Thunder Upend Americans in OT, 2-1

Allen, TX (Dec. 19th) - Kenton Miller scored 51 seconds into overtime, propelling Wichita (12-10-1-3) to a 2-1 victory over Allen (16-4-1-1) on Friday night at the Allen Event Center. Miller finished with a goal and an assist while Tim Boron claimed his third-straight win and eighth of the season. Wichita pulls even with the Americans in the season-series, now 2-2-0-0 and will see each other next Saturday night after the Christmas break. The win also pushes the Thunder into third place, one point ahead of idle-Quad City with 28 points.

It didn't take Wichita long to get things going in the first period. Ian Duval stole a loose puck inside the Allen blueline and fed a pass across to Ian Lowe, who scored just 46 seconds in. The Americans enjoyed the first two power plays of the game, but were unsuccessful through the midway point of the opening frame.

Both teams had some tremendous chances in the second. Danick Gauthier caught a pass across the slot from Nikita Kashirsky, but his shot was stopped by the blocker of Aaron Dell. Tim Boron made two terrific saves against Rylan Schwartz and Ian Schultz a few minutes later. At 12:24, Allen tied the game as Chad Costello found a rebound during a battle in front of the net and banged it home.

In the third, Wichita got through a 1:50 seconds to start the period as Theo Peckham was called for holding late in the second. At 7:55, Jessey Astles caught Jared Walker with a cross check just inside the Thunder line. He dropped his gloves and was assessed a five minute fighting major to go along with a two minute cross check and 10-minute game misconduct. The power play unit struggled to get into the zone, but got some help when Kevin Young was sent off for a slash. Wichita was unable to convert on the two-man advantage and couldn't find the back of the net during the final 30 seconds of the major penalty. The final seven minutes concluded without either team deciding it.

Allen was called for icing early in the extra session and the Thunder capitalized. The face-off was won back to Eric Meland, who found Miller in front of Dell's crease. He waited out the goalie and scored with a backhand to end the game.

Wichita wins its first game past regulation this season and hands the Americans their first loss decided in overtime. Miller extended his point-streak to three games (1g, 3a). Lowe recorded his eighth of the season. Meland recorded an assist, extending his point-streak to three (1g, 4a). Boron earns his third-consecutive win, stopping 26 of 27 shots and was named the third star of the night. Dell suffered the loss, stopping 25 of 27 shots he faced.

Wichita went 0-for-5 on the power play. Allen was 0-for-5 with the man advantage.

The Thunder returns home on Sunday afternoon to take on the Rapid City Rush at 5:05 p.m. Bring your skates and join the team for a post-game skate. Sunday is also a Family Four pack game. Get four hot dogs, four drinks and four tickets for just $49!

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-