Can Wichita find the character to win?

WICHITA, Kan. — “ Man looks into the Abyss, and there’s nothin’ staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character, and that’s what keeps him out of the Abyss.” Considering the experience of the first half of the 2009-10 season, that quote from the movie Wall Street may be appropriate for each and every member of the Wichita Thunder roster.   The Thunder have lost a franchise-record 18 straight games and at 3-25-3 are in last place in the Central Hockey League’s Northern Conference. They have the league’s worst record, worst power play, worst penalty kill and they only have one player on the plus side of the +/- stats.   If there is some semblance of luck on the Thunder’s side, it came to bear on Sunday morning when the team bus crashed during the trip home from Saturday night’s game in Rapid City. According to reports, the bus slid off the highway and into a snowy ditch at about 8 a.m. in Rising City, Nebraska. The majority of the players and staff were asleep when the accident occurred. Fortunately, no one was injured.   On Friday night, the mid-point of their season, the Thunder will meet the Tulsa Oilers on home ice at the Kansas Coliseum. Wichita defeated Tulsa 5-1 in the first meeting between the two teams on October 23^rd but the Oilers won the next four contests in a row.  

Veteran left wing Jason Duda, who made the CHL’s all-decade team, has struggled to find the answers to the Thunder’s fall since taking over as interim head coach after Brent Bilodeau’s firing on November 12th.   Last season’s leading scorer with 55 points (20 G, 35 A, +8), Duda placed himself on season ending injured reserve on October 25^th due to back problems. Right wing Mike Batovanja has also been placed on season ending IR as of November 28th after re-injuring his surgically repaired right knee.   Since then, the Thunder have added forward Jay Henderson and cleaned house by trading disgruntled goaltender Tim Boron to Mississippi for net minder Ian Keserich. Defenseman Jordan Little, who was placed on team suspension on December 17^th, was waived three days later. Forward Jason Deleurme, who was placed on team suspension on December 29^th, has reportedly decided to play in Sweden for the remainder of the season.   The Thunder recently acquired defensemen Steve Makway and JR Bria, and forwards Kevin Cooper and Paul Kelly through trades with Mississippi and Odessa, and are looking at additional options to revamp their roster.   Although attendance has fallen off steadily over the past few seasons, die-hard Thunder fans continue to support their team despite the lack of success on ice. They are currently seventh in the league with an average attendance of 3,708.   The team will move into the brand new state-of-the-art Intrust Bank Arena on January 23^rd, when they will host the Tulsa Oilers. With a new arena and changes in player personnel, the Thunder hope to get a fresh start to the new year and the second half of the season. What success they will find will depend on team unity and individual fortitude as well as the ability to find the character to keep themselves out of the abyss.   Contact the author/photographer at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com