Thunder Weekly – December 22nd

LAST WEEK'S GAMES -

Wednesday, December 17th Wichita at Tulsa, 2-1 W- Tim Boron was masterful in Wichita's first win of the season at the BOK Center, stopping 29 of 30 shots he faced. Kirill Tulupov found the back of the net for the third time this season. Mike Wilson recorded the game-winner, moving his total to three for the year. Friday, December 19th Wichita at Allen, 2-1 W (OT)- Ian Lowe netted his eighth goal in the first period, but Allen answered with a tally of their own in the second. After a scoreless third period, the contest went into overtime. Less than a minute into the extra period, Kenton Miller scored 51 seconds in to end it. Boron was solid again, stopping 26 of 27 and Wichita was able to keep Allen silent on each of the five Americans power plays. Sunday, December 21st Rapid City at Wichita, 5-4 L (SO)- After trailing 3-1 heading into the final period, Wichita scored three unanswered and led late in the contest. With 15 second left in regulation, Rapid City found the back of the net to send the match into an extra period. The bout eventually went into an 11-round shootout, where Rapid City connected twice and Wichita was only able to score once. Ian Duval scored his first goal of his professional career and Ian Lowe was able to collect two assists on the night. THIS WEEK'S GAMES - Saturday, December 27th Allen at Wichita, 7:05 p.m., online stream only at ustream.com. Search Wichita Thunder **Pre-game begins 20 minutes prior to start of all games. All games can be heard on www.wichitathunder.com or on your smart phone with the UStream App using the keyword Wichita Thunder** COLLECTING - Wichita has points in its last four games, gaining seven of eight to move into a second-place tie with the Tulsa Oilers and Quad City Mallards. Quad City plays Missouri tonight, which will affect the standings if the Mallards come out with the victory.

PENALTY KILLERS - Wichita's penalty kill has been stingy over the last five games. The Thunder has successfully killed 22-straight power plays, moving the season total to 87.3%, which is good for fourth in the ECHL. Wichita hasn't given up a power play goal at home in eight-straight games dating back to November 15th, ranking #1 overall in the ECHL at 94.1%. MILLER TIME - Kenton Miller has been on fire over the last eight games. The Redvers, SK native has points in each of the last four contests (2G, 4A), including the game-winning goal in overtime against Allen on Friday night. Miller is on pace for one of the best seasons of his career, racking up 23 points (9g, 14a) through the first 27 games. He also has points in six of his last eight games (2g, 6a). SECONDS - Wichita's second period success has been well documented throughout the year. Wichita scored a second-period goal in two of their last three games and has a 28-20 scoring edge in the middle frame. The Thunder have the most shots in the second period in the league, outshooting the second place team by 32 shots (338). ROOKIE PARTY - Rookie Ian Duval racked up three points (1g, 2a) in two games last week, including his first goal as a professional. He has points in five of his last six games (1g, 5a). In 13 contests this season, Duval has collected 10 points (1g, 9a) and is a +3.

PAST REGULATION - The Thunder earned their first win past regulation on Friday. Kenton Miller scored 51 seconds into overtime to propel Wichita past Allen. The previous four games that went into overtime or a shootout for the Thunder were against the Tulsa Oilers. Wichita is 1-1 in games decided in overtime and 0-4 in shootout situations after losing last night to Rapid City. It was the first shootout of the season against a team other than Tulsa. SHOOTOUTS - Sunday marked the second time in team history that a shootout has gone to the 11th round. Wichita has reached the 12th round three times and the 10th round twice. The team-record for longest shootout is 15 rounds on November 24th, 2010 against Mississippi.

THUNDERBOLTS… Danick Gauthier is tied for 16th in goals (12), tied for third in power play goals (5) and tied for fourth in power play assists (8)...Kenton Miller is tied for 10th place in power play goals (4)…Tyler Bunz is 10th in the league in goals against average (2.39) while Tim Boron is tied for 19th (2.67)…Tyler Bunz and Tim Boron are tied for second in shutouts (2)...Wichita is fifth in shots for per game (32.15) and third in shots against per game (26.59)…Wichita is 4-1-0-1 when leading after one...Wichita is 6-2-0-0 when tied after one…Wichita is 5-3-1-1 when tied after two periods…Wichita is 9-7-0-2 when outshooting the opponent…Wichita is 6-2-0-0 in two-goal games... 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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