Thunder Weekly - January 26th

LAST WEEK'S GAMES -

Friday, January 23rd Wichita at Rapid City, 5-4 L- The two teams exchanged goals through the first period and halfway through the second until Rapid City scored two unanswered. Ian Lowe tied the game at four in the third, but Rapid City countered with a tally from Johan Ryd that would stand up for the game-winner.

Saturday, January 24th Wichita at Rapid City, 4-3 W (SO) - After giving up a first-period goal, Wichita rattled off three-straight and led by two heading into the final period. Rapid City scored two goals in the third, and both teams were silent in overtime. Nikita Kashirsky and RG Flath each put one home in the shootout and Eric Meland netted the game-winner in the 10th round. THIS WEEK'S GAMES - Wednesday, January 28th 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. Friday, January 30th Quad City at Wichita, 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. - Cutest Kid Competition, SpongeBob SquarePants Night Meet and Greet Saturday, January 31st Wichita at Missouri, 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**

**PRACTICE NOTE - The team will depart tomorrow morning after practice, which is from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Wichita Ice Center.**

TEAM CAPSULEOverall: 19-15-2-4Home: 11-6-0-2Road: 8-9-2-2Last 10: 4-5-1-0Streak: 1-0-0-0Rank: 2nd in Central Division, 44 points

TEAM LEADERSGoals: Gauthier, 16Assists: Lowe, 24Points: Lowe, 39+/-: Walker, Miller, Lowe, +4 PIM: Lizon, 115

ALONE IN SECOND - Wichita split this past weekend with Rapid City and sits two points ahead of Quad City and Tulsa in second place. The Thunder snapped a three-game losing skid on Saturday with their second shootout win of the season.

10TH FRAME - Both shootouts that the Thunder and the Rush have played against each other have gone 10 rounds or more. The first meeting was on December 21st with Rapid City winning in 11 rounds. This past Saturday's contest ended in 10 rounds with Eric Meland recording the game-winner.

DUCK HUNT - It's no secret that the next few weeks are critical for the Thunder. Wichita heads to Quad City on Wednesday before hosting the Mallards on Friday. The Thunder will see Quad City four of the next five games, with one meeting at Missouri on Saturday evening. Wichita is 3-2-0-0 against the Mallards this season.

ALL-STAR - Danick Gauthier added three points this weekend, pushing his totals to 36 points. He broke a five-game drought without a goal this past Saturday night, recording his sixth power play goal of the season. The Tampa Bay Lightning product has 12th multi-point games as well. Gauthier was the Thunder's lone representative in Orlando last Wednesday night, scoring a goal and also had a +2 on the night.

NEW HIGH - Jared Walker recorded his ninth goal of the season on Friday night and needs one more to set a new career-high. The third-year pro has collected nine goals in each of his first two seasons as a pro and has already equaled that total through 39 games this year. The former Chicago Blackhawks draft pick has points in three-straight (1g, 3a) and points in seven of the last eight games (4g, 7a).

SCORCHING - Todd Hosmer recorded his 14th tally of the season on Saturday. He has goals in five-straight and 23 points (14g, 9a) so far this year. He had two points on January 17th and followed that up with two more this past Saturday. Last season, he played for the Mississippi RiverKings of the SPHL, racking up 55 points in 40 games and being named to the SPHL First All-Star Team. He also led the league in goals last season with 37.

NOT MISSING A BEAT - Kenton Miller returned from Manchester this past week and didn't miss a beat. He scored in both games and added an assist on Saturday night. The Redvers, Saskatchewan native has already surpassed last year's numbers in 38 games this season with 31 points (12g, 19a). His best season came during his rookie year in Missouri in 2012-13, when he finished with 51 points (30g, 21a) in 53 games.

ALLEY-OOP - Ian Lowe leads the team in points with 39 and recorded his seventh power play goal of the season on Friday. He tied for third in that category while Mike Wilson is tied for 11th in power play assists. The tandem combined on a pretty one-timer from the slot that tied the game in the third.

CHANGING OF THE GUARD - In both games this weekend, Rapid City made a change in net looking for a spark. Johnny Griggs was lifted on Friday night while Battochio was taken out on Saturday. The Thunder have forced their opponents to make a change in net eight times this season, three of which have involved the Rush. Wichita is 4-2-1-1 when the opponent uses multiple goaltenders.

PENALTY SHOT - Travis Granbois attempted the team's first penalty shot of the year this Saturday night. He failed to increase the Thunder lead to three with less than two minutes to go in the second. Including their opponents, Wichita has only had two penalty shot attempts taken with the other coming from Justin Fox in Quad City.

LUCKY NUMBER 13 - Tim Boron earned his 13th win of the season on Saturday night, stopping 20 of 23 shots on net. He has both of the team's wins in the shootout, winning the first one against Allen on December 27th.

THUNDERBOLTS… Danick Gauthier is tied for 20th in goals (16), tied for sixth in power play goals (6) and tied for 11th in power play assists (9)…Jared Walker is tied for fourth in shorthanded goals (2)…Todd Hosmer is 21st in rookie scoring (23) while Ian Duval is tied in 32nd (20)…Kenton Miller is in 10th place for shots on net (132)…Tyler Bunz and Tim Boron are tied for fifth in shutouts (2)…Wichita is 12th in shots for per game (31.03) and fourth in shots against per game (26.98)…Wichita is 5-2-0-1 when leading after one...Wichita is 11-6-0-0 when tied after one…Wichita is 6-3-1-1 when tied after two periods…Wichita is 13-9-1-2 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-