Thunder Fight Back for 3-2 Win Over Rush

Rapid City, SD (Nov. 12th) - Stephen Schultz scored the game-winner halfway through the third period and Wichita (3-4-1-1) held off Rapid City (5-5-0-1) on Wednesday night by the final score of 3-2 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. Nikita Kashirsky finished with two goals and Ian Lowe added a pair of helpers on the night. Wichita snaps a four-game winless streak and earns its first road win of the year. Wichita is 1-2-0-0 against Rapid City and will not see the Rush until December.

Wichita got off to a good start, scoring first for the first time in the last three games. At 1:42, Kashirsky made a nice move at the bottom of the right circle and roofed a wrist shot over Danny Battochio for a 1-0 lead. Rapid City answered late when Kyle Stroh came down on his off-wing and beat Tyler Bunz over the glove to tie it with less than a minute remaining in the first.

Halfway through the second period, Rapid City capitalized on a power play opportunity after Dalton Reum was called for hooking. Landon Oslanski put one home from the blueline and gave the Rush their first lead of the game. At 13:39, Kashirsky added his second of the contest after receiving a terrific pass from Lowe and beat Battochio between the legs to tie the game at two.

Bunz stood tall in the third period, denying several scoring chances in the first 10 minutes of the frame. Schultz scored the game-winner at 9:49 when his centering pass from behind the goal line deflected off of Battochio in the net for the go-ahead goal. Rapid City was awarded a late power play after Jared Walker was called for roughing with seven minutes left in regulation. The Thunder penalty kill came up strong, not allowing much on net. The Rush made one last effort at tying the game when Battochio was called over to the bench for the extra attacker. Wichita intercepted several passes through the middle and almost added another into the empty net. The final horn rang and the Thunder knocked off Rapid City by the final score of 3-2.

Schultz tallied his third of the year and has eight points on the season. Lowe also has eight points on the year as well and tallied his second multi-point outing with two assists. Kashirsky recorded his first multi-goal game of the season. Bunz claims his first win of the year, stopping 21 of 23 shots. Battochio suffers his third loss of the season, stopping 28 of 31 shots he faced.

Wichita went 0-for-1 on the power play. Rapid City was 1-for-3 on the man advantage.

Wichita returns home for the next two games, starting on Saturday night against the Allen Americans at 7:05 p.m. The Thunder host Missouri on Sunday afternoon at 5:05 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 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.

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