The Tahoe Knight Monsters took on the Wichita Thunder on Friday. Puck drop was at 7:30 PM. The game was at the Tahoe Blue Event Center in Stateline, Nevada. It was the seventy-first game of the season. The Knight Monsters were coming off of a 5-6 shootout defeat to the Wichita Thunder. The Tahoe Knight Monsters had a record of 41-23-6. The Knight Monsters are in 7th place in the ECHL. The Knight Monsters are 3rd in the Western Conference and 2nd in the Mountain Division. The Thunder had played seventy games this season. The Thunder were coming off of a 7-5 shootout win over the Knight Monsters. The Thunder had a record of 39-24-7. The Thunder were in 11th place in the ECHL. The Thunder were in 5th place in the ECHL Western Conference. The Thunder were in 3rd place in the ECHL Western Conference Mountain Division. The all time record between the Tahoe Knight Monsters and Wichita Thunder was 1-2-1.
Both teams had played seventy games. The Knight Monsters had two more wins. The Knight Monsters had the better points percentage. The Knight Monsters had scored ten more goals. The Knight Monsters had allowed eleven more goals. The Wichita Thunder had the better goal differential. The Knight Monsters had three more points. The Tahoe Knight Monsters had 629 penalty minutes. The Wichita Thunder had 666 penalty minutes.
#1 Jesper Vikman got the start in net for the Tahoe Knight Monsters. It was his 42nd game played this season. On Friday, defender Linden Alger was activated from reserve by the Knight Monsters. Defender Jake Johnson was placed on reserve by the Knight Monsters. #33 Trevor Gorsuch got the start in net for the Wichita Thunder. It was his 31st game played this season.
Seven minutes into the first period, Michal Stinil of the Wichita Thunder received a penalty for tripping. The Tahoe Knight Monsters took the lead on the powerplay. The goal was scored by #13 Simon Pinard. His goal was assisted by #21 Sloan Stanick and #10 Jett Jones.
With under four minutes remaining in the first period, the Knight Monsters took a two goal lead. The goal was scored by #21 Sloan Stanick. His goal was assisted by #13 Simon Pinard and #12 Bear Hughes.
With under a minute left in the first period, Nolan Kneen of the Thunder received a penalty for tripping. The score was 2-0 Knight Monsters after the first period.
Five minutes into the second period, Reid Irwin of the Wichita Thunder received a penalty for tripping. Seven minutes into the second period Luke Adam of the Tahoe Knight Monsters received a penalty for goaltender interference. With under three minutes remaining in the second period, the Thunder scored. #27 Nolan Kneen scored the goal. His goal was assisted by #21 Jay Dickman. This goal brought the lead down to one goal.
The score was 2-1 Tahoe Knight Monsters going into the third period.
Nine minutes into the third period, the Wichita Thunder tied the game. The tying goal was scored by #19 Joe Carroll. His goal was assisted by #21 Jay Dickman.
With under seven minutes remaining in the game, the Thunder took the lead. The go ahead goal was scored by #29 Luke Grainger. His goal was assisted by #81 Tyler Jette and #23 Mitchell Russell.
Shortly after the goal, Joe Fleming of the Tahoe Knight Monsters received a penalty for high-sticking. The final score was 3-2 Wichita Thunder.
https://echl.com/videos/wichita-thunder-vs-tahoe-knight-monsters-apr-11-2025
The Tahoe Knight Monsters had a strong opening frame. They had a two goal lead going into the second period. The Wichita Thunder scored the only goal in the second period. The Knight Monsters till had a lead going into the third period. The Thunder scored twice to take the lead in the third. The Thunder held onto their lead to win the game. Three unanswered goals by the Thunder was the difference maker in this game. The Knight Monsters offense started off string but was no where to be found in the second or third periods. Ultimately this tight game just didn’t go the Knight Monsters way. This is not what the Knight Monsters need to be doing right before the playoffs. It does not have me confident in the Knight Monsters abilities in the playoffs right now. Especially if they have to play the Thunder in the first round.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters had three more shots. The Wichita Thunder had the better shot percentage. The Thunder had two more penalty minutes. #1 Jasper Vikman saved 23 shots for a 88% save percentage for the Tahoe Knight Monsters. #33 Trevor Gorsuch saved 27 shots for an 93% save percentage for the Wichita Thunder.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters have a record of 41-24-6 with 88 points in 71 games. The Knight Monsters are now in 9th place in ECHL. That is down two spots. They are still in 3rd place in the ECHL Western Conference. They are still in 2nd place in the ECHL Western Conference Mountain Division. They have the second highest points percentage in the division.
The ECHL Western Conference Mountain Division 2024-25 Standings are almost complete. Everyone has one game left. The Kansas City Mavericks have won the 2024-25 ECHL Western Conference Mountain Division regular season title and the 2024-25 ECHL Western Conference regular season title. This is back-to-back years of the Mavericks winning those titles. The Tahoe Knight Monsters, Wichita Thunder, and Tulsa Oilers have also secured playoff spots. The final seeding for the playoffs is not set. The Knight Monsters, Thunder, and Oilers are all within two points of each other. The results from tonights games will determine the playoff seeding. The Idaho Steelheads, Rapid City Rush, Utah Grizzlies, and Allen Americans have been eliminated from playoff contention. The Tahoe Knight Monsters need to win their final game to secure the second seed in the division.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters take on the Wichita Thunder for game seventy-two on Saturday, April 12th. It will be a home game. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM. This will be a divisional game. It will be the last of three games against the Thunder. This will be the Tahoe Knight Monsters final 2024-25 regular season game.
Zac Electrifly 
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