CHL Wichita Thunder

Thunder Wins Three of Four

March 14, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release


The Wichita Thunder earned six of eight points last week. The Thunder came from behind and beat Tulsa 3-2 in overtime on Tuesday at the BOK Center. Troy Schwab scored the game-winning goal with 43 seconds left in overtime. Mike Looby tied the contest at 2-2 with a goal in the third period. Marc-Antoine Gelinas earned the win, saving 25 of 27. Aaron Davis scored for the Thunder.

Wichita defeated the Mississippi RiverKings 5-1 on Friday night at home. Matt Robinson and Aaron Davis each had three points, with Robinson potting two goals. Marc-Antoine Gelinas was 26 of 28 for the victory. Davis, Dustin Donaghy, and Jesse Bennefield also scored Thunder goals.

The Thunder dropped a 4-1 game to the Allen Americans in Allen, TX on Saturday night. Bobby Hughes scored Wichita's lone goal while Marty Magers was 25 of 29 in his first game since February 5th. Nino Musitelli had two points in the win for the Americans. Chris Whitley was the winning goaltender, saving 31 of 32.

Wichita finished the weekend strong with a 4-1 win versus Quad City on Sunday evening. Aaron Davis netted two goals to lead the offense. Marc-Antoine Gelinas was 28 for 29 in the victory. Chris Greene and Jesse Bennefield also had Thunder goals.

Thunder Climbing CHL Attendance Race

The Wichita Thunder ranks third in the CHL in attendance at 5,342 fans per game. Wichita needs to average 6,063 fans over their final two home games to finish in front of the Missouri Mavericks' current pace (5,385). The Thunder has ranked second in the league in attendance each of the last five years.

Full Lineup

On Friday, the Thunder played with their seven highest-scoring forwards (Aaron Davis, Matt Robinson, A.J. Gale, Bobby Hughes, Troy Schwab, Jesse Bennefield, and Lance Galbraith) for the first time in 25 games. The group had not played together since January 7th.

Playoff-Bound Thunder

Earlier this month, the Thunder clinched their first playoff berth in four years. It is the 10th time in franchise history the Thunder is in the playoffs.

McClelland Joins Select Group

First-year Thunder Head Coach is in the Central Hockey League playoffs for a fifth consecutive season. McClelland has guided the Mississippi RiverKings and Colorado Eagles to the playoffs twice each, reaching the President's Cup Finals with Colorado in 2009. McClelland is now one of only four coaches in CHL history to lead three different teams to the playoffs. Bill McDonald, Chris Stewart, and Todd Lalonde are the others.

Offensive Thunder

The Thunder is second in the league in goals for per game at 3.73.

Thunder Ironmen

Five players have skated in all 59 of the Thunder's games this year. They are Chris Greene, Jesse Bennefield, Travis Wight, Aaron Davis, and Lance Galbraith.

Home Ice Advantage

The Thunder has one of the best home records in the league at 19-8-4. Wichita has played exceptionally well at the INTRUST Bank Arena when hosting Turner Conference opponents. The Thunder finishes the regular season 12-1-2 at home against the Turner, having lost in regulation just once.

'Turnering' 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 is a combined 12-5-2 against Colorado, Rapid City, and Missouri, with winning records against all three. The Thunder was 0-24-3 against those three clubs last year. The Thunder begins a stretch of three straight games against Missouri later this week.

The Long March

The Thunder's final seven games will be played in a span of 11 days, including two sets of three games in three nights. Wichita opened the month of March having to play 14 games in 27 days.

30 Goals

Both Matt Robinson (35) and Jesse Bennefield (31) have scored 30 goals in a Thunder sweater this season. Wichita's last 30-goal campaign was by Travis Clayton (30) in 2006-07. Wichita has had just one 20-goal scorer (Jason Duda, 2008-09) over the last three years. A.J. Gale joins Robinson and Bennefield as Thunder players with 20-plus goals in 2010-11, with Aaron Davis (19) and Andrew Martens (14) within in reach.

Martens CHL Finalist

Andrew Martens has been named a finalist for the CHL's Most Outstanding Defenseman award. Martens is second in the league among blue liners with 50 points, and third with 14 goals.

Bennefield Among League's Best

Right wing Jesse Bennefield is 13th in the league with 71 points and tied for eighth with 33 goals. Bennefield has 92 goals and 201 points in 173 CHL games over the last three seasons.

Robinson Lighting the Lamp

Left wing Matt Robinson is second in the league with 37 goals. Robinson trails Texas' Chad Woollard (40) in the CHL's scoring race. Paul Jackson is the only Thunder player to ever lead the league in goals, scoring 71 in 1993-94.

Rookies Excelling

All three of Wichita's rookies have produced for the Thunder this season. Forward Dustin Donaghy is tied for fourth among rookies with 13 goals. Defenseman Steven Kaunisto ranks second with a +15 plus/minus rating. Goaltender Marc-Antoine Gelinas is second overall in the league with 25 victories, and tied for second with four shutouts.

Roster Notes

Right wing A.J. Gale returned to the lineup on Friday after missing four games. Forward Robin Richards has been scratched each of the last three games. Marty Magers was activated from Goaltender IR. Goaltender Kevin Beech was granted leave by the league. Defenseman Jason Goulet is on the 10-Day IR. Left wing Brent Cullaton is on team suspension.

Catch the Thunder All Season

All 66 Thunder 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 season.

Up Next

The Thunder has another busy week, playing three games on the road. Wichita plays at Quad City on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. The Thunder then plays at Missouri both Friday and Saturday. Both contests against the Mavericks begin at 7:05 p.m. The Thunder finally returns home on Friday, March 25th when they host the Tulsa Oilers at 7:05 p.m. For tickets, call the arena box office at (316) 755-SEAT or visit the Thunder's official website at www.wichitathunder.com For playoff tickets and information, call the Thunder office at (316) 264-GOAL.

Check out the Wichita Thunder Statistics



Central Hockey League Stories from March 14, 2011


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