Thunder Weekly
April 4, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release
Thunder Leads Opening Round 2-1
The Wichita Thunder opened their first postseason in four years last Tuesday, beating the Missouri Mavericks 2-1 in Game One of the Opening Round at home. After the teams traded goals in the first, Matt Robinson scored on the power play 54 seconds into the middle frame to provide the final margin. Marc-Antoine Gelinas was 23 of 24 to earn a win in his postseason debut. Troy Schwab had the Thunder's other goal.
The Mavericks evened the series on Friday night in Independence. With Missouri already leading 2-0, Brandon Coccimiglio scored a natural hat trick in the third period to break open the game. Rob Nolan stopped 30 shots en route to his second shutout versus the Thunder this season. Andrew Martens, Kory Scoran, and Dustin Donaghy all had fighting majors for the Thunder.
Wichita re-gained the lead in the series with a dramatic 5-4 overtime win in Game Three on Saturday night. After Missouri broke a 3-3 tie with a power play goal late in the third, Jesse Bennefield scored with 58.6 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime. Bennefield's goal came during a power play and with an extra attacker. Daniel Tetrault scored the game-winning goal at 5:47 in overtime. Matt Robinson had two goals earlier in the game for the Thunder. Aaron Davis had three assists.
Playoff Leaders
Left wing Matt Robinson is tied for third in the playoffs with three goals. Robinson finished the regular season with 40 goals, which was second most in the league. Aaron Davis is second among playoff performers with four assists. Davis tied for 15th in the league in total points with 72 during the regular season.
Overtime Notes
Saturday was the Thunder's first playoff overtime game since April 7th, 2007 versus Bossier-Shreveport, and their first playoff overtime victory since April 1st, 2006, also versus the Mudbugs. The Thunder is now 8-5 all-time in sudden death overtime during the playoffs.
Deja Vu for Bennefield, Thunder
Right wing Jesse Bennefield scored the game-tying goal on Saturday night with 58.6 seconds left in regulation, setting up Daniel Tetrault's eventual game-winner in overtime. Back on November 6th at Missouri, Bennefield scored in similar fashion on Rob Nolan with 16 seconds left in the third period to tie the game. Andrew Martens went on to win the game for the Thunder in overtime, giving them their first ever win against the Mavericks in 12 tries.
The Quest for Three
The Wichita Thunder is in the postseason for the first time since 2007 and aims to win their first playoff series since 2005. The Thunder is also looking to become the first CHL franchise to win three championships (1994, 1995). The Oklahoma City Blazers, Memphis RiverKings, Laredo Bucks, and Colorado Eagles have also won two President's Cups during the league's 19-year history.
INTRUST Bank Arena Advantage
At 20-9-4 (.667), the Thunder has the best home record in the Turner Conference and second-best overall in the league. Wichita has played exceptionally well at the INTRUST Bank Arena when hosting Turner Conference opponents. The Thunder finished the regular season 12-1-2 (.867) at home against the Turner, losing in regulation just once.
âTurnering' it Around
A big reason for Wichita's success this season has been its record versus the top three returning teams in the conference. Wichita went a combined 13-7-2 (.636) against Colorado, Rapid City, and Missouri, with winning records against all three. The Thunder was 0-24-3 against those three clubs last year. Overall this year, the Thunder had a .686 winning percentage (22-9-4) against the Turner, best in the conference.
Around the Playoffs
In the Turner Conference, Rapid City City leads Dayton 2-0 in their Opening Round series. Colorado and Quad City are tied 1-1. Fort Wayne has a 2-0 lead over Bloomington.
In the Berry Conference, Allen finished a three-game sweep of Rio Grande Valley on Sunday and is the first team to advance to the conference semifinals. Bossier-Shreveport and Arizona are tied 1-1. Tulsa staved off elimination with a win at Mississippi Sunday, and trails the RiverKings 2-1. Texas and Odessa split the first two games of their matchup.
Roster Notes
Forward Robin Richards has been suspended by the league for one game. Center Bobby Hughes and defenseman Mike Looby are on the IR through the remainder of the playoffs.
Follow the Thunder Through the Playoffs
All Thunder playoff games are broadcast on either 93.5 FM KWME or 1550 AM KKLE. You can also listen to each game on the internet at www.kleyam.com Emerson Biggin's West (located at 21st and Maize) is the Thunder's official watch party sponsor of all road games. Thunder food and drink specials will be offered throughout the playoffs.
Up Next
Game Four of the Opening Round is Tuesday night at the INTRUST Bank Arena. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. A potential Game Five would be Wednesday at the Independence Events Center at 7:05 p.m. For tickets to Tuesday's game, call the INTRUST Bank Arena box office at (316) 755-SEAT or visit the Thunder's official website at www.wichitathunder.com
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