Balanced Scoring, Solid Goaltending Leads Thunder Past Grizzlies

WICHITA, Kan. (Mar. 12) – Wichita returned home from a four-game road trip on Wednesday night, knocking off Utah, 5-2, at INTRUST Bank Arena. 

Jay Dickman and Ryan Finnegan led the way with two points. Kobe Walker, Declan Smith and T.J. Lloyd found the back of the net in the winning effort. 11 different players found the scoresheet tonight for Wichita. Trevor Gorsuch made his 11th straight start, stopping 39 shots in the victory. 

Walker opened the scoring five minutes into the game. Peter Bates made a great pass across the slot to him at the left circle and Walker hammered a one-timer past Vinny Duplessis. 

Keaton Mastrodonato tied the contest at 14:33. Wichita had a chance on one end. The Grizzlies countered the other way and Mastrodonato buried a wrist shot off the cross bar for his 13th of the year.

In the second, Smith re-gained the lead for the Thunder. Nolan Kneen fired a shot from the line that Smith got a piece of, and he put home the rebound for his sixth of the season. 

Cooper Jones answered just over a minute later to tie the contest at two. He found a rebound off a shot from Luke Manning and beat Gorsuch for his fifth of the year. 

Jake Wahlin gave Wichita the lead for good at 10:09. Dickman made a terrific play on the wall and found Wahlin cutting through the Utah zone. He came in all alone and beat Duplessis for his eighth of the season. 

Lloyd gave the Thunder a two-goal advantage at 16:34 of the third. He took a pass from Michal Stinil in the neutral zone, weaved his way over the Utah line and fired a wrist shot past Duplessis for his ninth of the year. 

Dickman capped off the scoring with an empty-net goal with two minutes remaining and closed the scoring. 

Walker has goals in back-to-back games and seven points in his last four outings (3g, 4a). Lloyd has points in three-straight and goals in two of his last three. Dickman has four points in his last two games. Stinil has points in nine-straight. Bates took over the league-lead in assists with 44 on the season. Finnegan has three assists in his last two games. 

Wichita went 1-for-5 on the power play. Utah was 0-for-4 on the man advantage. The Thunder have power play goals in three-straight and shorthanded markers in back-to-back contests.

The Thunder remains at home on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. to close their regular season series against the Grizzlies.

March 14 is coming fast. Come celebrate Thunderdog's Birthday Bash, presented by Sonic. T-Dog, T-Pup and all of their mascot friends will be at the game to greet the fans and celebrate our lovable mascot. March 14 is also Healthcare Champions Night, presented by McPherson College, Wichita Furniture & Mattress and Jump Start. Buy tickets HERE.