Sports stats



CHL Wichita Thunder

Wichita Drops Two at Home

November 10, 2008 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release


The Wichita Thunder lost their third straight game on Friday night, in a tough 6-5 overtime loss to the New Mexico Scorpions. Wichita had leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 5-4, before New Mexico tied it with 0.7 seconds left on the clock on Craig MacDonald's deflection in front of the net. Aaron MacInnis scored 57 seconds into overtime to win the game, handing Wichita their first overtime loss at home since February 21st, 2007. Five different players accounted for Wichita's goals, including defenseman Greg Cassista, who scored the first goal of his professional career. Chris Greene finished the night with a goal and two assists, while Jason Tessier picked up two assists. Jason Duda and Bryan Nathe each had points, extending their point streaks to six games. Wichita scored a power play goal for the sixth consecutive game. Wichita finished their quick season series with New Mexico, going 1-0-1. Each team won an overtime game on the road, with Wichita beating New Mexico in Rio Ranch on 10/25.

The Thunder lost their fourth game in a row on Saturday night, falling 6-2 to the Mississippi Riverkings. Wichita, who never lead at any point in the game, tied it at 1-1 on Luke Hunter's second goal of the season at 12:37 in the first period. It marked the seventh straight game Wichita scored on the power play. Mississippi regained the lead for good, scoring two goals 4:26 apart in the second to take a 3-1 lead. Chris Shudo scored his team-leading fifth goal of the year at 9:46 in the second to cut the lead to 3-1. However, Mississippi went on to score three unanswered goals to close out the win. Bobby Chaumont and Brad Bonello each scored two goals. Bryan Nathe's and Jason Duda's point streaks both ended at six games.

Home Woes

Wichita is 3-6-1 after their first 10 games. Surprisingly, the Thunder have gotten off to just a 1-3-1 start at the Kansas Coliseum. Wichita has held their own on the road, going 2-3-0.

Duda Named CHL Oakley Player of the Week

Jason Duda was named CHL Oakley Player of the Week for his performance from 10/27-11/2. The 13-year CHL veteran scored four points in three games. It was the sixth time in his career that he has earned Player of the Week honors.

Shots Tough to Come by

After 10 games, Wichita has been outshot by their opponents eight times. The Thunder officially has 256 total shots this season, ranking them 14th in the CHL.

Miscellaneous

Wichita is 13th in the CHL, averaging 3.00 goals per game, while allowing 4.20 goals against, which ranks 12th. Wichita is 0-6-1 when trailing after two periods, though only five teams in the CHL have won at least one game when trailing after two. Wichita is 10th with a 16.4% success rate on the power play, and 15th with a 76.7% rate on the penalty kill.

The Road Ahead

Wichita embarks on one of their toughest road trips of the season, in both distance and strength of schedule. The Thunder travel 778 miles southwest to take on perennial contender Laredo on Friday night. It will be the first meeting of any kind between the Thunder and the Bucks since January 20th, 2007. Wichita plays against the much improved Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (5-1-1) the following night. It will be the Thunder's first visit to Rio Grande Valley since January 19th, 2007. Wichita will not return home until Friday November 21st when they host the Texas Brahmas. For tickets, call the Thunder office at 264-GOAL.

Check out the Wichita Thunder Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Central Hockey League message board...

Central Hockey League Stories from November 10, 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.

Other Recent Wichita Thunder Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central