Wichita Outlasts Tahoe in High-Scoring Affair

WICHITA, Kan. (Feb. 15) – Wichita and Tahoe combined for 16 goals on Saturday night as the Thunder held off the Knight Monsters, 9-7, at INTRUST Bank Arena. 

Luke Grainger, Jeremie Bucheler and Joe Carroll led the way with three points. Nolan Burke and Jay Dickman each had two goals. Trevor Gorsuch earned his eighth win of the season, stopping 35 shots. 

The two teams combined for at least five goals in each period. Burke gave the Thunder a 1-0 lead just 2:34 into the contest. He spun a shot from the right circle past Jordan Papirny. 

Troy Loggins, who finished with a hat trick, tied the game at 5:39 with an assist to Isaac Johnson. 

Dickman netted his first of two on the man advantage at 8:15 to make it 2-1. Just six seconds into the power play, he stepped off the goal line and put it through Papirny. 

Grainger made it 3-1 at 10:51, firing a wrist shot from the right circle for his fifth of the season. 

At 19:04, Dillon Boucher increased the lead to 4-1. Alex Gritz won a battle behind the net and found Jake Wahlin. He sent a pass to the left circle and Boucher one-timed it past Papirny. 

Early in the second, Declan Smith made it 5-1. He slammed home a rebound off a shot from Grainger for his fifth of the year. 

Tahoe scored four of the next five in the frame to cut the lead to one. Adam Pitters made it 5-2 at 3:08. He caught a long outlet pass through the neutral zone and beat Gorsuch with a wrist shot from the right circle. 

Michal Stinil recaptured a four-goal lead at 6:44. Joe Carroll fired a shot from the right circle on the power play and the puck found its way to Stinil. He quickly took a shot right to the net and scored his 20th of the season. 

The Knight Monsters connected on the next three, all of which came on special teams. Luke Adam scored a shorthanded goal at 8:53. During a two-man advantage, Sloan Stanick and Loggins connected to make it 6-5. 

Peter Bates made it 7-5 at 4:12 of the third. He found a loose puck after a pass from Stinil and slipped home a backhand for his 15th of the year. 

At 5:22, Jett Jones redirected a pass from the right circle from Simon Pinard and cut the lead to 7-6. 

Burke and Dickman put the game out of reach to make it 9-6. 

Loggins connected with his third of the night at 19:59, but it was too late and Wichita escaped with the win. 

Wichita tallied nine goals for the third time this season and second time in a week. With the win, the Thunder moved within two points of Tahoe in the standings and tied for third with Tulsa with 60 points.

Burke collected his second two-goal game of the season. Carroll extended his point-streak to five games with three helpers. Bucheler added three helpers, which is a season-high for the rookie defenseman. Stinil hit the 20-goal plateau for the third-straight season and is four shy of 100 for his ECHL career. Dickman finished with two goals, putting him just eight points shy of 300 for his ECHL career. 

Wichita went 2-for-5 on the power play. Tahoe was 3-for-3 on the man advantage. 

The Thunder will close their four-game homestand tomorrow afternoon at 2:05 p.m. against Tahoe.

Faith and Family Night is tomorrow afternoon. Come watch us host the Tahoe Knight Monsters and meet two members of the cast from the critically acclaimed TV show, The Chosen. Click HERE to buy tickets.