Wichita Eagle: Wichita Thunder

Thunder’s Russo makes 42 saves in shutout

Lionel Tipton — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:26 CST

The Wichita Thunder capitalized on a stellar game in goal from Adam Russo and utilized efficiency on offense to record its sixth straight victory, a 3-0 triumph Friday night over Tulsa at Intrust Bank Arena.

“Russo saved our bacon a couple of times,” said Matt Robinson, who scored his 20th and 21st goals of the season, taking the team lead in that category.

Russo, pressured virtually all game by a relentless Oilers attack, was more than up to the challenge, stopping all 42 Tulsa shots to record his third shutout of the season.

Thunder’s Wight checks in every night

Jeffrey Lutz — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:28 CST

Travis Wight’s most significant attribute is so important to the Thunder that coach Kevin McClelland won’t even address it.

Wight is one of two players, along with fellow defenseman Jarred Mohr, who has played in every game for Wichita this season. Wight’s streak dates back to the beginning of last season, and tonight should be Wight’s 111th straight regular-season game with the team.

McClelland’s fear of a jinx is plausible. Wichita has seen several of its most dependable players lost to injury recently, and recognizing Mohr’s streak would go against the superstitions many coaches harbor.

Jeffrey Lutz’s CHL Report (Feb. 8)

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:04 CST

The CHL trading deadline passed Tuesday evening without so much as a hot rumor coming out of Wichita. The Thunder, for various reasons, did not execute a move, and will likely play out the final 23 regular-season games with essentially the same roster it currently has.

Several top Wichita players inhabit the injury list, which keeps the team from dealing players they probably didn’t want to trade, anyway. The players who have seen extended ice time in light of those injuries have largely performed well, making the search for an upgrade even more difficult.

Thunder coach Kevin McClelland said there were potential moves to be made, but a combination of the injuries and Wichita’s already overloaded roster — albeit with several unavailable players — caused the team to pass on making a move.

The Thunder's greatest players: No. 9 Bob Berg

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:04 CST

For the 20th anniversary season, we asked Thunder fans to vote on the team’s 20 greatest players. We’ll introduce on a week throughout the season.

No. 9: Bob Berg

Berg was a mainstay on both Thunder championship teams (1994, 1995), scoring 101 points in each season. He was just as effective in the playoffs, tallying 40 goals over 21 postseason games. The left winger also tallied 141 and 122 penalty minutes in the championship seasons. He re-joined the team in 1996-97 (85 points) and part of the 1999-2000 season.

Thunder tops Laredo

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:53 CST

Matt Robinson had a goal and two assists, and four Thunder teammates each added a goal as Wichita beat Laredo 5-2 on Saturday night in Laredo, Texas.

Matt Summers had a goal and an assist; R.G. Flath, Chris Chappell and Dustin Donaghy also had goals as the Thunder maintained its lead in the Berry Conference. It was the second road victory in two nights for Wichita.

Adam Russo made 23 saves in the victory.

Thunder’s quick sting crushes Killer Bees

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:18 CST

R.G. Flath scored a pair of first-period goals to help send the Thunder on its way to a 4-1 victory over Rio Grande Valley on Friday in Hidalgo, Texas.

Flath’s goals capped a three-goal flurry for the Thunder in a span of 3 minutes, 5 seconds. Matt Robinson started the spree with a goal at 11:38.

Chris Chappell scored the final goal at 13:49 of the third period.

Thunder’s Chappell making most of opportunity

Jeffrey Lutz — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:50 CST

Several of the Thunder’s top players are lost to injuries, and the timing couldn’t be better for Chris Chappell.

Normally a third-line player who helps on penalty killing, Chappell has been thrust into extended duty with many of his fellow forwards on the shelf.

In just a few days, Chappell went from being the Thunder’s eighth-highest scoring forward to its third — since five ahead of him are hurt. In one of his first games as a more relied-upon option, he registered a hat trick Sunday against Quad City.

Jeffrey Lutz’s CHL report (Feb. 1)

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:47 CST

The Thunder has kept its seamstresses busy this season.

Wichita’s best players have come and gone due to injuries and promotions, and the jersey lettering signifying the Thunder’s captain and alternate captains have been just as well traveled.

For now, they’re resting with captain Travis Wight and alternates Alex Bourret and Andrew Martens. Bourret and Martens were recently re-assigned to the Thunder after stints in the AHL.

The Thunder's greatest players: No. 10 Sean O'Reilly

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:04 CST

For the 20th anniversary season, we asked Thunder fans to vote on the team’s 20 greatest players. We’ll introduce one a week throughout the season.

No. 10: Sean O’Reilly

O’Reilly’s professional career lasted just five years, but all were in Wichita and he quickly became a fan favorite when he arrived in 1997. He retired in 2002 as the Thunder’s career leader in penalty minutes (926) and points by a defenseman (169). A tough defenseman, he had the nickname “Junkyard Dawg” and his own cheering section in the Kansas Coliseum, “The Dawg Pound.”

Unexpected sources propel Thunder in easy victory over Quad City

LIONEL TIPTON — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:48 CST

The Wichita Thunder, reeling from an onslaught of injuries, got relief from a couple of unlikely sources Sunday evening.

Right wing Chris Chappell recorded a hat trick — doubling his scoring output for the entire season — and newcomer Brian Hogan was sparkling in goal as the Thunder dispatched the Quad City Mallards, 5-1, at Intrust Bank Arena.

