Wichita Heads Back on the Road for the Next Three Starting Tonight at KC

INDEPENDENCE, MO (Mar. 29) – The Wichita Thunder, ECHL affiliate of the NHL's San Jose Sharks, AHL's San Jose Barracuda and powered by Toyota, begins a three-game road trip tonight at 6:05 p.m. with its last visit to Independence to face Kansas City. 

This is the 10th and final meeting of the season between the Thunder and the Mavericks. All-time, Wichita is 93-77-26 against Kansas City and 44-42-16 on the road against the Mavericks.

The two teams split the first two games of this three-game miniseries. The Thunder won on Wednesday night at Cable Dahmer Arena, 3-2. Last night, the Mavericks earned a 3-0 victory at INTRUST Bank Arena. 

With the win, Kansas City became the first team in the Mountain Division to clinch a playoff berth. Wichita remains in third place with 79 points. Idaho lost last night in Tahoe, which keeps the Steelheads six points back for the final playoff spot.

Trevor Gorsuch has been a workhorse for the Thunder. The veteran netminder broke the franchise record last night, starting in his 17th-straight game between the pipes for the Thunder. 

Noah West made 23 saves last night to shut out the Thunder. The rookie goaltender out of Ferris State earned his first shutout as a pro. He became the second Mavericks netminder to blank Wichita this season. Jack LaFontaine earned a 2-0 win at INTRUST Bank Arena on November 17. 

Wichita has had more success on the road in the season series against Kansas City than at home so far this year. The Thunder are 0-3-2 against the Mavericks at INTRUST Bank Arena, but 2-2-0 at Cable Dahmer Arena. Wichita looks to make it three-straight wins on the road in the series against its rival from Missouri after winning the last two on the road against Kansas City. 

Both teams have sparkling records when they score the first goal. Wichita is 25-6-2 when scoring first and 18-4-2 when leading after one. Kansas City is 33-5-1-1 when they light the lamp before its opponent. 

THUNDERBOLTS...Michal Stinil (72), Peter Bates (72) and Jay Dickman (70) are two, three and four in scoring...Stinil is fourth in assists (47)...Dickman is fifth with 29 goals and tied for second with 12 power play goals...Wichita is third to last in penalty minutes per game (9.91)...Wichita is 24-2-2 when leading after two...Wichita is 16-8-0 in games decided by three or more goals...Wichita is 14-7-6-1 in one-goal games...

MAVS NOTES – Cade Borchardt, who is currently in the AHL with the Firebirds, leads the league with 35 goals...Daniel Amesbury leads the ECHL with 11 majors...Marcus Crawford is tied for 12th in scoring by a defenseman (39) and minor penalties for a blueliner with 30...Jake McLaughlin is tied among defenseman in plus/minus (+33)...Kansas City is outscoring opponents 102-86 at home and 126-80 on the road...

Our final home game is coming soon. Join us on Sunday, April 6 as we host our arch-rival, Allen. Toyota FanFest will start at noon in front of Entrance A and B. More details will be released soon. Our End of Season Awards will be released before the opening faceoff.

April 6 is also Team Photo Day. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a team photo, courtesy of BG Products, Groundworks, Select PT and Rose Harvest Design.

Sunday, April 6 is also Autism Acceptance Night, presented by Wichita State University Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. The team will be wearing a special Autism-themed uniform. Buy Tickets HERE.

Fans can also save on tickets with our Winning Weeknight deal for Sunday, April 6. Get four tickets and a $20 gift card to Ollie's Bargain Outlet for just $80. Click HERE to buy tickets.