Wichita Thunder Weekly Update
Thunder Sweeps Weekend at Home
The Wichita Thunder collected four points last weekend, beginning with a 3-1 win over the Rapid City Rush on Friday night at the Kansas Coliseum. Jason Tessier broke a 1-1 tie with an early power play goal in the third period. Mike Zbriger added an insurance goal late in the third to give the Thunder a 3-1 advantage. Stan Yanchishyn also contributed a goal. Tim Boron returned to the net after missing six games due to an injury. Boron saved 41 of 42 in the win, which snapped the Thunder's four-game losing streak.
Wichita defeated the Oklahoma City Blazers 5-2 on Saturday night at the Coliseum in front of a more than capacity crowd of 9,487. Chris Shudo scored a pair of goals in the first period, while Joel Hanson scored a pair in the third in a game that the Thunder never trailed. Bryan Nathe added a power play goal, while Tim Boron earned the win for the second straight night. Boron saved 39 of 41. Stan Yanchishyn picked up two assists. The win was the first against Oklahoma City this season in six tries, and also snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Blazers dating back to last year. Wichita also defeated quiet nemisis Andy Franck who had been 6-0 in seven career starts against the Thunder in his career before Saturday.
Boron Leading the League
Goaltender Tim Boron returned to action on Friday night after missing six games due to a lower body injury. Boron went 2-0-0 over the weekend, allowing three goals (1.50) and saving 80 of 83 shots (.964). Boron now leads the CHL in save percentage at .927, and ranks seventh with a 2.55 goals against average.
O***any Among Top Rookies
Rookie forward Troy O***any is riding a five-game point streak, including two assists over the weekend. O***any is tied for second in the league amongst rookies in goals (14) and tied for seventh in points (28).
Thunder Acquires Center Zbriger
Wichita acquired center Mike Zbriger on Thursday along with future considerations from the Corpus Christi IceRays in exchange for center Chris Greene. Zbriger had 13 goals and 16 assists in 29 games for the Ice Rays, and scored a goal in his Thunder debut on Friday night in Wichita's 3-1 win over Rapid City.
Penalty Kill Continues to Work
Wichita went a perfect 12 for 12 on the penalty kill over the weekend, and now ranks seventh in the CHL when at least one man down at 84.1%. Wichita has not allowed more than one power play goal in a game since December 12th. Wichita has allowed 41 power play goals this season, however 17 of those came in the Thunder's first 10 games. In Wichita's last 30 games, the penalty kill is 162 for 185 (87.6%), best in the CHL. The PK has been even more air-tight of late, going 51 for 55 (92.7%) in the Thunder's last nine games.
Up Next
The Thunder continues its current homestand, facing the Rapid City Rush on Wednesday night, and then hosting Oklahoma City on Saturday night. Both games begin at 7:05 p.m. The Thunder heads on a rare single-game weekend road trip when they play Bossier-Shreveport in Louisiana on Saturday night. Hot dogs will cost just $1.00 throughout Wednesday's contest at the Coliseum. The Thunder hosts its 15th annual Sports Auction during Friday's game, where fans will have the chance to bid on various sports memorabilia on the lower east side of the Coliseum. For tickets to Wednesday and Friday's games, call the Thunder office at (316) 264-GOAL.
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Wichita Thunder Weekly Update
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