Thunder Comeback Falls Short in OT Loss on Saturday Night

RAPID CITY, SD (Dec. 14) – Wichita battled back from a two-goal deficit on Saturday night, but lost to Rapid City, 3-2, at The Monument.

Nolan Burke and Peter Bates scored for the Thunder. Gabriel Carriere suffered his first overtime loss, stopping 23 shots. 

The contest was almost a carbon copy of Thursday's shootout victory for the Thunder. Rapid City scored the first two before Wichita tied it and forced overtime. 

Dustin Manz got the scoring started at 9:43 of the first period. The Rush forced a turnover in their own zone and started an odd man chance the other way. Manz fired a shot through traffic that beat Carriere. Connor Mylymok collided with Carriere's leg at the same time, but the goal stood and gave Rapid City a 1-0 lead.

At 18:50, Ryan Wagner recorded his fifth goal against the Thunder in the season-series. Brett Davis outmuscled a Thunder defender on the wall. He fed a pass over to Wagner, who wristed a shot past Carriere. 

In the second, Burke cut the lead to 2-1. Braden Hache unloaded a shot from the left point, which was redirected by Burke past Christian Propp. 

Wichita was awarded a two-man advantage when Parker Bowman and Brady Pouteau were sent off for minor penalties. At 11:53, Jeremie Bucheler slid a pass over to Bates at the left circle and he scored to tie the game. 

The two teams combined for just seven shots in the third period. The Thunder had back-to-back power plays but couldn't get one past Propp. For the second time this week, Wichita and Rapid City headed to overtime. 

In the extra session, Wichita had several quality chances. Kobe Walker came out of the corner and tried to jam one in, but Propp made the save. Ryan Finnegan had a semi-break near the slot but was denied by Propp. 

Davis ended the game at 3:01 with his seventh of the year. The Thunder turned the puck over at the offensive blueline and the Rush capitalized. Wagner came down the ice on a two-on-one, zipped a pass to Davis and he beat Carriere up top with a backhand. 

Wichita finishes the week with five out of a possible six points. Bates has points in five of his last six games. Burke has points in four-straight and goals in back-to-back outings. Michal Stinil added an assist, giving him four points in his last two games and seven points in his last five. Dickman added an assist, giving him four points in his last two contests. Jeremie Bucheler also has four points in his last two games. 

The Thunder went 1-for-4 on the power play. The Rush were 0-for-3 on the man advantage. 

Wichita remains on the road next Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. with a visit to Texas to face rival, Allen.

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.

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