Thunder begins last drive for a playoff spot

The Thunder seemed to give an indication of its identity over this hockey season’s first 61 games, but it goes into the final five without those to fall back on.

That’s because the Thunder enters the home stretch – all of the remaining games are at Intrust Bank Arena – on a six-game losing streak that may necessitate winning the rest to reach the postseason.

Wichita is five points behind Tulsa for the final playoff spot from the ECHL Central Division. Those teams meet twice over the final 10 days, and the Thunder has two remaining games, including Wednesday’s, with division-leader Allen.

The Thunder is desperate for offense, having scored 10 goals during the losing streak.

“We keep making mistakes in close games,” Thunder coach Kevin McClelland said. “I know we’ve lost six in a row, and we’d done so well on that seven-game road trip, and we come back and lose a couple close ones in our building.

“We’ve got to find a way to win. We’ll find ways to lose.”

The Central, where Allen has clinched the title, is the only division in which fewer than two teams have clinched playoff berths. Four points separate Rapid City, Quad City and Tulsa, with Wichita slipping after losing eight of its last 10 games.

Games against Allen aren’t typically welcome, but the Thunder can hope for rejuvenation since Wichita’s last stretch of successful hockey came against the Americans.

The Thunder defeated Allen in consecutive games in March before a 4-3 home loss to Allen started the losing streak.

The wins over the Americans gave the Thunder four victories during a seven-game road swing and seemed to plant Wichita firmly in the postseason picture with all but two of the remaining 11 games at home.

Fatigue and injuries appear to have set in. The Thunder has had multiple long road trips in the second half of the season that seem to have caught up with it. Wichita has been outscored 14-3 over the last three games.

“You don’t want to use that as a crutch and you don’t want that around,” McClelland said. “March was a real tough month, obviously, and the last two weekends we’ve played four (games) in five nights both weekends. We just finished eight (games) in 12 (nights) and obviously guys are going to be tired.”

Wichita has been without forward Ian Duval, who has 27 points in 40 games, since March 8, and fourth-leading scorer Kenton Miller recently returned from an absence of more than three weeks.

The Thunder also learned that Nikita Kashirsky, a 39-point scorer in 60 games, will miss the rest of the season due to injury. Wichita’s scoring hasn’t been a hallmark throughout the season, and the offense has taken hits at inopportune times.

“We went through a lot earlier and still got through that and found our way,” McClelland said. “Miller’s back now, but he had a little time off. Duval brings so much speed. Now Kashirsky is out for the year.

“It never ends.”

This story was originally published March 31, 2015 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Thunder begins last drive for a playoff spot."