The victory gave the Thunder 56 points and pushed them into first place in the Berry Conference, one point ahead of Allen, which defeated Rio Grande Valley, 4-1. Wichita edged Tulsa in overtime, 3-2, Saturday.

Thunder outlasts Tulsa in overtime

JEFFREY LUTZ — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:05 CST

Friday’s blowout loss to Allen wasn’t stricken from the record, but the effects of it were wiped out for the Thunder on Saturday.

A night after suffering its most damaging defeat of the season, short-handed Wichita grinded through a 3-2 overtime win over Tulsa at Intrust Bank Arena. The Thunder regained first place in the Berry Conference by one point after a loss by Allen.

The long list of injuries for the Thunder is almost certain to catch up to it eventually, but Wichita got to set Friday’s shutout aside and enjoy a satisfying win over its fiercest rival.

Thunder’s Seibel produces when given an opportunity

Jeffrey Lutz — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:20 CST

Favorable circumstances allowed Thunder defenseman Kevin Seibel to enjoy the most productive night of his professional career on Wednesday.

His hat trick against Arizona was out of character for a player who has never scored more than six goals in a pro season. Seibel has been on a scoring surge lately, and the only thing different about Wednesday’s game, an 8-4 Wichita win, was that Seibel was the one delivering the goals.

In his previous 13 games, Seibel had 13 points — all assists. But against a pourous Arizona defense and with extended playing time, Seibel proved he could add to the list of accomplished Thunder goal scorers.

Thunder hammers Sundogs 8-4

Jeffrey Lutz — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:55 CST

Arizona ranks highly in two Central Hockey League statistical categories, and both of them serve the Thunder well.

The Sundogs are second in the league in shots, creating a fast-paced game with rapid line shifts built for teams with superior depth.

They’re second in major penalties, bringing a physical style that Wichita can easily match.

Bourret is back with Thunder

Jeffrey Lutz — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:51 CST

Alex Bourret had something to prove when he was sent to the American Hockey League late last month, climbing a rung above the Central Hockey League.

Bourret didn’t score a goal in six games with Worcester, but he came away from the brief experience with a sense of accomplishment.

"My goal for next year is to go to Europe, so it doesn’t really matter if I’m playing in the AHL this year," Bourret said. "It was more for me, because I didn’t like the way I finished my career in the AHL before. I didn’t get signed back and I got sent (to Wichita), so I just wanted to prove to everybody that I was good enought to play there."

The Thunder’s 20 greatest players: No. 11 Dave Doucette

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:04 CST

Before the season, we asked fans to weigh in with the franchise’s greatest players — 20 for 20 seasons. We’ll introduce one each week through the season.

No. 11: Dave Doucette

The left-handed shooter was a big part of the team’s second Central Hockey League championship in 1994-95. At age 29, the defenseman had 20 goals and 70 assists — good for second on the team in scoring. He also had 12 playoff assists in 11 games. Doucette returned to Wichita for 39 games the next season.

Sluggish start sinks Thunder

JEFFREY LUTZ — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:34 CST

The goal Wichita needed to give the team a much-needed energy boost came later than expected on Sunday against Texas, but not too late for the Thunder to build on it.

Even when it faced a two-goal deficit late in the third period, Wichita was still aggressive, trying to prevent the Brahmas from winning a game between the Berry Conference opponents for the second straight night.

The Thunder’s enthusiasm was evident in the third quarter, but it never scored the equalizer, paying for a sluggish start in a 3-2 loss to Texas at Intrust Bank Arena. Wichita lost in the return of Alex Bourret, who was reassigned to Wichita after being promoted to the AHL on Dec. 28.

Thunder busts Brahmas in Texas

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:24 CST

The Thunder scored three consecutive goals in the third period to seize control of Friday’s game in North Richland Hills, Texas, beating the Brahmas 4-3 in the first of three games in three nights between the teams.

Texas took a 2-1 lead with a goal by Phil Fox at the 5:33 mark of the third period.

Wichita tied the score just over a minute later o na goal from Chris Greene. R.J. Flath put the Thunder ahead 3-2 at the 13:27 mark, then scored again less than two minutes later to make it 4-2.

Thunder begins long weekend with Brahmas

Jeffrey Lutz — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:59 CST

In a closely-contested race for a league championship, any teams can become temporary rivals.

There will be no more fierce feud in the CHL this weekend than the one between Texas and the Thunder. Separated by seven points in the Berry Conference, the teams meet for three straight nights, starting tonight in Richland Hills, Texas.

Tempers often escalate between teams during a single 60-minute game, so by the time the teams play in Wichita on Sunday, after a five-hour, late-night bus ride, the brief rivalry will have surely intensified.

The Thunder’s 20 greatest players: No. 12 Paul Jackson

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:04 CST

Before the season, we asked fans to vote on the 20 greatest Thunder players for 20 seasons in Wichita. We’ll introduce one player each week throughout the season.

No. 12 Paul Jackson

Jackson spent just one year in Wichita, but it was as productive as any in team history. Jackson scored a league-best 71 goals and tallied 64 assists, leading the Central Hockey League with 135 points. He had 11 goals and 12 assists in 11 playoff games in leading the Thunder to its first league championship.

Jeffrey Lutz’s CHL Report (Jan. 18)

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:04 CST

WHO WILL IT BE?

This is the time of year when hockey rosters at every level are the most in flux, and the Thunder has dealt with defection during the past three weeks.

This week’s loss didn’t hurt as badly as those of the previous two, but the Thunder is seeing its superior depth suffer as players are promoted or opt for new challenges.