Thunder Ends Weekend with SO Loss at Allen

Allen, TX (Feb. 28th) - Wichita (11-33-6-6) and Allen (32-19-3-2) met for the third day in a row this afternoon and the Americans pulled out a 4-3 shootout victory at the Allen Event Center. Each team traded goals in the second and Christian Isackson's power play tally forced overtime with under two minutes left in regulation. The Thunder drop to 0-8-2-1 against the Americans this season.

After a scoreless first, each team potted two goals in the second. Andy Huff gave the Thunder a 1-0 lead at 5:25 when he poked home a rebound in the crease. The Americans tied it five minutes later as Justin Courtnall's wrist shot from the right boards hit the shaft of the stick of Brandon Martell and got past Sean Bonar. Donnie Harris re-gained the lead for Wichita with a wrist shot off the rush at 16:13. Allen answered with a power play goal from Vincent Arseneau at 18:34.

In the third, the Americans took their first lead of the game at the 12:42 mark. The Thunder had a parade to the penalty box, taking five-straight minors and one two-man advantage that they were forced to kill. The last one cost them as Greger Hanson re-directed a centering pass through Bonar to make it 3-2. Wichita tied the game with a power play tally from Isackson at 18:17 as he pounced on a loose puck during a net-mouth scramble for his ninth of the season.

Gary Steffes was assessed a penalty at the end of regulation, which carried over into overtime. Wichita had seven shots in the extra period, but couldn't get one past Joel Rumpel. The Thunder's best chance came from Dean Chelios on a breakaway, but Rumpel knocked it away with his blocker. For the first time this season, the two teams headed into a shootout.

Hanson and Tristian King scored for the Americans while Huff and Kale Kerbashian were stopped by Rumpel that sealed the victory for Allen.

Huff scored his first goal since January 15th. Harris scored his first since December 5th. Bonar played another solid game in the losing effort, stopping 37 of 40 shots. Rumpel claimed his third-straight win over the Thunder this weekend, stopping 29 of 32 shots he faced.

Wichita went 1-for-4 on the power play. Allen was 2-for-10 on the man advantage.

Wichita remains on the road next Friday night with a trip to Independence, MO to take on the Missouri Mavericks at 7:05 p.m.

Individual tickets are on sale now. Don't delay! Tickets can be purchased at the INTRUST Arena Box office, by calling 755-SEAT or go online at www.selectaseat.com.

Stay up-to-date on all the news during the season by visiting www.wichitathunder.com.

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-