CHL Wichita Thunder

Wichita Bounces Back With Four-Point Weekend

Published on December 29, 2008 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release


Wichita dropped an 8-3 decision to the Mississippi Riverkings on Tuesday night. Mississippi built a 5-0 lead in the first period at the DeSoto Civic Center and never looked back. The Thunder did manage to score three goals, their highest total in eight games. Scott Rozendal, Chris Tarkir, and Jordan Hack all scored. Tim Boron took the loss, saving seven of 11 attempts before being lifted in favor of Krister Toews in the first period. Toews finished the night saving 25 of 29. The eight goals allowed were the most by the Thunder this season.

The Thunder stormed back with a 6-3 win at Tulsa on Friday, highlighted by a hat trick from Jason Tessier. The veteran defenseman scored two power play goals in the second period, the first of which gave Wichita the lead for good. Tessier added an empty-netter from his own blue line with less than 30 seconds left in regulation to cap off the trifecta. The hat trick was the third scored by Wichita this season. Troy Ofukany, Curtiss Patrick, and Bryan Nathe accounted for the other three Thunder goals. Jordan Hack chipped in two assists. Krister Toews earned the win, saving 30 of 33 shots.

Wichita kept their offense going on Saturday in a 5-2 win over the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. Five different players scored goals, including Chris Tarkir, Jason Tessier, Troy Ofukany, Jordan Hack, and Jason Duda. Tarkir scored the game's first goal at 16:07 in the first period. Tessier, Ofukany, and Hack connected 4:49 apart in the second to give the Thunder a 4-0 lead. It was the shortest time between three goals for the Thunder this season. With the Thunder leading 4-1, Duda scored at 14:10 in the third. Bryan Nathe and Chris Greene each finished with two assists. Ofukany also had two assists in addition to his goal. Tim Boron earned the win, saving 32 of 34 shots.

Offense Breaks Through

Wichita scored 11 goals over the weekend en route to two wins. It was the third time this season that the Thunder had scored 11 or more goals over consecutive games. Wichita had gone nine straight contests without scoring more than three goals until their six-goal outburst on Friday at Tulsa. The Thunder has scored five or more goals in one game six different times this year.

Toews Becoming Road Warrior

Rookie goaltender Krister Toews earned his sixth win of the season on Friday night in a 6-3 victory over Tulsa. The Thunder has won five road games this season, and all of them have had Toews in goal. Toews is 5-2-0 on the road this year with a 3.39 goals against average and a .909 save percentage. Toews's road work also includes two shootout victories in which he is eight for 10.

Boron Still Among League's Best

Thunder goaltender Tim Boron recovered from a tough start on Tuesday at Mississippi and saved 32 of 34 shots in a 5-2 win over Rio Grande Vally on Saturday night. Boron, who was named CHL Goaltender of the Week seven days ago, ranks second in the league with a .928 save percentage and seventh with a 2.50 goals against average. Boron has started 12 games this season and has allowed three or fewer goals in 10 of the 12. He has also allowed two or fewer goals in six of the 12, including a shutout over Rocky Mountain on December 13th. Boron has done his best work at the Kansas Coliseum. All three of Boron's wins have come at home, where he sports a 2.12 goals against average and a .940 save percentage.

Weekend Sees a Pair of Important Firsts

The Thunder's win over Rio Grande Valley was its first Saturday home victory of the season. Wichita had been 0-7-1 at the Coliseum on Saturday heading into last weekend. When Wichita outshot Tulsa 35 to 33 in its 6-3 win on Friday, it marked the first time this season that the Thunder had won when outshooting the opposition. Wichita then outshot the Killer Bees 36 to 34 in a 5-2 win on Saturday. Prior to Friday, Wichita was 0-7-2 when outshooting their opponents. Wichita has more than held their own when outshot at the end of the night, going 7-10-0.

Getting Over Another Hump

The Thunder's 6-3 win at Tulsa on Friday gave them their fifth road win this season, eclipsing their road win total from last year. The Thunder won just four road games all of 2007-08, and did not manage a road victory until December 22nd at Rocky Mountain.

Player Notes

Jordan Hack has four points in his last three games, and is a combined +5 in his last two contests. Troy Ofukany has six points in his last three games, including two goals. Chris Greene has scored a point in four of his last five games. Brad Thompson has an assist in three straight. Jason Tessier has four goals and six points in his last three games. Bryan Nathe has five points in his last five games, and has finished each of his last four matches +1.

Injury Update

Jason Duda returned from the 14-Day IR on Friday at Tulsa after missing five games. Duda scored the following night in Wichita's 5-2 win versus Rio Grande Valley. Andrew Davis was subsequently placed on the 14-Day IR, retroactive to December 13th, with a lower body injury. Stan Yanchishyn remains on the 14-Day IR, and is eligible to return at anytime. Chris Shudo (upper body) and Mike Batovanja (knee) are still on the 30-Day IR.

Up Next

Wichita continues their current five-game homestand on Wednesday night when they host the Tulsa Oilers. Opening faceoff for the New Year's Eve game is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. at the Kansas Coliseum. For tickets, call the Thunder office at (316) 264-4625.

Check out the Wichita Thunder Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Central Hockey League Stories from December 29, 2008


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.

OurSports Central