Game Day Capsule: Allen at Wichita, December 27th

WICHITAHOME: 7-5-0-2AWAY: 5-5-1-2OVERALL: 12-10-1-4 LEADING SCORERSGauthier, 25 pts (12g, 13a)Lowe, 24 pts (8g, 16a)Miller, 23 pts (9g, 14a) ALLENHOME: 10-2-1-0AWAY: 9-2-0-1OVERALL: 19-4-1-1 LEADING SCORERSCombs, 46 pts (17g, 29a)Costello, 43 pts (17g, 26a)Steffes, 28 pts (18g, 10a) HEAD TO HEAD - This is the fifth of 16 meetings this season between the Thunder and the Americans. All-time, Wichita is 12-18-3 against Allen and 7-7-2 at home. TODAY - Wichita plays at home in the middle portion of three-straight at INTRUST Bank Arena against their heated rival, Allen. The Americans are coming off a 5-3 win last night against Tulsa while the Thunder were idle. Wichita lost in a shootout this past Sunday against Rapid City that stopped a three-game winning streak. Allen is 8-0-1-1 in their last 10 games and has not lost in regulation since November 29th against the Thunder. The Americans are led by Jack Combs, who has 46 points and Chad Costello who has 43 on the year. Wichita is led by Danick Gauthier, who has 25 points and Ian Lowe, who has 24 points so far this season. MILLER TIME - Kenton Miller has been on fire over the last eight games. The Redvers, SK native has points in each of the last four contests (2G, 4A), including the game-winning goal in overtime against Allen on Friday night. Miller is on pace for one of the best seasons of his career, racking up 23 points (9g, 14a) through the first 27 games. He also has points in six of his last eight games (2g, 6a).

COLLECTING - Wichita has points in its last four games, gaining seven of eight to move into a second-place tie with the Tulsa Oilers and Quad City Mallards. Quad City plays Missouri tonight, which will affect the standings if the Mallards come out with the victory.

PENALTY KILLERS - Wichita's penalty kill has been stingy over the last five games. The Thunder has successfully killed 22-straight power plays, moving the season total to 87.3%, which is good for fourth in the ECHL. Wichita hasn't given up a power play goal at home in eight-straight games dating back to November 15th, ranking #1 overall in the ECHL at 94.1%.

WIN OVER OILERS - Five different Americans scored in a 5-3 win over Tulsa Friday evening. The dynamic duo proved to be impressive again with Jack Combs earning four points (4 Assists) and Chad Costello earning three points (1 goal, 2 assists). THUNDERBOLTS… Danick Gauthier is tied for 15th in goals (12), tied for third in power play goals (5) and tied for fourth in power play assists (8)...Kenton Miller is tied for 10th place in power play goals (4)…Tyler Bunz is eighth in the league in goals against average (2.39) while Tim Boron is tied for 18th (2.67)…Tyler Bunz and Tim Boron are tied for second in shutouts (2)...Wichita is fifth in shots for per game (32.15) and third in shots against per game (26.59)…Wichita is 4-1-0-1 when leading after one...Wichita is 6-2-0-0 when tied after one…Wichita is 5-3-1-1 when tied after two periods…Wichita is 9-7-0-2 when outshooting the opponent…Wichita is 6-2-0-0 in two-goal games...

ALLEN NOTES - Greger Hanson is currently up with the Worcester Sharks of the AHL…Jack Combs is first in scoring (46) while Chad Costello is second in the league (43)…Gary Steffes is seventh in scoring (28) and first in goals (18)…Brett Lyon leads the league in penalty minutes with 160…Aaron Dell was sent down on 12/13 after spending a month with the Sharks…Allen leads the ECHL in shots for per game (34.40) and goals scored per game (4.48)…

AROUND THE ECHL - There are 12 other games tonight in the ECHL. Kalamazoo takes on Toledo. Gwinnett heads to Greenville. Florida plays at Orlando. Elmira plays at Reading. Wheeling goes to South Carolina. Evansville travels to Fort Wayne. Cincinnati plays Indy. Brampton goes to Quad City. Colorado plays at Utah. Missouri travels to Rapid City. Ontario goes to Idaho. Stockton plays at Bakersfield.

UP NEXT - Wichita plays this coming Tuesday at home against Missouri before heading to the IEC on New Year's Eve to take on the Mavericks 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 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-