Thunder Weekly
Published on February 11, 2014 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release
LAST WEEK'S GAMES -
Friday, February 7th
Missouri at Wichita, 4-1 L
-Andrew Martens gave the Thunder a 1-0 lead with six minutes left in the first period. The Mavericks would score the next four to run away with the win. Mike Ramsay potted a pair as the Mavericks scored twice in the second and two in the third to stop Wichita's five-game winning streak against the Mavericks.
Saturday, February 8th
Wichita at Tulsa, 3-1 L
-Tulsa scored two goals seven minutes apart in the first period and lead 2-0 heading into the third. Matt Robinson got the Thunder within one early in the final frame. The Oilers would not be denied, however, as Blair Macaulay was credited with the final Tulsa goal of the night.
Sunday, February 9th
Missouri at Wichita, 3-0 W
-Matt Summers and Jon Madden scored 39 seconds apart in the first period to help springboard the Thunder to a 2-0 lead. Mike Wilson tacked on another late in the contest en route to the Thunder's first shutout of the season. David Brown stopped all 24 shots he faced.
THIS WEEK'S GAMES -
Friday, February 14th
Wichita at Brampton, 6:30 p.m., 1550 KKLE
Sunday, February 16th
Wichita at Brampton, 1:00 p.m., 92.7 KWME, 1550 KKLE
Monday, February 17th (Louis Riel Day, Canadian holiday)
Wichita at Brampton, 1:00 p.m., 92.7 KWME, 1550 KKLE
(All times are central time zone)
Thunder Practice Schedule -
Wednesday
INTRUST Bank Arena, time TBD
**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**
GOOSE EGG - Wichita blanked the Mavericks for its first shutout of the season by a Thunder goaltender. The last shutout by a Thunder netminder occurred during last year's playoff run on April 18th, 2013 against Fort Worth in a 3-0 victory. Torrie Jung stopped 29 shots in Game 3 of the Conference Semifinals.
BROWNIE POINTS - David Brown has been solid over his last nine starts, going 7-2-0 in that span with a goals against average of 2.31 and a save percentage of .923. He collected his eighth career shutout this past Sunday against Missouri stopping 24 shots he faced. Over the last nine games, he had a four-game winning streak including a pair of one-goal victories against Quad City and Missouri back in January.
RELIEF - Matt Summers lifted a monkey off his back on Sunday, scoring off a face-off to get the Thunder started en route to a 3-0 win over Missouri. His last goal, which was also a game-winner, came back on January 18th at the Independence Events Center against the Mavericks.
BLUE LIGHT SPECIAL - Wichita has three of the top six scoring defensemen in the league. Andrew Martens and Jesse Dudas have been in a battle for the top spot over the last several weeks. Martens sits in first place with 36 points (8g, 28a), adding a goal over the weekend. Dudas is right behind him with 33 points (12g, 21a). Mike Wilson has propelled himself into sixth place with 29 points (9g, 20a) and had a goal and an assist Sunday against Missouri.
50 - Jon Booras hit the 50-point barrier over the weekend with an assist on Saturday night. This is the sixth time in his career he has performed that feat. The Billings, Montana native hit 50 points in five out of the seven seasons he was in Bloomington playing for the Blaze and the PrairieThunder. Booras leads the Thunder in points and assists with 35.
OH CANADA - Wichita will be heading to Brampton, Ontario this week for three games against the Beast. This will be the first time the Thunder has played in Canada in franchise history. Wichita has played Brampton three times this year and is 1-2-0 in the season-series.
OLYMPIC CONNECTION - With the Olympic Games underway, the CHL has many ties to the 1980 Team USA Gold Medal winning club. In fact, Steve Janaszak played for the Wichita Wind during the 1982-83 season. He was the back-up to Jim Craig and went on to play for the Tulsa Oilers, Fort Worth Texans ad Oklahoma City Stars in the CHL.
WHEN NATIONS FACE OFF - Brampton is the first Canadian team the Thunder has played, but it wasn't the first international club Wichita has ever hosted. Back in 1994, the CHL hosted Russian pro team, HC LADA, during the When Nations Face-Off, 1994 Russian CHL Tour. Wichita played the game on October 20th at the Kansas Coliseum and lost 12-1. Former NHL forward Alexei Kovalev joined the team due to the NHL lockout. Kovalev finished the game with a hat trick and three assists. He also got into a fight with former Thunder forward Jason McQuat. Wichita ended the contest with 112 penalty minutes.
THUNDERBOLTS... Booras is ninth in the league with 50 points, seventh in assists (35) and power play assists (13)...Nick McParland is tied for eighth in rookie scoring with 18 points (6g, 12a)...Jesse Dudas is tied for sixth in power play goals (7)...Andrew Martens is tied for fifth in power play assists (17)...Wichita is for second in shots allowed per game (29.73)...Wichita is averaging 15.09 PIM per game, which is the lowest in the league...Wichita is 9-4-0 when leading after one...Wichita is 10-4-1 when leading after two...Wichita is 4-1-0 when playing on Sundays...Wichita is 5-3-1 when scoring 3 goals...
Wichita will make its first-ever trip to Canada to take on the Brampton Beast for a three-game set starting next Friday night. The Thunder return home on Friday, February 21st 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 .
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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
