Wichita Stops Skid Vs. Rapid City

WICHITA, Kan. (Feb. 8) - Stefan Fournier had two points, Garrett Schmitz tallied his fourth of the year and Wichita held on for a 2-1 win on Saturday night over Rapid City at INTRUST Bank Arena in front of a sold out lower bowl of 6,406 fans.

Mitch Gillam collected his 13th win of the season, stopping 24 shots he faced.

Wichita got on the board first at 3:41 as Fournier poked in a rebound during a netmouth scramble to make it 1-0. Wichita carried the play for most of the period, but Rapid City had some scoring chances late in the frame.

In the second, Tanner Karty tied the game at 11:41 as he fired a one-timer from the left circle past Mitch Gillam. Schmitz re-gained the lead for the Thunder at 19:16 as he kept a puck in at the blueline and wired one past Gordon Defiel to make it 2-1.

There wasn't much in the way of offense in the third period as both teams clamped down. Rapid City had a great chance with just over three minutes to go, but Gillam robbed Stephane Legault on the backdoor to keep it a 2-1 contest. Defiel was pulled for the extra attacker, but Wichita held on and got the win.

The Thunder snapped a five-game losing skid with the win. Fournier has goals in back-to-back games. Schmitz has points in three of the last four outings.

Wichita returns home tomorrow afternoon to face the Rapid City Rush at 4:05 p.m. Head over to Kansas Star Casino to get your complimentary ticket for the game and exchange it for a ticket at the box office.

Individual tickets for the rest of the season are on sale now. To learn more, click here or contact a Thunder representative at the office today!

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-Thunder-