STRONG FIRST PERIOD FUELS OILERS TO VICTORY IN WICHITA
Tulsa opens up 3-0 lead in the first period and holds off Thunder comeback to earn 3-2 win.
WICHITA, KS – The Tulsa Oilers used a fast start to defeat the Wichita Thunder 3-2 Friday at INTRUST Bank Arena in the tenth of 14 meetings between the two teams. Tulsa has won eight straight over Wichita and nine of ten so far this season.
The Oilers scored three goals in the first period to take a 3-0 lead into the locker room after 20 minutes. Danick Paquette stick-handled through traffic and shot the puck under the crossbar to put Tulsa on the board first at 4:46. Tyson Wilson then centered the puck from behind the Thunder net for Adam Pleskach who buried the second goal past Wichita goaltender Drew Owsley. Darcy Murphy tallied the third Oilers goal on a rebound at 10:52 to complete the first period scoring.
Tulsa outshot Wichita 18-8 in the middle stanza, but the score held true at 3-0. Owsley stopped all 18 Oilers shots, while Colin Stevens turned away all 15 Thunder attempts through the first two periods.
Louick Marcotte scored twice for the Thunder to make it interesting late. Marcotte’s first goal came 1:42 into the third period on a one-timer from the slot. He added his second goal with 1:04 left in regulation to cut the Oilers lead to 3-2, but Wichita’s comeback bid came up short. Stevens stopped 31 of 33 for his third straight win over the Thunder.
UP NEXT: Tulsa faces Wichita again Saturday, before finishing the long weekend in Missouri next Sunday.
Saturday’s game is scheduled for 7:05pm at INTRUST Bank Arena, and can be heard on www.tulsaoilers.com, “Listen LIVE”, or on ECHL.TV(away audio), with coverage starting at 6:50.
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