Pinkston Knocks Off Thunder with OT Winner

Wichita, KS (Jan. 22nd) - Overtime has been a regular occurrence for the Thunder (9-23-4-4) over the last month. That trend continued on Friday night as Allen (22-14-2-1) claimed a 4-3 overtime victory at INTRUST Bank Arena. Rick Pinkston recorded the game-winner and dropped Wichita to 0-3-2-0 in the season-series against the Americans.

Michael Neal and Christian Isackson each had two points in the losing effort.

After a scoreless first period, Wichita found the net twice with Isackson and Kenton Miller beating Joel Rumpel. The Americans answered with the next two as Greger Hanson recorded a power play goal while Chris Crane scored a shorthanded tally to tie it at two. Neal gave Wichita a 3-2 lead just two minutes later during a delayed penalty.

In the third, Crane recorded his second of the night that tied things up at three at 1:21. For the third straight game, Wichita and Allen would both need overtime to decide the final score.

Rick Pinkston became the hero for the Americans, beating Rollheiser with a wrist shot from just in front of the goal line at 1:42 of OT.

Wichita has lost three overtime games in a row. The Thunder have played past regulation in nine of the last 16 games. Neal and Isackson each had a goal and an assist. Miller extends his point-streak to six games (2g, 4a). Rollheiser suffers the loss, stopping 37 of 41 shots. Rumpel takes the win, stopping 32 of 35 shots he faced.

Wichita was 0-for-3 on the power play. Allen went 1-for-5 on the man advantage.

The Thunder remains home tomorrow night to host Allen at 7:05 p.m. Saturday night is Thunderdog's birthday bash, presented by Sonic America's Drive-In. All of Thunderdog's mascot friends will be in attendance along with a special appearance from Captain America.

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.

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-