Colorado broke a third-period tie with two goals in 1 minute, 23 seconds and went on to beat the Thunder 5-3 on Friday night in Loveland, Colo.
The Thunder led 1-0 after the first period, scoing on a Bruce Richardson power-play goal.
Colorado took a 2-1 lead in the second period, but Tyler Liebel tied the score with a goal in the final minute of the period.
Aaron Schneekloth's power-play goal at 7:17 of the third period gave Colorado a 3-2 lead, and Greg Pankewicz scored at 8:40 to make it 4-2.
The Thunder cut the Colorado lead to 4-3 on Dominic DAmour's goal at 10:18, but couldn't get the equalizer.
Wichita plays tonight at Rocky Mountain.
| Wichita | 1 1 1 -- 3 |
| Colorado | 0 2 3 -- 5 |
Scoring--1. Wichita, Richardson (Clayton, DAmour) 12:37 pp. Penalties--Colorado, Birnie (fighting major) 2:06; Wichita, Bruce (fighting major) 2:06; Wichita, Yanchishyn (too many men) 6:18; Colorado, Thurston (slashing) 11:25; Colorado, Pankewicz. (high sticking) 12:18; Wichita, Batovanja (fighting major) 16:37; Wichita, Nelson (slashing) 16:37; Colorao, Pankewicz (fighting major) 16:37; Colorado, Filpic (unsportsmanlike) 18:17; Wichita, Hanchuck (unsportsmanlike) 18:17.
Second period
Scoring--2. Colorado, Williamson (Leonard, Nelson) 3:12; 3. Colorado, Pankewicz (Williamson, Schneekloth) 12:06 pp; 4. Wichita, Liebel (Richardson) 19:28. Penalties--Wichita, Bruce (hooking) 10:31; Colorado, Filpic (tripping) 14:30.
Third period
Scoring--5. Colorado, Schneekloth (Leonard, McGrane) 7:17 pp; 6. Colorado, Pankewicz (Thurston) 8:40; 7. Wichtia, DAmour (Paul, Richardson 10:18 pp; 8. Colorado, Leonard (Esdale) 19:15 en. Penalties--Wichita, Thompson (hooking) 5:33; Colorado, Polaski (elbowing) 8:56; Colorado, Pankewicz (unsportsmanlike) 10:18.
Shots on goal--Wichita 5-9-7--21, Colorado 13-21-14--48.
Power play--Wichita 2-5, Colorado 2-4.
Goaltenders--Wichita, Laplante 43 saves on 47 shots; Colorado, Emond 18 saves on 21 shots.
Att-5,289.
BY PAUL SUELLENTROP, The Wichita Eagle-
The Wichita Thunder hockey team ended the worst season in franchise history on March 22. Thursday, the Thunder started rebuilding under new coach Brent Bilodeau.
"Brent is a guy we had our eyes on since our season ended in March," Thunder general manager Joel Lomurno said after a news conference at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. "I want people to know the reason why we waited until June 19 to name a coach is because this is the guy we wanted all along."
Bilodeau, 35, spent the past three seasons as assistant coach and assistant general manager for the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL. He played 12 seasons of minor-league hockey after the Montreal Canadiens picked him in the first round of the 1991 NHL Draft. He spent six of those seasons as player/assistant coach with the Johnstown (Pa.) Chiefs of the ECHL.
Bilodeau called Wichita a blue-collar city with fans who will like his style of hockey. He played defenseman and Lomurno is counting on his zone coverage system to improve the Thunder's leaky defense.
"We're going to work hard, and we're going to compete every night," Bilodeau said. "I like guys that can skate. I like guys that can check. I'm not afraid to have a big thumper in there. You have to have a good mix, a little bit of everything."
Read the rest of the story HERE.
These are precarious times for the Wichita Thunder, coming off a disaster of a season during which it finished dead last -- and dead is the appropriate word -- in the Central Hockey League's Northwest division.
The Thunder has a new coach, Brent Bilodeau, who undoubtedly will overhaul the roster. You wonder whether team mainstays Jason Duda and Travis Clayton, almost as much a part of Wichita as Kellogg and Broadway, are locks to return.
There is also a new general manager, but it seems strange to call Joel T. Lomurno (he likes the middle initial) new.
He has been with the Thunder for 16 years, having started as an unpaid intern. He figured he'd be around for a year to learn the ropes of professional hockey and then lasso another job in a more romantic locale.
Except Lomurno fell in love with Wichita, served the Thunder in a variety of capacities and now, after all these years, is wearing the GM hat. We'll soon find out how it fits.
Read the rest of the story HERE.
Brent Bilodeau, an assistant for one of the top franchises in the East Coast Hockey League, is the new coach of the Wichita Thunder, according to two sources close to the hiring.
Bilodeau, the assistant coach and assistant general manager for the Las Vegas Wranglers the past three seasons, is expected to be introduced at a news conference on Thursday.
Bilodeau would not confirm that he has been hired but said, "I think there's a press conference on Thursday. That would probably be my best answer right now."
Thunder general manager Joel Lomurno declined comment.
Read the rest of the story HERE.
Thunder star Travis Clayton hasn't had to worry about a roster spot in years, but he can still relate to the players who entered training camp on Monday with uncertain futures.
"There's a lot of competition this year for jobs," Clayton said. "I'm sure the boys are ready for a challenge and ready to show what they can do."
They'd better be.
Coach Mark French invited 27 players to camp - the largest number since 1994-95 - and at least four players won't even last through the week.
The evaluation process began with two workouts Monday and continues in earnest tonight when the Thunder plays host to Tulsa in an exhibition game at Wichita Ice Center.
For numerous players on the roster bubble, good first impressions are a must.
"We obviously have to make some major decisions in a short period of time," French said. "We've all seen players who play like Wayne Gretzky in practice, but, for whatever reason, it doesn't continue into games. That's why we've got to get these guys into a competitive situation and see what they can do. Clearly, the exhibition game will be an evaluation tool for us."
So much so that the team's veterans -- Jason Duda, Bruce Richardson, Daniel Tetrault and Clayton - won't play. And three other established players - Dominic D'Amour, Tyler Hanchuck and Tyler Liebel - will sit out, too.
Centerman Collin Circelli, a rookie who scored 67 points in 102 games at St. Francis Xavier University, will be one of 18 players on tonight's roster. He said he expects to feel some nervousness but mostly excitement.
"It's gonna be good - my first pro game," he said with a grin. "I think once I get that first shift under my belt I'll start to settle in and everything will be fine.
"I just want to go out and play my game and not try to do too much."
Notes -- As of Monday afternoon, about 100 tickets remained for tonight's game. The Ice Center seats 744 for hockey.... French said he plans to reduce the roster to 22 or 23 for the Thunder's exhibition games on Friday and Saturday at the East Coast Hockey League's Idaho Steelheads.
The Wichita Thunder's established players dressed in suits and sweaters Tuesday night, sitting out the exhibition game so coach Mark French could evaluate the rookies and newcomers.
Tulsa's stars, meanwhile, were on the ice.
So the result -- a 3-2 shootout victory for the Thunder -- was somewhat surprising but quite encouraging for the 750 fans who squeezed into the Wichita Ice Center.
"I wanted guys to play like jobs were on the line, and a lot of guys did just that," French said. "I was very proud of our effort, and a win is a win no matter the time."
The Thunder, coming off a 28-28-8 regular season last year, dominated the first period, going up 1-0 when 6-foot-4 forward Ryan MacGregor tipped in a Todd Paul shot on the power play at 3:59.
Later in the first, rookie forward Tanner Fogarty, who had just eight goals during a four-year career at Holy Cross, extended the lead to 2-0 on another power play goal off an assist from Paul.
"We came out really strong," said Paul, who was acquired from Corpus Christi in a trade for high-scoring forward Joe Blaznek in the off-season. "We were buzzing around, playing hard, playing physical. I think that's what beat them down -- until the end when they got a couple goals."
No. 1 goalie Sebastien Laplante and the Thunder defense shut out the Oilers, who feature league scoring champ Jeff Christian (116 points) and David Beauregard (71), until giving way to backup Jon Horrell at 8:33 of the second.
The Thunder appeared headed for the victory in regulation, but the Oilers, with the goalie pulled, scored a power-play goal with just 7 seconds left in the game.
In a departure from last season, when Wichita struggled in shootouts, the Thunder was nearly perfect on Tuesday. Collin Circelli, J.F. Labarre, Kris Wiebe and Lonny Forrester scored; Jason Lepine missed, but he hit the post.
The victory was finally secured when Horrell stopped Christian's attempt.
"No matter how much you may not like the shootout, it's a huge part of the game," French said. "And we left a lot of single points out there last year because we weren't proficient in that area. It was nice to see the skill that showed up tonight."
Notes -- Thunder defenseman Bernie Chmiel earned glass rattler of the game honors for an open-ice hit in the first period.... The Thunder made life tough on Christian. Early in the second period, Christian seemed headed for a scoring chance, but Thunder defenseman Matthieu Wathier knocked him off the puck. Later in the period, Paul made a clean steal from Christian.... French plans to cut three players before the team leaves today for exhibition games in Idaho.... The Thunder improved to 14-13-2 in exhibition games, including 3-1-1 at the Ice Center.... It was Wichita's first home exhibition game since Oct. 17, 2004.
| Tulsa | 0 0 2 0 0 -- 2 |
| Wichita | 2 0 0 0 1-- 3 |
Scoring--1. Wichita, MacGregor (Paul) 3:59 pp; 2. Wichita, Fogarty (Paul, Forrester) 11:36 pp. Penalties--Tulsa, Barth (roughing) 2:21; Tulsa, Rycroft (hooking) 11:18; Wichita, Fogarty (hooking) 14:01; Wichita, Needham, (fighting) 16:46; Tulsa, Barth (fighting) 16:46.
Second period
Scoring--none. Penalties--Tulsa, Herauf (charging) 1:20; Tulsa, Kauffeldt (fighting) 1:20; Wichita, Graboski (fighting) 1:20; Wichita, bench (too many men on the ice) 2:40; Tulsa, Christian (hooking) 4:53; Tulsa, bench (too many men on the ice) 11:14; Wichita, Wiebe (boarding) 12:24; Tulsa, Stewart (hooking) 15:36.
Third period
Scoring--3. Tulsa, Kauffeldt (Sicard) 13:30; 4. Tulsa, Kelly (Christian) 19:53 pp. Penalties--Tulsa, Guinn (hooking) 3:43; Wichita, Graboski (cross checking) 7:47; Tulsa, Garbutt (tripping) 15:49; Wichita, Graboski (roughing) 19:26.
Shootout--Wichita: Circelli, make; Labarre, make; Lepine, miss; Wiebe, make; Forrester, make. Tulsa: Garbutt, make; Magnussen, make; Beauregard, make; Kelly, miss; Christian, miss.
Shots on goal--Tulsa 7-3-8-0-0-18; Wichita 9-6-11-4-1-31.
Power play--Tulsa 1-5, Wichita 2-8.
Goaltenders--Tulsa, St. Pierrer 11 saves on 13 shots; Chalmers 17 saves on 18 shots. Wichita, Laplante 8 saves on 8 shots; Horrell 8 saves on 10 shots.
Attendance--744.
Travis Clayton and Jason Duda have been Thunder teammates for 10 years, and both live year-round in Wichita. They're the most recognizable faces of the franchise. But how well do you know the popular duo? For each question below, is the answer Duda or is it Clayton?
1. Thunder career leader in hat tricks with 11.
2. Thunder career leader in game-winning goals.
3. Spent the offseason operating heavy equipment in the oil fields in Canada.
4. Worked as a caddie at Flint Hills National Golf Club over the summer.
5. Has a Boxer named Bentley.
6. Has a 10-month-old daughter.
7. "Shawshank Redemption" is his favorite movie.
