Thunder Win-Streak to Four with 5-4 Win over Brahmas
November 24, 2012 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release
Wichita, KS - Wichita (10-5-2) came into the game winning only once when trailing heading into the third period. On Saturday night, the Thunder scored three-unanswered goals in the final frame and walked out of INTRUST Bank Arena with a 5-4 win over the Fort Worth Brahmas (6-7-2). Matt Summers, RG Flath, and Greger Hanson combined for seven points and all three players were named as the 3 Stars of the Game. Wichita improves to 2-0-0 on the season against the Brahmas with six meetings left between the two teams.
Ross Rouleau scored the only goal of the first period with just over 2 minutes on the clock. After a tipped shot was blocked back to the Thunder blue line, Derrick Pallis fired the puck back towards the net where Rouleau redirected it back down through a screen and past Torrie Jung to make it 1-0.
The two teams combined for four in the second period after a defensive first 20 minutes. Wichita started the second on a power play and scored at 1:12 when Dave Inman found Summers at the side of the net and tied the game at one. Three minutes later, Hanson gave the Thunder a 2-1 lead on the power play with a wrist shot from the slot and recorded his eighth of the season. Fort Worth scored twice near the end of the period to grab the lead back less than two minutes apart. Riley Boychuk tied the game at two at 13:30 and Daniel Spivak gave the Brahmas a 3-2 lead with wrist shot from the left point that slipped just inside the post past Jung at 15:17.
At the start of the third, Jon Madden took a shot towards the net tha t ricocheted off of Flath and past Kristopher Westblom to tie the game at three. Todd Griffith scored at 7:32 on a beautiful backhand in close to give the Thunder a 4-3 lead. It was Griffith's first goal in his first game since being added to the line-up earlier in the day.
Wichita was then awarded a five-on-three power play with six minutes left as TJ Fox was called for tripping and Boychuk for unsportsmanlike conduct. 11 seconds later, Kevin Young snuck into the slot and fed a pass across to Summers who buried it and increased the lead to 5-3. The Brahmas rallied late when Erik Spady cut the lead back to one at 16:36 with a slap shot from the top of the right circle and made it 5-4. For the second straight, night, Wichita was able to hold on and not allow anything in the final minutes of play and won their fourth game in a row.
Hanson continues to lead all rookies in scoring, adding a goal and an assist. Summers netted two goals and added an assist and Flath had a goal and an assist. Flath is six goals shy from 100 for his career and five points shy of 200 career-points. Jung earned his fifth win of the season, making 19 saves on 23 shots. Wichita is now 2-5-1 when trailing after two periods and improved to 4-2-2 in one-goal games.
Wichita went 3-for-5 with the man advantage and Fort Worth went 0-for-1. Wichita pushes its streak of not allowing a goal on the power play to six games, killing off all 18 chances for the other team.
Wichita will be out of town for the next three games, beginning Friday, November 30th in Denver for their first-ever meeting against the Cutthroats. The Thunder's next home game is not until December 7th when the Tulsa Oilers come to town for the first time since opening weekend. For tickets, call 755-SEAT, visit the INTRUST Bank Arena box office or online at www.selectaseat.com.
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Central Hockey League Stories from November 24, 2012
- Cutthroats Top Rapid City in Another Thriller, 4-3 - Denver Cutthroats
- Thunder Win-Streak to Four with 5-4 Win over Brahmas - Wichita Thunder
- Brahmas Lose to Thunder on the Road - Fort Worth Brahmas
- Mavericks Rock Bloomington, 6-1 - Kansas City Mavericks
- Mavericks Ride over Blaze - Bloomington Blaze
- Three Goal Lead Vanishes in 4-3 Loss to Mallards - Tulsa Oilers
- Mallards Rally, Drop Tulsa 4-3 - Quad City Mallards
- Thunder Make Changes as Fort Worth Looms - Wichita Thunder
- Mavericks Sign Forward Evan Vossen; Trevor Kell to IR - Kansas City Mavericks
- Central Hockey League Announces Suspension - CHL
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