Comeback Bid Falls Short in OT Loss at Tulsa

Tulsa, OK (Oct. 26th) - Wichita (0-1-1-0) climbed all the way back from a three-goal deficit against the Tulsa Oilers (2-0-0-0) on Sunday afternoon only to fall short by the final of 6-5 in overtime at the BOK Center. Down 4-1 in the second period, the Thunder scored three unanswered goals in less than three minutes to pull even and got the game-tying goal from Jared Walker with five minutes remaining to push the game into an extra period. The eventual game-winner came from Tulsa forward T.J Caig, who had a pair on the night and gave the Oilers a victory in their home opener. Tulsa leads the StoneWolf Casino Cup Series 1-0-0-0 and will face the Thunder on Wednesday night in the Air Capital.

The Oilers jumped out to a quick lead when Adam Pleskach stole the puck from a Thunder defender and was able snap it over Tim Boron's glove for the 1-0 lead. Five minutes later, T.J. Caig unloaded a one-timer that got into the upper portion of the net past Boron's right shoulder and made it 2-0. Tulsa wasn't finished as Kevin Noble's long shot redirected towards the goal, deflected off Boron's left arm and for the 3-0 advantage. Wichita was able to get on the board late in the first with a power play goal. Stephen Schultz found a rebound in front and his second attempt got up over Mike Zacharias to cut the lead to 3-1.

Wichita reversed the trend in the second period despite giving up an early goal to Scott Macaulay just 1:40 in. He cut to the back door and buried a pas across the crease to re-gain a three-goal lead for Tulsa. Kenton Miller found the back of the net at 8:41, which got the Thunder offense going. Todd Hosmer cut the lead to one just 50 seconds later with a wrist shot from the top of the right wing circle to make it 4-3. At 11:53, Nikita Kashirsky fed a beautiful pass across the slot to Dalton Reum and he tucked it just inside the right post to even the score at four.

In the third, Pleskach gave the Oilers their second lead of the game after muscling off a defenseman at the top of the circles and shooting one past Boron for the 5-4 lead. With five minutes remaining, Walker found the back of the net after his wrist shot beat Kevin Carr to the glove side. Carr, who replaced Mike Zacharias in the second, only saw eight shots on net. The two team couldn't decide the game in regulation and headed into overtime.

The game winner was potted by T.J. Caig at 3:55. He caught a lead pass at the Thunder blue line and scored on a breakaway to help the Oilers claim the 6-5 win in overtime.

Schultz and Walker have scored in back-to-back games. Ian Lowe and Theo Peckham finished with two helpers on the night. Boron suffered the loss, stopping 24 of 30 shots on net. Carr earned the win, stopping seven of eight shots he faced.

Wichita went 2-for-5 on the power play. Tulsa was 1-for-5 with the man advantage.

The Thunder return home on Wednesday to face the Oilers at 7:05 p.m. Wichita hosts the Missouri Mavericks on Saturday, November 1st at 7:05 p.m. followed by a visit to Tulsa on Sunday, November 2nd at 4:05 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 ECHL

The 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-