8. Loves hockey movies, with "Youngblood" being his favorite.
9. Idolizes Mark Messier.
10. Favorite hockey player is Wayne Gretzky.
11. Growing up, he was better in baseball than hockey, playing a mean second base.
12. Voted for the first time in August, casting a "Yes" vote for the casino.
13. Close friends with Ottawa Senators defenseman Wade Redden.
14. Clayton is well-known as No. 38, Duda as No. 11. Which player wore No. 2 his first year?
15. Both players love to golf. Who's better?
16. Tries to catch every episode of "Grey's Anatomy."
17. All-time favorite show is "Seinfeld."
18. Has never finished a Thunder season with a minus for his plus-minus rating.
19. Traded to the Thunder from Oklahoma City for Dave Shute.
20. His father-in-law belongs to a singing group called the Good Guys, who regularly perform the National Anthem at Thunder games.
1. Duda; 2. Clayton; 3. Clayton; 4. Duda; 5. Clayton; 6. Duda; 7. Duda; 8. Clayton; 9. Clayton; 10. Duda; 11; Duda; 12. Duda; 13; Clayton; 14. Duda; 15. Duda; 16. Clayton; 17. Duda; 18. Clayton; 19. Duda; 20. Clayton.
Despite being 32 and a veteran of more than 600 professional hockey games, Jason Duda states unequivocally that he hasn't lost any of his skating ability.
Not one single step.
Of course, with the gregarious Duda, you can be confident that there's some kind of punch line coming. Sure enough, he grins and adds, "But it's no secret that I never really had any speed to begin with. I didn't have a step to lose."
The self-deprecating remark, which the Wichita Thunder forward enjoys relating in one form or another whenever his age comes up, is always good for a chuckle.
But the topic -- whether Duda is finally succumbing to the physically draining grind that is minor-league hockey -- has never been more appropriate to consider.
And if we're examining Duda, we must also analyze fellow forward Travis Clayton because the players, 1-2 in virtually every offensive category on the Thunder's offensive charts, are so closely linked as friends, teammates and cornerstones of the franchise for the past decade.
Taking the heat
It was five days before the start of training camp when coach Mark French made the statement that seemed, at least initially, so surprising: "I think both Travis and Jason very much think they have something to prove."
Something to prove?
Clayton and Duda, fan favorites and consistent producers for years, have been Central Hockey League all-stars, and they're among the top five scorers in league history.
Clayton, starting his 11th season in Wichita, is the Thunder career leader in points (784) and goals (310); Duda, in his 12th season with the Thunder, leads in assists (476) and is second in points (779) and goals (303).
What could they possibly have left to prove? Plenty, both players readily admit.
Duda led the Thunder in scoring last season, but his point total (75) was down from 86 the previous year and his lowest since 2003-04.
In addition, Duda will have to respond after having offseason surgery for a torn labrum in his shoulder, an injury that hampered him much of last year.
"Do I have something to prove? Yeah, I think I do," Duda said. "There was a lot of flak last year because we weren't that good of a hockey team -- we were a .500 hockey club. The criticism usually starts with guys who have been here a while, like Clayts and myself.
"We take a lot of heat, and that's fine."
Similarly, Clayton scored a team-high 30 goals, but he endured a sub-par year as well. His point total (68) was down from 83 and marked his worst output since 2001-02.
And Clayton, too, had surgery over the summer, on his knee for a torn meniscus.
"As a team, we didn't have as great of a season as we wanted," said the 31-year-old Clayton. "Maybe we (Clayton and Duda) let our teammates down by not producing; maybe we let the Wichita fans down, too.
"So yeah, I think we have to prove to everyone that we still have it, and maybe we have to prove to ourselves that we still have it. I think we do."
French certainly agrees. At every opportunity, he praises the duo's leadership, work ethic and skill level.
"I don't think those guys have lost any of their ability whatsoever," he said flatly during the offseason.
One lofty goal remains
Duda recalls his first year in Wichita -- clear back in 1996-97 -- when he was a wide-eyed rookie watching in wonder as long-time minor leaguers Bob Berg and Cam Plante continued their lengthy careers for the Thunder.
"I remember looking at them and wondering, 'What are these guys doing still playing when they're 32, 33 years old?' " Duda said, grinning. "I didn't understand it."
Now he knows. Duda, who calls himself an "old guy," can certainly relate.
"Obviously, they (Berg and Plante) didn't want to pack it in, and that's where I'm at," Duda said. "The older I get, the more I want to play because I know there aren't that many more years ahead of me."
The same goes for Clayton.
"Who knows, I might only have one or two years left," he said. "You want to lay it all on the line. You don't want to have any regrets."
Examining their careers, there seems to be only one possible regret. For all their goals, points and game-winners, one goal has remained elusive -- a championship.
Clayton and Duda remain formidable players, and their on-ice chemistry is impressive to watch, but there's no doubt that their window of opportunity to hoist the cup is closing.
A title, Duda says, is his only focus.
"You know, five years ago I could have told you during the season how many points I had, where I was in the league (scoring race)," Duda said. "But you realize those aren't the important things. I'd like to win a championship here. That's all I'm looking for now."
The Thunder had championship aspirations last year but suffered through a mediocre regular season (28-28-8) and a first-round exit in the playoffs. After the first day of training camp this season, Clayton looked out on the ice and wondered aloud if the current collections of players might be the right mix. Finally.
"All the (individual) numbers do mean something, but they wouldn't be possible without some great teammates," Clayton said. "Like any professional athlete, though, my only goal is to win a championship. I'd really like to get one before my time is up and I leave and let the young guys take over.
"I look at this team, and we've got some size, speed, toughness, good leaders in the room. Maybe this is the year."
The first thing Josh Evans and Joel Lomurno will do when they meet before Saturday's Central Hockey League opener between Oklahoma City and Wichita is shake hands.
Then they'll make a friendly wager. Not on the outcome of the game, mind you, but on the over/under for the number of fights.
It's a custom. Evans, the head of media relations for OKC, said he'll probably set the line at 4 ½. Lomurno, who has the same job for the Thunder, will probably take the over.
And why not? When the Blazers and Thunder meet, there is going to be some roughhousing.
"We have unfinished business with Colorado, to be sure, after the last two playoffs," Oklahoma City defenseman Tyler Fleck said. "But game by game, Wichita is our biggest rival. There's nothing more intense in the whole league. It's not even close."
Why?
Well, the Blazers and Thunder play in the same division. The cities are geographically close. The teams have rabid fan bases. And, most of all, their familiarity with one another makes it impossible for grudges not to develop.
Saturday's meeting is the first of 11 between the teams this season. There are married couples who don't spent this much time together.
"It seems like we're always playing Oklahoma City or Tulsa," the Thunder's Travis Clayton said. "I think it's too much, but that's just my opinion."
The Blazers and Thunder have had too many dustups to count, but one remains fresh in the minds of Thunder fans, to be sure. It happened two seasons ago, when Fleck hammered Clayton to the ice and knocked him out of the game with what looked like a serious injury.
Fleck was suspended for 10 games but that incident, more than any other, is the one that defines the rivalry nearly 22 months later.
The teams routinely play games that include 100-or-more minutes of penalties -- in fact, there have been 45 such games since 1993.
"Oklahoma City always makes it more interesting," Thunder veteran Jason Duda said. "Clayton and myself have probably played them close to 200 times over the past 11 or 12 years and they have a lot of guys who have been there for a while.
"Opening night is always a great night, but when you're playing your closest rival it's just that much more fun."
Fun?
Intense, competitive, dramatic, tough, nasty, dangerous. Yes to all.
But fun?
"Yeah, you look forward to games like this," Oklahoma City center Marty Standish said. "That's why I play the game is for games like this, against Wichita or Tulsa."
Standish and Fleck are the two OKC players Thunder fans most despise. They have been around a long time and whenever something does break out between the teams, they're almost always in the middle of it.
"Part of my job is to antagonize their team, kind of get them off their game so they'll draw a penalty and give us a chance to score on the power play," Standish said. "If their fans are all over me, yelling at me, that just means I'm doing a job. They absolutely detest me in Wichita, but it's just part of the game."
It's not like Blazers fans roll out a red carpet for Duda, Clayton and other Thunder players.
Oklahoma City fans consider Duda to be a cheap-shot artist. And they can't stomach Clayton's style of play.
"But I know guys can feed off of that," Fleck said. "The more the fans give it to me, the harder I'm going to try."
To each player, the rivalry means something different.
Duda, for instance, draws his motivation from Oklahoma City coach Doug Sauter, who traded him 12 years ago.
"For me, it's not so much about their players as it is the coach," Duda said. "That somebody didn't want me there has always been something that helps me prepare for Oklahoma City. I don't think (Sauter) is a big fan of mine and I'm not that big of a fan of his."
For Clayton, the rivalry ratcheted up several notches after the incident with Fleck. It's personal now. Very personal.
"It's been just good ol' hockey with Oklahoma City, but I do think it crossed the line that night," Clayton said. "It's in the past now, but that definitely did go too far and that's probably why I have a bad taste in my mouth about it now."
Clayton and Fleck have never talked about the hit, although Fleck has consistently been apologetic publicly.
"I have great respect for (Clayton)," Fleck said. "He's one of the all-time greats in this league and the way that worked out was unfortunate. I never wanted that to happen."
At the same time, Fleck says the hit on Clayton did pump up the volume of the Oklahoma City-Wichita rivalry, which now requires ear plugs.
"They're selling out 90 percent of the time we play there," Fleck said. "I know I'm going to be the villain in Wichita, but it's not going to be the first time."
Eagle sports columnist Bob Lutz co-hosts "Sports Daily" from 9-11 a.m. weekdays on KFH, 1240-AM and 98.7-FM. Reach him at 316-268-6597 or blutz@wichitaeagle.com
Tyler Liebel reported to Wichita Thunder training camp with one of his front teeth missing -- an oddity for which he had a perfectly reasonable explanation.
"I was talking when I definitely should have been listening," he said, flashing a menacing grin that only a hockey player minus a front tooth could properly manage.
That Liebel's dental mishap was caused by his propensity for on-ice loquaciousness will in no way surprise the knowledgeable Thunder fan.
After a one-year absence, Liebel has returned to Wichita, bringing with him a tenacious, in-your-face style that made him one of the team's most popular players in 2005-06.
Opponents, however, don't typically find Liebel's annoying antics quite so endearing -- which brings us back to the missing tooth.
Last season in an East Coast Hockey League game, Liebel was doing what he does best -- agitating an opposing player. In this case, said player was 6-foot-3, 240-pound Jonathan Tremblay of the Fresno Falcons.
For the uninitiated, here's all you need to know about Tremblay: His nickname is "The Hammer," and if you search his name on YouTube, 10 videos of his fights are available for your pugilistic pleasure.
In other words, he's not known for his gentlemanly behavior on the ice -- which certainly didn't stop the 5-10, 185-pound Liebel from, as hockey players like to say, stirring the pot.
"I was just giving him the gears," Liebel said. "He wasn't impressed after I gave it to him, so he gave me some stick across the face."
Even though he was wearing a mouth guard, Liebel's left front tooth was dislodged and left, in his words, "just hanging there." On a positive note, Tremblay was banished to the penalty box for four minutes.
"Lost a tooth, but I did draw a penalty," said Liebel, who should regain instant fan-favorite status when the Thunder opens the season on Saturday night at home.
So what words prompted such a reaction from Tremblay? Unfortunately, Liebel is unable to offer the telling details.
"Who knows -- half the time I don't know what's coming out of my mouth," Liebel said. "I was just beaking him, telling him how bad he was, just doing what I always do. Talk, talk, talk."
Liebel's contributions, though, involve more than simply constant chatter and getting under the skin of opposing players, and that's why Thunder coach Mark French is so pleased that the fourth-year pro is back in Wichita.
"Tyler is a threat in a number of different areas," French said.
For example, in his last season with the Thunder, Liebel provided a physical presence that all hockey teams require. Though a bit undersized, he's a more-than-capable checker, and he'll willingly drop the gloves at any time.
"I support all my teammates," Liebel said. "If it takes me getting punched in the face to help the team, that's what I'll do."
