WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita Thunder fans received some welcome news back in April when former RiverKings and Eagles Head Coach Kevin McClelland was hired to get the once storied franchise back to its winning ways. 
But the first four games of the new season produced four losses, immediately dropping the Thunder to the bottom of the CHL Northern Conference standings and prompting McClelland to contemplate making changes. “There’s some guys that showed that they don’t want to be here, just because of the way they played,” McClelland said following a 4-1 home loss to the Tulsa Oilers on October 16. “It’s early in the season, we’ll get this ironed out.” Seven games after those statements, McClelland and crew seem to have done just that. Wichita has made some roster changes, and are currently sitting in a tie for second place in the conference, thanks in part to five straight wins. The change in momentum came during the last weekend in October when the Thunder beat Rio Grande Valley and Tulsa at the Intrust Bank Arena. They followed those wins with an 8-0 drubbing of the Oilers at the BOK Center in a Halloween matinee contest. Add a 4-2 home win over Arizona and their first-ever win over the second-year Missouri Mavericks and the Thunder are back in business, sitting just six points behind the conference-leading Colorado Eagles. Goaltenders Marty Magers and Marc-Antonie Gelinas are a combined 5-1 in net with save percentages of .909 and .963 respectively since the departure of Ian Keserich who started the season between the pipes. “There’s some other teams out there in need of goaltending right now,” McClelland said. “With three good goaltenders on our team, I felt this move gives Ian a fair chance to continue his career.” Keserich, who was one of two holdovers from last year’s team that finished 9-50-5, was 0-3 with a 4.03 goals against average and an .840 save percentage. Forward Jesse Bennefield is leading the way for the Thunder with six goals and seven assists for 13 points. Lance Galbraith has two game-winning goals, including an overtime marker that defeated the Mavericks. Newcomer Mike Looby has made an immediate impact, scoring two points in his first two games. It is still early in the season, but things are looking up for Wichita. Their current five-game winning streak is it’s longest since the end of the 2005-06 season. Defensively, the Thunder leads the league in fewest shots against, averaging 26.67 per game and ranks fourth in fewest goals against with a 2.78 per game average. With the momentum of a winning streak that the team has not seen in four years, the Thunder will forge ahead into the heart of their schedule. Next up is a pair of home games at the Intrust Bank Arena. Wichita looks to take a 2-1 season series lead over Missouri on Friday night. On Saturday they host the Bloomington Prairie Thunder, with whom they are tied at second in conference standings. While it is clear that there is plenty of hockey left to be played, one thing is for sure – the Wichita Thunder have gotten a taste of winning. That taste, combined with a new roster that is still gelling means they will only get better. Contact the author at john.hall@prohockeynews.com
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