WICHITA, Kan. (Jan. 6) – Wichita tried to mount a third-period comeback on Saturday night, but fell short in a 5-4 loss to Allen at INTRUST Bank Arena.
Roman Kinal and Michal Stinil each had two points in the losing effort.
Hank Crone opened the scoring at 4:12 of the first. He got behind the defense and wristed a shot past Beck Warm's glove for the breakaway goal to make it 1-0.
The Thunder answered at 10:19 when Ryan Finnegan redirected a shot from Nick Nardella past Mark Sinclair for his sixth of the year.
In the second, the two teams combined for six goals. Allen re-took the lead at 2:25 when Mikael Robidoux put home a rebound near the crease to make it 2-1.
At 6:22, Jay Dickman potted a power play goal to tie the game. Kinal found him near the front of the net and he shoveled it in for his 14th of the season.
Blake Murray made it 3-2 at 8:10. Kris Myllari fired a shot from the left boards that got through Warm. Murray put home a loose puck for his 11th of the year.
At 12:21, Roman Kinal tied it at three when he found a rebound near the left post and tallied his sixth of the season.
Easton Brodzinski re-gained the lead for the Americans at 18:28, recording his 13th of the year to make it 4-3.
Allen benefited from a call late in the frame when Nolan Kneen leveled Crone near the Allen blueline. The official determined that it was interference. Colby McAuley scored at 19:38 on the power play to make it 5-3.
Jason Pineo gave the Thunder some life at 4:48 of the third. He tallied a shorthanded goal and his third of the season to make it 5-4.
Wichita was able to get an offensive-zone faceoff and called its timeout with just over a minute left. Sinclair held off the furious attack and Allen claimed the victory.
Wichita was 1-for-1 on the power play. Allen went 1-for-5 on the man advantage.
Kinal recorded his first multi-point game of his career with a goal and an assist. Michal Stinil extended his point streak to six games with two helpers. Bates has three points in his last two games. Dickman netted his ninth power play goal of the year.
Wichita closes its three-game series tomorrow afternoon against Allen.
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