Wild Comeback Falls Short in OT Loss

Moline, IL (Jan. 7th) - Wichita (16-11-2-4) battled back from a three-goal deficit in the final period, but lost on Wednesday night in overtime to Quad City (17-12-3-2) by the final of 4-3 at the I-Wireless Center. The Thunder scored three goals in less than three minutes to force the contest past regulation. RG Flath, Todd Hosmer and Ian Duval provided the scoring for the Thunder in the losing effort. Wichita falls to 2-1-1-0 against Quad City in the season-series and one point back of the Mallards for second place. With the overtime loss, the Thunder move alone into third place, one point ahead of Tulsa with 38 in the standings.

Quad City jumped out to a quick lead in the opening period. Justin Fox scored his first of two at 3:27 after getting a nice pass from across the crease and tipped it past Tim Boron. His second came with less than a minute remaining in the first as he beat Boron to the far side past his glove and increased the lead to 2-0. Wichita was kept at bay and had to kill off two penalties in the first.

In the second, the Thunder started to generate scoring chances with three shots ringing off the post. Mike Wilson fired one from the left point that rolled up the shoulder of Parker Milner, dropped in the crease and almost got past the line. Before Flath could get there, Milner was able to sit on the puck to get the whistle. At 18:07, Todd Fiddler scored his ninth of the year as he slipped a shot from behind the goal line, off the elbow of Boron and in to make it 3-0.

The comeback began with just over seven minutes left in regulation. Flath put home a rebound after a net-front scramble ensued and scored his sixth of the season. At 14:50, Hosmer rifled a shot past Milner from the right circle and cut the lead to 3-2. Duval tied the game at 15:47 when he found a loose puck in the left circle and beat Milner with a wrist shot. The Thunder were forced to kill a late penalty with just over three minutes to go as Hosmer went off, but didn't allow the Mallards any chances. The game would wind down and headed past regulation for the first time in the season-series.

Wichita continued to find chances in the overtime session. Milner was forced to make several big saves from in-close in the first minute of the extra period. At 1:43, Eric Meland was shoved into Milner as the Thunder were coming down on the rush and he was assessed a penalty for goalie interference. Quad City capitalized, scoring just 10 seconds into the man advantage. Lamoureux put one through Boron from the right circle and won the game with his 12th of the season.

Wichita has yet to lose in regulation to Quad City at the I-Wireless Center, falling to 6-0-4 all-time. Flath's goal pushes his totals to 79 all-time in a Thunder uniform. Lowe collected an assist, extending his point-streak to nine games (5g, 7a). Duval recorded his third of the year, has markers in back-to-back games and points in his last eight contests (3g, 6a). Jared Walker and Meland finished with a pair of assists. Boron suffers his second overtime loss, stopping 25 of 29 shots. Milner claims his ninth win of the year, stopping 37 of 40 shots on net.

Wichita went 0-for-5 on the power play. Quad City was 1-for-7 with the man advantage.

Wichita has a day off before beginning a three-in-three on Friday night against Quad City at 7:05 p.m. The Thunder returns home on Saturday evening to host the Evansville IceMen for a pair of 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.

-Thunder-