WICHITA, Kan. – It wasn’t quite the homecoming Wichita hoped for Friday night as Wichita allowed five goals in a loss to the Allen Americans.
Wichita carried the bulk of momentum into the game following their 7-2 win on Thursday night down in Allen. Jeremy McKenna took a tripping minor five minutes into the contest and Wichita was able to kill it off with some ease. But 30 seconds following the powerplay, Allen found the scoreboard.
Kameron Kielly got the scoring started at the 7:38 mark, when he one-timed a shot directly in front of Wichita keeper Mitch Gillam. The opportunity came after Wichita failed to clear the puck three times following their penalty kill.
Wichita answered back five minutes later, equalizing the game at one with a shot almost identical to Kielly’s goal. Matteo Gennaro put home a shot off a nice assist form Gordie Green behind the net.
The score stayed steady through the end of the opening frame and for most of the second. There was a long term of feeling out between the two teams, including a couple powerplay opportunities.
Finally, Allen broke the ice yet again as Jesse Mychan beat Gillam on the powerplay to take a 2-1 lead. Allen struck once more before the conclusion of the second period, as Joseph Garreffa scored with just 10 seconds remaining in the second.
The late goal drowned Wichita heading into the third, already playing on the back foot. The Americans came out more physical and speedy in the third and that played into their favor.
Mychan found nylon for the second time Friday night with 13:01 remaining in the third. The blowout had one final tally in the form of Jake McGrew‘s fifth goal of the season, giving Allen the 5-1 lead that would hold until the end.
Wichita finished 0-for-4 on the powerplay while Allen converted on one of their five man advantage opportunities.
Wichita was held to just 12 shots, by far the fewest this season. Allen put 34 shots on net. The teams combined for 20 (10 each) penalty minutes, a large step down from Thursday night’s 56.
Allen and Wichita square off one last time this weekend on Saturday night inside INTRUST Bank Arena. Matthew Harding and Matthew Will have the Wichita Thunder Pregame Show presented by The Sin Bin at 6:30pm with puck drop scheduled for 7:05pm.
