TULSA, OK – Wichita held off a furious rally on Friday night, knocking off Tulsa, 5-4, at the BOK Center. 
The Thunder raced out to a 4-1 lead with three goals in the opening frame. The Oilers battled back but fell short in the second meeting of the season between the longtime rivals.
Kyle Crnkovic led the way with two goals while Jay Dickman and Donavan Houle each had two points. Matt Davis earned the win, stopping 49 shots.
Tulsa got on the board first just 6:44 into the game. Adam McMaster snuck in behind the defense and beat Davis for his eighth of the year.
Wichita answered less than three minutes later with a goal from Spencer Blackwell. He crashed the net and tipped home a rebound off a one-timer from Declan Smith for his fourth of the season.
At 14:59, Bates gave the Thunder their first lead. Nolan Kneen intercepted a centering pass in the slot. He fed it up the ice to Bates in the neutral zone and he beat Noah Giesbrecht through the five-hole for his fifth of the year.
Crnkovic made it 3-1 with less than a minute to go in the opening frame. Dickman fished a loose puck free in the corner, found Crnkovic in the right circle and he beat Giesbrecht to the far side for his fourth of the campaign.
In the second, Crnkovic tacked on his second of the contest to make it 4-1. After Davis made a save on one end, Houle fired a long outlet pass to Crnkovic in the neutral zone. He came in up the left wing and fired a shot through Giesbrecht.
Konnor Smith cut the lead to two at 16:26. Drew Elliot made a nice play at the top of the circles, found Smith on the weakside and he beat Davis with a backhand shot over the blocker to make it 4-2.
Tulsa cut the lead to one at 8:38 of the third. Elliot was able to race past a Thunder blueliner up the right wing and tucked in a shot past Davis to make it 4-3.
Houle re-gained a two-goal advantage for the Thunder at 10:58. Kneen blocked a shot in the slot. Wichita started a four-on-one back the other way. Ryan Finnegan threaded the needle to the far post and Houle scored his sixth of the year to make it 5-3.
Mike McKee tallied his first of the year in his 500th game in a Tulsa uniform. He snapped home a loose puck in the slot to cut it to 5-4.
Davis survived the siege, stopping 20 shots in the final frame and Wichita held on for the win.
With the victory, the Thunder have won back-to-back games and four of their last five outings and get back to .500 both on the road (5-5-1-0) and in the standings (8-8-2-1).
Wichita gave up 50 or more shots for the second time in the last four games. The Thunder also gave up 22 shots in the third, which is a season-high for shots against in a period.
Crnkovic netted his first multi-goal contest of the season and has six points in his last four games. Dickman added two helpers, giving him three points in his last two. Houle has three points in his last two as well. Blackwell has goals in back-to-back games.
Wichita went 0-for-3 on the power play. Tulsa was 0-for-3 on the man advantage.
The Thunder returns home tomorrow night to host the Oilers at INTRUST Bank Arena. Faceoff is set for 6:05 p.m.
Follow the yellow brick road straight to INTRUST Bank Arena this Saturday night as we honor a Kansas staple. The Thunder will rebrand for one night, renamed the Wichita Tinmen. The team will wear special Tinmen-themed uniforms that will be auctioned online on the Thunder DASH Auction page.
Single game tickets for all games are on sale now. Wichita returns home on Saturday, December 6 to host Tulsa for Oz Night. Help us honor the Wizard of Oz and get a chance to win a trip to see Wicked on Broadway. Buy tickets HERE.
Season tickets are still on sale for the 2025-26 season. Lock in your seats and catch all the high paced, hard-hitting action at INTRUST Bank Arena. Click HERE now to learn how you can get your seats reserved and start paying now.
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