WICHITA, Kan. – The Wichita Thunder’s match-up with ECHL Mountain Division rival Tulsa was only part of the story at Intrust Bank Arena on Saturday, February 18.
The biggest storyline of the night played out not on the ice, but rather high above the seats where long-time Thunder Broadcaster Jason Mals set a career milestone, calling his 1,000th game for Wichita.
Mals, a native of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, is in his 15th season as the voice of the Thunder. A hockey player until his sophomore year at Penn State University, Mals hung up the skates but found a way to stay close to the game. He joined the student-run radio station and started doing play-by-play for the D1 Club team at Penn State.
He joined the Thunder in the 2004-05 season before leaving to work in sales and on-air at Sports Radio 1410 KGSO.
“I was the voice of high school basketball, Newman Jets men’s and women’s basketball and hosted an afternoon talk show,” Mals said.
The stint would last four years before hockey came calling again in the 2011-12 season. He has been the voice that every Wichita fan has heard call all the on-ice action for the Thunder ever since.
And in that time, Wichita has become home to Mals. If it has happened at a Thunder game, he has seen it. That includes brawls in pregame warmups and coaches fighting.
Wichita Thunder Broadcaster Jason Mals studies game notes in preparation for his 1,000th broadcast on February 18 / Photo by Les Stockton (PHN)
He cites the 2004-05 playoff series against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs back in Wichita’s Central Hockey League days as his favorite memory in his time behind the microphone.
“We were playing the Mudbugs in game five, there was a brawl after the game and the two coaches got into a fight on the ice. Joel (Lomurno), our General Manager (and then broadcast partner) went on a 25-minute rant and I wish I still had the audio, because it was classic,” Mals said.
The series would go seven games before Scott Allison scored in the first minute of overtime to advance the Thunder into the next series against the Colorado Eagles.
“That series will always be one of my favorites,” he said.
He also recalled a New Year’s Eve game against Allen a few years ago, when the two teams didn’t even wait for the puck to drop before dropping the gloves.
“I was standing in the press area with Tommy Daniels (Allen Americans Broadcaster). Our team came on the ice, Dyson Stevenson got into a pushing match with someone from Allen and then all heck broke loose. It was crazy,” he said.
As someone who was no stranger to brawls during his playing days, Thunder Head Coach Bruce Ramsay applauded Mals’ accomplishment. Ramsay, who once played in Wichita, recently celebrated a milestone of his own by claiming his 500th career coaching win.
“Congratulations to my friend Jason Mals on broadcasting his 1,000th game in the same city. You always put forth your best effort and will help the organization in any way possible, love working with you, Malsy,” Ramsay said.
With Ramsay once playing for the Thunder then returning as the coach and Mals returning to the team after a hiatus, it begs the following question.
What makes living in Wichita and working for the Thunder organization special to him?
“I get to share the experience with my daughter,” he said. “If it wasn’t for her, I don’t think I would have made it this long. She has become a huge fan and she means the world to me.”
Wichita G.M. Joel T. Lomurno presents Jason Mals with a Thunder jersey to commemorate his 1,000th game as the team’s broadcaster as his daughter Hannah looks on (Courtesy photo)
Fellow 1,000 game club member and broadcaster for the Allen Americans, Daniels, congratulated Mals on his milestone.
“I’m very excited for him to reach such a big milestone, here’s to 1,000 more,” he said.
“Not only is he a great broadcaster and one of my best friends, his best quality is being an amazing dad to Hannah,” Daniels added.
While Mals admits his professional goal has always been to make it to the NHL level, he says being a father is the most important thing to him. He says that the most special thing about his role with the Thunder is the bond it has helped form with Hannah.
“I get to share it with my 14 year-old daughter. This past year, she has shown interest in getting into sports as a broadcaster herself, specifically hockey. I want to be able to share that moment with her as she goes through high school. I have thought about going to the AHL or applying for NHL jobs in the past, but my number one job is being her father,” Mals said.
Even though his original plans might not have included a lengthy stay in Wichita, it is clear that Mals is right at home in the Air Capital. The past few days has to make him feel even better to be there.
“I am extremely humbled and overwhelmed by the love from the fans. I never expected to be in Wichita this long, but its an honor and a privilege to wear the headset for this team,” Mals said.
Contact the author: John.Hall@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer: Les.Stockton@prohockeynews.com
Follow us on Twitter: @ProHockeyNews, @JohnHallPHN, @Les_Stockton
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