Thunder Opens Season With 7-0 Win In Allen

ALLEN, TX (Oct. 23) - Wichita scored four goals on special teams and Evan Buitenhuis made 30 saves en route to a season-opening victory by the final of 7-0 over rival, Allen, on Saturday night at the Allen Event Center.

Five players had multi-point games led by Matteo Gennaro, who had five helpers. Stephen Johnson led all scorers with two goals and added an assist. Buitenhuis claimed his sixth-career shutout in the win. 

Wichita didn't waste any time jumping on the home team as Jay Dickman collected a rebound in the crease at 8:23 and beat Alexis Gravel to make it 1-0. Late in the first, Johnson scored his first of two on the night when he tipped home a shot from Gennaro on the power play to make it 2-0. 

In the second, Johnson fired home a one-timer during a three-on-one break to increase the lead to 3-0. Just two minutes later, Wichita won an offensive-zone faceoff and Alex Peters scored his first of the year on the power play to make it 4-0. At 13:01, Andrew Shewfelt recorded his first as a pro from the right circle to make it 5-0. 

The Thunder added two more in the third as Brayden Watts and Peter Crinella found the back of the net to close the scoring at 7-0, both of them coming on special teams. Wichita went 3-for-5 on the man advantage and added a shorthanded goal from Crinella. 

Peters and Crinella finished with a goal and an assist. Watts had a goal and three helpers. Cam Clarke and Dean Stewart also added assists. 

The Thunder closes out a two-game set in Allen tomorrow afternoon starting at 2:05 p.m.

The Thunder opens their home schedule on Friday, October 29 against the Utah Grizzlies and closes home-opening weekend on Saturday, October 30 as the Wheeling Nailers make their first-ever trip to the Air Capital. Click here to purchase tickets today!

Single game tickets are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at the Wichita Thunder office located at 505 W. Maple, Suite 100, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On weekday game days, the Thunder office closes at 4 p.m. Click here to purchase online!

Fans can also purchase tickets at the Select-A-Seat Box Office at INTRUST Bank Arena Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and starting at noon on weekend game days. 

Season tickets for the 2021-22 season are still available. Join Thunder Nation today and lock in your seat(s) for all 36 home games at INTRUST Bank Arena. For more information, click HERE.

FloSports is the official provider for ECHL TV for the 2021-22 season. Watch live events across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast. To become a subscriber, click here.

Follow along with us on our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.