Thunder Win Penalty-Filled Contest vs. Mallards

Wichita, KS (Jan. 3rd) - RG Flath recorded his third game-winner in his last four outings late in the third period and Wichita (16-10-1-4) held off an undermanned Quad City squad (16-12-3-2) for a 3-2 victory on Saturday night at INTRUST Bank Arena. The Thunder got some late-game heroics from Kenton Miller, who tied it early in the final period and Flath, who recorded his fifth of the season for the win. The Thunder and Mallards played a chippy contest, combining for 15 power plays and 21 infractions total. With the victory, the Thunder move into a second-place tie with Quad City. Wichita improves to 2-1-0-0 against the Mallards this season and will see Quad City twice next week.

Wichita killed off four penalties in the first eight minutes of the game, including a two-man advantage to keep the Mallards off of the scoreboard. With 2:04 left in the opening frame, the Thunder capitalized on a five-on-three power play as Thunder captain Ian Lowe fired a one-timer past Mosher to make it 1-0. The Mallards outshot Wichita in the first 14-6, but couldn't get one past Tim Boron.

The trek to the sin bin continued to carry over to the second period as the two teams combined for 13 power plays before the midway point of the frame. Quad City found the back of the net at 7:36 as Joe Perry snuck one past Tim Boron on the man advantage and tied the game at one. Todd Fiddler scored five seconds into the Mallards eighth power play, giving Quad City a 2-1 lead heading into the final frame.

Early in the third period, Wichita evened the contest as Mike Wilson fed the puck across the ice to Ian Duval, who then found Kenton Miller right in front of the net and scored his fifth power play goal of the season. With 4:30 left in regulation, RG Flath and Danick Gauthier combined for the game-winner on an odd man rush. Gauthier side-stepped a defender in the slot and dished it off to Flath for the eventual game-winning goal. Quad City desperately pressed to tie the game, pulling Mosher with one minute remaining. The Mallards had several chances stopped by Boron and had one last face-off after Dan Milan missed an empty-net from his own blue line. Flath won the ensuing face-off with just over one second on the clock and the Thunder survived for the 3-2 win.

Wichita has played in seven-straight one goal games, improving to 7-2-1-4 with the win. The Thunder increase their winning streak to four and earned their 10th victory at home this season. Wichita claims its first win of the season when trailing entering the third period, now 1-7-0-2 when down after two. Lowe recorded his 12th of the season and has goals in four-straight games. Duval extended his point-streak to six games (1g, 6a) with his 13th helper of the season. Gauthier added his 16th assist of the season and has points in his last four (2g, 3). Starting in his eighth-straight game, Boron earned his 12th win of the season stopping 30 of 32 shots on net. Mosher took the loss, stopping 19 of 22 shots he faced.

Wichita went 2-for-7 on the power play. Quad City was 2-for-8 with the man advantage.

Wichita will finish the weekend tomorrow afternoon in Allen, Texas against the Americans starting at 4:05 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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