Thunder drops Oilers 4-3

The rivalry between the Tulsa Oilers and the Wichita Thunder continued on Sunday afternoon as they traveled to the InTrust Bank Arena in Wichita hot off Friday night’s 7-3 victory over the Bloomington Blaze and with the hopes of snapping a two-game losing streak against their arch rivals.

The Oilers dominated most of the game, but after Tulsa forward Troy Ofukany scored 30 seconds into the 3rd period to give the Oilers a 3-1 lead they lost their grip and allowed the Thunder back into the game. 

Wichita came roaring back with goals by Daniel Tetrault and Colin Hemingway to tie the game at 3-3. Thomas Beauregard scored his eighth of the season at the 15:27 mark to give the Thunder its first lead of the game.

The game wasn’t without controversy.   With 1:15 to play, after a grinding shift by the line of Marty Standish, Ryan Raven and Jay Sprague, the puck trickled behind Wichita goalie Ryan MacDonald and across the line for the apparent game-tying goal. However, referee Peter Tarnaris immediately waved off the goal.

In their frustration, the Oilers were given a pair of ten-minute misconducts, one against Standish and one against Head Coach Bruce Ramsay. Shorthanded for the remainder of the game, the Oilers were unable to get the equalizer and fell to Wichita for the third straight time.

The loss drops the Oilers to 10-7-2 with 22 points and they sit 2 points behind the Thunder in 3rd plance in the CHL’s Berry Conference.  The Oilers will be back in action this coming Friday night when they face the Allen Americans for the second time this season.