In addition to that grit and toughness, Liebel also is expected to provide solid point production. Showing marked improvement from his rookie season with the Thunder, he had 18 goals, 56 points and 219 penalty minutes in 61 games in 2005-06, his last year in Wichita.
Thanks to a well-rounded game, he became the sixth player in team history to total more than 50 points and 200 penalty minutes in the same season. (The others are Cory Dosdall, Paul Jackson, Jim Latos, Brent Sapergia and Bryan Wells.)
"He's a physical presence on the ice, and he plays with an edge that everybody loves, but he's also a point-a-game guy," French said. "He skates very well, so he's relentless in puck pursuit.
"He's a popular player because everyone enjoys watching a guy who works hard and plays with a lot of tenacity."
Liebel left Wichita in hopes of moving up to the higher-level American Hockey League, but after two exhibition games with the Bridgeport Tigers, he ended up in the ECHL last season. He played for three teams and, predictably, his numbers suffered (33 points in 52 games).
After a recent practice, Liebel said he still has dreams of advancing to the AHL, but his primary goal is helping the Thunder improve on last year's mediocre season (28-28-8). Known as a straight shooter off the ice, he said he loves Wichita and enjoys playing for French.
"It's not about me thinking about myself or my future, it's about helping us get a win every night," he said.
Actually, victories aren't Liebel's sole focus. For purely cosmetic reasons, he definitely needs to have that missing tooth taken care of.
"Usually, I have a fake tooth but I lost it the other day," he said. "I'm hoping to get a permanent one in the next couple weeks.
"It's not any fun looking in the mirror right now."
Travis Clayton and Jason Duda will, of course, play on the same line to start the season. Who joins the veteran duo is always an intriguing question, and that's the case again this year.
The answer? We're not sure yet.
As of Tuesday afternoon, coach Mark French was uncertain who would fill out the line, although Tyler Liebel, who would bring a physical presence, seems like a logical choice. Liebel was on the Duda-Clayton line during practice on Tuesday morning.
"Obviously, we're counting on Liebel as one of our top six forwards," French said, "but we're still trying to figure out where he'll end up and what's the best fit for everyone."
Newcomers Bruce Richardson and Alex Goupil are also expected to play together.
French hadn't decided on defensive pairings.
On the air -- The new voice of the Thunder is Steve Schuster, a Michigan graduate with degrees in psychology and political science.
Schuster, who will also handle broadcasting duties for the new independent baseball team, called hockey in college.
"I coined the phrase 'hometown objectivity,' " he said. "I wouldn't call myself a homer, but I'm not the type of person to go out of my way to criticize someone for no good reason."
KGSO, 1410-AM, will broadcast 28 games -- split between home and road, Schuster said. Schuster plans a 20-minute pregame show and a clubhouse report, which will include an interview with a Thunder player or opposing coach.
Etc. --The status of defenseman Dominic D'Amour, a 6-foot-4 newcomer expected to be a big contributor, is uncertain for Saturday's opener. The team is awaiting his immigration paperwork.... Duda didn't play in the exhibition games to give his shoulder injury, which required offseason surgery, more time to heal. He should be ready for Saturday, French said.
Ten players are expected to make their Thunder debuts tonight. It will take a special performance to outdo these impressive debuts:
• The fiery Bryan Wells gave a hint of things to come in his first home game on March 8, 1993. Wells scored four goals in a 10 minute, 55 second span in the second period. Just one goal shy of tying Brent Sapergia's record for goals in a period, Wells was ejected for head butting a Tulsa player during a fight.
• Fresh out of the University of North Dakota, where he had just seven goals his final two seasons, Tyler Rice had a hat trick and was plus 5 in his pro debut on Nov. 17, 1997. He went on to score 62 points that season.
• In the same game that Rice starred in, fellow rookie David Beauregard had two goals, four assists and was plus 7. He finished with 42 goals and was CHL rookie of the year.
• Goalie Jamie Vandespyker recorded a shutout in his Thunder debut on Nov. 22, 2004, in Topeka. It remains the team's only opening day shutout.
• On opening night in 1993, Brent Sapergia recorded a hat trick in his Thunder debut. He finished the season with 55 goals.
The question finally has been answered: Tyler Liebel will join Wichita Thunder veterans Travis Clayton and Jason Duda on a line for the season opener against visiting Oklahoma City tonight.
Liebel, a fourth-year pro, will bring skill and toughness to the line featuring the top scorers in team history, coach Mark French said Friday. In the East Coast Hockey League last season, Liebel played for three teams, scoring 33 points in 62 games.
His best season came in Wichita in 2005-06, when he had 56 points and 219 penalty minutes.
"He'll compliment those guys (Clayton and Duda)," French said. "Tyler provides energy, and he's capable of playing at a high speed, which Travis also does well.
"Tyler also plays a physical style, and he's a guy who has certainly been known to stick up for his teammates."
Newcomer Bruce Richardson, perhaps the team's most important offseason acquisition, will center another line. A veteran with 10 years experience, Richardson is expected to bring leadership, scoring and a gritty style.
"He's been as good as advertised," French said.
Richardson will be joined on the line by another newcomer, Alex Goupil, whom the Thunder is counting on for offensive production. Goupil, a fourth-year pro, had 23 goals and 45 points for the Bloomington Prairie Thunder last season, earning All-Star honors in the United Hockey League.
Kris Wiebe or Collin Circelli will also play on the line. They would bring different styles -- French described Circelli as a finesse player and Wiebe as a power forward.
The third line will be composed of centerman Brad Thompson, Jeremy Koning, and Circelli or Wiebe.
"One thing we really like is that we have an experienced player centering that third line," French said. "The past two years, we've had to go with rookies in that spot. I think it shows we have more depth throughout our lineup."
French was uncertain about his defensive pairings on Friday afternoon, primarily because of the uncertain status of defenseman Dominic D'Amour. The Thunder was still awaiting finalization of immigration papers for the 6-foot-3, 225-pound newcomer.
Notes -- At 2:15 p.m. on Friday, about 1,500 tickets remained for tonight's season opener. The Thunder has had one opening-night home sellout -- 1995 against Tulsa.... Thunder goaltender Sebastien Laplante, tonight's starter, was 3-1-1, with a 2.42 goals-against average and a .933 saves percentage against Oklahoma City last season.
BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- Everything fell in the Wichita Thunder's favor for the 24 hours prior to the season opener against Oklahoma City.
The Thunder stressed for days about a visa for big defenseman Dominic D'Amour before it was approved Friday night. Oklahoma City arrived in town in a weakened state after enforcer Erick Lizon broke a wrist in a game Friday.
And the Thunder had already sold out three hours before Saturday night's game, so there was much enthusiasm in the Kansas Coliseum when the puck finally dropped.
Two minutes into the second period, Thunder star goaltender Sebastien Laplante was on the bench, holding a clipboard.
Definitely not a good sign.
The Thunder suffered a surprising thumping, losing 5-1 and sending the first season-opening sellout crowd since 1995 home extremely disappointed. The loss was one of the worst opening-night defeats in the 16-year history of the franchise, equaling a 7-3 setback to Tulsa in 1996.
"There were clear mistakes on each of their goals," Thunder coach Mark French said. "We made mistakes, and they made us pay. Very disappointed in the mistakes we made -- the lack of focus -- and made by guys who should know better."
The Blazers (1-1) quickly drained the excitement from the building by taking a 3-0 first-period lead, and a quick goal in the second caused French to pull Laplante.
"I can't fault him for any of the goals except the second, but at that point in time you have to try to change the momentum by doing something," French said. "I don't think he was at his best, but we certainly weren't at our best in front of him."
Laplante generally plays well against Oklahoma City, going 3-1-1 with a 2.42 goals-against average against the Blazers last season. On Saturday, though, he was replaced by second-year pro Jon Horrell after making just seven saves.
"All of our supporters in Wichita came out 10,000 strong, and we let them down," said Laplante, who set a team record with a .928 saves percentage last season. "I'll take a lot of the blame. I wasn't sharp off the bat. I was part of the cause for why we started playing back on our heels."
The Thunder, which outshot the Blazers 38-25, had chances. Down 3-0, the Thunder had a 2-on-1 but Bruce Richardson and Tyler Liebel couldn't convert. Down 4-0, Collin Circelli and Brad Thompson failed to solve Jason Wolfe, Oklahoma City's 6-foot-5 goalie.
Richardson, the team's key off-season acquisition, finally brought the crowd to its feet by scoring a shorthanded goal to cut the gap to 5-1 in the third period.
"I think we maybe tried too much a little bit," Richardson said. "It was the first game, a big crowd, and when you try to impress you forget the little detail things."
French, whose team was 0 for 8 on the power play, didn't agree with that explanation.
"I don't buy it," he said. "Obviously, a big crowd should be a motivating factor. We didn't handle the Oklahoma City Blazers well tonight. It has nothing to do with anything else."
The game was surprisingly tame early for the two longtime Central Hockey League rivals, who have now combined to amass more than 100 penalty minutes in a game 48 times. (Saturday's had 127.)
In the third period, though, the game began to resemble a typical Blazer-Thunder matchup: There were six fights in the period, including a bout between two of the team's highest-profile players, Tyler Liebel and Tyler Fleck.
Notes -- It was a rare poor opening-night performance for the Thunder, which dropped to 11-3-2.... The Thunder cut defenseman Bernie Chmiel before the game.
BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle- Thunder fans already in sky-is-falling mode after the team's season-opening loss to Oklahoma City might find solace in the fact that reinforcements have arrived.
Three new players -- forwards Mike Batovanja and Kyle Bruce, and defenseman Erick Tremblay -- practiced with the team on Monday morning. Bruce's visa was approved Tuesday; the Thunder is waiting on approval for the other two players.
The Thunder opened with a 5-1 loss in front of a sellout crowd on Saturday, but the trio of new players means that Wichita's roster could look markedly different for the rematch on Saturday in Oklahoma City.
In 146 college games split between the University of Findlay and Michigan Tech, the 5-foot-7 Batovanja had 13 goals and 31 assists. He is known as a hustling, hard-nosed player.
"He plays bigger than his stature," Thunder coach Mark French said. "He'll add to the character in our dressing room, our aggressiveness and our defensive ability."
Bruce spent four years in the Western Hockey League -- a stint that ended in 2003-04 -- and scored 80 points in 261 games. He averaged 160 penalty minutes.
Last year, he was limited by injury and played seven games, scoring five points for the East Coast Hockey League's Idaho Steelheads. He was on the playoff roster for the Steelheads, who won the ECHL title under former Thunder coach Derek Laxdal.
"There's no doubt he's a very skilled and complete player, a guy with some scoring ability," French said. "He skates well, shoots the puck well, and he's got some abrasiveness to his game, too."
Tremblay had 10 points in 54 games last season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. French said he skates well for a 6-3 player and moves the puck well.
"Again, from what we've heard, he plays with some edge," French added.
SLAPSHOTS
• It will be a nervous morning for the Thunder. The team is awaiting word on an MRI done on Jason Duda's knee on Tuesday. Duda, the team's captain and leading scorer last year, injured the knee when he hit the goal post during drills at practice.
• Thunder No. 1 goaltender Sebastien Laplante, pulled in the second period of the opener after giving up his fourth goal, doesn't expect a carryover effect. "Reality is it's a 64-game marathon, and it's not the first bad game I've played," Laplante said. "As a goaltender, I have to have a short memory." But French hasn't decided if Laplante will get the start on Saturday. Backup Jon Horrell stopped 13 of 14 shots after replacing Laplante. "We'll evaluate at practice the next few days," French said. "It's nothing other than doing our due diligence to be sure we're putting ourselves in the best position to win."
• The Thunder released forward Jeremy Koning on Tuesday.
• The Thunder wasn't the only home team to struggle over opening weekend. Road teams were 10-4-2.
+ PLUS
The Thunder, which averaged a league-low 29 shots last season, had 38 on Saturday. Dominic D'Amour and Travis Clayton had seven each.
