Game Day Capsule: Wichita at Allen, February 18th

TONIGHT'S MATCH-UPWichita Thunder at Allen Americans - 7:05 p.m., Allen Event Center, Allen, TX

WICHITAHOME: 12-7-0-3AWAY: 11-11-2-2OVERALL: 23-18-2-5

LEADING SCORERSLowe, 44 pts (16g, 28a)Gauthier, 41 pts (19g, 22a)Miller, 38 pts (15g, 23a)

ALLENHOME: 19-4-2-0AWAY: 15-5-1-2OVERALL: 34-9-3-2

LEADING SCORERSCostello, 78 pts (24g, 54a)Steffes, 51 pts (31g, 20a)Schultz, 38 pts (19g, 19a)

SEASON-SERIESOct. 25 INTRUST 5-3, LNov. 15 INTRUST 3-2, LNov. 28 INTRUST 3-1, WDec. 19 AEC 2-1, W (OT)Dec. 27 INTRUST 3-2, W (SO)Jan. 4 AEC 3-2, LJan. 16 AEC 8-2, LJan. 17 AEC 6-4, LFeb. 14 AEC 5-4, W (OT)Feb. 15 INTRUST 6-5, L (SO)Feb. 18 AEC 7:05 p.m.

**Allen leads series 6-1-2-1 (Wichita is 4-5-0-1)

HEAD-TO-HEAD - This is the 11th of 16 meetings this season between the Thunder and the Americans. All-time, Wichita is 14-21-4 against Allen and 6-14-1 on the road.

TODAY - Tonight is the third of three-straight meetings between the Thunder and the Americans. Each team has claimed a victory past regulation. The Thunder won in overtime this Saturday night at the Allen Event Center while the Americans won in a shootout on Sunday at INTRUST Bank Arena. Wichita sits one point ahead of Tulsa and three points back of Quad City for second place. The Americans have a comfortable lead in the division, 17 points ahead of the Mallards. Chad Costello leads Allen wih 13 points (5g, 8a) against the Thunder. Kyle Follmer has six goals in six games in the season-series. Ian Lowe has nine points (2g, 7a) against Allen. Danick Gauthier leads the Thunder with five goals against Allen.

WHERE WE LEFT OFF - Wichita and Allen have played two-straight games past 60 minutes, including last Sunday's tilt in Wichita. The Thunder led 5-3 late into the third period before Chad Costello and Greger Hanson recorded goals to force overtime. Wichita is 2-3-0-0 on the road against Allen and 2-2-0-1 at INTRUST Bank Arena. After tonight, the Thunder will return home for a five-game home-stand that includes hosting Allen on Sunday, March 1st.

SPECIAL TEAMS - Wichita is 6-of-48 on the power play this season against the Americans, including twice in the previous meeting. The Thunder has killed 46-of-58 chances for Allen this year, operating at 79.3%.

FAMILIAR FACES - Former Thunder forward Greger Hanson and defenseman Kevin Young have had their fair share of success against Wichita this season. In five games, Hanson has seven points (3g, 4a). Young has played in all 10 games against the Thunder this season, collecting six points (1g, 5a).

BERNIN' IT DOWN - Thunder forward Justin Bernhardt scored seven points (5g, 2a) in three games last weekend, helping him to a runner-up for ECHL Player of the Week honors. He recorded his first hat trick in his pro career last Saturday against Allen.

THUNDERBOLTS… Ian Lowe is 13th in shots on net (151)…Jared Walker is tied for sixth in shorthanded goals (2)…Todd Hosmer is tied for 22nd in rookie scoring (26) while Ian Duval is tied for 40th (22)…Kenton Miller is in 12th place for shots on net (152)…Tyler Bunz and Tim Boron are tied for sixth in shutouts (2)…Wichita is 14th in shots for per game (31.04) and fourth in shots against per game (27.48)…Wichita is 8-2-0-1 when leading after one...Wichita is 12-9-0-0 when tied after one…Wichita is 6-3-1-1 when tied after two periods…Wichita is 15-10-1-3 when outshooting the opponent….

ALLEN NOTES - Gary Steffes leads the league in goals (31) and power play goals (12)...Chad Costello leads the league with 54 assists…Allen is second in shots on net (32.94) and 13th for shots allowed per game (30.02)...Allen leads the league in goals for per game (4.17)...

AROUND THE ECHL - There are five other games tonight in the ECHL. South Carolina heads to Orlando. Gwinnett takes on Kalamazoo. Toledo goes to Fort Wayne. Evansville plays at Cincy. Missouri takes on Rapid City.

UP NEXT - Wichita returns home for five-straight starting Friday against Rapid City 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-