Thunder Falls In Wheeling

WHEELING, WV (March 20) - Wichita resumed its three-game series against Wheeling on Saturday night, losing by the final of 7-1 at WesBanco Arena. 

Austin McIlmurray tallied his fifth goal of the season in the losing effort. 

The Nailers jumped on the Thunder early in the first, scoring two goals in a 16-second span. Vladislav Mikhalchuk scored at 6:22 to make it 1-0. At 6:38, Shane Kuzmeski tallied his second of the year to increase the lead to 2-0. He was heading to the net, got hit from behind and as he ran into Alex Sakellaropoulos, the puck went in the net. 

In the second, Michael Joly made it 3-0 just 51 seconds into the frame. The Nailers added two more as Lawton Courtnall and Patrick McNally found the net to make it 5-0 after two. 

Joly tallied his second of the game at 5:36 of the third to increase the lead to 6-0. McIlmurray put the Thunder on the board at 13:57 as he fired a shot from the top of the right circle to make it 6-1. Brady Tomlak closed the scoring at 14:58, tallying his fourth of the year. 

The two teams combined to go 0-for-7 on the man advantage. Wheeling fired 51 shots on net while Wichita finished with 30. McIlmurray has points in four of his last five games. 

Wichita and Wheeling settle the weekend series in the rubber match tomorrow afternoon starting at 3:10 p.m. CST.

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