Thunder still trying to establish an identity

Fourteen games into its first ECHL season, the Thunder still seems to be trying to figure out what it is.

On some nights, Wichita is aggressive and up-tempo from the start and can maintain the energy for all three periods. The Thunder establishes the tone with a physical game, led by a bruising combination of defensemen Theo Peckham and Dan Milan and forward Erick Lizon that few opponents can match.

Other nights, Wichita takes too long to find that comfort zone. The Thunder usually finds it later, but sometimes it’s too late. Wichita has outshot every opponent since Nov. 9 but won three of eight games.

“We’ve got to learn how to win some of these tight games,” Thunder coach Kevin McClelland said. “We’ll fall short in shootouts or one-goal games, where we need to have better records in those situations and find ways to win.”

Even though the Thunder almost never faces insurmountable early deficits, sluggish first periods have contributed to many of its recent defeats.

In the five losses since Nov. 9, Wichita has been outshot in the first period 52-37. The Thunder has outshot the opponents in those games 223-119 over the final two periods and extra time, but lately that abundance hasn’t led to overwhelming production.

The Thunder’s 6-0 win over Missouri last weekend, even though it didn’t produce an exorbitant shot total (31), looks like an outlier because Wichita hasn’t topped three goals any other time since Nov. 1.

“At home, we’ve got to be a lot better and we’ve got to dictate,” McClelland said. “It’s situations where, if we’re in the penalty box, it’s going to be a lot of lopsided shot advantages. We’ve just got to make sure we play hard and play on our toes, not back on our heels.”

The nature of shots and scoring can be fickle depending on a team’s special teams play or its goaltending. Some of the Thunder’s inconsistencies have come from areas where Wichita should have more control.

Against Missouri, the Thunder established a physical edge with hard hits and challenges – which were rebuffed – to fight Mavericks players. Wichita was crisp with its passes and the offense executed more fluidly than in most games.

If that advantage is more frequently established, the Thunder could often survive on three or fewer goals. If Wichita plays hesitantly from a physical standpoint, more offense will likely become necessary.

The Missouri win was the first time those elements blended together at their highest levels.

“A lot of that, too, is momentum shifts with power plays and bad goals against or weak goals against,” McClelland said. “We’ve got to make sure, from the goaltender out, we’re ready to go every night. Adversity is going to creep up on you every night in a hockey game. We’ve just got to make sure we’re above that.”

Thunder coat drive – Any fan who brings a coat or item of clothing to Sunday’s game against Tulsa will receive a voucher that can be redeemed for a free upper-level ticket for the Jan. 11 game against Evansville.

This story was originally published November 25, 2014 at 6:47 PM with the headline "Thunder still trying to establish an identity."