Independence, MO (Jan. 30th) - Head Coach Kevin McClelland reached a milestone on Saturday night, coaching in his 700th game. His night was spoiled by Missouri's (34-5-1-1) 5-2 victory over Wichita (10-27-4-4) at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. The Mavericks hopped out to a 3-0 lead before a pair of Ian Lowe markers made it a one-goal game early in the third. Wichita drops to 0-11-0-1 in the Independence Cup Series.
For the second night in a row, the Mavericks jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Tanner Fritz made it 1-0 at 8:56 with a shot from the top of the left circle. Rocco Carzo made it 2-0 roughly four minutes later during a net-mouth scramble.
Carzo added another at 7:44 of the second as he found a loose puck in the crease after Jesse Root fired one towards Rollheiser. Wichita got on the board with six minutes left in the frame when Ian Lowe stole a puck at the top of the right circle, came in from the hashmarks all alone. As he took a shot on net, he was blasted into the cage by CJ Ludwig. The goal judge deemed the puck had gone into the net before the two players did and the goal stood, cutting the lead to 3-1.
Lowe added his second of the game just 36 seconds into the third with a shorthanded breakaway marker for this ninth of the season. His goal cut the lead to 3-2, but that was short-lived. Tyler Barnes and Jesse Root scored five minutes apart to re-gain the Mavericks'three-goal cushion and claimed a 5-2 win.
It was Lowe's first multi-goal game of the season and both were unassisted. Lowe's shorthanded goal was his second of the year, which puts him a second-place tie in the league. Rollheiser suffers the loss, stopping 24 of 29 shots. Robinson wins his 18th game in a row, stopping 22 of 24 shots he faced.
Wichita is 0-for-2 on the power play. Missouri is 0-for-4 on the man advantage.
The Thunder returns home on Friday night to begin February against the Colorado Eagles at 7:05 p.m.
Friday is Go Red For Women's Heart Health Night, presented by Kwik Shop, Webster University and the American Heart Association. Get free upper level ticket vouchers at all local Kwik Shop locations while supplies last.
Individual tickets for all games 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.
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About the ECHLThe 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-