Thunder Weekly - February 2nd

Wichita, KS (February 2nd) - Wichita played three games last week and finally returned home after finishing off a five-game road swing at Quad City on January 28th. Read about the week that was below in this edition of Thunder Weekly.

LAST WEEK'S GAMES -

Wednesday, January 28th Wichita at Quad City, 4-2 W- Wichita started the scoring after Danick Gauthier got one past Evan Mosher. The trend continued as Nikita Kashirsky, Todd Hosmer, and Kirill Tulupov each found the back of the net. Quad City's Joe Perry scored twice in the third, but it wasn't enough. Tim Boron stopped 38 of 40 shots en route to his 14th win of the season.

Friday, January 30thQuad City at Wichita, 3-1 L - Kenton Miller lit the lamp in the second period, but Parker Milner kept the Thunder offense at bay. The Mallards tied the game and got the game winner from Antti Pusa in the second period.

Saturday, January 31st Wichita at Missouri, 4-0 L - Wichita held the Mavericks scoreless through the first frame, but gave up three in the second and one more in the third. Mavs netminder Mike Clemente stopped all 34 shots he faced while Maxime Lagace was forced into action after he and Tyler Bunz were sent to the showers after a goalie fight.

THIS WEEK'S GAMES - Friday, February 6th Wichita at Quad City, 7:05 p.m., online stream only at ustream.com. Search Wichita Thunder. Watch the game at Pucks Sports Bar, located at the Wichita Ice Center. Saturday, February 7th Wichita at Quad City, 7:05 p.m., online stream only at ustream.com. Search Wichita Thunder. Watch the game at Pucks Sports Bar, located at the Wichita Ice Center. **Pre-game begins 15 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**

TEAM CAPSULEOverall: 20-17-2-4Home: 11-7-0-2Road: 9-10-2-2Last 10: 4-6-0-0Streak: 0-2-0-0Rank: T-2nd in Central Division, 46 points

TEAM LEADERSGoals: Gauthier, 17Assists: Lowe, 25Points: Lowe, 40+/-: Miller, +7 PIM: Lizon, 137

MONTHLY LEADERS - Three players finished the month of January with 10 or more points to lead the way for the Thunder. Ian Lowe and Jared Walker each had 11 points (4g, 7a). Lowe finished the month with three on the man advantage and one shorthanded goal. Walker had one shorty and two game-winners during the month. Todd Hosmer was not too far behind, collecting 10 points (7g, 3a) and scored in six-straight games in January. Hosmer scored seven of his 15 goals on the season during the month.

BACKSTOP - Tim Boron made a season-high 38 saves in a winning effort on Wednesday night at Quad City. He claimed his 14th win of the season, placing him in a tie for 10th place.

WELCOME BACK - Since returning to Wichita, Kenton Miller has recorded points in each game. He spent four games in Manchester before heading back to Wichita to take on the Rapid City Rush in the Black Hills. The Redvers, Saskatchewan native has goals in three of the four games while also adding three helpers. He is currently riding a five-game point-streak, adding seven points (3g, 4a) over that span. Miller will serve the second game of his two-game suspension on Friday night in Quad City.

BACK ON THE ROAD - Wichita will finish off a tough stretch that has seen the team away from home over the last two weeks. The Thunder finish off a three-game road swing this weekend at Quad City with a pair of games against the Mallards. Wichita is near the end of a span of eight road games over the last nine contests and will head to Allen on February 14th, which is in the middle of two home games. The Thunder are 9-10-2-2 on the road this season.

MILESTONES - Five players are approaching milestones. Mike Wilson has 185 points in his pro career and just played in his 400th game as a professional. Jared Walker is closing in on 100 points as he currently sits with 70 for his career (27g, 43a). Ian Lowe just reached 100 assists and currently has 168 points in 237 pro games. During his Thunder career, he has 133 points (57g, 76a). Erick Lizon has played in 464 pro games and just went over 1,300 penalty minutes. Ian Duval needs one more point to eclipse 100 in his career. RG Flath recently recorded his 302nd point as a pro, 162 of which have come wearing a Thunder sweater.

BUILDING A RIVALRY - Wichita and Quad City have seen each other seven times this season, four more than a year ago and still have five games left against one another. Wichita is averaging 27.2 penalty minutes a game over the last five meetings vs. the Mallards while Quad City is averaging 25.2 penalty minutes over the last five against the Thunder. Wichita is 2-0-1-0 at the i-Wireless Center while just 2-2-0-0 at home against the Mallards. The Mallards play just one more time at INTRUST Bank Arena while Wichita will play four more in Moline, two of which take place this weekend.

CRUNCH TIME - Danick Gauthier was called up today to the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL), making him the second player earning a call to the Crunch this season. This will be his fourth stint in Syracuse, having played in 58 career games and collecting 17 points (8g, 9a). Dan Milan earned a call-up a few weeks back, but didn't appear in a game for Syracuse.

GO RED - After a two-game road trip this weekend, the Thunder return home for two of the next three. On Friday, February 13th, Wichita will help the American Heart Association honor Go Red Month. Fans are encouraged to wear red throughout the month to help raise awareness of Women's Heart Health. Players will be wearing a special jersey that night, which will be auctioned off after the game with the net proceeds benefitting the American Heart Association. Free upper level ticket vouchers can be found at all area Kwik Shop locations and All Things BBQ, while supplies last. During the 2011-12 season, Go Red Night drew 13,168 fans to INTRUST Bank Arena, the second largest crowd in franchise history.

THUNDERBOLTS… Danick Gauthier is tied for 19th in goals (17), tied for eighth in power play goals (6) and tied for 16th in power play assists (9)…Ian Lowe is tied for third in power play goals (7)…Jared Walker is tied for fourth in shorthanded goals (2)…Todd Hosmer is tied for 19th in rookie scoring (24) while Ian Duval is tied for 33rd (21)…Kenton Miller is in ninth place for shots on net (138)…Tyler Bunz and Tim Boron are tied for fifth in shutouts (2)…Wichita is 13th in shots for per game (30.93) and fourth in shots against per game (27.37)…Wichita is 6-2-0-1 when leading after one...Wichita is 11-8-0-0 when tied after one…Wichita is 6-3-1-1 when tied after two periods…Wichita is 13-10-1-2 when outshooting the opponent… 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-