Media Articles

Thunder's offense comes alive at home

BY BROOKS SEELEY, Wichita Eagle correspondent- For one night, at least, the Thunder found a solution to its offensive woes. Wichita scored four consecutive goals and rallied for a 5-3 victory over Tulsa on Tuesday at the Kansas Coliseum."It's a great character win," Thunder veteran Jason Duda said. "To be down 3-1 and to have guys… Read More

Weingartner urges return to simplicity

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- If coach Rob Weingartner has his way, the no-frills, blue-collar Wichita Thunder will return to the ice tonight.During a recent three-game winning streak, the Thunder used what Weingartner described as "a simple style" and outscored opponents 13-7. But the team went on the road and promptly dropped three… Read More

Thunder loses third straight

Eagle staff- The Texas Brahmas absorbed a fast Thunder start to defeat Wichita 6-2, sending the Thunder to its third straight loss.  Wichita scored twice in the first 6:28 of the game to take a 2-1 lead. Jason Duda scored on the power play, while Mike Lukajic scored the Thunder's second goal.  Texas scored the next five goals to put the… Read More

Odessa blanks Thunder

Eagle staff-  Mike Gorman stopped all 29 of the Thunder's shots in a 3-0 Odessa victory Friday night at Ector County Coliseum in Odessa, Texas.  Dominic Leveille, Chris Brannen and Olivier Proulx scored for the Jackalopes, who held the Thunder to four shots in the second period.  The Thunder dropped to 4-19-1 away from the Kansas… Read More

Addition by Subtraction

By Kollen Long, The Wichita Eagle-  "Get rid of the bad apple, go 3-0."Those were the words of the recently traded Alex Goupil, in town to pick up some of his belongings, after the Thunder's victory on Saturday.Goupil, dealt to Laredo on Feb. 11, didn't seem to harbor any bad feelings over the trade. He offered hugs, handshakes and… Read More

Viega President Dan Schmierer profile

BY PHYLLIS JACOBS GRIEKSPOOR, The Wichita Eagle- One of the challenges Dan Schmierer faces at the helm of Viega LLC, one of the world's leading manufacturers of plumbing and heating technology products, is a lack of name recognition.Viega, a fourth-generation, family-owned German company, has been around since 1899, when it began manufacturing… Read More

Power play sizzles in Thunder's latest win

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- For proof of the damage that Thunder defenseman Daniel Tetrault can inflict with his shot, witness the result of two second-period blasts from the point on Sunday night.The first, after a deflection off a stick, hit Tulsa's Adam Blanchette in the face, knocking him off his feet and out of the game. A sizable blood… Read More

Injuries smudge Duda's year

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- Jason Duda's numerous health problems -- off-season shoulder surgery, a torn knee ligament, a nearly severed finger -- have clearly limited his ice time, statistics and enjoyment of the game.But he sees the effect in a more personal way."I've had so many injuries I can't get down on the floor and play with my… Read More

Thunder topples champs

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- As it turned out, there was surprisingly little drama to Sebastien Laplante's much-anticipated return to Wichita. The Thunder, and its surprising, out-of-nowhere offensive outburst made certain of that.In a season filled with disappointment, the Thunder pulled off a memorable upset on Friday night, beating the… Read More

Laplante's back in town

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- Sebastien Laplante says he's never been good at goodbyes. We may find out tonight how he handles a reunion.After a messy and controversial departure from the Thunder, the former All-Star goaltender returns to Wichita tonight with his new team, the Colorado Eagles.On Wednesday, Laplante said he wasn't certain if he… Read More

Presson may delay decision

Thunder president Chris Presson may not meet his self-imposed deadline of March 1 for a decision on the future of interim coach Rob Weingartner.Weingartner is 9-17-1 since taking over for Mark French, who was fired when the team struggled to a 4-13 start.Weingartner was 8-8-1 when, on Jan. 24, Presson said that he was leaning heavily toward… Read More

Thunder swaps top scorer for 2 defensemen

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- Thunder interim coach Rob Weingartner continued to put his stamp on the hockey organization Monday by trading forward Alex Goupil, the team's leading goal scorer, for two young and good-sized defensemen.On the day of the Central Hockey League's trading deadline, the Thunder sent Goupil, who has 13 goals and 25… Read More

Thunder snaps 8-game skid behind Zaniboni in net

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- Rio Grande Valley's Robin Big Snake, not surprisingly, lost his composure; Thunder veteran Bruce Richardson flapped his arms like a chicken; and goalie Bill Zaniboni made one of the most unusual saves you'll ever see.All that, and the Thunder finally won a game, too.Given that the Thunder and Rio Grande are the… Read More

Enough already: Thunder skid hits 8 straight

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- Rob Weingartner, the Thunder's intense and fiery interim coach, is clearly trying to keep his emotions in check these days.Remaining calm, as Weingartner did, couldn't have been an easy task Friday night when the Thunder season, already a huge disappointment, reached an embarrassing low point.The Thunder lost its… Read More

Thunder deal slow to pay off

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- Suffice it to say that the Sebastien Laplante trade hasn't worked out the way anyone envisioned.The former Thunder goalie is 0-2 with a hefty 4.62 goals-against average for the Colorado Eagles. Meanwhile, Marco Emond, the goalie the Thunder obtained in the deal, still hasn't bothered to inform interim coach Rob… Read More

Zaniboni resurfaces Thunder plans

As surprising as it may seem, the poundings endured by the Thunder over the weekend actually produced some good news: Interim coach Rob Weingartner is excited about the potential of newly acquired goaltender Bill Zaniboni."He looks like he's very capable of being a No. 1 goalie in this league," Weingartner said on Monday.Zaniboni, a… Read More

Mudbugs throttle Thunder once more

BY MATT BROWNING, Wichita Eagle correspondent- The Thunder averages a CHL-worst 2.31 goals per game. Saturday's opponent at the Kansas Coliseum, the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, allows a league-best 1.80.Those statistics were telling in the Thunder's 6-0 loss to the Mudbugs.The Thunder (12-27-1) had few opportunities around the goal and when they… Read More

Lukajic to join Thunder

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- Perhaps Mike Lukajic is simply being professional and saying the right things, or maybe he's just a nice guy.Whatever, he says he is "excited" about his recent trade to the Wichita Thunder, and that qualifies as welcome news for a franchise that has seen more than its share of defections in recent… Read More