Mallards Outlast Thunder, 3-1

Wichita, KS (Dec. 12th) - Wichita (9-10-1-3) returned to home ice on Friday night for the first time since November 30th, but was unable to find enough offense in a 3-1 loss at the hands of Quad City (9-8-3-2) at INTRUST Bank Arena. Theo Peckham returned to the line-up after a one-game hiatus to provide the only Thunder tally on the night. Wichita and Quad City are even in the season-series 1-1-0-0.

Wichita's struggles in the first period continued at the start of the game and the Mallards got on the board first just four minutes in. Mario Lamoureux found some space at the right hashmark between the circles and unloaded a wrist shot past the blocker of Tyler Bunz to make it 1-0. Quad City used that momentum and kept the pressure on the Thunder. Wichita entered the intermission trailing in the shot department 11-5 after the first 20 minutes of play.

In the second, the Thunder enjoyed the first three power plays of frame and capitalized on their third chance. Peckham made a play at the Mallards line to keep the puck alive, gave it to the right circle for Ian Lowe who fed him back to the slot and he scored to even things at one. Quad City re-took the lead with two minutes left as Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel beat Bunz with a wrist shot from the right circle for his fourth of the season.

At the start of the third, a collision between Todd Fiddler and Peckham in the left corner near the zamboni entrance caused the glass to shatter that delayed the game for several minutes. Peckham had to be taken into the dressing room for medical attention while the arena staff took care of the fans that were sitting near the boards.

When play resumed, the Thunder killed off the rest of a penalty that was assessed to Nikita Kashirsky at the end of the second. Wichita outshot the Mallards 14-5 in the third, but Parker Milner was solid in net and didn't allow another to get through him. At 16:34, the Mallards increased their lead to two when a steal at the Thunder line ended up on the stick of Joe Perry and he scored his 12th of the season to make it 3-1. Wichita pulled Bunz late in the third, but couldn't cut into the deficit.

Lowe recorded an assist to give him three points (2g, 1a) in the last two games and 20 for the season. Peckham notched his second of the year on the power play. Bunz suffered the loss, stopping 23 of 26 shtos on net. Milner earned the win, stopping 31 of 32 shots he faced.

Wichita went 1-for-4 on the power play. Quad City was 0-for-5 with the man advantage.

Wichita finishes the two-game homestand tomorrow against the Rapid City Rush at 7:05 p.m. Saturday is the annual Teddy Bear Toss and Toys for Tots, presented by Bank of the West and Hajoca. Fans who bring a new or gently used stuffed animal or toy to the game will recieve a free upper level ticket voucher that is good for the game on Sunday, January 11th.

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-