Wichita Closes Regular Season Tonight at Tahoe

STATELINE, NV (April 12) – The Wichita Thunder, ECHL affiliate of the NHL's San Jose Sharks, AHL's San Jose Barracuda and powered by Toyota, plays its final game of the regular season tonight at 9 p.m. against Tahoe.

This is the sixth and final meeting between the Thunder and the Knight Monsters. All-time, Wichita is 4-1-0 against Tahoe.   

Last night, the Thunder clawed back from a 2-0 deficit to earn a 3-2 victory over the Knight Monsters. With the win, Wichita locked up a playoff berth for the first time since 2020-21. 

Tonight’s contest will determine who the two teams will play in the first round. The Thunder are currently in third place with 87 points. The Knight Monsters are in second with 88 points. 

Nolan Kneen scored late in the second period to help start last night’s comeback win. He recorded his fifth goal of the year, tying his career high. The fifth-year pro has points in six-straight games. Kneen was named as the team’s Defenseman of the Year 

Joe Carroll returned to the lineup on Wednesday night. He had been out since February 21 during the team’s trip to Idaho. Carroll tied the game in the third period last night, recording his 20th goal of the year. He has points in nine-straight contests. Carroll has 37 points (20g, 17a) in 34 games this year. 

Luke Grainger recorded the game-winner last night. He tallied his second game-winner of the season, both of which have come against the Knight Monsters. The Western Michigan product has goals in back-to-back games and three points over that stretch. 

Trevor Gorsuch earned his 19th win of the season last night, stopping 27 shots. The veteran netminder has won his last three starts with two of them coming this week. His career high in wins came during the 2021-22 season, when he earned 23 victories with Kalamazoo. 

THUNDERBOLTS...Peter Bates and Michal Stinil are tied for fifth in points with 76...Michal Stinil is tied for third with 51 assists...Jay Dickman is tied for second with 12 power play goals...Dillon Boucher is second in the league with 10 major penalties...Wichita is second to last in penalty minutes per game (9.46)...Wichita is 28-7-2 when scoring first...Wichita is 18-4-2 when leading after one...Wichita is 26-3-2 when leading after two...Wichita is 16-7-0 in games decided by three or more goals...Wichita is 15-10-1-1 when tied after one...

TAHOE NOTES – Sloan Stanick is second with 79 points and third in shots (249)...Simon Pinard is third with 33 goals...Jesper Vikman is tied for second in the league with 24 wins, first in saves (1,153) and third in minutes played (2,503)...Tahoe is last in the league in average PIM (8.92)...Tahoe is 26-9-2-0 when scoring first...Tahoe is tied for seventh with nine shorthanded goals and has given up 10...Tahoe is outscoring its opponent 87-71 in the third period...

Stay tuned to our social media channels to find out when and where the Thunder will open the postseason.

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