_ MINUS
The Thunder lost the special teams battle in the opener. The Blazers had two power-play goals, while the Thunder was 0 for 7 on the power play.
TAP OF THE STICK
The Thunder jersey auction during the Oklahoma City game raised $5,040 for the city of Greensburg. A pass-the-hat collection collected $965 more.
PENALTY BOX
Interesting to compare how Laplante and Bossier-Shreveport's Ken Carroll handled below-average outings on Saturday. Laplante acted professionally, answering several questions from a reporter about his game. Carroll, who was pulled after allowing five goals in a loss to Texas, declined comment to the Shreveport Times. A veteran like Carroll should know better. At the very least, he could have thrown out a cliche or two: "It wasn't my night. I hope to do better next time." It's not too tough.
DEFINING DIGITS
8-2-4
Thunder record in home sellouts.
HE SAID IT
"We lost on the scoreboard, but we showed some pride. We showed them that it's not going to be easy to come into our building."
-- Thunder forward Bruce Richardson on the six-fight third period Saturday
Thunder captain Jason Duda could have slacked off, taken it easy during the 2-on-1 drill at Tuesday morning's practice.
Instead, the veteran forward chose to lead by example, diving and crashing the net in an effort to cut off the passing lane in a backchecking exercise.
The result was a knee injury that Duda said will keep him out for four to six weeks.
The fact that Duda's hustle led to the injury -- a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee -- made the situation all the more maddening for the Thunder.
"He probably could have just let the play play through," coach Mark French said. "To Jason's credit, he made the hard play, diving back at the puck.
"We know that during a 64-game schedule, you're going to have to adapt to injuries. Having one right out of the gate like this to our captain -- it's a little hard to swallow."
It's been a difficult week for the Thunder, which lost the season opener to rival Oklahoma City on Saturday. Now comes the injury to Duda, last year's top scorer and a leader in the dressing room.
"It hurts us in the immediate future, that's for sure, but we're not going to hang our heads," French said.
The seriousness of the injury surprised the Thunder. Duda limped off the ice, but French was initially hopeful that it was a muscle cramp or something similarly minor.
But Duda feared the worst.
"I've been playing long enough to know when it's just a bruise and when it's an injury," Duda said. "This one didn't feel right right away."
The injury won't require surgery -- Duda was wearing a brace on Wednesday afternoon -- but that did little to lessen his frustration.
"I played one game and we lost at home, and now I'm out six weeks," Duda said.
Note -- The Thunder has received visa approvals for two new players -- forward Kyle Bruce and defenseman Erick Tremblay. They are expected to be in the lineup for Saturday's game at Oklahoma City. The Thunder is still awaiting approval for Mike Batovanja.
Two games against Oklahoma City to open the season has meant two losses for the Thunder.
Behind two goals by Garrett Prosofsky the Blazers topped the Thunder 5-1 on Saturday in Oklahoma City.
After spotting Oklahoma City the first two goals, Wichita's Dominic D'Amour scored on a power play 12:51 into the first period.
Oklahoma City responded with three goals in the second period, including the Blazers' third power play goal of the game. Jason Wolfe stopped 41 of Wichita's 42 shots.
A CHANGE IN NET- Sebastien Laplante, the Thunder's unquestioned No. 1 goaltender when the season began, has been surprisingly ineffective, so Jon Horrell will get the start tonight.
Laplante, whose .928 saves percentage set a team record last season, was pulled after giving up his fourth goal early in the second period of the Thunder's 5-1 loss to Oklahoma City in the season opener.
A week later, he was removed after the Blazers scored their fifth goal late in the second period. The Thunder lost that game 5-1, too.
"I wish I could tell you," French said when asked the source of Laplante's troubles. "We went back to him in the second game because we didn't want to be overly reactive to one game.
"Over the last two years, he's proven to be a very capable goalie. But right now, we have to win hockey games."
So Horrell, a second-year pro with eight games' experience, will be in goal when the Texas Brahmas (3-1) visit the Kansas Coliseum tonight.
Horrell was acquired late last season and played well in high-pressure situations, going 3-1-1 with a 2.20 goals-against average. This season, he has a 1.03 goals against with a .962 saves percentage.
"He's been very steady," French said.
If Horrell wins tonight, he'll start on Friday against Youngstown, French said. Horrell said he is looking forward to the opportunity.
"It's a situation where (Laplante) obviously hasn't played as well as he would have liked in the first two games, but we know what he's capable of," Horrell said. "We have a lot of faith that he'll turn things around for himself. If he does, I'll be as happy as everybody else. Our goal is to go as far as we can and win a championship, and we need him to do that.
"As far as the rotation goes, I have no expectations beyond Wednesday. I just want us to win games."
SNAPSHOTS
• The Thunder's newest player is 6-foot-3, 210-pound forward Ladislav Kouba. In 186 career games, he has 55 goals and 113 points. As of Monday, French wasn't sure if Kouba would be in the lineup tonight.
• The Thunder's next two opponents, Texas and Youngstown, have a combined record of 7-1.
• Tonight's game will have a costume contest for adults and children.
PLUS
Newcomer Dominic D'Amour has been the Thunder's best player. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound defenseman has a goal, an assist and is plus-1. He had 15 shots (and the goal) on Saturday, tying several players for the most in a CHL game.
MINUS
Shots haven't been a problem this season, but finishing is another matter. The Thunder has managed just one goal in each of its first two games. "We seem to lack a killer instinct around the net," French said.
TAP OF THE STICK
The Thunder always enjoys poking fun at Oklahoma City coach Doug Sauter, and the latest example shows some creativity. The message board on the Thunder Web site has a Halloween theme, complete with cartoon-like pictures of a witch, a haunted house and Frankenstein. Look carefully, and you'll notice that Frankenstein closely resembles Sauter. It's good for a chuckle. Of course, Sauter is getting the last laugh, since his team has thumped the Thunder twice already.
PENALTY BOX
Thunder forwards aren't producing. Bruce Richardson has a goal, Travis Clayton has an assist... and that's it.
HE SAID IT
"It's not time to push the panic button -- I've seen positives in our play -- but at the same time this is a very important three-game homestand coming up."
--Thunder coach Mark French
DEFINING DIGITS
19
CHL record for most shots in a game. It's held by two players, including the Thunder's Paul Jackson (Jan. 30, 1994, vs. Oklahoma City).
TEXAS AT THUNDER
When: 7:05 tonight
Where: Kansas Coliseum
Records: Texas 3-1, Thunder 0-2
Radio: KGSO, 1410-AM
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 the third period, but the Brahmas regained the lead for good slightly more than a minute later.
The 0-3 start is the second worst in franchise history, surpassed only by the 2002-03 team, which lost its first four games in regulation and went winless during the first eight games.
"It continues to mount the pressure when you don't get (a victory), especially with it being at the start of the year," Thunder coach Mark French said. "It's probably something that the longer it goes, the more pressure there is."
Wichita scored one goal in both of its first two games and appeared to be on its way to settling for that total on Wednesday.
Staked to a two-man advantage after Texas defenseman Justin Kinnunen drew a four-minute, double-minor penalty for hitting Ladislav Kouba in the head with his stick, the Thunder was unable to score during the 49 seconds they had a 5-on-3 advantage.
Travis Clayton ended the drought with a slap shot goal nearly three minutes into the Wichita power-play.
The Thunder was last in the CHL after converting 1 of 16 power plays during the first two games, but climbed out of the cellar by scoring on two of seven tries with a man advantage against Texas.
"We need to generate a goal on that power-play stanza, and we did," French said.
The Thunder, however, was probably left wishing it scored more than once with at least a one-man advantage for 4 minutes, 49 seconds.
Sixty-seven seconds after Wichita tied it, a defensive breakdown allowed the Brahamas, 3-0 on the road this season, to take the lead. Greg McConnell scored on a short slap shot with assists from Craig Minard and Mark Carragher.
Wichita was on the attack early in all three periods, but especially so in the third, when it outshot Texas 13-4. The Brahmas made the most of their shots, however, and got solid goaltending from David Cacciola to put themselves in position to win late.
"They got a second-chance opportunity in the slot area and they were able to get to a loose puck," French said of the game-winning goal.
Wichita's concern before Wednesday was its difficulty scoring on power plays. Three of its four goals this season, though, have come with a man advantage, so the worries may be shifted to the Thunder's even-strength performance.
Wichita was shut down by a hot goalie, but for the third straight game failed to take advantage of opportunities.
"Every team in this league, I don't care who you are, is going to go through a stretch this season where they struggle to score," French said. "It's reality -- with a 64-game schedule, it's going to happen.
"We needed to find a way to win the game 2-1 or 2-0 tonight."
Notes -- Clayton's goal was the 311th of his CHL career, leaving him one behind Paul Jackson for second all-time in the league... Jon Horrell started for the first time in place of Sebastien Laplante and stopped 19 of 22 shots.... Wichita's Kyle Bruce and Texas' Robin Big Snake drew two-minute penalties for fighting 30 seconds into the game.
| Texas | 1 | 1 | 1--3 |
| Wichita | 1 | 0 | 1--2 |
Second -- 3, Texas, McLeon (Fairbarn), 18:25. Penalties -- Wichita, DAmour (elbowing), 5:02. Texas, Kinnunen (hooking), 9:17. Wichita, Clayton (hooking), 15:28.
Third -- 4, Clayton (Goupil, Wathier), 12:48 (pp). 5, Texas, McConnell (Minard, Carragher), 13:55. Penalties -- Texas, Strome (interference), 0:47. Texas, Mann (interference), 8:57. Texas, Kinnunen (hooking), 9:17. Wichita, Tetrault (tripping), 14:58.
Shots -- Texas 8-10-4 -- 22, Wichita 7-7-13 -- 27. Power plays -- Texas 1 for 5; Wichita 2 for 7. Goalies -- Texas, Cacciola 7-7-13 (27 shots, 25 saves); Wichita, Horrell 8-10-4 (22 shots, 19 saves). A -- 3,441. T -- 2:19.
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 finally found a "possible scoring line" in Travis Clayton, Ladislav Kouba and Alex Goupil.
The trio clicked during the third period of the Thunder's loss to the Texas Brahmas on Wednesday and will likely remain together against visiting Youngstown (5-0) tonight.
French described Goupil, who had 23 goals in the United Hockey League last year, as a hard worker with a quick shot. The 6-foot-2 Kouba, who made his Thunder debut Wednesday, is poised and creative with the puck.
"And Travis is Travis," French said of the franchise's career scoring leader. "The play of those three guys gave us reason to think, OK, we've finally found some chemistry."
The discovery wasn't by design.
Jason Duda, Clayton's longtime linemate, is out for a month with a knee injury. And Kyle Bruce started on the Clayton-Goupil line Wednesday before he left the game with a leg injury.
However the three players wound up together, Clayton was pleased with the result.
"We had a lot of chemistry," he said. "In the third period, there were some good things happening."
French hopes the line invigorates the team's offense, which has produced just four goals and, remarkably, no even-strength scores. The Thunder has outshot opponents 107-82 but been outscored 13-4.
"We're getting a lot of opportunities, and a lot of the shots we've been taking have come from very good areas -- right in the slot," French said. "We have to start burying our chances."
Clayton, who has a goal and an assist, said he senses that the Thunder is close to breaking out on offense.
"It sucks being 0-3, but you have to look big picture," he said. "We're improving, and I think we're way ahead of last year, even though it doesn't show in the win column.
"We're working hard; we're playing in the offensive zone a ton. Right now the puck's just not going in the net for us. But it'll change. It's just a matter of time."
Notes -- French was pleased with goalie Jon Horrell's first start of the season Wednesday ("He gave us a chance to win the game.") but was unsure who would start tonight.... The Thunder is still awaiting visa approval for forward Mike Batovanja.... Bruce injured his leg when he went down during a first-period fight with Texas' Robin Big Snake. He didn't skate Thursday and his status is uncertain for tonight.... Youngstown is No. 1 in the first CHL coaches' poll.... The Thunder waived defenseman Matt Smyth (no points and -1 in two games) before Wednesday's game.
