Wichita Thunder holds off Missouri in 5-4 win

Missouri pulled goaltender Josh Robinson for the final two minutes against the Thunder on Friday night, giving the Mavericks a 6-on-5 advantage down the stretch. But Wichita never appeared outnumbered.

While the Thunder would have preferred turning an early four-goal lead into a more comfortable victory, Wichita had enough in reserve to produce crucial defensive stands late in a 5-4 win over Missouri in front of 10,490 fans at Intrust Bank Arena.

Wichita’s defensemen – and some forwards – blocked several Missouri attempts during the final two minutes and created efficient spacing that prevented the Mavericks from exploiting openings.

So while the threat of Missouri rallying from a 4-0 deficit was real, it was squashed by a Thunder team playing its second home game in nearly a month and playing just as desperately as the Mavericks in the final minutes.

“We only gave up six shots in the third and two of them went in,” Thunder coach Kevin McClelland said. “That fourth goal made it close and those usually don’t go in.”

Josh Brittain scored for Missouri to make it 5-4 with more than seven minutes to go. Wichita goalie Tim Boron initially left the crease to stop the shot but it scooted past him. Unlike a similar occurrence early in the game when Boron quickly pounced on an escaping puck, he couldn’t wrangle this one.

Missouri’s offense stalled after that, even as the Mavericks pushed hard for the equalizer.

Wichita used plenty of its emotional supply on the four first-period goals, and while the Thunder may have admittedly relaxed some with a big lead, it rediscovered its spirit when it mattered.

“I think when you get up 4-0, it’s kind of good and bad,” said Justin Bernhardt, who scored two goals in his home debut for the Thunder. “You lose a little bit of focus. Sometimes you think that it’s 4-0 and you get away with a turnover here and there.

“In just a matter of minutes of period length teams can come back, and it was a nail-biter at the end.”

The plays that didn’t go in Wichita’s favor in the first period seemed more notable than those that did. Jared Walker scored the first goal when he swiped at an airborne puck with his stick, getting just enough of it to get it by Mike Clemente on a goal that was held up under review.

RG Flath scored a wraparound goal – the goal that led to Clemente’s removal – bookended by Bernhardt’s first two goals for the Thunder in his fourth game. Bernhardt left a team in Germany in December and hadn’t played for about a month, but he made an immediate impression on Wichita’s biggest home crowd of the season.

“I haven’t played for a bit before, but getting back into shape and getting into the swings and playing at home felt really good,” Bernhardt said.

Missouri scored consecutive goals to make it 4-2, but Kenton Miller halted its momentum with a goal that the Thunder ended up needed but that also felt important at the time. The goal, which came with less than two minutes to go in the second, gave Wichita something to show for refocused play after Missouri scored twice.

“You have to (stay aggressive with a big lead),” McClelland said. “We started running around even when it was 4-1, then we go out and have a terrible first shift at the beginning of the second period and they make it 4-2. Then we control the rest of the second period and make it interesting again at the end.”

This story was originally published February 14, 2015 at 8:02 AM with the headline "Wichita Thunder holds off Missouri in 5-4 win."