Fournier Scores Twice; Lifts Thunder Past KC

INDEPENDENCE, MO (May 6) – Stefan Fournier scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner midway through the third period to help Wichita hold off Kansas City, 7-5, on Thursday night at Cable Dahmer Arena. 

Anthony Beauregard, Jay Dickman and Dean Stewart each collected two points and Evan Buitenhuis came on in relief to earn his 11th win of the season. 

After a scoreless first period, the two teams combined for seven goals and 34 penalty minutes in the second.

Fournier recorded his first of the game at 1:21. Beauregard made a highlight reel move through the slot and fed a pass to Fournier. He fired a one-timer past Matt Ginn for his 18th of the season.

Kansas City tied it at 6:25 as Giorgio Estephan tallied his eighth of the year. Matteo Gennaro gave the Thunder a 2-1 lead at 7:53 as he redirected a pass from Stewart for his 22nd of the year. At 10:15, Darik Angeli tied the game with his 17th of the season. Beauregard found a rebound near the front of the crease at 14:31 to make it 3-2. At 15:05, Spencer Dorowicz made a terrific pass across the goalmouth to Garrett Schmitz and he found a wide-open net to make it 4-2. Kansas City got one back at 17:18 as Lane Scheidl put home a rebound after Ian Scott made the initial save and made it 4-3.

Buitenhuis came into the game at the start of the third for Scott. Nick Pastujov scored at 3:24 to tie the game at four. Brayden Watts answered 23 seconds later as he got around a defenseman and fired a wrist shot past Ginn to make it 5-4. At 10:06, Greg Moro tied the game at five with a long wrist shot from the deep slot.

Fournier scored the game-winner at 10:38 when he caught up to a clearing attempt from Mathieu Gagnon. Fournier protected the puck as he got behind Noah Delmas and beat Ginn for his 19th of the year. Dickman found an empty-net at 19:16 to close the scoring at 7-5.

Wichita improved its winning percentage to .661. The Thunder are 8-0-1 at Cable Dahmer Arena this year. The Thunder improved to 4-0-0 when scoring 7 goals in a game. 

Stewart collected two assists and pushed his point-streak to 11 games. Beauregard added a goal and an assist, giving him a goal and an assist in back-to-back games and points in eight-straight. Fournier recorded his fourth multi-goal game of the season. Dickman has goals in back-to-back games and three points over that stretch. Gennaro has goals in three-straight and points in his last four.

The Thunder remains in Kansas City on Saturday night beginning 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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