Last-place Thunder hosts Missouri

The Thunder’s division has only been divisive so far this hockey season.

There are three teams ahead of Wichita in the ECHL Central, while the Thunder sits in a distant last place in large part because of its performance against Missouri, Allen and Tulsa.

Missouri, the league’s top team and Tuesday’s Thunder opponent, has been virtually unbeatable against everyone — the Mavericks’ 28-3-1-1 record is the best in professional hockey.

But Allen and Tulsa, both comfortably over .500 but not threatening the record books like Missouri, present obtainable targets that would be in much easier reach if the Thunder hadn’t performed poorly against them, too.

“(Tulsa) is a team that, if we’re going to do anything, we’ve probably got to leapfrog over,” Thunder coach Kevin McClelland said. “But if they get two points (in the standings) and we’re getting one every night, it’s not going to happen. We’ve got to push and we’ve got to make sure we (catch) them, but every point right now is vital.”

The Thunder has played 22 games against its division opponents and won three – all against Tulsa, all by one goal and two in post-regulation. Tulsa has won the other six games in a series that will resume four more times this season, but once before April.

Tulsa has won six of nine meetings and outscored Wichita 22-18, partially responsible for the third-place Oilers’ 15-point lead on the Thunder in the Central.

The best chance for the Thunder to gain divisional ground is against Allen, even though Wichita has lost all four games this year. The games have been mostly competitive, but two early three-goal victories for Allen make up the majority of a 15-7 scoring advantage.

Against Missouri, the Thunder has often been without hope. Four of the first five games were decided by a single goal, but since Nov. 21 Missouri has gone 5-0 against Wichita and outscored the Thunder 27-9.

“I’ve been in the league for four years, and Missouri is the best team I’ve played against — even played with,” Wichita defenseman Dan Milan said.

Last season, Tulsa helped keep the Thunder out of the playoffs by winning 12 of 14 meetings, mostly nullifying Wichita’s 17-12 record against Missouri and Allen.

Wichita plays more out-of-division games this year, including several upcoming, but its fate will probably once again be decided by its most frequent foes. The rivalries have swung with nine one-goal losses by Wichita to Central opponents.

“I think that’s on our forwards a little bit,” Wichita’s Andy Huff said. “I think we need to bear down on some of our chances, myself included, and maybe put a couple more in the net. Then we can start winning games 2-1 or 3-1.”

This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 8:15 PM with the headline "Last-place Thunder hosts Missouri."