Thunder Ends Road Swing With Loss At Utah

WEST VALLEY CITY, UT (Dec. 19) - Wichita closed a five-game road trip on Sunday afternoon, falling to Utah, 5-3, at the Maverik Center. 

Utah scored four-unanswered goals to battle back from a 3-1 deficit and claimed its fourth win of the week against the Thunder. With the loss, Wichita has lost eight in a row. 

Brayden Watts, Carter Johnson and Peter Crinella each had two points. Dean Stewart and Logan Fredericks also scored for the Thunder. 

Wichita scored first for the third-straight game as Logan Fredericks put home a rebound at 9:32 to make it 1-0. 

In the second, Trey Bradley scored a shorthanded goal at 1:34 on a breakaway to tie the game at one. At 6:05, Watts got a little puck luck and gave the Thunder a 2-1 lead. He caught a pass across the crease, fired it back towards the slot looking for Crinella. His pass hit a defenseman's skate and went through Peyton Jones for his sixth of the year. Stewart recorded a power play goal at 11:01 to make it 3-1. He came up the ice with speed, fed a pass to Johnson, got it back and went past the defender and beat Jones. 

Brian Bowen cut the lead to 3-2 at 13:51. He carried the puck around the perimeter, came through the right circle and fired a shot from a sharp angle that got past Evan Buitenhuis. 

In the third, Matthew Boucher scored twice with his first one tying the game at 6:17. He fired home a one-timer from Brandon Cutler during a two-on-one break for his sixth of the year. The Grizzlies took their first lead at 17:06 as Tyler Penner found some space in the slot and beat Buitenhuis with a quick shot over his glove.

Buitenhuis was pulled with a minute left, but Boucher scored an empty-netter at 19:35 to close the scoring. 

Watts had a goal and an assist. Johnson and Crinella each had two helpers. Fredericks notched his fourth of the year. 

Wichita returns home on December 26 to start a two-game series at INTRUST Bank Arena against Tulsa.

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