Thunder Rally Falls Short in OT to Grizzlies

West Valley, UT (Jan. 18th) - For the second game in a row, Wichita (9-23-3-4) and Utah (23-13-2-0) needed overtime to decide the outcome and it was Barry Almeida providing the heroics for the home team in a 3-2 win on Martin Luther King Day at the Maverik Center.

Kale Kerbashian had a pair of goals including the game-tying marker with just under seven minutes left in regulation that forced overtime.

The Thunder got on the board first at 5:07 during a delayed penalty as Kerbashian shoveled home a loose puck in the crease to make it 1-0. Utah outshot the Thunder 13-7 in the first 20 minutes.

Utah grabbed its first lead of the contest midway through the second during a five-on-three. Eric Knodel fired one from the deep slot that beat Grant Rollheiser to tie the game. Eric Higby made it 2-1 less than two minutes later on the man advantage.

Kerbashian's second of the game came at 13:26 as Ian Lowe slipped one through a seam and he re-directed it through Matt Hackett to even things at two. Wichita controlled the final frame, outshooting the Grizzlies 16-5. The final horn rang and the contest headed into overtime.

The extra session was fast and furious with both goalies making some outstanding saves on each end. With 16 seconds left, Josh Macdonald found Almeida cutting to the back post and he beat Rollheiser to claim the 3-2 win.

Kerbashian potted his first two-goal outing since coming to Wichita and has points in his last three (2g, 2a). Lowe registered his third assist in the last three contests. Kenton Miller continues to stay hot, grabbing a helper and has points in his last five (1g, 4a).

Rollheiser suffers back-to-back overtime losses, stopping 33 of 36 shots. Hackett earns his second ECHL win, stopping 32 of 34 shots he faced.

Wichita went 0-for-2 on the power play. Utah was 2-for-5 on the man advantage, which was their sixth two-man advantage during the three-game series this weekend.

The Thunder returns home on Friday night to start a three-in-three with heated rival, Allen, starting at 7:05 p.m.

Friday night is Disaster Relief Night, presented by Waste Connections. Help us raise money, which will benefit the American Red Cross. Bring cash and drop it in the bucket during first intermission.

Saturday night is Thunderdog's birthday bash, presented by Sonic America's Drive-In. All of Thunderdog's mascot friends will be in attendance along with a special appearance from Captain America.

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 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.

-Thunder-