CHL Wichita Thunder

Thunder Weekly

January 27, 2014 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release


LAST WEEK'S GAMES -

Tuesday, January 21st

Wichita at Tulsa, 3-2 W (SO)

-Trailing by one with less than a minute to go in regulation, Matt Robinson scored four seconds into a power play that helped the Thunder tie the game and force overtime. RG Flath beat Shane Madolora in the bottom of round five to give Wichita a 3-2 shootout win and extended the Thunder's winning streak to five games.

Friday, January 24th

Wichita at Rapid City, 6-3 L

-Wichita led 3-2 heading into the third period. Rapid City scored four times in the third including two goals in the final minute to earn a 6-3 win. Winston Day Chief recorded the game-winner midway through the final 20 minutes and the Rush held off the Thunder with an empty-netter from Jesse Schultz at 19:06 to seal it.

Saturday, January 25th

Wichita at Rapid City, 6-4 L

-Rapid City built a 4-1 lead behind a three-goal second period. The Thunder stormed back with two power play goals in the third and another from Tomas Klempa, but fell short for the second-straight night losing 6-4 on Saturday.

THIS WEEK'S GAMES -

Tuesday, January 28th

Denver at Wichita, 7:05 p.m., 1550 KKLE

Friday, January 31st

Allen at Wichita, 7:05 p.m., 1550 KKLE

Saturday, February 1st

Wichita at Allen, 7:05 p.m., 92.7 KWME, 1550 KKLE

(All times are central time zone)

Thunder Practice Schedule -

Thursday

INTRUST Bank Arena, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. (subject to change)

Media availability after practice. Please be at the INTRUST Bank Arena promptly before 11 a.m.

**Pre-game begins 20 minutes prior to start of all games. All games can be heard on www.wichitathunder.com or on your smart phone with the Tune-In Radio App using the keyword, Wichita Thunder**

JUST SHORT - Wichita dropped two games over the weekend to Rapid City and is now 0-5-0 against the top team in the league. Stats can be deceiving, however, as four of the five match-ups have gone down to the wire. Wichita has given up nine empty-net goals this season and three have come from Rapid City with less than a minute to go in regulation. The only one-goal affair between the two teams was on Opening Night when Konrad Reeder scored late in the third. The Thunder and the Rush play each other two more times down the stretch. For Wichita, it will be in back-to-back games. Wichita travels to Rapid City on Tuesday, March 4th and then doesn't play until Sunday at home against the Rush later that week.

PACKED TIGHT - The Thunder will conclude a busy seven-game, 12-day portion of its schedule tomorrow night against Denver and has gone 4-2-0 through the first six games. Since December 21st, the Thunder has been a streaky team. Wichita won four straight, dropped three in a row, followed that up with a five-game winning streak and has lost the last two contests.

FLARE FOR THE DRAMATIC - Wichita improved to 4-1 in shootout situations last week and has won four-straight in games being decided in penalty shots. Each of those wins have come on the road. Wichita has also won the last five games that have gone past regulation, which includes last Sunday's overtime win. Matt Robinson's goal with 54 seconds left was the first Thunder goal with an extra attacker of the season and the first that was recorded with less than a minute remaining in regulation.

LAMPLIGHTER - Matt Robinson scored in each game last week and has points in his last four outings (3g, 1a). He leads the team in goals scored with 18 and is fourth on the team with 30 points. All-time, he's in fifth with 103 goals in a Thunder uniform and needs 14 to catch Joe Blaznek for fourth place.

TRADING PLACES - The battle at the top of the defensive scoring race has been fun to watch between Andrew Martens and Jesse Dudas. They've been going back-and-forth between one and two for the majority of the season. Martens moved into first place with 32 points (6g, 32a), adding a goal and an assist over the weekend. Dudas is right behind him with 31 points (11g, 20a) scoring in Saturday night's contest. Mike Wilson has propelled himself into eighth place with 22 points (6g, 16a), giving Wichita three of the top eight scoring blue liners in the league.

SEASON-HIGH SPECIAL - Wichita tied a season-high with three power play goals on Saturday night. The only other time this season the Thunder has potted three with the man advantage took place against the Denver Cutthroats on October 25th. The Thunder also reached a season-high in power play opportunities with 11. Wichita had 10 power play chances in back-to-back games on October 19th and October 20th against the Allen Americans. Wichita also gave up 23 shots in the second period, which is a season-high for shots against in one period.

320 - Head Coach Kevin McClelland earned his 320th victory Tuesday night, moving him ahead of Bill McDonald for sixth place on the CHL All-Time list. The two-time CHL Coach of the Year has won 133 games in the Air Capital.

THUNDERBOLTS... Jon Booras is 10th in the league with 44 points, tied for seventh for power play goals (6), tied for seventh in power play assists (12) and is tied for ninth in assists (29)...Nick McParland is tied for ninth in rookie scoring with 15 points (5g, 10a)...Jesse Dudas is tied for fifth in power play goals (7)...Andrew Martens is fourth in power play assists (16)...Wichita is second in shots allowed per game (29.82)...Wichita is averaging 15.21 PIM per game, which is the lowest in the league...Wichita is 7-3-0 when leading after one...Wichita is 8-4-1 when leading after two...Wichita is 5-8-1 when trailing after two...

Wichita concludes a busy portion of its schedule on Tuesday night against the Denver Cutthroats at 7:05 p.m. The Thunder will resume play this upcoming Friday night at home against the Allen Americans at 7:05 p.m.

Individual game tickets are on sale now. Season tickets and mini plans are still available. 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 .

Check out the Wichita Thunder Statistics



Central Hockey League Stories from January 27, 2014


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