Wichita Makes Second-Ever Trip to South Carolina
January 26, 2024 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wichita Thunder News Release
Wichita Thunder forwards Brayden Watts and Peter Bates
(Wichita Thunder)
WICHITA, Kan. - The Wichita Thunder, ECHL affiliate of the NHL's San Jose Sharks, AHL's San Jose Barracuda and powered by Toyota, heads on the road tonight at 6:05 p.m. to begin a three-game eastern swing in South Carolina against the Stingrays.
This is the first meeting of the season between the Thunder and the Stingrays. All-time, Wichita is 1-2-0 against South Carolina and 1-0-0 on the road against the Stingrays.
Wichita has only made one trip to North Charleston Coliseum in franchise history. The Thunder earned a 3-1 win on October 25, 2016. Oddly enough, the road team has won each of the three previous contests.
The Thunder are coming off a 3-0 loss last Friday night against Tulsa. South Carolina has won two in a row, claiming a 4-2 victory on January 21 against Orlando.
With the loss, the Thunder dropped to seventh place in the Mountain Division. The Stingrays are in fifth place with 44 points, one point out of second place. There is a three-way tie for second in the South Division.
Wichita will play its first opponent outside of the Western Conference this week. The Thunder have only played five games outside of the Mountain Division. Wichita is 4-0-1 against the Central Division, but 8-20-4 against the Mountain.
Jay Dickman has been terrific on the power play this year. He is tied for first with nine power play goals. The Minnesota native has three points in his last three games. He needs 10 goals to equal his career-high that he set last season with 26.
The magic number to predict a Thunder victory this year has been four. When Wichita scores four or more during the course of a game, the team is 11-3-1. When the Thunder scores three or less, the team is 1-17-4.
One bright spot for the Thunder continues to be the team's power play. Wichita heads on the road for the first time since New Year's Eve and sits in fourth place in that category on the power play, going 16-for-59 (27.1%). Overall, The Thunder are 32-for-127, good for 25.2%.
THUNDERBOLTS...Jason Pineo is tied for sixth with two shorthanded goals...Xavier Pouliot is second among rookies with 23 minor penalties and fourth among rookies with 66 penalty minutes...Kelly Bent is tied for second with six major penalties...Dillon Boucher is tied for sixth with five majors...Ryan Finnegan is second among rookies in shooting percentage (22.2%)...Wichita is 6-5-3 when scoring first...Wichita is 6-2-2 when leading after one...Wichita is 9-2-2 when leading after two...
STINGRAYS NOTES - Josh Wilkins is in a five-game point streak...Jack Adams netted a hat trick last Saturday night...Garet Hunt is tied for the league-lead with seven major penalties...Austin Magera is tied for third in rookie scoring with 35 points...Connor Moore is eighth in points by a defenseman (25)...
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 Wichita Thunder forwards Brayden Watts and Peter Bates |
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