Thunder work overtime for perfect week
March 8, 2004 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release
THUNDER BEAT BLAZERS AGAIN- The Thunder fell behind 1-0 then exploded for four unanswered goals, beating Oklahoma City, 4-1, on Wednesday at the Coliseum. Travis Clayton had two goals for the Thunder, who beat Oklahoma City for a franchise-record fifth straight time.
THUNDER KNOCK OFF GORILLAS- Again the Thunder fell behind 1-0, then exploded for four unanswered goals, en route to a 4-2 home win over Amarillo on Friday. Jason Duda led the Thunder with a goal and three assists, while Clayton added three assists.
THUNDER TAKE BUCKS FOR ANOTHER OVERTIME VICTORY- Travis Clayton's second goal of the game, gave the Thunder a 4-3 overtime victory last night over CHL powerhouse Laredo. Joe Blaznek and Mark Kolesar staked the Thunder to a 2-0 lead before the Bucks tied things up at 2-2. Clayton put the Thunder ahead in the third period, however; Steve Weidlich tied things up with 55 seconds left in regulation to force the extra frame. The win was Wichita's fifth in a row and ran their record to a perfect 8-0 in overtime this season.
PLAYOFF PICTURE CLEARING UP FOR THUNDER- With one week left to play, the Thunder now hold the third position in the Northern Conference with 72 points. Memphis also has 72 points, however; the Thunder have one game in hand and own the tiebreaker over the RiverKings. Indianapolis is one point back and also has four games remaining. The Thunder will gain more ground on one of the two teams on Saturday, as Memphis hosts Indianapolis. Two of the three teams will qualify for the postseason, joining Colorado and Bossier-Shreveport.
HOT LINE- The Thunder have gone 7-1-0 in the last eight games and the top line of Travis Clayton, Jason Duda and Adam Calder has played a huge part, combining for 16 goals and 41 points. Both Duda and Clayton are riding eight-game scoring streaks, while Calder is now one point shy of a career-high 73-point season. Calder has already achieved a season-best with a team-leading 36 goals.
LEITER, GROBINS ADD TO RECORD-FILLED THUNDER SEASON- With six minutes last night, Jeff Leiter became the first player to reach 1000 penalty minutes in a Thunder uniform. Leiter is Wichita's all-time leader with 1001 penalty minutes and 75 major penalties. Meanwhile, goaltender Nathan Grobins has won five straight games and has started 11 in a row, going 9-2-0. Grobins, who has played in 29 of the last 30 games, leads the CHL with 32 wins and is second with 2961 minutes played.
THUNDERBOLTS- Rookie Ryan Olynyk is second in the CHL with 29 major penalties...The Thunder are 23-3-2 when scoring the first goal of the game...Wichita is a CHL-best 23-9-4 in one-goal games...The Thunder are allowing just 28.4 shots per game, second best in the CHL...The Thunder have won four straight road games and at 15-12-3, will finish with a winning road record for only the second time in franchise history...Saturday's Wheelchair Hockey Game raised over $4,100 for Wheelchair Sports Inc...The Thunder won the game 7-6.
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Wednesday, March 3- Oklahoma City 1 at Wichita 4 Win
Friday, March 5- Amarillo 2 at Wichita 4 Win
Sunday, March 7- Laredo 3 at Wichita 4 Win (OT)
THIS WEEK'S GAMES: Tuesday, March 9- Wichita at Tulsa 7:05 PM AM 1070
Wednesday, March 10- Colorado at Wichita 7:00 PM AM 1070
Saturday, March 13- Wichita at Bossier-Shreveport 7:05 PM AM 1070
Sunday, March 14- Amarillo at Wichita 6:10 PM AM 1070
PRACTICE SCHEDULE: Tuesday-Wednesday Kansas Coliseum 10:00 AM
Thursday-Friday Ice Sports Wichita 10:00 AM, 8:00 AM
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