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 for the Thunder, which has opened the season with four straight losses in regulation for just the second time in the 16-year history of the franchise.
"You look around, and there's so much talent in the dressing room," said forward Tyler Liebel, who had the team's only goal. "Things are gonna change around, and once we get the flood gates open, it's hopefully gonna be smooth sailing. Things need to change. It's gonna take a team effort to do it."
The Thunder's offense has struggled throughout the young season, but the team took solace in the fact that the opportunities were ample, evidenced by the fact that Wichita had outshot opponents 107-82 entering the game.
But on Friday, the shots weren't there -- the Thunder had just 20, including only six in the third period -- and the team-wide slump continued. Wichita has managed just five goals in four games.
"Based on our shot total, and the total inability of our power play to generate anything, (the offense) was certainly more of a concern tonight," said coach Mark French, whose team was 0 for 8 with the man advantage.
A turnover helped Youngstown go up 1-0 in the first period-- the third time the Thunder has allowed the game's first goal this season. Just two minutes later, though, Wichita responded when Liebel took a pass off the boards, skated in from the left side and scored off a backhander for the team's first even-strength goal of the season.
"Tyler was certainly one of our best players tonight, one of the few who had any jump to his step," French said. "He created that goal through his speed."
The game likely turned early in the second when Youngstown, which improved to 6-0, scored a shorthanded goal on a shot from Petr Pohl that slipped by Thunder goalie Jon Horrell. French blamed Horrell's mental lapse for the game-winning goal. That mistake, coupled with a "poor rebound" he left on the first goal, prompted French to remove Horrell in favor of Sebastien Laplante. Laplante (0-2) had been pulled from his two starts this season.
The SteelHounds put the game away in the third by taking advantage of Thunder defensive breakdowns.
Youngstown extended the lead to 3-1 when Pohl walked in unimpeded and scored. Later, Adam Smyth was left wide open in the slot for a power play goal for the game's final score.
Notes -- Travis Clayton passed Jeff Leiter for second on the Thunder career penalty minute list. Ryan McLean is first with 1,094.... Circelli scored his first professional point.... Forward Mike Batovanja was forced to sit out again as the Thunder continues to wait for visa approval.
| Youngstown | 1 1 2 -- 4 |
| Wichita | 1 0 0 -- 1 |
Scoring--1. Youngstown, Przepiorka 3 (Johnson, Pohl) 8:32; 2. Wichita, Liebel 2 (Circelli, D'Amour) 10:43. Penalties--Wichita, D'Amour (boarding) 2:31; Wichita, Tetrault (fighting) 11:21; Youngstown, Johnson (fighting) 11:21; Youngstown, Lachepelle (holding the stick) 12:02; Wichita, Clayton (highsticking) 12:41.
Second period
Scoring--3. Youngstown, Pohl 2 (Alcombrack, Przepiorka) :51 sh. Penalties--Youngstown, Richards (hooking) :37; Youngstown, Johnson (diving) 4:39; Wichita, Hanchuck (hooking) 4:39; Youngstown, Schwartzbauer (interference) 5:19; Wichita, Wiebe (roughing) 6:27; Youngstown, Maslonka (roughing) 6:27; Wichita, D'Amour (interference, unsportsmanlike conduct) 7:19; Youngstown, Schwartzbauer (tripping) 8:14; Wichita, Wiebe (slashing) 10:28; Youngstown, Irving (hooking) 16:31; Wichita, Kouba (holding) 18:57.
Third period
Scoring--4. Youngstown, Pohl 3 (Schwartzbauer) 8:39 pp; 5. Youngstown, Smyth 1 (Pohl, Przepiorka) 15:10 pp. Penalties--Youngstown, Birnstill (hooking)1:25; Wichita, Yanchishny (high sticking) 4:00; Youngstown, Irving (slashing) 5:04; Wichita, Goupil (slashing) 8:07; Wichita, Bruce (fighting) 11:09; Youngstown, Johnson (instigation, fighting, misconduct, game misconduct) 11:09; Wichita, bench (too many men on the ice) 13:12; Youngstown, Burnett (fighting) 15:31; Wichita, Yanchishyn (fighting) 15:31; Wichita, Richardson (fighting) 15:33; Youngstown, Maslonka (fighting, misconduct) 15:33; Wichita, Liebel (instigation, fighting, game misconduct) 15:33; Youngstown, Lachapelle (fighting, game misconduct) 15:33; Wichita, Tetrault (fighting, game misconduct) 15:33; Youngstown, Jarman (cross checking) 16:24; Wichita, Hanchuck (unsportsmanlike conduct, abuse of officials misconduct) 16:24; Wichita, Clayton (hooking) 19:26; Youngstown, Richards (unsportsmanlike conduct) 19:26.
Shots on goal--Youngtown 14-10-9--33, Wichita 6-8-6--20.
Power play--Youngstown 2-11, Wichita 0-8.
Goaltenders--Youngstown, Franck 19 saves on 20 shots; Wichita, Horrell 13 saves on 15 shots; Laplante 16 saves on 18 shots.
Att.-- 4,717.
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 Laplante said, "told us exactly what he thought about our effort."
Perhaps French motivated the team without saying a word. Perhaps the Thunder was simply due.
Whatever the case, the Thunder finally won a game, beating visiting Oklahoma City 3-0 on Saturday behind an apparently revitalized Laplante and a persistent offensive attack.
The intense Laplante made 36 saves and became the first Thunder goalie to blank the Blazers since Stan Reddick in March 2001. To be sure, it was an unexpected performance, given Laplante's surprisingly poor play this season. In two previous starts, both against Oklahoma City, Laplante had been pulled in the second period.
On Saturday, though, he made double-digit saves in every period to shut down Oklahoma City, which entered the game with the Central Hockey League's fifth-best offense at four goals per game.
"Huge outing for Sebastien," French said. "Tonight, he looked confident, and he looked big and comfortable in the net."
Laplante, who started the night with unsightly numbers (8.85 goals against, .735 save percentage), seemed relieved when he emerged from the Thunder's noisy dressing room. As is typical, he credited his teammates.
"Hats off to the guys," he said. "I'm sure they've got bumps and bruises all over the place. I don't know what the shot totals were, but I know we blocked a number of shots, a number of scoring chances. When something like this (the shutout) happens, it's always a collective effort. That's the word for tonight -- collective."
Newcomer Bruce Richardson scored two goals. His most important came in the second period when he won a faceoff and then hustled to the net, where he collected a rebound and lifted the puck over Oklahoma City's 6-foot-5 goalie Jason Wolfe, who had already beaten the Thunder twice this season.
Rookie Mathieu Wathier scored his first professional goal in the third, pushing the lead to 2-0. Richardson added an empty netter for the final margin. The offensive output qualified as an outburst for the Thunder, which had scored five goals in the previous four games.
"It was fun to see the guys competing like they did tonight," Richardson said. "I was the one to put one in, but it was a team effort. We got the monkey off, finally got the first win. The important thing, though, is not to be happy getting one. It's still a long season."
Notes -- Surprisingly, for a game between the fierce rivals, there wasn't one fight.... Defenseman Todd Paul was involved in a car accident after Friday's game, French said. Paul has a leg injury and did not play Saturday.... Tetrault assisted on Richardson's game-winner for his first point of the season. He also assisted on Richardson's empty netter.... The first period was played in just 27 minutes.... The Thunder is 42-35-16 against the Blazers in the Coliseum.
| Oklahoma City (3-4) | 0 0 0 -- 0 |
| Wichita (1-4) | 0 1 2 -- 3 |
Scoring -- none. Penalties -- Oklahoma City, Jelitto (interference) :15; Wichita, Tremblay (interference) 8:46; Oklahoma City, Bell (interference) 8:36.
Second period
Scoring -- 1. Wichita, Richardson 2 (Wiebe, Tetrault) 10:19. Penalties -- Oklahoma City, Wilson (holding) 2:37; Wichita, Goupil (hooking) 5:58; Oklahoma City, Watson (tripping) 7:45; Oklahoma City, Flath (slashing) 12:18; Wichita, Hanchuck (hooking) 15:35; Oklahoma City, Prosofsky (cross checking) 19:16.
Third period
Scoring -- 2. Wichita, Wathier 1 (Richardson, Hanchuck) 10:41; 3. Wichita, Richardson 3 (Bruce, Tetrault) 19:41 en. Penalties -- Oklahoma City, Seerey (interference) 1:57; Wichita, Wathier (hooking) 3:34; Oklahoma City, Kaye (slashing) 4:42; Wichita, Bruce (hooking) 6:19; Oklahoma City, Robertson (cross checking) 8:30; Wichita, Kouba (hooking) 11:59; Wichita, Richardson (hooking) 17:26
Shots on goal -- O City 12-13-11 -- 36, Wichita 13-13-9 -- 35.
Power play -- OK City 0-6, Wichita 0-8.
Goaltenders -- OK City, Wolfe 32 saves on 34 shots; Wichita, Laplante 36 saves on 36 shots.
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 in hooks by coach Mark French in the second period of games against Oklahoma City.
No one -- not French or Laplante himself -- can give a good explanation for the struggles. The more-important question, of course, is whether he has recovered.
The answer appears to be a positive one, based on his 3-0 shutout of the Blazers on Saturday. Although he didn't make many spectacular saves, Laplante was in perfect position on most shots.
"He seemed to move effortlessly tonight, and he looked smooth and more fluid," French said after the game. "In those first two games, everything looked hard."
Laplante made 36 saves for his fourth shutout in Wichita. After the game, the ultra confident sixth-year pro talked as if the slump was behind him.
"The last two weeks have been really hard -- physically and mentally -- because I worked so hard to get back to where I needed to be," he said. "I had to tell myself that I have played well many, many times before and that I could do it again.
"I kind of numbed my brain a little bit, whether it be from comments other people had or my own thoughts. But my confidence never went away. Plus, it was nice to know the boys were still behind me the whole time."
It would be difficult to overstate the importance of Laplante's performance to the Thunder (1-4). Not only was he struggling, but backup Jon Horrell was in the doghouse for a mental lapse that led to a bad goal.
Simply put, French was in a position where he couldn't trust either of his goalies. Laplante eased that concern, at least for a night.
"Sebastien's performance was very comforting," French said.
SLAPSHOTS
• Rookie forward Mike Batovanja finally received visa approval and should play Friday at Tulsa.
• Todd Paul (bruised knee) did non-contact drills on Tuesday and French is optimistic the defenseman will play this weekend. Jason Duda (torn posterior cruciate ligament) is rehabbing twice a day, French said. The rehab will continue for two more weeks, and at that point Duda might begin skating. "The doctor says that everything is positive in the way it's progressing," French said.
• Travis Clayton is nearing a couple milestones. After scoring his 311th goal Wednesday, he is two short of passing former Thunder star Paul Jackson for second place on the CHL career scoring chart. He's 14 points shy of becoming the third player in league history to reach 800 points.
• Time to check up on Joe Blaznek, the high-scoring forward who the Thunder traded to Corpus Christi over the offseason. Through eight games, Blaznek has one goal and six points.
• Jeff Christian, last year's scoring champ (116 points) with Youngstown, hasn't had the impact expected for his new team, the Tulsa Oilers. Through five games, he had no goals and three assists. The Thunder plays at Tulsa on Friday before hosting the Oilers on Saturday.
PLUS
Thunder defenseman Daniel Tetrault earned praise from French after twice sticking up for teammates (Travis Clayton and Bruce Richardson) over the weekend. "What a great teammate," Richardson said.
MINUS
The Thunder is 0 for 16 on the power play in its last two games, dropping the season percentage to just 7.7 -- 16th in the CHL.
TAP OF THE STICK
Through four home games, the Thunder is averaging 6,096 fans, second most in the league. Oklahoma City is first at 8,902.
PENALTY BOX
"Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf now?"
