Thunder Claims Shootout Victory in Missouri

Independence, MO (March 4th) - Playing their last game at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in the Independence Cup Series, Wichita (12-33-6-6) skated past Missouri (44-7-3-2) in a shootout by the final score of 3-2 on Friday night. Kale Kerbashian and Logan Nelson finished with two points each and Sean Bonar claimed his first win in a Thunder uniform.

Wichita controlled most of the first period, outshooting the Mavericks, 19-9. Parker Milner was solid in net while Darian Dziurzynski put the home team on top with a shot from right face-off dot to make it 1-0 late in the frame.

The Thunder carried the play in the second, outshooting the Mavericks, 12-5. Sean Bonar saw just 14 shots through 40 minutes, but was solid when needed. He made several tough saves, including one just over a minute into the frame. Both teams had one power play in the second, but were unsuccessful.

In the third, Wichita scored two goals in 15 seconds to grab a 2-1 lead. Nelson found Kerbashian across the goalmouth at 3:27 to tie the game at one. Milner left the contest immediately after the goal and Steven Summerhays came on in relief. Kerbashian returned the favor at 3:42, feeding Nelson at the bottom of the right circle. At 8:26 David de Kastrozza tied the contest with his eighth of the year. Despite outshooting the Mavericks by a 12-6 margin in the final 20 minutes, the game headed into overtime.

Missouri had seven shots in the extra period, but Bonar stood tall. Neither team could find the net and a shootout was needed.

The only shootout goal was scored by newcomer Miles Koules, who beat Summerhays with a backhander under the blocker at the top of round three. Bonar stopped Sebastien Sylvestre at the bottom of the round for the shootout win.

Wichita has appeared in back-to-back shootouts and improves to 4-6 in shootout situations. The Thunder claims their first win on the road in the season-series against Missouri. It was also just the second time in the season-series that the two teams headed past regulation. Bonar stopped 25 of 27 in the winning effort. Summerhays takes the loss, stopping 13 of 14 shots he faced.

Wichita was 0-for-2 on the man advantage. Missouri went 0-for-5 on the power play.

Wichita travels to the i-Wireless Center tomorrow night to face the Mallards 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-