The Northwest Division-leading Wichita Thunder, behind three consecutive road wins, have claimed both Oakley CHL Player of the Week and Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week honors for Week 10 of the Central Hockey League season. Veteran forward Travis Clayton notched eight points in three contests en route to earning CHL Player of the Week recognition, while Vandespyker turned in three fine winning performances to capture the CHL Goaltender of the Week award.
With road wins over Oklahoma City, Topeka and Tulsa during the past week, the Thunder has opened up a seven-point lead in the Northwest Division. Clayton started his week with an assist in the Thunders 4-2 win at Oklahoma City on December 21st, then added a goal and two assists in a 3-2 win at Topeka on Christmas Day. His top performance came Sunday, scoring twice and adding two assists in a 7-1 win over Tulsa that propelled him to the CHL lead in both points (41) and assists (28). Clayton also is tied for the CHL lead with five game winning goals, and was also named CHL Player of the Week in Week Eight.
Vandespyker recorded wins in all three Thunder contests, improving his record to 13-5-0 on the year while moving into the top ten in wins, goals against average, and save percentage. He allowed a total of five goals against in the three victories, and has wins in six of his last seven starts. Vandespyker has teamed with Jason Flick to form one of the CHLs most impressive goaltending duos, combining for a CHL-leading 19 wins along with a team goals against average of just 2.37.