Thunder Suffer 3-2 Shootout Loss at Tulsa

Tulsa, OK (Nov. 2nd) - Wichita (2-1-1-1) jumped out to a two-goal lead, but fell on Sunday afternoon at the BOK Center to the Tulsa Oilers (3-1-1-0) by the final score of 3-2 in a shootout. Jared Walker and Nikita Kashirsky recorded goals less than a minute apart in the first period to pace the Thunder offense. Wichita drops to 1-0-1-1 in the StoneWolf Casino Cup Series with the next meeting taking place on November 18th.

Wichita pounced on the Oilers with two quick goals in the opening frame. Jared Walker recorded his fourth goal of the season with a wrist shot coming up the right wing that made it 1-0. Nikita Kashirsky scored his first of the season 41 seconds later that made it 2-0 at 8:33. The night was over for Mike Zacharias as he was taken out for the second time in the last eight days against Wichita and Kevin Carr came on in relief.

Both teams traded power plays in the second, but were stifled by the penalty killing units as well as infractions that were taken to negate a full man advantage. Tulsa got on the board at 7:02 when Tommy Mele followed up his brother, Steve Mele, lifting a rebound over Tyler Bunz for his first goal of the season.

Tulsa pulled even at 6:44 when Jake Obermeyer's shot from the point found its way through and beat Bunz to make it 2-2. Later in the period, the Oilers appeared to score to take their first lead of the game when Jon Booras took a wrist shot from the top of the right circle. The goal was quickly waved off by the official and then a whistle was blown. After a conference at the scorer's table, the referee headed over to the goal judge and it was determined that the goal would not count. Booras would later take a 10-minute unsportsmanlike conduct after he had a word with the official and his night was over with. The two teams were forced into overtime for the second time this season.

Wichita outshot the Oilers 3-0 in the extra period, but couldn't solve Carr. T.J. Caig was assessed a two minute rough with a minute remaining, giving the Thunder a power play chance. Carr stood tall and robbed Danick Gauthier on the doorstep as time expired to send the game into a shootout.

The only Thunder goal in the seven-round shootout was scored by Stephen Schultz at the bottom of round two. He beat Carr from the right hashmark that gave the Thunder a 1-0 lead. At the top of round four, Jeff Jubinville popped one through Bunz and evened it at one. The next four shooters were denied, bringing it to the top of round 7 where Scott Macaulay was able to score. Walker was unsuccessful in his attempt to extend the shootout and the Oilers finished with a 3-2 victory.

Wichita and Tulsa appeared in their first shootout situations of the season. It was the second-straight meeting at the BOK Center that couldn't be decided in regulation. Walker recorded his fourth goal of the year and extended his point-streak to five games. Bourret added an assist and has points in his last three. Bunz suffered the shootout loss in his first start of the season, stopping 21 of 23 shots. Carr earned the win, stopping all 22 shots he faced after coming on in relief.

Wichita went 0-for-6 on the power play. Tulsa was 0-for-4 on the man advantage.

Wichita returns home next weekend for a pair of games. The Rapid City Rush come to town on Friday, November 7th at 7:05 p.m. After an off-day on Saturday, the Thunder will host the Missouri Mavericks 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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