Media Articles

By Jeffrey Lutz, Wichita Eagle- 

Several of the Thunder’s top players are lost to injuries, and the timing couldn’t be better for Chris Chappell.

Normally a third-line player who helps on penalty killing, Chappell has been thrust into extended duty with many of his fellow forwards on the shelf.

In just a few days, Chappell went from being the Thunder’s eighth-highest scoring forward to its third — since five ahead of him are hurt. In one of his first games as a more relied-upon option, he registered a hat trick Sunday against Quad City.

Chappell has been one of the team’s most improved players during the season, so the chance for more ice time has been earned as much as it has been necessitated by injury.

"It was something that I’ve been ready for," Chappell said. "That’s how the team continues to do well — everybody steps up when they’re given their opportunity."

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by Jeffrey Lutz
 Wichita Eagle

The Thunder has kept its seamstresses busy this season.

Wichita’s best players have come and gone due to injuries and promotions, and the jersey lettering signifying the Thunder’s captain and alternate captains have been just as well traveled.

For now, they’re resting with captain Travis Wight and alternates Alex Bourret and Andrew Martens. Bourret and Martens were recently re-assigned to the Thunder after stints in the AHL.

Wight took over the “C” jersey from Aaron Davis, who is out with a broken jaw. Davis got it from Daniel Tetrault, a defenseman on the 30-day injured reserve.

"(Davis) is a guy who does it all on the ice," Thunder coach Kevin McClelland said. "We’ve got a lot of captains on the team and trust me, we’ve almost used all of them this year."

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by Jeffrey Lutz
 Wichita Eagle

Alex Bourret had something to prove when he was sent to the American Hockey League late last month, climbing a rung above the Central Hockey League.

Bourret didn’t score a goal in six games with Worcester, but he came away from the brief experience with a sense of accomplishment.

"My goal for next year is to go to Europe, so it doesn’t really matter if I’m playing in the AHL this year," Bourret said. "It was more for me, because I didn’t like the way I finished my career in the AHL before. I didn’t get signed back and I got sent (to Wichita), so I just wanted to prove to everybody that I was good enought to play there."

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by Taylor Eldridge
 Wichita Eagle

It's been a little over a decade since he got his start in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, but Wichita Thunder forward Thomas Beauregard still remembers another 13-year-old boy, the best in the province.

"He was bigger than everybody else," Beauregard recalled. "He was faster than everybody else. I just remember him because of how much everybody was talking about him.

Twelve years have passed since Beauregard competed head-to-head with Quebec's next big thing. Now he finds himself not only playing on the same team, but on the same line with Alex Bourret.

To read more, click HERE

by Jeffrey Lutz
 Wichita Eagle

The Thunder has spent much of the season going back-and-forth with Allen for first place in the Central Hockey League's Berry Conference. Coach Kevin McClelland doesn't see that ending anytime soon.Wichita was unable to create separation during a recent five-game winning streak.

But the Thunder hasn't lost ground to Allen in losing its last two games. Allen leads the conference by two points, but Wichita owns a league-best 17 wins.

"You look at the remaining schedule for both teams, it's going to be very difficult," McClelland said. "We're going to have to really play good. We have a lot of quality games and teams left on our schedule. I don't think we really play many sub- .500 teams the rest of the year."

 To read the rest of the article, click HERE

by Bob Lutz
 Wichita Eagle

Veteran defenseman Daniel Tetrault is going crazier with each Wichita Thunder game he misses with a groin and abdomen injury.

When the Thunder boarded a bus for Moline, Ill., on Thursday to play the Quad City Mallards tonight, Tetrault so wished he could climb aboard.

And that's after 700-plus games as a minor-league hockey player, where buses are as much a part of life as skates and pucks. That's at the age of 32, where so many hockey players can count their money faster than they can count their busted up body parts.

"It can be a tough grind,'' said Tetrault, who through 21 games with the Thunder this season has five goals and nine assists. "But I play strictly for the love of the game. The long road trips don't even bother me. I know a lot of players who play in the CHL or some other league for a couple of years and get sick of it and just quit. But I just love going to the rink. I'm the first one there and the last one to leave.

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-Thunder-

Lampton Lightning Girl, Crystal Lathrop has been participating on the Dance and Promotional team for three seasons of Thunder hockey.  Now, Lathrop takes on a new challenge as she becomes the youngest Co-Chair in the 21 year history of the Cattleman's Ball that benefits the American Cancer Society.  Lathrop was part of a featured article in this months addition of Splurge! Magazine.  Read more at Splurge! - Crystal Lathrop

Visit Splurg! at http://splurge.inspiredkoncepts.com/

Visit the Cattleman's Ball at http://gala.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=20252&pg=entry

BY KOLLEN LONG

The Wichita Eagle

If the Wichita Thunder faithful weren't already enamored with new coach Kevin McClelland based solely on his impressive resume, they will surely be won over by the description of how he expects his team to play.

The style would seemingly please the diehards, those who remember the glory days under the legendary Doug Shedden, and also the new, casual fan attracted by the team's fancy downtown home, Intrust Bank Arena.

"You want a team that can play any type of game," McClelland said. "If someone wants to get nasty or goofy with us, we'll be equipped to play those games. But games are won or lost on the scoreboard. So we want a team that's really creative offensively — I like guys to ad lib and use their skills — and sound defensively....

BY KOLLEN LONG

The Wichita Eagle

In a move expected to excite a frustrated fan base, the Wichita Thunder has hired Kevin McClelland as its new coach, two sources close to the team confirmed today.

A news conference to introduce McClelland as coach has been tentatively scheduled for Monday at Intrust Bank Arena, a source said....

Article continued at: http://www.kansas.com/2010/04/22/1281849/thunder-hires-kevin-mcclelland.html#ixzz0lrNjGksU