Second Period Outburst Pushes Thunder Past Heartlanders

CORALVILLE, IA (March 25) – Wichita scored four unanswered goals to come back for a 4-2 win on Saturday night against Iowa at Xtream Arena. 

Brayden Watts and Gavin Gould each tallied a goal and an assist while Michal Stinil and Cole MacDonald finished with two assists. Roman Basran claimed his fourth pro win with 29 saves. 

The Heartlanders scored twice in the first period to jump out in front. At 10:35 Tommy Parrottino fired a one-timer from the right circle past Basran to make it 1-0. 

Carson Denomie made it 2-0 at 14:55. Justin Michaelian blocked a shot just inside the Iowa line. He raced the other way on the two-on-none chance and fed a pass across to Denomie for his fourth of the season. 

In the second, Quinn Preston cut the lead to one at :58 seconds. Stinil made a beautiful move to cut through two defensemen near the Iowa line. Mitch Benson made the initial save, but Preston followed up the play and put home a loose puck for his 23rd of the year. 

Peter Bates connected on a power play goal at 8:29 to tie the game. He caught a pass at the left side of the net. Bates made a power move to the crease, stayed with the play between a few defenders. He slipped it through Benson for his 15th of the year. 

Watts tallied the go-ahead goal at 11:13. Gould made a nice play behind the net, fed a pass into the slot and Watts buried a snap shot to give the Thunder a 3-2 lead. 

Iowa called a timeout with 2:05 left in regulation. Benson made his way to the bench as the Heartlanders threatened in the offensive zone.

Stinil stole a loose puck near the left circle and fired a shot towards the empty net that missed just wide. Gould outraced Nolan Orzeck and buried it in for his fourth of the year. 

Wichita went 2-for-5 on the power play. Iowa was 0-for-6 with the man advantage. 

With the victory, the Thunder moves alone into second place with 66 points and took five points over the week.

Watts has three points in his last two games since returning to the lineup. Stinil has points in four-straight (2g, 2a). Preston has goals in three of his last four and points in four-straight (3g, 3a). MacDonald has two assists in three of his last four games. 

The Thunder continues their six-game road trip next week with their first trip to the Maverik Center to face Utah starting on Wednesday.

Our annual Education Day Game, presented by Butler Community College and Golden Plains Credit Union, is coming soon. If you're a teacher or work with a local school, contact our office and ask for Tucker to bring your class out as we host the Tulsa Oilers at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 5. Click here to buy tickets.

Autism Acceptance Night, presented by Wichita State University Communications Sciences and Disorders, is nearing as well. Join us on Friday, April 7 as we host the Rapid City Rush. We'll create a more sensory friendly environment for the game, reduce the lighting and loud music and more as we raise acceptance for those with Autism. Buy tickets here.

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.