Quick Start Helps Mavericks Get Past Wichita

Independence, MO (Jan. 29th) - A late comeback was not to be for Wichita (10-26-4-4) on Friday night, losing to Missouri (33-5-1-1) by the final score of 2-1 at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. The Mavericks hopped out to 2-0 lead before Wichita got on the board in the second. Wichita falls to 0-10-0-1 in the Independence Cup Series.

Michael Neal had the lone Thunder tally with an assist to Kale Kerbashian.

Missouri got off to a quick start as Jesse Root beat David Shantz at 1:03 to make it 1-0. The Mavericks added to the lead on the power play at 9:52 with a tally from Bryce Aneloski. Wichita started to find its stride during the second half of the frame, outshooting Missouri, 5-1, in the final six minutes.

In the second, Neal cut the lead to one with his fifth goal of the season with four minutes to go. He got to a loose puck at the side of Stephon Williams' net and poked it in to make it 2-1.

Wichita had several chances down the stretch to pull even. The best one came with less than a minute to go as Andy Huff caught a centering feed right on the doorstep from Kerbashian, but was stopped by Williams. Time ran out and the Mavericks hung on for the 2-1 victory.

Kerbashian pulls into a tie for the team-lead in points with 22 and has four assists in his last three games. Neal extended his point-streak to three games (1g, 2a). Shantz takes the loss, stopping 23 of 25 shots. Williams earns his second win of the season, stopping 22 of 23 shots he faced.

Wichita went 0-for-4 on the power play. Missouri was 1-for-6 on the man advantage.

The Thunder remains in Independence tomorrow with another meeting against the Mavericks at 7:05 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.

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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-