Arsenau’s return lifts Thunder past Missouri

It’s too early to say that Vincent Arseneau is doing the work of six men, but for one weekend, his return to the Thunder lineup was an even tradeoff.

The Thunder has a half-dozen players with Triple-A Binghamton, most recently losing leading scorer Alexis Loiseau to a promotion. Arseneau returned Friday and led Wichita to a pair of weekend wins, including a 4-3 victory over Missouri on Sunday at Intrust Bank Arena.

Arseneau, who missed 15 games due to injury, had a goal and an assist in Saturday’s win over Allen, then scored two goals with an assist on Sunday. He helped preserve the victory with a stalwart defensive performance in the final minutes.

“For the seven weeks I was out, I was working hard,” Arseneau said. “Make sure when I get back in the lineup that I was at my best. The first game was a little bit of an adjustment, but still played a pretty good game – I was working hard. …To get a win today, I was really happy about it.”

Arseneau showed little rust and an ability to immediately blend in with teammates. He began the season on a line with Loiseau and Louick Marcotte, and though he was assisted by Marcotte for one goal on Sunday, most of his time was spent with Matt DeBlouw and Ryan Tesink.

The playmaking ability is what makes Arseneau, an ECHL champion last year with Allen last season and one of the Thunder’s alternate captains, such an indispensable piece for Wichita even when the team isn’t short-handed.

But his contributions extend beyond offense, like when Arseneau blocked two point-blank shots as the Thunder clung to a one-goal lead down the stretch on Sunday.

“There’s a reason he’s a winner, and he’s a mature pro,” Thunder coach Malcolm Cameron said. “He just knows where to be, he knows what needs to be done, you don’t have to tell him. He knows the system and he’s a details guy. He typically hasn’t been a huge point producer, but he’s matured as a player.

“He puts himself in good position offensively and defensively and he’s extremely accountable. If he makes a mistake, he owns it on the bench, which is what a real leader does.”

Wichita led Missouri 4-1 before the Mavericks scored two quick goals about midway through the third period. The Thunder played passively after taking a two-goal lead, which was quickly seized upon.

The Thunder never rediscovered the offensive production but matched – then exceeded – Missouri’s aggressiveness for much of the final 10 minutes. Wichita staved off a penalty in the final four minutes, then stopped a 6-on-5 disadvantage when the Mavericks deployed an extra attacker.

“Now the next step for us is to close out a game like this 4-1 – or 5-1,” Cameron said. “Usually on a Sunday game, when teams are tired like they are, it’s tougher to score. … We started to get a little (eager) for that fifth goal – we don’t need to.

Because at some point in time they’re going to have to play risky to get back into the game, and if you stay patient, you’re going to catch them all out of position and bury that fifth one. Then it’s all over.”

This story was originally published December 11, 2016 at 8:16 PM with the headline "Arsenau’s return lifts Thunder past Missouri."