Big Third Period Lifts Thunder Past Mavericks

INDEPENDENCE, MO (April 22) - Wichita scored four times in the third period to blow open a one-goal game and skated past Kansas City by the final of 6-1 on Thursday night at Cable Dahmer Arena. 

Matteo Gennaro, Peter Crinella and Stephen Johnson each had two points and Evan Buitenhuis claimed his eighth win of the year, stopping 24 shots. 

Johnson got things started early with a shorthanded goal at 1:59. He stole the puck near the Thunder line, raced down the ice on a breakaway and beat Matt Greenfield for his fourth of the year. At 2:55, Bryan Lemos tied the game just as a Thunder penalty expired. Garrett Schmitz put the Thunder up for good at 9:31 as he fired a wrist shot from the top of the right circle past Greenfield for his fourth of the year. 

After a scoreless second, Wichita put the game away with four markers in the third. Charlie Combs connected at 4:19 for his second of the season with assists to Alex Peters and Anthony Beauregard to make it 3-1. At 6:44, Beau Starrett won a faceoff and Crinella blasted a shot past Greenfield to increase the lead to 4-1.

Gennaro tallied his 18th of the year during a four-on-three situation and made it 5-1. Jay Dickman fired a backhand pass across the goalmouth and Gennaro tapped it in. With two minutes to go, Spencer Dorowicz gave the Thunder their second shorthanded goal of the game as he raced up the ice on a breakaway and beat Greenfield for his fifth of the year. 

Wichita has connected for power play goals in four-straight games and extended its streak of not allowing a power play goal to seven contests. 

Gennaro has two points in four-straight games and a goal and an assist in the last three. Dorowicz has points in three-straight. Johnson notched his first multi-point game of his career with a goal and an assist. 

Wichita remains in Independence tomorrow night to face the Mavericks at 7:05 p.m.

Single game tickets are on sale now. Click here to purchase tickets or call the Thunder office at 316-264-4625.

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