Thunder Closes Road Swing Tonight at Allen

ALLEN, TX (Dec. 20) – The Wichita Thunder, ECHL affiliate of the NHL's San Jose Sharks, AHL's San Jose Barracuda and powered by Toyota, concludes its five-game road trip tonight at 7:10 p.m. in Texas against rival, Allen. 

The two teams played the first of a three-game set this week on Wednesday. The Thunder fell behind early but rattled off four unanswered and claimed a 4-1 win.

Wichita sits in third place in the Mountain Division with 30 points. Allen is in sixth place with 19 points. 

The Thunder have played the most games in the division at 26. Wichita is looking to continue its current run, going 4-0-1 in its last five while Allen is trying to snap a seven-game winless skid. 

Gabriel Carriere earned his sixth win of the season on Wednesday night. The University of Vermont product stopped 27 shots to preserve the victory. Carriere is 2-0-1 in his last three starts. He has allowed just three or fewer goals in five-straight outings. Carriere is fourth in the league in save percentage (.930) and seventh in goals-against (2.24). 

Peter Bates is starting to round into his All-Star form. He has points in six of his last seven games 43g, 3a). Bates also has goals in back-to-back outings. He has four goals in his last six games. Last year, Bates registered 23 goals and 50 points in just 45 games. . 

Ryan Finnegan has been a solid distributor over the last three games. He tallied two assists on Wednesday night, giving him four helpers in his last three games. Finnegan set a new career-high in assists and is nearing his totals from a year ago when he had 14 points in 43 games for Wichita.

Nolan Kneen registered his third goal of the season on Wednesday to help finish off the Americans. He has points in six of his last seven contests (3g, 5a). Kneen is also a +14, which is a complete 180 from last year when he finished the season at a -24 rating. 

THUNDERBOLTS...Dominic Dockery is nearing 200 ECHL games...Tyler Jette tallied his first goal of the season last Friday and second as a pro...Jeremie Bucheler has points in three-straight (1g, 4a)...Aaron Dell was called up on Wednesday and Joe Carroll was recalled on Thursday...Wichita is 9-3-1 when scoring first...Wichita is 5-1-0 when leading after one...Wichita is 10-0-0 when leading after two...Wichita is 7-1-0 in games decided by three or more goals...

ALLEN NOTES – Allen went 0-for-15 on the power play in its last four games...Colin Jacobs was acquired in a trade from Worcester...Former Thunder forward Brayden Watts leads the Americans with 22 points and 14 helpers...Kyle Crnkovic and Watts are tied for fourth with 10 power play points...

Our next home game is another QuikTrip Buy In on Saturday, December 21. Head over to any Wichita-area QT location to get your complimentary voucher that can be redeemed for an upper-level ticket. Fans can upgrade into the lower level for a small fee. Fans can also get their buy in vouchers online by clicking HERE.

The holidays are approaching and there's no better way than the spend time with family, friends or co-workers then coming to a Thunder game. Learn about our brand-new seating areas that you can rent out for a game. Click HERE to learn more and request information. Also, check out our 12 Days of Christmas sale by clicking HERE.

Season tickets for the 2024-25 season are still available. Save money by reserving your seats for all the fast-paced, hard-hitting action of every game. Click HERE to learn more.