Heartlanders Best Wichita In Classic 10-Round Shootout

Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita was the scene of a classic duel between the Thunder and Iowa Heartlanders.

It took 10 rounds of a shootout to decide a winner, with the Heartlanders finally delivering the knockout punch in a classic 2-1 win.

Brandon Yeamans finally netted the game-winner in the bottom of the 10^th shootout round, and Iowa killed off nine Thunder power-play opportunities to secure the win.

Wichita had seven chances to put the game away in the shootout from the top of the third round to the bottom of the eighth. However, Drew McLean scored in the top of the third to keep the Heartlanders’ hopes alive.

Kyle McClellan, who had 24 saves on the night, made six consecutive game-saving stops to pick up the victory.

The Thunder had five power-play chances in the first 21 minutes of the game. On the fifth opportunity, Iowa’s Adam Goodsir found the net for a shorthanded breakaway goal at 1:34 of the second for a 1-0 Heartlanders lead.

Michal Stinil, who came into the game tied for fourth in the ECHL with 37 points (15-22-37) tied the score 1-1 12 minutes later.

From that point, it was a battle of defense and goaltending between the two teams. Iowa outshot the Thunder in every period despite having to kill off nine penalties.

In the 10^th round of the shootout, Yeamans came to the net on a backhand, sending a shot over Wichita goalie Trevor Gorsuch, who had 44 saves on 45 shots.

Nico Blachman scored in the top of the ninth round to give Iowa their first lead in the shootout.

The Heartlanders finish up their six-game road trip in Wichita on Sunday afternoon, with puck drop set for 2:05 Pm CT.