Third Period Pushes Allen Past Thunder

Allen, TX (Nov. 22) - Allen scored three goals in the final four minutes to open up a close game and won over Wichita, 7-3, on Friday night at the Allen Event Center.

Jason Salvaggio, Cameron Hebig and Stefan Fournier scored in the losing effort for the Thunder.

Wichita got off to a quick start as Salvaggio found the net at 5:15 of the opening frame to make it 1-0. He had his initial shot blocked, but stayed with it and fired a wrist shot past Jake Paterson. At 8:10, Hebig took a pass up the middle from Jack Combs and buried it with a nifty stick-handling move to make it 2-0. Jordan Topping cut the lead to one with his 5th of the season at 14:26.

The two teams combined for four goals in the second. Allen was awarded an early power play and Stephen Falkovsky made the Thunder pay with a shot from the deep slot at 1:55 to tie it at two. At 3:34, former Thunder forward Gabriel Gagne gave the Americans a 3-2 lead with a shot from the left circle off the rush. Josh Brittain gave Allen a 4-2 advantage at 10:09 as he roofed one from in-close past Mitch Gillam. Wichita took advantage of its second power play of the night as Fournier put the Thunder within one. He buried a one-timer as Combs found him on the back door to cut the lead to 4-3.

In the third, Wichita appeared to tie the game when Patrik Parkkonen blasted a shot from the left wing that got past Paterson. The referee blew the play dead, ruling that Fournier made incidental contact after he was tripped by an American defender. Olivier Archambault scored at 16:05 to increase the lead to 5-3. At 17:18, Brett Pollock slid one through Gillam to make it 6-3. Alex Guptil closed the scoring at 18:34 with his 5th of the year to make it 7-3.

Combs led the way for the Thunder with two assists. Parkkonen collected an assist. Gillam suffered the loss, stopping 51 of 58 shots he faced.

The two teams stay in Texas and play again tomorrow night at the Allen Event Center starting at 7:05 p.m.

Sunday is the annual Police vs. Fire charity hockey game, presented by Twister City Harley Davidson. The game starts at 2 p.m. with the doors opening at 1:45 p.m. Pick your side and help a great cause as 50% of the proceeds from tickets bought with the codes FIRE or POLICE will be donated to the Wichita Children's Home. To purchase tickets, click here.

The Thunder are excited to be the host of the 2020 Warrior Hockey/ECHL All-Star Classic, presented by Toyota, on Wednesday January 22, 2020. Get your tickets now for the league's annual showcase that features some of the best young talent across the ECHL by clicking here.

Season tickets for the 2019-20 season are on sale now. Get your seats for just $34 per month. All it takes is a $1 deposit per seat to reserve yours today. To learn more, click here or contact a Thunder representative at the office today!

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