WICHITA, KS – The Wichita Thunder saw their two-goal advantage evaporate as the Tulsa Oilers rallied for two goals in the second period to tie the score at three. However, Wichita scored three third period goals to skate away with a 6-3 victory. Michal Stinil had a goal and two assists and Dylan MacPherson, Jay Dickman, and Brayden Watson each had two points. The victory snapped a three-game winless streak for the club.

Wichita jumped out in front, scoring two power-play goals within the first 12 minutes of the contest. The first came 2:49 into the game when Watts fed Stinil at the right face-off circle. He lifted a laser shot that beat Oilers netminder Gage Alexander over the shoulder for his 18th goal of the season.

Just before the 12-minute mark, Peter Bates extended the lead to two. Kenny Hausinger gained control of the puck inside his own zone, finding Bates wide open at the Tulsa blueline. Bates moved in on a breakaway, looking like he would go to his forehand before shifting back to his backhand, tucking the puck just inside the post for his seventh goal of the year.

With just under three minutes left in the first period, Max Golod cut the deficit in half. He created a turnover at the redline, passed the puck to Logan Nihjoff, who then fed it back to Golod. The Tulsa forward blasted a shot that beat Strauss Mann to make it 2-1.

Wichita restored the two-goal advantage 4:42 into the second period. Kelly Bent moved down the slot looking to go between the legs of Alexander, but the puck was knocked off his stick, sliding to the far post where Brett Van Os pushed it in for his fourth goal of the season and first since joining the Thunder.

Tulsa had been outplayed for much of the first 30 minutes of this contest, but began to pressure the Thunder and were able to tie the score, scoring twice within the span of four minutes. Dante Sheriff made it a one goal game when he scored his fifth goal of the season at 10:31. Sheriff passed the puck into the slot to Eddie Matsushima, who took a shot that Mann saved, but the rebound went right to Sheriff at the right face-off circle. He blasted it in to make it 3-2.

Wichita then took a series of minor penalties, giving Tulsa a 5-on-3 advantage. They tied the score at 14:17 when Kylor Wall took a shot from the point that Mann saved, but it hit off his glove, bouncing over and in to tie the score at three.

Suddenly, Tulsa was dominating play, and it was Mann keeping Tulsa from taking the lead. The Oilers outshot the Thunder 27-17 to the first two periods, and were controlling play early in the third as well. However, it would be MacPherson putting Wichita back on top at 5:16. The defenseman carried the puck through the neutral zone heading toward the right face-off circle inside the Tulsa end. There he lifted a wrist shot that beat Alexander to the short side for his seventh of the year.

Eight minutes later, Quinn Preston extended the lead to two with the third power-play goal of the game for the Thunder. Stinil passed the puck to Preston at the left face-off circle, who drilled home a one-timer for his 14th of the year.

With a little under three minutes left in the contest, Tulsa pulled Alexander looking to try to cut the deficit in half. However, Dickman sealed the victory with his 12th goal of the season, delivering an empty net tally to make it 6-3.

Mann stopped 37 shots to earn the win, moving to 7-2-1. Stinil had a goal and two assists and Dickman and MacPherson each had a goal and an assist. Watts had two assists. Golod had a goal and an assist for Tulsa.

What the victory, Wichita moved to 21-13-3. The Thunder will welcome back the Allen Americans (14-19-1) on Friday. The puck drops at 7:05.

Gamesheet

by Robert Pannier