SPECIAL TEAMS HINDERS OILERS IN LOSS TO WICHITA

SPECIAL TEAMS HINDERS OILERS IN LOSS TO WICHITA

Thunder ride two power play goals and a perfect penalty kill to a 4-2 win over Tulsa at the BOK Center.

TULSA, OK – The Tulsa Oilers’ four-game home winning came to an end Tuesday as the Wichita Thunder (8-9-4) won the special teams battle over the Oilers (13-4-4) in a 4-2 tilt at the BOK Center.

While the Oilers jumped out to an early 7-0 shots advantage, the Thunder scored two in the opening frame to lead 2-0 after 20 minutes. Jakob Stukel tallied the first Thunder goal off of a face-off win when he stick-handled at the edge of the crease and tucked a shot past Devin Williams along the post. Ralph Cuddemi then fired a one-timer into the net on a Wichita power play from the left circle to give the Thunder a two-goal cushion.

The Oilers broke Dylan Wells’ shutout bid in the middle frame when Charlie Sampair tapped in a loose puck from the edge of the crease to make it 2-1. Ryan Tesink assisted on the goal, giving him a three-game point streak. Tulsa outshot Wichita 11-6 in the period and held a 26-12 shots advantage through two stanzas.

Tesink tied the score at 2-2 with his second straight multi-point game when he deflected a point shot from Mike McKee, but Cuddemi buried his second power play goal to put the Thunder in front for good. Mark MacMillan added an empty net goal to complete the scoring, as Wichita earned its first win over the Oilers in five tries this season.

Tulsa embarks on its longest road trip of the season starting Friday with a 6:15pm CT battle against the Toledo Walleye at the Huntington Center. The Oilers then face the Kalamazoo Wings Saturday at the Wings Event Center, before closing the weekend in Fort Wayne with a matchup against the Komets at Memorial Coliseum.

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Season and Group Tickets are on sale now by calling the Oilers front office at 918-632-7825. Visit www.tulsaoilers.com for more information.

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