Those were the words of the Thunder public-address announcer, in reference to Oklahoma City goalie Jason Wolfe, after the Thunder beat the Blazers on Saturday. The announcer was just trying to have some fun, of course, but it came across as a little unprofessional and a lot misguided, especially since the Thunder didn't exactly light the 6-foot-5 Wolfe up. He allowed just two goals and, for the season, is 2-1 with a 1.35 goals-against and a 9.65 saves percentage against Wichita.
HE SAID IT
"I think some paint probably came off the walls."
--French on his second intermission talk to his team on Friday night.
DEFINING DIGIT
5
Record for career shutouts by a Thunder goalie, held by Greg Smith.
New GM conducts interviews with two candidates, including one with NHL playing experience.
BY KOLLEN LONG, The Wichita Eagle-
The lengthy search for the Wichita Thunder's next coach is down to two dramatically different finalists.
Brent Bilodeau is a highly regarded assistant coach who spent 12 years as a player in the minor leagues. Kevin Kaminski has six years of head coaching experience and played 139 games in the National Hockey League.
The choice will be made by Joel Lomurno, promoted from senior vice president to general manager of the Central Hockey League team earlier this week. Lomurno said he realizes this is a "very important decision" for the Thunder, which is coming off the worst season in the 16-year history of the franchise.
"Finding the right coach is my top priority," said Lomurno, who has conducted interviews with both candidates.
Read the rest of the story HERE.
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 goal to his credit but no signature moment.
That changed when the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Richardson squared off with Youngstown's mountainous defenseman, the 6-6, 240-pound Milan Maslonka.
The fight itself was uneventful -- neither player landed a solid blow before they both fell to the ice -- but the point was certainly made.
"It showed," Thunder coach Mark French said, "that he's not going to back down from anyone."
In the interest of full disclosure, it's important to note that Richardson didn't exactly intend to trade blows with Maslonka. Instead, Richardson challenged Bryan Lachapelle, who checks in at a more-manageable 5-9, but Maslonka skated in to fight the battle.
To say Richardson was thrilled with the turn of events would be inaccurate, but he wasn't intimidated, either.
"I didn't want to fight that guy -- what can I do against someone so big -- but I had to go, even if it was stupid on my part," Richardson said. "What was I gonna do? I wasn't gonna back up."
That grittiness is just one reason French was so excited to sign the 30-year-old as one of the team's four veterans.
Richardson also brings knowledge of the game and leadership ability that comes with an 11-year professional career, which includes stints in the higher-level American Hockey League and East Coast Hockey League.
"I think one day Bruce will be a coach, because he knows the game very well, and he has a very good leadership sense about him," French said. "By his actions on the ice, he shows the younger player what a true professional is.
"He competes hard every shift, every game. Just as an example, whether it's practice or not, he'll block shots and sacrifice his body to keep pucks from going in the net."
Another veteran forward, Travis Clayton, is generally acknowledged to be the hardest worker on the Thunder team. Richardson is a close second, according to goalie Sebastien Laplante.
"He goes all out, all the time," Laplante said. "And he's always talking, and it's always something constructive to make us a better team. When you see a guy whose been a professional for 11 years work like that and act like that, it really makes an impression."
The intangibles that Richardson has brought to Wichita are clear, but he also possesses enough skill to be a difference-maker. In the Thunder's first win of the season -- a 3-0 victory over Oklahoma City on Saturday -- he had two goals and an assist.
Through five games, he leads the team with five points and he's one of only two forwards with a positive plus-minus rating. (Kyle Bruce is also plus 1.)
Richardson, who had hip injury during the offseason, was obviously pleased after the victory. He even called it one of the biggest wins he has been a part of.
But there also seemed to be a sense of relief.
"For sure, for the first four games, I wasn't happy with my play," he said. "I felt like a rookie trying to prove myself with the new team. There was some pressure. I wasn't the Bruce Richardson I know I can be."
Tulsa 4, Wichita 2 -- Tulsa scored three first-period goals during a 2 minutes, 50 seconds on Friday. The Thunder got second-period goals from Mathieu Waltier and Krib Wiebe, but never cut trailed by less than two goals.
| Wichita | 0 2 0 -- 2 |
| Tulsa | 3 1 0 -- 4 |
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 seconds into the game, and the Thunder went on to a satisfying 4-3 victory over the Tulsa Oilers in front of about 6,000 fans in the Kansas Coliseum.
The Thunder (2-5) entered the game averaging 1.67 goals a game -- the worst production in the 17-team Central Hockey League. The line of Travis Clayton, Alex Goupil and Kris Wiebe played well on Friday, despite the Thunder's loss at Tulsa.
So coach Mark French started the trio on Saturday.
The line produced immediately as Wiebe, open to the left of the goal, swiped in a rebound of Goupil's shot.
"I guess you'd call it kind of a dream shift to start the game and score like that," Wiebe said. "You do a lot of visualization or whatever to get yourself ready, and that's what you're hoping for.
"Clayton made a great play to keep it in, Goups got off a great shot. I was just lucky to be on the door step, where i had the easy job to just bang it in."
An easy job perhaps, but important nonetheless. Before Saturday, the Thunder had allowed the game's first goal in four games this season and had been outscored 11-3 in the opening period.
Wiebe's goal, his second of the season, reduced the pressure on the team, coach Mark French said. Defenseman Daniel Tetrault agreed.
"All our losses, we get down 2-0, 3-0, and it's depleting," he said. "Getting an early lead was huge."
Tetrault extended the margin to 2-0 when he scored from just inside the blueline for a power play goal at the 4:41 of the first. It was his first goal of the season.
"That one had eyes," French said. "You knew eventually one would get through for him, and that one did."
Tulsa (3-6) closed to within 2-1 early in the second, but the Thunder responded.
Dominic D'Amour fired from the slot, and Kyle Bruce pounced on the rebound to score for the first time this season, a power-play goal at 16:09. About two mintues later, D'Amour showed off his shot, blasting one in from the blueline to up the lead to 4-1.
Tulsa closed to within 4-3 when Matt Smyth, released by the Thunder during the preseason, scored with 2:41 to play. But the Thunder held on behind Sebastien Laplante, who made 21 of 24 saves for his second win. Tulsa pulled its goalie with 1:11 remaining, and the victory wasn't secure until a Lance Herauf shot bounced off Leplante's chest at the buzzer.
The Thunder enjoyed a 36-24 shot advantage.
"We were using our speed to our advantage, getting pucks in behind their 'D' all night long," Tetrault said. "You could tell they were tiring out near the end. We just basically wore them out with good support and by using our speed. We've got a lot of speed, and we have to use that to our advantage. Tonight, we did."
Notes -- Ladislav Kouba (pulled groin) has been placed on 14-day injured reserve, French said.... Richardson has six points in the Thunder's last two home games.
| Tulsa (3-6) | 0 1 2 -- 3 |
| Wichita (2-5) | 2 2 0 -- 4 |
Scoring -- 1. Wichita, Wiebe 2 (Goupil) :27; 2. Wichita, Tetrault 1 (Liebel, Richardson) 4:27 pp. Penalties_Tulsa, Wing (hooking) 3:44; Tulsa, Guinn (hooking) 4:41; Wichita, Batovanja (boarding) 8:20; Wichita, Liebel (roughing) 11:36; Tulsa, Magnussen (roughing) 11:36; Wichita, Tetrault (Tetrault) 11:36; Tulsa, (Kelly) 11:36; Wichita, Tremblay (roughing) 11:36; Wichita, Hanchuck (fighting) 15:14; Tulsa, Goody (fighting) 15:14; Tulsa, Garbutt (roughing) 16:03.
Second period
Scoring -- 3. Tulsa, Beauregard 3 (Kubaliak, Kelly) 6:04; 4. Wichita, Bruce 1 (D'Amour, Richardson) 16:09 pp; 5. Wichita, D'Amour 2 (Richardson, Wathier) 18:29. Penalties_Wichita, Paul (holding) 3:41; Tulsa, Wing (roughing) 15:16.
Third period
Scoring -- 6. Tulsa, McCutcheon 1 (Beauregard, Wing) 9:54; 7. Tulsa, Smyth 1 (Burnett, Garbutt) 17:19. Penalties_Wichita, D'Amour (interference) 3:42; Tulsa, Kelly (holding) 14:23.
Shots on goal_Tulsa, 4-13-7_24. Wichita, 12-13-11_36. Power play_Tulsa 0-4, Wichita 2-5. Goaltenders_Tulsa, St. Pierre 32 saves on 36 shots. Wichita, Laplante 21 saves on 24 shots. Att: 6,619.
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 group of hecklers sitting behind the benches.
Figure out a way to deal with it _ without losing your composure.
The advice is timely, given the events of the last home game on Saturday night, when heckler extraordinaire Grant Norris and his buddies struck again during the Thunder's victory over Tulsa.
The target was Tulsa forward Jeff Christian, and he was an easy mark because of the statistics he brought into the game: zero goals, five assists.
Last season in Youngstown, before he was traded to Tulsa, Christian led the CHL in scoring (38 goals and 116 points). Teammate Chris Richards was second with 106 points.
So material was readily available.
"Hey, Christian, where's Chris Richards when you need him? "
"Looks like Tulsa traded for the wrong part of the duo."
And so on.
By the third period, Christian was apparently fed up because he made the mistake of giving the hecklers exactly what they seek: a reaction. He turned away from the ice, toward the crowd and started jawing at Norris.
"I don't remember specifically what I said that caused him to melt down, but he took his stick and laid it on top of the glass and did a jabbing motion," Norris said. "I actually flinched."
Security got involved, while teammates and coach Butch Kaebel restored order on the bench.
To his credit, Christian gained a measure of revenge on a later shift when he scored. He quickly retrieved the puck and, while skating back to the bench, flipped it to Norris.
"He was trying to rub it in a little bit," Norris said. "I grabbed a pen and asked him if he would sign it for me. He was in a little better mood, since he had just scored."
Tulsa returns to the Coliseum in January.
"I can't wait," Norris said.
Christian should be prepared this time. Some more advice: The I'm-water-you're-glue response is usually an effective one.
SLAPSHOTS
• The Thunder's special teams are showing signs of improvement. The Thunder scored two power play goals on Saturday. "Puck movement's the key," defenseman Daniel Tetrault said after the game. "And we were getting good shots from the point." The penalty kill always gets less attention, but the unit's work the past three games (12 for 12) deserves notice.
• Thunder goaltender Sebastien Laplante, thanks to his 36-save shutout of Oklahoma City, was voted by the fans as the CHL's performer of the week. Laplante received 54 percent of the 1,184 votes.
PLUS
Rookie defensemen Mathieu Wathier has been a pleasant surprise. He has two goals (on just 11 shots), is second on the team with six points, and is plus-1. He has scored in three straight games.
MINUS
It has meant trouble when the Thunder falls behind. Wichita is 0-4 when giving up the first goal.
TAP OF THE STICK
The Thunder hasn't played well at home (2-3) but give the team credit for an entertaining first period in the win over Tulsa on Saturday. The two goals were nice for the fans, of course. But the crowd also responded when rookie Mike Batovanja checked Andrew Lackner into the boards by the penalty boxes. Seconds later, Batovanja laid another big hit -- on Lackner. The fight between Wichita's Tyler Hanchuck (6-3, 235) and Mat Goody (6-2, 250) was also fun to watch, if you're into the fisticuffs.
DEFINING DIGIT
5-0-1 Rocky Mountain's record at home. The Thunder, 0-2 on the road, visits on Saturday.
HE SAID IT
"We're not worried. We got the guns to do it. And the chemistry's there, too."
-- Tetrault after the Thunder improved to 2-5 by beating Tulsa
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, knowing it's not that far off in the future when we'll have him back," said coach Mark French, whose team is 2-7-0 entering tonight's home against Mississippi (10-3-0).
After playing in the season opener, Duda suffered a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a drill in practice on Oct. 23. His recovery is going well and, barring any setbacks, the team captain hopes to return in time for a game at the Colorado Eagles on Dec. 7.
