‘We all dream about’ this: Thunder rally to force decisive Game 5 in ECHL playoffs
The Wichita Thunder staved off elimination to force a decisive Game 5 against the Fort Wayne Komets on Monday night in the ECHL Western Conference semifinals.
With their season on the line, the Thunder rallied for three goals in the third period for a 4-2 win on Saturday at Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne to tie up the best-of-5 series against the Komets. The winner of Monday’s 6:30 p.m. game between Wichita and Fort Wayne will advance in the Kelly Cup playoffs to face the Allen Americans.
“That was one of the best periods of hockey we’ve played in a long time,” Thunder coach Bruce Ramsay said. “We came out in a flurry and had a lot of chances. They just found a way to fight back and now put ourselves in a situation that we all dream about as kids playing in that final game in the playoffs with everything on the line.”
Wichita scored the first goal of Saturday’s game when Spencer Dorowicz’s pass deflected off a skate and into the back of the net nine minutes into the game. Fort Wayne tied the game just two minutes later and the game headed to the third period still tied at 1-1.
Down to possibly their final 20 minutes of the season, the Thunder produced their best hockey. Matteo Gennaro broke the tie less than a minute into the third period, as he fired a shot past the Fort Wayne goalkeeper to make it 2-1.
Gennaro would score again just four minutes later, as he converted on a break on a one-timer from a Came Clarke pass to put the Thunder up 3-1.
There was some nervous tension when Fort Wayne clawed one back with 2:24 remaining in the third period to trim Wichita’s lead to 3-2, but the Thunder iced the game when Fort Wayne pulled its goalkeeper and Bobby McMann stole a pass in the neutral zone and fed it ahead to Anthony Beauregard, who was recently named the ECHL’s MVP, for an empty-net goal to provide the final scoreline and set up the do-or-die Game 5.
“You’ve got two choices: you can either go home or you can keep playing,” Ramsay said. “We’ve been through a 71-game regular season playing in a pandemic and the guys have done an amazing job putting us in this position we’re in right now. We have a big-time family atmosphere with this group and I don’t think anybody is ready to go home yet. This is why we play the game to be in games like these.”
After four tightly-contested games, Ramsay said there’s not many adjustments to be made in the series against the Komets. The Thunder will focus on what they do well and what made them the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.
“We’re just going to stress the little things that we’ve been doing, like managing the puck and our special teams,” Ramsay said. “But we don’t want to overtax these guys. We just want them to go out there and have some fun and enjoy the moment.”
This story was originally published June 13, 2021 at 2:56 PM.
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