The Tahoe Knight Monsters took on the Wichita Thunder on Sunday. Puck drop was at 4:05 PM. The game was at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. It was the second game of the 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Knight Monsters were coming off of a 6-1 victory over the Wichita Thunder. The Tahoe Knight Monsters finished the regular season with 88 points in 72 games and a record of 41-25-6. They finished 10th overall in the ECHL. They finished in 5th place in the ECHL Western Conference. They finished 3rd in the ECHL Western Conference Mountain Division. The Wichita Thunder finished the regular season with 89 points in 72 games and a record of 41-24-7. They finished 9th overall in the ECHL. They finished in 4th place in the ECHL Western Conference. They finished 2nd in the ECHL Western Conference Mountain Division. The all time record between the Tahoe Knight Monsters and Wichita Thunder was 2-4-1.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters had one more 2025 Kelly Cup Playoff win. The Knight monsters were leading the series 1-0 going into this game. The Tahoe Knight Monsters had scored five more goals during the postseason. The Wichita Thunder had allowed five more goals during the postseason. The Knight Monsters had the better goal differential so far in the postseason.
#1 Jesper Vikman got the start in net for the Tahoe Knight Monsters. It was his 44th game played this season. It was his second playoff game this season. On Sunday, defender Linden Alger was activated from reserve by the Knight Monsters. Defender Adrien Bisson was placed on reserve by the Knight Monsters. #1 Roddy Ross got the start in net for the Wichita Thunder. This was his fifth game played this season. This was his second playoff game played this season. The Wichita Thunder did not make any other roster moves. Joe Carroll of the Wichita Thunder was suspended for this game due to a charging call in Saturdays game.
thirty-four seconds into the game, the Tahoe Knight Monsters received a penalty for too many men. With under eight minutes remaining in the first period, the Wichita Thunder took the lead. The goal was scored by #10 Dillon Boucher. His goal was assisted by #44 Dominic Dockery and #83 Jake Wahlin.
With under six minutes left in the opening period, Michal Stinil of the Thunder received a penalty for high-sticking. With under two minutes left in the first period, the Knight Monsters tied the game. The tying goal was scored by #29 Joe Fleming. His goal was assisted by #10 Jett Jones and #96 Brennan Kapcheck.
The score was tied at 1-1 after the first period.
Three minutes into the second period, T.J. Lloyd of the Wichita Thunder received a penalty for high-sticking. On the powerplay, the Tahoe Knight Monsters took the lead. The go ahead goal was scored by #19 Luke Adam. His goal was assisted by #26 Nate Kallen and #24 Isaac Johnson.
With just over two minutes left in the second period, the Knight Monsters took a two goal lead. The goal was scored by #14 Patrick Newell. His goal was assisted by #28 Logan Nelson and #39 Artur Cholach.
The score was 3-1 Tahoe Knight Monsters heading into the third period.
One minute into the third period, the Tahoe Knight Monsters took a three goal lead. The goal was scored by #24 Isaac Johnson. His goal was assisted by #28 Logan Nelson.
Two minutes into the third period, the Knight Monsters scored their fifth goal of the game. This goal was scored by #13 Simon Pinard. His goal was assisted by #21 Sloan Stanick and #26 Nate Kallen.
Four minutes into the third period, the Knight Monsters scored their sixth goal of the game. The sixth goal was scored by #28 Logan Nelson. His goal was assisted by #20 Linden Alger.
Five minutes into the third period, the Knight Monsters scored their seventh goal of the game. The seventh goal was scored by #15 Jake McGrew. His goal was assisted by #19 Luke Adam and #26 Nate Kallen.
Thirty seconds after the Knight Monsters seventh goal, Joe Fleming of the Knight Monsters received a penalty for roughing. With under eight minutes left in the game, T.J. Lloyd of the Wichita Thunder received a penalty for tripping. With under four minutes remaining in the game, the Knight Monsters scored again. The eighth night monsters goal was scored by #29 Joe Fleming. His goal was assisted by #10 Jett Jones.
With just over a minute left in the game, Anthony Collins of the Knight Monsters received a ten minute misconduct for continuing altercation. He also received penalties for cross-checking and slashing. At the same time Dillon Boucher of the Thunder received a ten minute misconduct for continuing altercation. Neither player would face further suspension. The final score was 8-1 Tahoe Knight Monsters. The Tahoe Knight Monsters now lead the series 2-0.
The Wichita Thunder scored first. That would turn out to be their only goal. The Tahoe Knight Monsters tied the game before the end of the first period. Two second period goals gave the Knight Monsters a strong lead going into the third period. The Knight Monsters dominated the first five minutes of the third period with four goals within the first five minutes and thirty seconds of the period. The Knight Monsters did score one more. By that point the game was already out of reach for the Thunder. The Knight Monsters would hold onto their seven goal lead to win the game. The Knight Monsters found a burst of offense to start the third period that would carry them to victory. This is the first time since December the Knight Monsters have played this well. I was thinking the Thunder would have a bigger response after a game one blow out but there was little to no response. The suspension may have had an impact on the Thunders ability to have a solid response in game two. Tahoe played at a very high level in back-to-back games. All of the momentum in this series is on the Knight Monsters side right now. This is the most goals scored by a single team in a single game in the playoffs so far. This is the second time the Tahoe Knight Monsters have scored eight goals in a single game this season. This is back-to-back games where the Knight Monsters scored four or more goals in a single period. The five goals in the third period is not a record in the ECHL. The record for most goals in a single period is nine. That record was set in 1990. It is still a solid accomplishment by the Knight Monsters. This series has looked really good for the Tahoe Knight Monsters so far. They still need to win two out of a possible five remaining games.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters had fourteen more shots. The Tahoe Knight Monsters had the better shot percentage. The Knight Monsters had two more penalty minutes. Most of those came at the end of the game. #1 Jesper Vikman saved 29 shots for a 97% save percentage for the Tahoe Knight Monsters. He had a 97% save percentage in back-to-back games. #Roddy Ross saved 36 shots for an 82% save percentage for the Wichita Thunder.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters lead the Wichita Thunder 2-0 in their first round series. Game three is on Wednesday, April 23rd, at 7:00 PM. The Kansas City Mavericks won 5-1 over the Tulsa Oilers on Tuesday. That gave the Mavericks a 2-1 series lead. The Toledo Walleye are the first team to win a playoff series this season.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters take on the Wichita Thunder for the third game of the 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs on Wednesday, April 23rd. It will be the first playoff home game in franchise history for the Knight Monsters. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM. This will be a divisional game. It will be the first of up to three games in Tahoe.
Zac Electrifly 
Leave a comment