Late Charge Falls Short in 3-2 Loss to Allen

Wichita, KS (Nov. 15th) - Wichita's (3-5-1-1) late rally fell just short as the Allen Americans (5-3-0-0) held on for a 3-2 win on Saturday night at INTRUST Bank Arena. Jared Walker and Danick Gauthier scored just over a minute apart late in the third period to pull the Thunder within one goal, but time ran out and Wichita dropped to 0-2-0-0 against the Americans this season.

Gary Steffes got the Americans started, scoring his fifth of the season on a power play at 4:05 of the first period. The Americans added to their lead at 17:09 just after a penalty to RG Flath had expired. Chad Costello netted his second of the year to give Allen a 2-0 lead.

In the second, both teams had plenty of chances on the man advantage, but couldn't convert. The Americans added to their lead with 30 seconds remaining in the frame. Greger Hanson found a rebound at the side of the Thunder net and put it past Tyler Bunz before he was able to get back to the right post. Allen took a 3-0 lead to the second intermission.

Wichita broke through late in the third period with goals 1:15 apart. Jared Walker crashed the net at 18:07 and fired home a rebound off a shot from Danick Gauthier to get the Thunder on the board. With less than a minute to go, Brett Lyon was called for a hooking penalty and that gave Wichita another chance. The Thunder pulled their netminder and had a six-on-four opportunity. At 19:22, Wichita got within one when Gauthier scored with a shot from the slot. The Americans were able to hold the fort and walked out with a 3-2 win.

Wichita outshot Allen 14-2 in the third period. Danick Gauthier finished with a goal and an assist, his third multi-point game of the season. Walker recorded his fifth of the year and needs five more to equal the amount of goals he scored last season. Bunz suffered the loss, stopping 14 of 17 shots. Gill claimed the victory, stopping 30 of 32 shots he faced.

Wichita went 1-for-6 on the power play. Allen was 1-for-7 on the man advantage.

Wichita finishes a busy week tomorrow afternoon against the Missouri Mavericks at 5:05 p.m. Season ticket holders are asked to use the ticket that was dated for December 20th for this game as that date was rescheduled before the season to tomorrow.

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-