Road wins spark 5-game winning streak for Wichita Thunder to keep playoff hopes alive
The Wichita Thunder have revived their playoff chances on the road, a place where the team had struggled all season.
But road wins have fueled a five-game winning streak, which was extended on Saturday with a 4-3 overtime win over the Indy Fuel on a power-play goal scored by 21-year-old defenseman Lleyton Moore.
It marked the fourth straight road win by Wichita, which had just three road wins before the winning streak began with a 5-3 road win over the first-place Kansas City Mavericks on Feb. 17.
Needing a top-four finish in the Mountain division to qualify for the Kelly Cup playoffs, the Thunder (45 points) are within striking distance of the Utah Grizzlies (49 points) for the final postseason spot with 20 games remaining in the regular season.
The Indy Fuel entered the back-to-back series against the Thunder on a 7-game winning streak, but Wichita ended that with a 4-1 win on Friday followed by the overtime thriller on Saturday.
The two teams traded goals in Saturday’s game, as Wichita’s three goals in regulation were scored by right-winger Mitchell Russell, forward Bradley Marek and defenseman Nolan Keen. Goaltender Trevor Gorsuch notched 12 saves in the third period to keep Indy off the scoreboard and force overtime.
Moore, who has recorded points in three straight games, netted his first career overtime winner when he came down the left seam and slotted a wrist shot past the goaltender with 2 minutes, 43 seconds left in the extra period.
Jay Dickman extended his point streak to six games with an assist on Kneen’s goal, as he has tallied four goals and eight assists during that span. Quinn Preston also has assists in five straight games, while Kobe Walker (assist) has points in his last four.
Wichita has a five-day break in its schedule before returning to action with another road game at Kansas City on March 1 before hosting its annual Star Wars night against the Allen Americans at Intrust Bank Arena on Saturday, March 2.
This story was originally published February 25, 2024 at 6:02 AM.
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