"It's been driving me nuts," said Duda of being forced to sit out. "Watching what's been happening with the team and not being able to help the guys out, it's really frustrating. You want to be out there. You feel helpless."
The second-leading scorer in franchise history, Duda will be counted on to provide a much-needed offensive spark. He led the Thunder in assists (48) and points (75) last season, including seven power-play goals and six game-winners.
"He brings a presence," French said. "He's not only one of our best offensive players, he plays in virtually every situation. He's one of our top penalty killers, and he brings creativity, which we need offensively. And he's a guy who, more often than not, is going to find the open man."
Still, French -- and Duda, too -- cautioned that he can't individually solve the team's scoring issues.
Wichita is averaging two goals per game -- the worst in the 17-team Central Hockey League -- and the power play is 15th at 10.5 percent. In the Thunder's seven losses, the team is averaging 1.6 goals.
"Will he (Duda) help? Yes," French said. "But I think it would be a little pie in the sky if we rested on our laurels thinking that he'll be the solution to all our offensive problems. We need to look inward."
Added Duda, "I don't think I'm gonna make a ton of difference. I'm hoping I can help, but we got a lot of veteran guys, a lot of veteran leadership, and they're gonna right the ship."
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 second-worst start in franchise history -- and 2-4 at home.
"It's frustrating," veteran Travis Clayton said. "It's not like the guys don't care. It's tough. I don't know how to describe it.
"It's not over yet, the season is still young, but we definitely have to get on a roll soon."
The offense remains in a frustrating slump, the defense has allowed 15 goals the past three games, and the goaltending concerns continue to mount.
Coach Mark French and general manager Chris Presson said a decision on Laplante, who was suspended indefinitely after his arrest for disorderly conduct and domestic violence on Nov. 13, would be made by Friday. Instead, that decision has been postponed.
Backup Jon Horrell, who has assumed the starting role in Laplante's absence, was pulled on Friday and fell to 0-5.
Early in the first period, Clayton scored an unassisted goal to put the Thunder up 1-0. And that was the extent of the good news for the evening.
By the end of the first period, Mississippi (11-3) led 2-1, and the RiverKings buried the Thunder with three second-period goals -- all by Chad Woollard.
Woollard's last goal prompted French to pull Horrell in favor of rookie Layne Sedevie, who made 11 saves on 12 shots.
The RiverKings entered the game struggling on the power play (13.7 percent, 13th in the league) but were 4 for 7 against the Thunder. The Thunder was 0 for 4.
"Our power play struggled and theirs was awesome," Clayton said. "When you get four goals on the PP, you're gonna win every night."
On two first-period power-play chances, the Thunder managed just one shot against Mississippi, which entered the game with the top penalty kill in the Central Hockey League (91 percent).
"I thought they did a good job early keeping us out of the zone, and I thought once we got in the zone we got some quality chances," French said. "But again, those chances aren't equating to much. They have to result in goals."
Notes -- Clayton's first-period goal was the 312th of his career, tying Paul Jackson for second on the CHL career scoring charts.... The Thunder is 1-2 against Oklahoma City, tonight's opponent. Bruce Richardson has three goals in the series. The Thunder has just one goal in 24 power-play chances against Oklahoma City.
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 on a night the Thunder picked up a desperately needed victory by beating Oklahoma City 4-3 in the Kansas Coliseum.
Yanchishyn, who played five seasons of junior hockey in Portage, Manitoba, scored for the first time in the Thunder's three-goal, tone-setting first period. And Sedevie, brought in after starter Sebastien Laplante's arrest and suspension, made 33 saves, including several of the spectacular variety late in the game. .
The duo helped establish the theme of the night -- that it was a team effort. Indeed, the Thunder got points from 10 players while snapping a three-game losing streak and improving to 3-8. The Blazers dropped to 6-8-1 and remained hapless on the road, losing their seventh straight.
"Big confidence booster tonight for a lot of guys tonight," veteran defenseman Daniel Tetrault said. "It's tough, you know, when you've only got two wins. You start second guessing yourself all the time. You have to fight through it, and we did that tonight."
Oklahoma City's Jason Wolfe had posted impressive numbers (2-1, 1.34 goals-against, .965 saves percentage) against the Thunder, but Wichita solved the 6-foot-5 goalie early. The always-active Tyler Liebel scored just three minutes into the game. Yanchishyn's goal followed, and Bruce Richardson capped the first-period outburst with a power-play goal that chased Wolfe.
"It was huge," Tetrault said of the first period. "We haven't had a start like that in a while."
Nonetheless, the Thunder was forced to survive some anxious moments. Sedevie wasn't tested much in the first period when the Blazers managed just four shots, but the night grew progressively more challenging. Oklahoma City had 13 shots in the second and 19 in the third.
"The first two periods, I thought we did a pretty good job of making his job relatively easy," coach Mark French said. "But, obviously, at the end of the game he made some big saves that changed the scope of the game."
It was 4-2 entering the third, and the Blazers cut the gap to one on a goal with five minutes left. Sedevie's best stretch of play followed, as the Thunder was forced to fight off a 5-on-3 and, later, after the Blazers pulled their goalie.
"Five-on-threes are tough, especially at this level," Sedevie said. "I knew once we got the 5 on 3 done that we could handle the 5 on 4, and we did.
"I made some saves at the end to keep us ahead, and we got the win, and that's all that matters."
| Oklahoma City | 0 2 1 -- 3 |
| Wichita | 3 1 0 -- 4 |
Scoring--1. Wichita, Liebel 3 (Clayton, Paul) 3:16; 2. Wichita, Yanchishyn 1 (Tremblay, Thompson) 10:15; 3. Wichita, Richardson 4 (D'Amour, Tetrault) 16:49 pp. Penalties--Oklahoma City, Sawyer (interference) 1:12; Wichita, Bruce (goaltender interference, roughing) 4:51; Oklahoma City, Bauman (roughing) 4:51; Oklahoma City, Burgoyne (kneeing) 5:56; Wichita, Liebel (tripping) 6:34; Wichita, Bruce (fighting) 13:03; Oklahoma City, Flatha (fighting) 13:03; Oklahoma City, Burgoyne (hooking) 15:11; Oklahoma City, Fleck (roughing) 16:03.
Second period
Scoring--4. Oklahoma City, Connors 4 (Wilson, Bauman) 5:23 pp; 5. Wichita, Wiebe 4 (D'Amour, Richardson) 10:29 pp; 6. Oklahoma City, Watson 3 (Robertson, Burgoyne) 16:03 pp. Penalties--Wichita, Liebel (instigation, fighting) 3:26; Oklahoma City, Dearle (fighting) 3:26; Wichita, Goupil (fighting) 7:14; Oklahoma City, Prosofsky (fighting) 7:14; Oklahoma City, Burgoyne (hooking) 10:17; Oklahoma City, Weitzel (interference) 10:17; Oklahoma City, Fleck (cross checking) 10:32; Wichita, Tetrault (roughing) 10:32; Wichita, Tremblay (high sticking) 15:50; Wichita, Clayton (slashing) 14:54.
Third period
Scoring--7. Oklahoma City, Prosofsky 7 (Burgoyne) 14:12. Penalties--Wichita, Thompson (hooking) 5:52; Oklahoma City, Burgoyne (high sticking) 8:12. Wichita, Liebel (interference) 16:40; Wichita, Hanchuck (tripping) 17:39.
Shots on goal--Oklahoma City 4-13-19_36; Wichita 14-18-7_39.
Power play--Oklahoma City 2-9; Wichita 2-7.
Goaltenders--Oklahoma City, Wolfe 10 saves on 14 shots; Connors 24 saves on 25 shots; Wichita, Sedevie 33 saves on 36 shots.
Att.-- 6,129.
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 last season, missed four games and didn't practice with the team while on suspension.
"We want to hold our players to a higher standard, and I believe we did that," French said. "At the same time, it's important to do the right thing for the team and the organization, as well, and not overreact and get rid of a guy if it's not warranted."
Laplante will travel with the team on its current road trip, which begins with a game against Mississippi on Tuesday. The Thunder plays at Bossier-Shreveport on Thursday.
French said rustiness could be a factor with Laplante, who has battled inconsistency this season. His statistics (2-3, 3.86 goals-against) are down from last year, but he showed his old form in a shutout of Oklahoma City.
"He'll be on the ice and practice with us (Monday), so we'll be able to make an assessment of where he's at," French said.
The Thunder will take the unusual step of carrying three goalies on the road trip.
Jon Horrell, who assumed the No. 1 job during Laplante's suspension, and rookie Layne Sedevie, who won his Thunder debut on Saturday, will also travel with the team.
French was not certain what goalie rotation he would use.
"We'll just have to continue to evaluate the situation," he said.
Laplante did not return a message asking for comment.
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., native was at his best when the pressure was highest, making 18 third-period saves, several of which came when the Thunder was fighting off a 5-on-3 power play while clinging to a 4-3 lead.
On one impressive sequence, the 5-foot-9 Sedevie made a save with his right leg pad and then scrambled to his feet to glove a puck headed for the net.
"It's all reaction at that point," he said of stopping the flurry of shots. "You just try to get anything in front of the puck that you can. You sit back there and make a save and, in desperation, do whatever you can to make the next save."
Thunder defenseman Daniel Tetrault, a veteran of more than 400 games, was certainly impressed. When the game was over, he skated directly toward the net and was the first to congratulate Sedevie.
"I told him I've never seen a third period like that," Tetrault said. "It was unbelievable. We were (penalty) killing, and he was facing point-blank shots. He came through big."
Sedevie's play was more than anyone expected from an unknown signed to a mere five-game contract after starter Sebastien Laplante's suspension.
But his effort, while much-needed since it snapped a three-game Thunder losing streak, also increases the uncertainty surrounding the team's the goalie situation.
Is Sedevie, who was 3-0 in the lower-level Mid-Atlantic Hockey League, good enough to play in the CHL?
Can Laplante, inconsistent even before his suspension, return to All-Star form? Will his legal trouble, yet to be sorted out, be a distraction?
What's troubling Jon Horrell, who hasn't been nearly as sharp as he was last season? Laplante seems a given to stay on the team, but who takes the backup spot?
One thing is certain. Coach Mark French certainly wants to see more of Sedevie, who, along with Horrell and Laplante, is on the team's current road trip.
"I think he (Sedevie) earned the right to stay around, and that's what we're saying by retaining him for the duration of his contract," French said. "He's not your typical emergency goaltender."
Said Sedevie: "I may not be here very long, but I hope to help the team while I am."
SLAPSHOTS
• Tulsa didn't record a single shot in the first period of its loss to Rocky Mountain on Saturday.
• The Thunder is the only CHL team that hasn't played an overtime game this season.
PLUS
The Thunder has developed into a quick-starting team, scoring the first goal in five consecutive games before Mississippi scored the first three Tuesday night.
MINUS
The Thunder's offense tends to fizzle as games progress. Wichita has scored 10 goals in the first period, eight in the second and just five in the third. Opponents have 13 third-period goals.
TAP OF THE STICK
The Thunder's annual drive for Toys for Tots is this week. Fans donating a new, unwrapped toy receive a buy-one-get-one-free ticket. Fans can bring toys to the Thunder office (now at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium) or to the game on Saturday. "It's Christmastime, and people have no idea how many families in this area can't afford to give their kids a good Christmas," said Thunder senior vice president Joel Lomurno, who is on the Toys for Tots board of directors.
PENALTY BOX
Three original members of the CHL -- Wichita, Tulsa and Oklahoma City -- have plenty of tradition but not many wins this season. As of Tuesday, they were a combined 16-26-1. The other original CHL team, the Mississippi RiverKings (formerly Memphis) is 12-3.
DEFINING DIGITS
0-6
Thunder's record against teams outside of Oklahoma. The Thunder has beaten Tulsa once and Oklahoma City twice.
