Thunder fall in front of sellout crowd

WICHITA, KS — It was a bittersweet night for the Wichita Thunder as they officially opened the new Intrust Bank Arena before a crowd of 13,412 with a 2-1 loss to the Tulsa Oilers. The crowd is believed to be the biggest to ever witness a hockey game in Wichita. The Thunder struck first to take a 1-0 lead on Paul Kelly’s second period goal that drew a raucous roar from the sellout crowd. Kelly beat Oilers goalie Trevor Cann at the 9:13 mark with Brandon Kaleniecki and Shane Foster getting the assists.

The two teams opened the game the same way they finished their Friday night game in Tulsa. Tulsa’s Thomas Harrison and Wichita’s Shane Foster wasted no time dropping the gloves, bringing the crowd to its feet just :03 into the game. Their meeting on Friday saw four fights break out in the final two minutes as the Thunder snapped their CHL record losing streak with a 4-1 win. Just over two minutes later Tulsa’s Tyler Fleck took on Wichita’s J.R. Bria in a tilt that netted each a five minute major for fighting. Harrison would drop the gloves twice more, battling Brett Beauchamp in the second and Jason Woll in the third. Each of the players involved in the two battles would receive four minute double minors for roughing. Bria later stood toe to toe with Tulsa’s Jake Riddle in a third period scrum. The game was delayed some twenty minutes as arena staff directed fans to their seats. Some minor issues involving parking were reported and cited as the reason for the delay. The first period proved to be a defensive battle, with goaltenders Cann and Ian Keserich not allowing any goals. The Oilers out shot the Thunder 8-6 in the first.Kelly’s second period goal got the Thunder rolling, as they had several close scoring chances throughout the period. Wichita maintained the lead until the 5:21 mark of the third period when T.J. Caig scored on Keserich from the right circle. Aaron Davis and Derek Eastman were awarded the assists. Harrison scored what would become the game winner at the 12:51 mark of the third, slamming home a shot from between the circles after a Dan Riedel miss that rang off the cross bar. Harrison had an open net as he blasted the shot past Keserich who was out of position to the left side of his crease.Despite taking the loss, Keserich was solid in net, stopping 39 of 41 Oilers shots. The effort earned him the number two star award of the night. Cann would be the first star as he stopped 25 of 26 Thunder shots. The win was Tulsa’s eighteenth of the season, equaling the teams entire win total from the 2008-09 season. Thunder captain Chris McAllister left the game after the first period, and did not return. There is no word as to why he did not finish the game. The Thunder will try once again for their first win in the Intrust Bank Arena when they host the Mississippi RiverKings next Friday night.
Contact the author at john.hall@prohockeynews.com
Contcat the photographer at les.stockton@prohockeynews.com