Thunder Closes Road Trip Tonight at Tulsa

TULSA, OK (April 4) – The Wichita Thunder, ECHL affiliate of the NHL's San Jose Sharks, AHL's San Jose Barracuda and powered by Toyota, closes a three-game road trip tonight at 7:05 p.m. against Tulsa. 

This is the seventh and final meeting of the season between the Thunder and the Oilers. All-time, Wichita is 175-164-39 against Tulsa and 76-90-19 on the road against the Oilers.

Tonight’s game has big playoff implications. Wichita is in third place with 81 points, one point ahead of the Oilers in the standings. Eight points separates second from fifth place with the top five teams still eligible for the postseason. Kansas City is the only team that has secured a postseason berth in the Mountain Division.

In the season series, Easton Brodzinski leads the Oilers with seven-combined points against Wichita. He had four (2g, 2a) in six games when he was in Allen and has three points (1g, 2a) in two games as a member of Tulsa. Alec Butcher is second with six points (5g, 1a) in six games against the Thunder.

Talyn Boyko has had success so far in between the pipes for the Oilers in the season series. He is 3-0-1 in four appearances with a 2.88 goals-against average and .897 save percentage. 

Michal Stinil leads the Thunder with 13 points (3g, 10a) in six games against the Oilers. Mitchell Russell is second with five points (4g, 1a) in three outings against Tulsa. Trevor Gorsuch is the only active goalie on the Thunder roster that has faced the Oilers this year. He is 0-1-0 with a 3.06 goals-against average and .921 save percentage. 

THUNDERBOLTS...Nolan Kneen is tied for fourth among blueliners with 29 minor penalties...Dillon Boucher is second in the league with 10 major penalties...Wichita is second to last in penalty minutes per game (9.76)...Wichita is 26-6-2 when scoring first...Wichita is 18-4-2 when leading after one...Wichita is 25-2-2 when leading after two...Wichita is 16-9-6-1 in one-goal games...

OILERS NOTES – Tulsa leads the league in shots for per game (36.99)...Tulsa has outscored its opponents 115-105 at home...Tulsa is 7-5 in games decided in OT...Tulsa is 24-4-2-1 when scoring first...Tulsa is 19-2-1-1 when leading after one...Tulsa is 22-2-3-0 when leading after two...

Our final home game is here. Join us on Sunday, April 6 as we host our arch-rival, Allen. 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 that will be auctioned off on our DASH Auction page online starting on Sunday. 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.