Thunder Closes Homestand With Loss To Oilers

WICHITA, Kan. (Jan. 19) – Wichita closed a long homestand on Friday night, losing to Tulsa, 3-0, at INTRUST Bank Arena. 

Eetu Makiniemi suffered the loss, stopping 34 of 35 shots he faced. 

The two teams battled through a scoreless deadlock that went into the third period. Both goaltenders were outstanding in the contest. Julian Junca made 14 first-period saves for the Oilers. 

Tulsa turned the tides in the second, firing 20 shots on net. Makiniemi was terrific in the frame, turning each chance aside for the home team. 

Eddie Matsushima finally broke through for the visitors early in the third. He collected a long outlet pass and came down the left side. He beat Makiniemi with a shot along the ice and made it 1-0 at 1:45 of the third. 

The Thunder pulled Makiniemi twice with just under a minute to go, but Matsushima scored a pair of empty-net goals for the 3-0 victory. 

Wichita went 0-for-4 on the power play. Tulsa was 0-for-2 on the man advantage. 

The Thunder were shutout for the second time this season, both of which happened at home. Michal Stinil and Quinn Preston led the way with five shots apiece. 

Wichita heads to South Carolina for a three-game series beginning on Friday, January 26.

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