Five-goal start carries Thunder to victory over Fort Wayne
Four goals in a seven-minute stretch of the second period propelled the Thunder past the Fort Wayne Komets 5-3 on Sunday at Intrust Bank Arena.
The Thunder (6-3) grabbed the lead on a 2-on-1 opportunity for Alexis Loiseau that he took himself, putting it in the left side of the net with 8:45 to go in the first period.
Logan Nelson scored his first goal of the season 31 seconds into the second period. Loiseau scored again three minutes later on a shorthanded attack. Blake Tatchell scored three minutes later for a 4-0 lead, then Nelson made it 5-0 in 18 seconds.
“That second period was huge for us,” Thunder coach Malcolm Cameron said. “I think we came out with a lot of confidence and motivation to get work done.”
Fort Wayne broke the shutout before the end of the second period, then Cameron thought the wheels began to fall off.
“When we gave up that first goal, I think the guys started to panic,” Cameron said. “It comes with time and experience. We’ve got to be able to close games out.”
Thunder goalkeeper Scott Greenham had a big game back in goal, making 43 saves on 46 shots. Greenham, a veteran on this Thunder team used his leadership and awareness throughout the night.
“It’s hard to shut out opponents in this league,” Cameron said. “If you want to earn respect, which we haven’t yet … we’re going to have to close out games greasy and the hard way. You’ve got to play with poise and steady to do that.”
Wichita took the 5-1 lead going into the third period, but Fort Wayne became more physical continued to take shots and take advantage of Thunder penalties.
“We kind of shot ourselves in the foot late from penalties,” Cameron said. “You don’t want to do that … you don’t want to give them any momentum because of dumb and lazy penalties. That’s like putting gas in the engine and sucking it out of ours.”
Fort Wayne scored twice in the first nine minutes of the third period to pull within two, but the Thunder’s defense stepped up after a timeout called by Cameron.
Wichita stays at home for a three-game series with the Alaska Aces beginning on Friday night.
“We’ve got a very good Alaska team coming in,” Cameron said. “It’s the first time we’re ever playing the same team in three straight games, so it should be interesting.”
Fort Wayne | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | 3 |
Wichita | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 5 |
First period
Scoring: 1. Wichita, Loiseau 6 (Trecapelli, Dunn). Penalties: Cazzola, Fort Wayne (hooking minor), 10:43; Beaupre, Fort Wayne (tripping minor), 16:13; Sol, Fort Wayne (slashing minor), 20:00; Szydlowski, Fort Wayne (delay of game), 20:00; Melindy, Wic (delay of game), 20:00.
Second period
Scoring: 2. Wichita, Nelson 1 (Trecapelli, Loiseau); 3. Wichita, Loiseau 7 (no assist); 4. Wichita, Tatchell 1 (Holmberg, Erkamps); 5. Wichita, Nelson 2 (no assist); 1. Fort Wayne, Friedmann 4 (Baptista). Penalties: Marcotte, Wichita (hooking minor), 3:03; Cheek, Fort Wayne (roughing minor), 8:19; Cheek, Fort Wayne (misconduct, continuing altercation), 8:19; Sol, Fort Wayne (roughing minor), 8:19; Nemcik, Wichita (roughing minor), 8:19; Tesink, Wichita (high-sticking minor), 8:19; Tesink, Wichita (roughing minor), 8:19; Tesink, Wichita (misconduct, continuing altercation), 8:19; Melindy, Wichita (slashing minor), 14:21; Nelson, Wichita (hooking minor), 18:23.
Third period
Scoring: 2. Fort Wayne, Schaafsma 5 (Szydlowski, Sol); 3. Szydlowski 6 (Sol, Embach). Penalties: Baptista, Fort Wayne (high-sticking minor), 11:44; Schaafsma, Fort Wayne (slashing minor), 16:32; Oslanksi, Wichita (slashing minor), 16:32; Tesink, Wichita (unsportsmanlike conduct minor), 16:32; Nelson, Wichita (cross-checking minor), 19:27.
Power plays: Wichita 1-4, Fort Wayne 0-6. Shots on goal: Wichita 11-7-5—23, Fort Wayne 8-16-22—46. Saves: Wichita, Greenham, 43 saves on 46 shots; Fort Wayne, Hartzell, 12 saves on 16 shots; Asmundson, 6 saves on 7 shots. A: 4,073.
This story was originally published November 13, 2016 at 7:46 PM with the headline "Five-goal start carries Thunder to victory over Fort Wayne."