Allen Claims Goaltending Battle over Wichita

Wichita, KS (Feb. 26th) - Vincent Arseneau scored the only goal in the second period to help Allen (30-19-3-2) slide past Wichita (11-32-6-5) by the final score of 1-0 on Friday night at INTRUST Bank Arena. The netminders stole the show, stopping a combined 76 of 77 shots. Wichita is 0-7-2-0 against Allen this season.

The two teams fired a combined total of 24 shots on net, but couldn't break through during the first 20 minutes.

Vincent Arseneau got the Americans on the board at 5:40 of the second period. His initial shot from the slot was stopped by Sean Bonar, but he got enough of it to slide it over the goal line for the 1-0 lead. Wichita outshot the Americans in the second, 21-11, and had three consecutive power plays. Joel Rumpel stood his ground through the first 40 minutes.

In the third, Wichita continued to press for the game-tying goal and had plenty of chances. The best one came early in the frame as the Americans parade to the sin bin continued. The Thunder had a four-on-three chance with David Makowski in the box for four minutes. Kale Kerbashian was stopped near the left post after a centering pass hit a defender and found its way to him. The Thunder also had a six-on-four situation with less than a minute to go as Eric Roy lifted the puck over the glass from his own zone. Rumpel continued to shine and claimed his second shutout of the season.

Five of the last seven meetings between the two teams have been one-goal affairs. Wichita's streak of going past regulation ends at four. The Thunder had a season-high 48 shots and a season-high 21 shots in a single period. Making his first start in a Thunder uniform, Bonar was terrific in the losing effort, stopping 28 of 29 shots. Rumpel sparkled as well, stopping all 48 shots he faced.

Wichita went 0-for-7 on the power play. Allen was 0-for-2 on the man advantage.

Wichita travels down to Allen tomorrow to start a two-game set against the Americans at 7:05 p.m.

Individual tickets are on sale now. Don't delay! Tickets can be purchased at the INTRUST Arena Box office, by calling 755-SEAT or go online at www.selectaseat.com. Stay up-to-date on all the news during the season by visiting www.wichitathunder.com.

About the ECHLThe ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 28 teams in 20 states and one Canadian province for its 27th season in 2014-15. There have been 541 players who have started their career in the ECHL have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, including 29 who made their NHL debuts in the 2013-14 season. The ECHL had affiliations with 26 of the 30 NHL teams in 2013-14, marking the 17th consecutive season that the league had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.

-Thunder-