 at Wichita 3 Win
THIS WEEK'S GAMES:
Friday, November 9- Wichita at Tulsa 7:35 PM
Saturday, November 10- Tulsa at Wichita 7:05 PM
PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Tuesday Kansas Coliseum 10:30 AM
Wednesday-Friday Wichita Ice Center 10:00 AM
Central Hockey League Stories from November 5, 2007
- RiverKings Builder Jerseys to Benefit Habitat for Humanity - Mississippi RiverKings
- RiverKings news and notes - Mississippi RiverKings
- Laredo Bucks on brink of CHL history - CHL
- Steelhounds Weekly Report - Youngstown SteelHounds
- Osman Named CHL Player of the Week - New Mexico Scorpions
- Cacciola Named Goaltender Of The Week - Fort Worth Brahmas
- Bees Help Raise Nearly $30k For American Cancer Society - Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
- Oakley CHL Player/Goaltender of the Week Announced - CHL
- Sundogs Notes - Arizona Sundogs
- Eagles Week in Review - Colorado Eagles
- Want To Be A Crease Crawler? - New Mexico Scorpions
- Thunder Weekly - Wichita Thunder
- Rocky Mountain Rage Weekly Update - Rocky Mountain Rage
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