TULSA, OK (Nov. 19) – Jay Dickman scored in the sixth round of the shootout to push Wichita past Tulsa on Friday night by the final of 4-3 at the BOK Center.
Tulsa Oilers forward Alex Gilmour (71), Wichita Thunder goalie Evan Butenhuis (30)
Nick Minerva scored twice, including a shorthanded goal to tie the game and forced overtime. Carter Johnson had two points and Evan Buitenhuis earned his fifth win of the season.
Jake Pappalardo got the scoring started for the Oilers. He beat Buitenhuis off a faceoff at 16:38 of the first to make it 1-0. Tulsa outshot the Thunder, 17-5, in the opening period.
Wichita Thunder goalie Evan Butenhuis (30)
Early in the second, Johnson tied the game as he put home a rebound on a shot from Dickman. At 4:31, Minerva gave Wichita its first lead as he fired a wrist shot from the top of the right circle to make it 2-1. Carson Denomie tied the contest at 7:29 as he put home a loose puck during a net-mouth scramble.
Eddie Matsushima gave the Oilers their second lead of the night at 12:49 of the third. His shot hit Buitenhuis, bounced off Cam Clarke’s skate and trickled over the line to make it 3-2. Tulsa had two late power play chances in regulation, but the Thunder tied the game at 16:02. Brayden Watts made a great play through the neutral zone, fed a pass to Minerva in the slot and he beat Daniel Mannella. Time ran out and both teams would head to overtime.
Early in the extra session, Mannella made a terrific save on Matteo Gennaro. Tim Soderlund fed a pass to Gennaro at the edge of the left circle and Mannella snagged it out of the air with his glove. Tulsa was then awarded a power play at 4:34 as Watts was called for hooking. The Thunder penalty kill, which held Tulsa to an 0-for-6 mark, kept the Oilers off the board and a shootout was needed.
Through the first four rounds of the shootout, Soderlund and Gennaro scored for Wichita while Logan Coomes and Carson Denomie found the net for Tulsa. Buitenhuis stopped three-straight shooters as he denied Jack Doremus, Alex Gilmour and Jordan Ernst. Dickman scored the shootout winner at the bottom of round six and helped the Thunder to the extra point.
Wichita played past regulation for the first time this season and improved to 3-2-0-0 on the road. The Thunder are back to .500 and have won three in a row.
Johnson has goals in three-straight games. Minerva recorded his first multi-goal game of his career. Watts, Dickman and Crinella each collected assists.
With Wichita Thunder release
Contact the photographer: Les.Stockton@prohockeynews.com
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