Independence, MO (Nov. 7th) - On a night where goals were few and far between, Wichita (4-5-0-0) couldn't break through with a late charge on Saturday night and fell at the hands of the Missouri Mavericks (7-2-0-1) by the final of 1-0 at Silverstein Eye Center Arena. The loss drops the Thunder below .500 and down 0-3-0-0 in the Independence Cup Series.
The only goal of the game came at 3:32 of the opening period. After Tyler Barnes raced up ice and was denied on a breakaway, Jesse Root found some room down the slot and dished it off to Matt Finn for the one-timer. It was Finn's first game with the Mavericks after being sent down from Bridgeport earlier in the day.
Wichita started to generate some chances in the second, but couldn't solve Parker Milner. The Thunder unloaded 13 shots, including several quality chances from Danick Gauthier.
Late in the third, Trevor Ludwig was called for a five-minute boarding penalty that gave Wichita a power play with less than a minute to go. David Shantz was lifted for the extra attacker that gave the Thunder a five-on-three situation. Milner was up to the task and the Mavericks held on for the 1-0 victory.
Gauthier finished with a season-high seven shots on net. Wichita outshot the Mavericks 25-20, which is the second time this season the Thunder had more shots than its opponent. Shantz suffers his third loss of the season, stopping 19 of 20 shots. Milner earns his second win of the year, stopping all 25 shots he faced.
The Thunder will close out the weekend on Sunday afternoon against the Mavericks starting at 5:05 p.m.
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.
Season tickets are on sale now. Don't delay! Call the Wichita Thunder office and visit with a season ticket rep today to learn more. Stay up-to-date on all the news during the season by visiting www.wichitathunder.com.
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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-