WICHITA, Kan. (Jan. 21) – Wichita used a four-goal second period to race past Kansas City on Saturday night, winning 7-1 at INTRUST Bank Arena.
Timur Ibragimov netted his first professional hat trick and added an assist. Brayden Watts added three points, giving him 52 on the season. Strauss Mann earned his eighth win of the season, stopping 35 shots.
Ibragimov got things started at 2:09 as he beat Shane Starrett with a wrist shot from the edge of the right circle to make it 1-0.
Early in the second, Watts tallied his first of the night. Jay Dickman won a battle along the goal line, went around the net and found him open near the crease.
At 6:17, Ibragimov recorded his second of the game to make it 3-0. Brett Van Os fired a shot off the chest of Starrett and he pounced on the rebound for his eighth of the year.
Mark Liwiski appeared to make it 4-0 at 11:05 as he fought for a loose puck near the left post. The goal was waved off due to goaltender interference.
Quinn Preston added a power play goal at 11:33 to make it 4-0. Ibragimov made a beautiful pass to him near the right hashmark and he fired home his 16th of the season.
Dickman made it 5-0 and his goal chased Starrett from the game. He tipped home a shot from Watts on the power play near the goal-mouth and it slid over the line for his 14th of the year.
Loren Ulett broke up the shutout bid for Mann at 2:15 of the third. John Schiavo took a shot that glanced off a skate and Ulett put home a loose puck for his sixth of the season.
Ibragimov and Watts tacked on goals just four minutes apart to close the scoring and a 7-1 victory.
Wichita went 2-for-5 on the power play. Kansas City finished 0-for-2 with the man advantage.
Ibragimov set a new career-high with four points in a single game. Watts had two goals and an assist. Dickman has a goal and an assist in three-straight games and points in six-straight. Preston has goals in three-straight, a goal and an assist in back-to-back games and five points in his last three. Mann has won his last three starts, lowering his goals-against average to 2.38 and save percentage to .936
The Thunder heads on the road for the next three in Idaho starting on Wednesday night.
Single game tickets are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets online here, at the Select-A-Seat Box Office at INTRUST Bank Arena or by calling the Thunder office at 316-264-4625.
Several outstanding promotions remain on our schedule for the season. Click HERE to learn more.