Game Day Capsule: Rapid City at Wichita, Dec. 21st

WICHITAHOME: 7-5-0-1AWAY: 5-5-1-2OVERALL: 12-10-1-3

LEADING SCORERSGauthier, 25 pts (12g, 13a)Lowe, 22 pts (8g, 14a)Miller 21 pts (8g, 13a)

RAPID CITYHOME: 4-8-0-1AWAY: 5-6-0-1OVERALL: 9-14-0-2

LEADING SCORERSSchultz, 21 pts (8g, 13a)Clarke, 17 pts (6g, 11a)Brannon, 16 pts (7g, 9a)

HEAD TO HEAD - This is the fifth of nine meetings between the Thunder and the Rush. All-time, Wichita is 17-29-5 against Rapid City and 7-14-3 at home.

TODAY - Wichita returns home after a two-game road trip to host the Rapid City Rush this afternoon. The Thunder were idle last night whle Rapid City played in Missouri, winning by the final score of 3-0. This is the second-straight Sunday that the Rush has visited INTRUST Bank Arena. After today's game, the Thunder will be off until December 27th for the Christmas break. Rapid City is led by Jesse Schultz, who has 21 points in 23 games this season. Wichita is led by Danick Gauthier, who has 25 points in 26 games this year.

TWO FOR ONE - Wichita won on Friday night in overtime by the final of 2-1. Kenton Miller scored the game winner less than a minute into the extra period. The Thunder have won their last two games, both of which were on the road, by the final of 2-1. On Wednesday night, Wichita won by the same score, coming from behind in Tulsa.

CAREER SEASON - Kenton Miller is having one of his best seasons of his pro career. As a rookie in Missouri, he collected 51 points (30g, 21a) in 53 games. Last season, he recorded 21 points (6g, 14a) in 55 games with the Fort Wayne Komets. He is on pace to have his best year, already going over last year's numbers with 21 points (8g, 13a) in 26 games.

KILLIN' IT - The Thunder penalty kill went 5-for-5 on Friday night, improving the road percentage to 16th overall at 81.4%. After allowing goals in consecutive games, Wichita has gone 21-for-21 over the last four contests.

A WEEKEND OF MILESTONES - Two games after Riley Weselowski and J.M. Rizk gained the proper recognition they deserved for their longevity in their careers, Jesse Schultz and Danny Battochio now garner the same celebratory gesture. For Schultz, the former Vancouver Canuck not only recorded his 600th career point last night with his second period goal, but he also enters his 700th game as a professional hockey player. Over the course of his 12-year career with 600 points, the 2008 Calder Cup Champion has made stops in the ECHL, CHL, AHL, German, Swedish, and Italian Leagues, and the NHL back in 2006, scoring 241 goals and recording 359 assists. Additionally, Danny Battochio enters his 200th game as a pro tonight. The 2009/10 CHL Rookie of the Year that led the Rush to their first championship as a franchise has an all-time record of 109-60-17, and a 93-53-17 record as the netminder for the Boys from the Black Hills.

THUNDERBOLTS… Danick Gauthier is tied for ninth in goals (12), second 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 10th in the league in goals against average (2.39) while Tim Boron is 15th (2.60)…Tyler Bunz and Tim Boron are tied for second in shutouts (2)...Wichita is fifth in shots for per game (32.23) and third in shots against per game (26.42)…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...

RAPID CITY NOTES - Danny Battochio leads the league with three shutouts after last night's win at Missouri…The Rush have won back-to-back games via the shutout, which is the first time in franchise history they have performed that feat…Landon Oslanski is tied for the league-lead among defensemen in power play points (10), tied for fourth in power play goals (3) and tied for third in power play assists (7)…Daniel Tetrault is third among blueliners with 67 shots on net…

AROUND THE ECHL - There are six other games in the ECHL tonight. Orlando plays at Gwinnett. Evansville travels to Fort Wayne. Brampton plays at the I-Wireless Center against Quad City. Allen heads to Tulsa. Colorado plays at Ontario. Idaho takes on Stockton.

UP NEXT - Wichita will return to action after the Christmas holiday on Saturday, December 27th at home vs. Allen.

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-