HE SAID IT
"We have to come out flying every night, blocking shots, puck pursuit. We can't sit back, and that's what we did the first 10 games. We have to use our speed. We don't have big guys, but we have fast guys."
-- Tetrault on how the Thunder can sustain the success of the Oklahoma City game
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 disorderly conduct and domestic violence. He was suspended by the team but reinstated on Sunday.
Laplante made 39 saves but gave up three first-period goals, two on power plays.
The Thunder, which was 0 for 6 on power plays, plays at Bossier-Shreveport on Thursday night.
| Wichita | 0 0 0 -- 0 |
| Mississippi | 3 0 0 -- 3 |
Scoring--1. Mississippi, Held (Landmesser, Makway), 2:40 pp; 2. Mississippi, Campbell (Woollard, Makway), 14:44 pp; 3. Mississippi, Davis (Campbell, Woollard), 19:16. Penalties--Wichita, Kouba (hooking), 1:07; Mississippi, Davis (cross checking, 2:54; Wichita, Thompson (hooking), 13:48; Wichita, Tremblay (roughing), 15:28; Mississippi, Wenzel (fighting major), 19:19; Wichita, Bruce (fighting major), 19:19; Mississippi, Stoddard (fighting major), 19:22; Wichita, Yanchishyn (fighting major), 19:22.
Second period
Scoring--None. Penalties--Mississippi, Kozak (fighting major), 5:39; Mississippi, Kozak (game misconduct), 5:39; Wichita, Liebel (fighting major), 5:39; Wichita, Thompson (delay of game), 9:55; Mississippi, Blanshan (interference), 12:24; Mississippi, Kindret (interference), 17:07.
Third period
Scoring--None. Penalties--Mississippi, Wenzel (roughing), 2:38; Wichita, Hanchuck (roughing), 2:38; Mississippi, Davis (tripping), 11:41; Wichita, Hanchuck (tripping), 11:41; Wichita, Hanchuck (unsportsmanlike conduct), 14:59; Mississippi, Lawmaster (slashing), 19:01; Mississippi, Wenzel (fighting major), 19:01; Wichita, Bruce (fighting major), 19:01.
Shots on goal--Wichita 5-6-10--21; Mississippi 23-8-11--42.
Power play--Wichita 0-6, Mississippi 2-6.
Goaltenders--Wichita, Laplante 39 saves on 42 shots. Mississippi, Centomo 21 saves on 21 shots.
Att.-- 2,940.
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 Richardson.
The Thunder offense struggled in two road games this week, scoring just one goal.
Wichita was 0 for 7 on the power play Thursday night.
| Wichita | 0 0 1 -- 1 |
| Bossier-Shreveport | 0 1 1 -- 2 |
Scoring--None. Penalties--Bossier, Ortmeyer (slashing) 5:28; Wichita, Wathier (hooking) 6:46; Wichita, Tremblay (tripping) 10:16; Bossier, Miller (tripping) 14:58..
Second period
Scoring--1. Bossier, Pegoraro (Godoy, Lucas) 6:43 (pp). Penalties--Wichita, Goupil (hooking) 4:45; Bossier, Campbell (slashing) 7:11; Wichita, Paul (tripping) 7:42; Bossier, Lightbody (fighting) 11:15; Bossier, Lightbody (cross checking) 11:15; Wichita, Yanchishyn (fighting) 11:15; Bossier, Campbell (goalie interference) 13:58; Bossier, Fairbarn (interference) 16:37; Bossier, Miller (fighting) 18:26; Wichita, Batovanja (fighting) 18:26; Wichita, Batovajna (board checking) 18:26..
Third period
Scoring--2. Wichita, Bruce (Wiebe, Richardson) 3:00; 3. Bossier, Ori (Pegoraro, Lucas) 17:20. Penalties--Wichita, Liebel (high sticking) 11:02; Wichita, Tetrault (high sticking) 12:22; Bossier, Smith (hooking) 13:57.
Shots on goal--Wichita 9-7-11--27; Bossier 11-14-6--31.
Power play--Wichita 0-7; Bossier 1-7.
Goaltenders--Wichita, Laplante 29 saves on 31 shots. Bossier, Carroll 26 saves on 27 shots.
Att.-- 3,341.
At least it only lasted two games.
That's the good news to come from the Wichita Thunder's recently completed road trip - a two-game swing during which the Thunder went 0-2 and scored one goal.
The Thunder will attempt to recover from the losses, which dropped the team to 3-10, this evening when rival Oklahoma City visits the Kansas Coliseum.
The Thunder beat the Blazers 4-3 last Saturday behind rookie goalie Layne Sedevie, who made 33 saves in his first Central Hockey League start.
Sedevie's feel-good story didn't last long -- he was released earlier this week. And the Thunder's momentum was short-lived too, evidenced by the 3-0 loss in Mississippi and a 2-1 setback at Bossier-Shreveport.
The Thunder's offense continued to struggle, managing just single-digit shots in four of six periods. The Thunder is averaging a league-low 1.85 goals per game.
Sebastien Laplante, in his first games since returning from team suspension, took both losses, but he stopped 68 of 73 shots.
The Thunder has beaten the Blazers in consecutive games to even the season series at 2-2. Veteran Bruce Richardson has been at his best against Oklahoma City with four goals and two assists.
Neither coach Mark French or general manager Chris Presson returned a phone call for comment on Friday afternoon.
The hit was pleasing enough -- that much was clear by the roar of the crowd after Wichita Thunder forward Kyle Bruce plowed an Oklahoma City Blazer into the wall.
It was simply a welcome bonus that the big check, thanks to a friendly bounce, led to the game-winning goal.
Desperate for a victory, the Thunder beat the rival Blazers yet again -- this time 3-1 behind an unexpected third-period rally on Saturday night in the Kansas Coliseum.
The play that fans will remember probably wasn't a clutch goal, although the Thunder had a couple of those. Or a great goaltending performance, even though Sebastien Laplante provided one.
Instead, the memorable moment came in the final period when Bruce lined up a Blazer in the corner and applied a devastating check -- the type you could clearly hear from the top row of the Coliseum.
"It looked like a bulldozer running over cement," teammate Tyler Hanchuck said. "I'm telling you, it was pretty to see."
Pretty and effective.
The hit forced a turnover, and the puck headed toward the net -- the type of bounce the Thunder, now 4-10, hasn't benefited from often this season.
"When (Bruce) went in -- it's bad to say -- but he went in to hurt somebody," Thunder coach Mark French said. "When you've got a guy coming that hard, the guy with the puck is gonna have a bit of an itchy trigger finger. I think he heard footsteps and wanted to get rid of the puck. Kyle forced him to make a mistake."
The Thunder took full advantage. Kris Wiebe turned the turnover into a goal, breaking a 1-1 tie and leading the Thunder to its third straight victory over the Blazers (8-9-1).
"I just went at the guy," Bruce said. "He wasn't really paying attention because he saw that I was on the far side of the net, but with my speed I was able to get over there and lay the body. Wiebe was there in the perfect place to put it in the net."
Hanchuck was, surprisingly, one of the offensive stars of the night. The 6-foot-3, 235 pounder was moved from defenseman to forward on the recently completed road trip -- a switch that paid off when he scored from in close to tie the game at 1 six minutes into the third period. It was his first goal of the season.
"We needed this win," Hanchuck said. "Three uncontested goals is a bit of a confidence booster for all of the players."
Entering play, the Thunder was 0-8 when trailing after two periods. During second intermission, French feared his team was expecting the trend to continue.
"I think our sense was a bit of 'here we go again,' " French said. "I think it was important that we came back instead of falling back into that familiar pattern."
The Thunder kept pressure on the Blazers all evening, recording a season-high 44 shots, including 17 in the third period.
"We had outrageous chances all night, we just couldn't get that goal," Bruce said. "The thing is, we weren't getting down ourselves. We just kept working, working and it paid off."
Notes -- The Thunder signed defenseman Eric Nelson, a fourth-year pro, on Saturday. Nelson has 36 points in 205 career games, most in the East Coast Hockey League. The Thunder waived forward Ladislav Kouba.
| Oklahoma City | 0 1 0 -- 1 |
| Wichita | 0 0 3 -- 3 |
Scoring--none. Penalties--Wichita, Paul (hooking) 6:33; Oklahoma City, bench (too many men on the ice) 14:39.
Second period
Scoring--1. Oklahoma City, Barth 1 (Burgoyne) 7:40. Penalties--Oklahoma City, Flaman (tripping) 3:26; Oklahoma City, Barth (slashing) 10:38; Wichita, Wiebe (tripping) 17:27.
Third period
Scoring--2. Wichita, Hanchuck 1 (Thompson) 6:09; 3. Wichita, Wiebe 5 (Bruce) 7:46; 4. Wichita, Liebel 4 (Goupil, Tetrault) 18:24. Penalties--Oklahoma City, Fleck (holding) 3:34; Wichita, Tetrault (cross checking) 13:25
Shots on goal--Oklahoma City 6-12-8_26; Wichita 13-14-17_44
Power play--Oklahoma City 0-3; Wichita 0-4.
Goaltenders--Oklahoma City, Connors 41 saves on 44 shots; Wichita, Laplante 25 saves on 26 shots.
Att-- 7,007.
The Thunder is in dire need of an offensive spark, but the team will have to wait longer than expected for contributions from captain Jason Duda, who hasn't played since the season opener because of a knee injury.
The Thunder, 4-10 after Saturday's victory over Oklahoma City, had targeted this weekend's games for Duda's return. However, coach Mark French said that Duda won't play until at least Tuesday at Memphis, and even then it would be in a limited role.
More likely, Duda will return to full action for a two-game homestand that begins Dec. 14.
"According to what the doctors say, the knee is OK -- it's solid," French said. "Their biggest concern is the strength of the muscles around the knee. They think it would be rushing it for him to play this weekend."
Duda, who suffered a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during practice on Oct. 23, has been participating in drills but no contact.
The Thunder, averaging a league-low 1.93 goals per game, can certainly use any boost Duda's return will provide. Even so, French thinks a cautious approach to the injury is justified.
"From a coaching perspective, it's sometimes hard to see the big picture, especially in the situation we're in when every game of the utmost importance," French said. "At the same time, you have to (see the big picture) and the doctors are good at thinking long term."
French has stressed that Duda, who led the Thunder in assists (48) and points (75) last season, won't solve all the team's offensive issues. Still, Duda should help in two specific areas.
One, longtime linemate Travis Clayton hasn't been as productive as expected. He should benefit from the obvious on-ice chemistry he shares with Duda.
Second, the Thunder's power play has struggled (9 percent, second to last in the CHL). Duda, who led the team with 24 power-play assists last season, should improve that unit.
SLAPSHOTS
• Rookie winger Stan Yanchishyn is "very doubtful" for tonight's home game against Rocky Mountain after suffering a bit of a freak injury on Thursday at Bossier-Shreveport. Yanchishyn stepped on his own foot, and the blade of the skate caused what French described as "a pretty severe cut." Yanchishyn, who received eight stitches, is experiencing pain when he places weight on the foot.
• Rocky Mountain beat the Thunder 5-1 on Nov. 17. Scott Wray had three points.
PLUS
Goaltender Sebastien Laplante, in three appearances since returning from team suspension, has allowed six goals on 99 shots. Laplante was inconsistent early in the season, but French thinks he is regaining his form. "We need him to assert himself as one of the top five goalies in the league again, and he's showing steps that he's doing that," French said. Laplante's personal issues -- he was suspended after being arrested for disorderly conduct and domestic violence -- don't appear to be an on-ice distraction. Laplante received mostly cheers, but there were noticeable boos, during pre-game introductions on Saturday, his first game at home after the suspension was lifted.
MINUS
The Thunder is zero for 17 on the power play in the past three games. It's the second time the Thunder has gone three straight games without a power play goal.
TAP OF THE STICK
Thunder fans routinely win the title of "most annoying" in the annual Best of the Best poll. We should add "most observant" to the list. During Saturday's victory, fans behind the benches noticed that the Blazers