Ian Lowe’s Two-Goals Not Enough to Halt Thunder’s Losing Streak
The Wichita Thunder have been struggling to find some scoring of late, netting just two-goals in the five games prior to the team coming to take on the Tulsa Oilers this weekend. However, the offense has come alive in Tulsa, scoring six goals, including three Sunday evening, but the team still fell, as the Oilers prevailed 5-3 sending the Thunder to their seventh loss in a row. This despite 2-goals by Ian Lowe, his first two goals of the season.
The Thunder took the lead a little less than 11-minutes into the first. Ryan Tesink passed to Lowe who fired a one-timer past Tulsa goalie Jamie Phillips to make it 1-0.
A little less than three minutes later a mistake by the Thunder netminder would lead to a goal. Peter Di Salvo was caught out of position and Phil Brewer capitalized, using the wraparound to put the puck into the net to tie the score. It was Brewer’s ninth goal of the season.
The score was tied heading into the second period, when the Tulsa Oilers would just dominate. At the 6:42 mark, Christopher Lalancette stole the puck in the neutral zone and headed in on a breakaway. He would beat the keeper to make it 2-1.
The Thunder would get the goal back about 200-seconds later. Lowe passed to Gerrad Grant near the net. He gained control of the pass with his feet and then beat Phillips between the legs for his third goal of the season.
From there the Oilers took control of the game. Three straight unanswered goals put them in command. The first came when Tulsa was on the power-play. Wes Cunningham took a shot that the Thunder goalie stopped, but Shawn Bates put in the rebound for his eighth goal of the season.
Just 26-seconds later, Tyson Wilson ripped a shot that went over the left shoulder of Di Salvo and into the net. That was his second goal of the year.
With 13-seconds left in the period Kale Kessy would add the second power-play goal of the night for the Oilers. Wilson’s shot from the point was tipped by Kessy and past the Wichita goalie to make it 5-2. It was Kessy’s fourth goal of the year.
The Thunder would cut the deficit to two early in the third period. Grant’s shot was saved by Phillips, but Lowe was Johnny on the spot, putting back in the rebound to make it 5-3.
Wichita pulled their goalie with about two minutes left in the game and had their chances to score, but Phillips coolly preserved the two-goal lead. The Tulsa Oilers would win by the 5-3 final.
The line of Lowe, Grant, and Tesink was brilliant on the night for the Wichita Thunder. The three tallied all three goals and combined for eight points. Lowe had 2-goals and an assist. Grant had a goal and 2-assists, and Tesink added 2-assists. The Tulsa Oilers got a goal and an assist from Bates and Wilson.
The loss was the seventh straight for the Wichita Thunder. The team heads home to take on the Cincinnati Cyclones on Wednesday night looking to end the losing skid. The puck drops at 7:05.
By Robert Pannier