Game Day Capsule: Wichita at Brampton, December 5th

WICHITAHOME: 6-4-0-1AWAY: 2-2-1-2OVERALL: 8-6-1-3

LEADING SCORERSGauthier, 18 pts (8g, 10a)Lowe, 16 pts (5g, 11a)Miller 14 pts (7g, 7a)

BRAMPTONHOME: 3-4-0-0AWAY: 3-3-1-0OVERALL: 6-7-1-0

LEADING SCORERSPainchaud, 13 pts (3g, 10a)Pitton, 9 pts (5g, 4a)Donati, 9 pts (4g, 5a)

HEAD TO HEAD - This is the first of seven meetings between the Thunder and the Beast. All-time, Wichita is 3-3-0 against Brampton and 2-1-0 at the Powerade Centre.

TODAY - Wichita travels to the Great White North for the first time this season and just the fourth time ever. Last year, the Thunder went 2-1-0 against Brampton at the Powerade Centre. Wichita is coming off of a 3-2 shootout loss that stopped a three-game winning streak while the Beast are currently riding a three-game streak themselves. Danick Gauthier leads the Thunder with 18 points followed by Ian Lowe, who has 16. Former Thunder forward Chad Painchaud leads the Beast with 13 points, followed by Brampton native Jason Pitton, who has nine.

BACK TO BRAMPTON - Dan Milan returns to Brampton for the first time since playing in a Beast uniform last season. He appeared in 50 games, accumulating 108 penalty minutes to go along with 10 points (2g, 8a). The Tampa Bay Lightning product lives only 190 miles away, hailing from Detroit, Michigan.

CLOSE CALL - Wichita faced the Beast six times last season. Four of the six match-ups were determined by one goal, including a 4-3 Wichita shootout victory. Wichita is 2-2 against Brampton in one-goal games.

MAPLE LEAFS - Erick Lizon and Todd Hosmer return to their old stomping grounds this weekend. Lizon spent the summer just outside Toronto and is originally from Kitchener. The veteran forward has three goals in the last four games and needs only three more to tie his season-high of seven during the 2008-09 season in Laredo. Hosmer is from Scarborough, Ontario, which is just outside Toronto. He has seven points in 18 games this season.

NEW FACES - Ian Duval has three assists in four games since signing with the Thunder. Kyle Gibbons makes his debut tonight after coming over from the Indy Fuel.

OLD FRIENDS - Chad Painchaud played for the Thunder in 2012-13, helping the team reach their second-straight CHL Finals appearance. He finished with 56 points (20g, 36a) in 46 games during the regular season and 13 points (4g, 9a) in the playoffs. He currently leads the Beast in scoring with 13 points in 14 games. Grant Rollheiser was also a member of the 2012-13 squad in Wichita, playing in seven games while also being called up to the Abbotsford Heat of the American Hockey League (AHL). The former draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs (2008, round 6, #158 overall) is in his second season with Brampton. He is 2-4-0-0 in eight appearances with a goals against average of 3.51 and save percentage of .917.

THUNDERBOLTS… Kenton Miller and Danick Gauthier are tied for fifth place in power play goals (4)...Since November 16th, the Thunder penalty kill has given up just one power play goal, killing off 27 of 28 chances for the opponent…Wichita is first in the league in shots against per game (25.22)...Wichita is 2-1-0-1 when leading after one...Wichita is 4-2-0-0 when tied after one…Wichita is 3-3-1-0 when tied after two periods…Wichita is 6-4-0-2 when outshooting the opponent…Wichita is 5-1-0-0 in two-goal games...

BEAST NOTES - Trevor Cann was named the ECHL Goaltender of the Week after going 2-0-0-0 last week...Calin Wild returns to the Beast for a second season and is no stranger to Wichita, having played against them as a member of the Beast and Texas/Fort Worth Brahmas...Brampton has scored 16 second period goals, but have given up 22 against...The Beast have allowed the fewest third period shots on net (167) and just 14 goals against in the final period...

AROUND THE ECHL - There are 11 other games around the league. South Carolina heads to Elmira. Orlando faces Greenville. Fort Wayne travels to the U.S. Bank Arena to face Cincinnati. Florida goes to Indy. Utah plays at Wheeling. Kalamazoo heads to the Ford Center to take on Evansville. Allen takes on Tulsa. Quad City plays Rapid City. Bakersfield squares off with Idaho. Colorado travels to Ontario. Alaska heads south to play against Stockton.

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-