Gill Stifles Thunder in 3-0 Loss to Allen

Wichita, KS (Nov. 20th) - Wichita (5-9-0-1) threw the kitchen sink at Riley Gill on Friday night, but the Allen netminder stopped all 44 shots he saw and helped the Americans (11-5-0-0) to a 3-0 victory at INTRUST Bank Arena. Allen scored one in each period and kept their archrival off the board despite setting a new team-high in shots this season. The Thunder are 0-2-0-0 in the season-series against Allen and will not see the Americans until after Christmas.

Allen broke through early in the first as Chad Costello received a back door pass from Justin Baker and beat David Shantz as he crossed in front of the goal crease to make it 1-0. Wichita fired a season-high 21 shots in the frame and only gave up seven shots to the Americans.

In the second, the Americans extended their lead as Casey Pierro-Zabotel found a loose puck to the right of Shantz and scored on the power play for the Americans. The Americans outshot the Thunder 15-7 in the second period.

The Thunder pressed on in the final frame, but couldn't solve Riley Gill. Wichita had several odd-man breaks that Gill was able to stop, including some help from the post on a two-on-one chance with Peter Sakaris being denied. The Thunder had a late two-man advantage as Dyson Stevenson and Artyn Nikkel were sent off, but couldn't capitalize. Baker added a power play tally at 8:15 as he skated down from his left point position and slipped home a rebound during a net-front scramble. Gill stopped all 16 shots in the third and claimed the 3-0 shutout victory.

Wichita fired a season-high 44 shots and a new season-high of 21 shots in a single period in the losing effort. Sakaris, who was named the second star, led all Thunder shooters with seven shots on net and ties a season-high for most shots from a single player. Shantz suffers his sixth loss of the year, stopping 31 of 34 shots. Gill claims his second win of the season, stopping all 44 shots he faced.

Wichita went 0-for-4 on the power play. Allen went 2-for-5 on the man advantage.

The Thunder remains home tomorrow night to take on the Missouri Mavericks at 7:05 p.m. Tomorrow night is Teddy Bear Toss Night, presented by Bank of the West, Convergys and Hajoca. Fans are encouraged to bring a new stuffed animal to throw on the ice when the Thunder score their first goal. All stuffed animals will be donated to local charities, hospitals and places for kids to have a present during the holiday season.

Individual tickets are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at the INTRUST Arena Box office, by calling 855-755-SEAT or go online at www.selectaseat.com.

Follow along with us on our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter (@wichita_thunder), Snapchat (wichthunder), Instagram (Wichita_Thunder) and LinkedIn, presented by Wichita Brewing Company.

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-