Thunder Returns Home from Long Road Swing; Add Hood off Waivers

Wichita, KS (March 20th) - The Wichita Thunder, proud member of the ECHL and powered by Toyota, returns home for the first time since March 4th for a weekend set against divisional rivals. Earlier this week, the team claimed forward Dylan Hood off of waivers.

Hood, 24, is in his third professional season. A native of Osoyoos, BC, the 5-foot-9, 186-pound forward has spent time with two different teams this year, recording three goals in 19 games with the Ontario Reign and two assists in 11 games with the Missouri Mavericks. Hood had his best professional campaign during his rookie year in 2012-13, tallying 25 points (12g, 13a) in 48 games with the Colorado Eagles.

Prior to turning pro, Hood played one season at the University of Calgary (CIS) where he scored 16 points (6g, 10a) in 27 games. Hood split his junior career between the Kelowna Rockets and Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL, racking up 186 points (83g, 103a) in five seasons. After leading the Warriors in scoring in 2010-11 with 83 points (33g, 50a), he was invited to camp with the Boston Bruins and recorded two points during the Bruins' rookie game.

Wichita begins the weekend with another meeting against the Allen Americans. This will be the third time this week the teams have faced each other, with the Thunder winning the two previous meetings earlier this week in Allen. After tonight, the Thunder will host the Americans two more times down the stretch including the final regular season game on April 11th. Allen is looking to re-group after dropping their last four games and five of their last seven. The Americans are one of just five teams with 20 or more wins on the road this season. Wichita is playing just their third home game in March. Chad Costello leads the way with 20 points in 14 games vs. Wichita. Danick Gauthier has 19 points in 13 games against Allen.

Wichita plays tomorrow night against the Tulsa Oilers starting at 7:05 p.m. Tomorrow is Fight Cancer Night, presented by RACE Charities. The team will be donning special uniforms with the proceeds benefiting this great cause. March is Colon Cancer Awareness month, which is the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in the US, with over 50,000 Americans dying from it every year.

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.

-Thunder-