WEST VALLEY CITY, UT (Jan. 25) – The Wichita Thunder, ECHL affiliate of the NHL's San Jose Sharks, AHL's San Jose Barracuda and powered by Toyota, continues its seven-game road trip tonight at 8:10 p.m. at the Maverik Center against Utah.
This is the fifth meeting of the season between the Thunder and the Grizzlies. All-time, Wichita is 18-30-6 against Utah and 4-18-4 on the road against the Grizzlies.
Last night, the Thunder jumped out to a 4-0 lead. The Grizzlies scored four in the second to tie the game. Wichita came out on top with a 6-4 victory.
With the win, the Thunder moved into second place with 49 points. Utah is in eighth place with 27 points. The Thunder are two points back of the Knight Monsters, but have played one more game in the standings.
Joe Carroll recorded his first pro hat trick last night. He also netted an assist, giving him a career-high four points in a game. Carroll has five goals in his last two games and six over his last four since returning from the Spengler Cup. He needs four points to equal his career-high, which he had last season between Syracuse and San Jose when he registered 25 points.
Declan Smith tallied his first professional goal last night. He scored in the first period to make it 2-0. Alex Gritz, who made his ECHL debut, collected his first ECHL point with an assist on the goal.
Jay Dickman is nearing another milestone. He has 281 ECHL points after recording three more last night. Dickman netted his 15th marker and added two helpers to give him 40 points. The veteran forward has 40 or more points in five-straight seasons.
Austin Heidemann scored in the second period to extend the Thunder lead to 4-0. He recorded his seventh of the year and his first since December 21. Heidemann has 12 points (7g, 5a) in 29 games for the Thunder.
Trevor Gorsuch earned his sixth win of the season last night. He has stopped 30 or more shots in five of his eight starts. Gorsuch is 6-1-0-1 with a 1.82 goals-against average and .949 save percentage.
THUNDERBOLTS...Peter Bates is fourth in points (43), tied for first in assists (31) and tied for third in plus/minus (+26)...Jeremie Bucheler is tied for second among rookies with nine power play assists and tied for first with 11 power play points...Wichita is 16-5-1 when scoring first...Wichita is 12-3-0 when leading after one...Wichita is 17-1-0 when leading after two...
UTAH NOTES – Briley Wood is ninth in rookie scoring with 28 points...Derek Daschke was selected as Utah’s ECHL All-Star representative, who is sixth in scoring for defenseman with 29 points and tied for second with four power play goals...Andrew Nielsen is first in minor penalties (29) and fifth among defensemen with 68 penalty minutes...
Our next home game is Tuesday, February 11 as we return to INTRUST Bank Arena after a seven-game road trip. Join us for another Ollie's Bargain Outlet Winning Weeknight and get four tickets and a $20 gift card to Ollie's for just $80. Click HERE to purchase today!
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.