Thunder Sweeps Knight Monsters; Claims Second Seed in Mountain Division

STATELINE, NV (April 12) – Wichita finished its three-game series against Tahoe on Saturday night, earning a 3-1 victory at Tahoe Blue Event Center. 

Peter Bates led all scorers with two points while Will Zapernick and Kobe Walker also found the back of the net. Roddy Ross claimed his second win as a pro, stopping 32 shots. 

With the victory, the Thunder moves into second place with 89 points and secures home-ice advantage for its opening round matchup against the Knight Monsters. 

Zapernick opened the scoring at 6:59 of the first period. Jake Wahlin created a turnover in the Wichita zone. Dillon Boucher started the other way and found Zapernick. He skated into the zone on a two-on-one break, froze Jordan Papirny and beat him with a wrist shot for his second goal of the year. 

At 12:38, Bates made it 2-0 with a power play goal. He came through the neutral zone, fed a pass to Reid Irwin, who gave it back to him the left circle in the Tahoe zone. Bates fired a shot through Papirny for his 28th of the season. 

Tahoe cut the lead to one at 17:35. Kaelyn Taylor intercepted a long outlet pass near the red line. He skated past a Thunder defender and crashed into Ross near the crease. Fleming came in and put home a loose puck. The whistle was blown and the initial call on the ice was no goal. The referee reviewed the play and overturned the call on the ice. 

Early in the second, Walker tallied his 30th of the year to close the scoring. Bates made a smart play near his own line. He lost his stick on the right boards. He kicked the puck up the ice to Michal Stinil, who found Walker streaking down the right wing. Walker unloaded a wrist shot past Papirny to make it 3-1. 

The Knight Monsters fired 13 shots on net in the third period and had several quality chances. Ross stood tall and helped close the door for the win. 

Wichita finishes the season with 41 wins, which equals a franchise high since joining the ECHL. The Thunder also claimed their 20th road win of the year.

Bates collected his 50th assist and took over the team-lead in points with 78. Walker became the second Thunder player to reach 30 goals. Zapernick has two points in his last three games and both of his goals have come on the road. Ross has seen 30 or more shots in all three starts and improved to 2-1-0 on the season. 

Wichita went 1-for-2 on the power play. Tahoe was 0-for-3 on the man advantage. 

The Thunder will open the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs against the Knight Monsters. The playoff schedule will be announced on Sunday.

Stay tuned to our social media channels and our website to find out the dates and times as well as when tickets will go on sale.

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