Wichita Thunder Hockey News

Thunder falls short at Bossier

Eagle staff- Joe Ori's goal with 2:40 to play in the third period gave Bossier-Shreveport a 2-1 victory over the visiting Wichita Thunder on Thursday night.Bossier took a 1-0 lead on a second-period goal by Daniel Pegoraro. The Thunder tied the score early in the third period when Kyle Bruce scored with assists from Kris Wiebe and Bruce… Read More

Three goalies, two spots

Entering Saturday's game, the number of feel-good Thunder stories this season equaled the number of Christmas cards Wichita fans will send Tyler Fleck.Zero, basically.That changed with the performance of Layne Sedevie, a newly-acquired rookie who made 33 saves and beat rival Oklahoma City in his first Central Hockey League start.The Bismarck, N.D.,… Read More

RiverKings blank Thunder

Eagle staff- The Thunder managed fewer shots in Tuesday night's 3-0 loss at Mississippi than the River Kings had in the first period.Mississippi had 23 first-period shots en route to 42 for the game, twice as many as the Thunder.The Thunder's Sebastien Laplante made his first appearance in goal since his Nov. 13 arrest for misdemeanor charges of… Read More

Laplante returns to Thunder

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- The Wichita Thunder reinstated goaltender Sebastien Laplante on Sunday, coach Mark French said.Laplante was suspended following his arrest on charges of disorderly conduct and domestic violence on Nov. 13. His fiancee was arrested on the same misdemeanor charges at the couple's home.Laplante, the Thunder's MVP… Read More

Thunder halts three-game skid

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- Despite playing in all 10 games this season, first-year forward Stan Yanchishyn hadn't scored a single point.Another rookie, goaltender Layne Sedevie, was making his first Central Hockey League start on Saturday.Undoubtedly, they wouldn't have been anyone's pick to make key contributions, but both played big roles… Read More

Thunder struggles continue at home

By Kollen Long, The Wichita Eagle-  The unsettled situation regarding suspended goalie Sebastien Laplante continues to hang over the Wichita Thunder. So does the losing.The Thunder dropped its third straight game, a 5-1 thumping by the Mississippi RiverKings in the Kansas Coliseum on Friday.With the loss, Wichita fell to 2-8 overall -- the… Read More

Duda's recovery on schedule

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- The injured Thunder forward didn't wear pads -- just sweats -- and he didn't participate in the team's practice.But he skated -- and that qualifies as a major development for a struggling hockey team in desperate need of good news."I think the guys gained some comfort in just seeing him back on the ice,… Read More

Don't let 'em see ya sweat

Advice to the sensitive players in the Central Hockey League:Wear earplugs. Try mumbling "I can't hear you, I can't hear you" over and over. Practice the sticks-and-stones theory your mother taught you.Whatever it takes.When playing the Wichita Thunder in the Kansas Coliseum, accept that you're going to get a continuous earful from the… Read More

LAPLANTE VOTED BY FANS AS WEEK THREE’S PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that Wichita goaltender Sebastien Laplante and his 36-save shutout performance on November 3rd versus Oklahoma City has been voted by the fans as the winner of week three’s Performance of the Week.  The Thunder won the game 3-0, their first win of the season.  Laplante received 54% of… Read More

Wiebe sets tone in Thunder's win

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- The Wichita Thunder managed to win only one of its first four home games and was outscored a troubling 12-4 in the losses.What a nightmare.On Saturday night, though, the Thunder put together perhaps its best 60 minutes of play, and there is little doubt what spurred the effort.A dream shift.Kris Wiebe scored 33… Read More

Thunder veteran Richardson earns respect

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- We can pinpoint the exact time and place that newcomer Bruce Richardson, after a rather inauspicious start, made his first major impression with the Wichita Thunder.Near the left faceoff circle, the 15:33 mark of game No. 4.Up to that point, the veteran forward, Wichita's biggest off-season acquisition, had one… Read More

Laplante: Slump is history

A glitch in the Central Hockey League statistics service is causing Sebastien Laplante to be listed merely as New Player on in-game box scores.There's a possibility that Laplante didn't mind the anonymity the mistake provided during his first two starts of the season. No goaltender would want to be linked to such poor performances, which resulted… Read More

Thunder shuts out Blazers for first victory

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- After Friday night's dismal performance -- a 4-1 thumping that kept the Thunder winless -- coach Mark French couldn't even bring himself to address the team.Simply put, he was too disgusted, so he scrapped the postgame speech for the first time in his career."Mark doing that," goaltender Sebastien… Read More

Thunder's struggles continue

BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- The Wichita Thunder has played four games and has this to show for it: Three goalie changes, exactly one even-strength goal and no wins.The latest loss -- a 4-1 defeat by the undefeated Youngstown SteelHounds on Friday -- dropped the Thunder to 0-4, including three setbacks at home.Frustration continues to mount… Read More

French likes line combo

BY KOLLEN LONG,The Wichita Eagle- Silver-lining time, Thunder fans.The team is certainly struggling -- the 0-3 record marks the second-worst start in the 16-year history of the franchise -- and the offense has been nearly non-existent.But coach Mark French, who has juggled his lines often because of injuries and recent player additions, said he has… Read More

Thunder remains winless

BY JEFFREY LUTZ, The Wichita Eagle- Thunder teams traditionally avoid slow starts, so the concern is growing after the team's latest season-opening setback.Wichita is winless in its first three games after a 3-2 win by Texas on Wednesday night at the Kansas Coliseum.The Thunder tied it with a power-play goal by Travis Clayton with 7:12 remaining in… Read More