Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (32-27-7) vs. Wichita Thunder (44-19-3)

Series Schedule (best-of-7)
Game 1 – Fri., Mar. 30 – Rio Grande Valley at Wichita, 7:05 PM
Game 2 – Sun., Apr. 1 – Rio Grande Valley at Wichita, 5:05 PM
Game 3 – Wed., Apr. 4 – Wichita at Rio Grande Valley, 7:00 PM
Game 4 – Thu., Apr.5 – Wichita at Rio Grande Valley, 7:00 PM
*Game 5 – Sat., Apr. 7 – Rio Grande Valley at Wichita, 7:05 PM
*Game 6 –  Mon., Apr. 9 – Wichita at Rio Grande Valley, 7:00 PM
*Game 7 – Wed., Apr. 11 – Rio Grande Valley at Wichita, 7:05 PM

*If necessary
**All times local**

Season Series
Rio Grande Valley (0-3-0); Wichita (3-0-0)

12/16/11 - Rio Grande Valley 1 at Wichita 4  
12/17/11 - Rio Grande Valley 0 at Wichita 3  
02/03/12 - Wichita 4 at Rio Grande Valley 1

Notes: The Thunder went 2 for 9 and the Bees 1 for 7 on the power play in the season series.  RGV scorers like Aaron Lee, Jason Dixon and Brandon Campos were all held without a point in the three games against Wichita.  John Murray was 0-2 in net for RGV against the Thunder but Wylie Rogers did not play in any of the previous meetings.  Wichita outscored RGV 5-0 in the opening period.

Month-by-Month Record
 
Wichita Thunder
October (4-0-0)
November (7-4-0)
December (9-4-1)
January (7-4-1)
February (10-3-0)
March (7-4-1)

Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
October (1-3-0)
November (8-3-0)
December (4-6-4)
January (5-6-2)
February (5-7-1)
March (9-2-0)

Regular Season Recap
The Wichita Thunder finished first in the Berry Conference and first in the league earning the Bud Poile Governors’ Cup with their 91 points. The Thunder started the season off strong winning their first four games carried that momentum through the entire season. They finished every month with a positive record and had a fantastic month of February which led to their first place finish. They led the league with 231 Goals For and had the most wins on home ice with 24.  Wichita finished the season with three straight losses so they will need to regain their winning ways early in the series against the Bees.

Rio Grande Valley finished the season fourth in the Berry with 71 points and clinched that final seed with their strong push at the end. They had a solid month of November before going three straight months with a negative record. The Killer Bees had to step up if they wanted to make the playoffs, and did so in March going 9-2-0 while winning six straight games. During the season, the Bees had a nine-game losing streak showing their up-and-down nature.  The Killer Bees will have a tough series ahead of them as they still have yet to be the Thunder this season and have been outscored 11-2.

Players to Watch
- Wichita’s Matt Robinson has led the highest scoring team this year with 34 goals and sits in third with his 58 points. He leads all players in the league with 10 game winning goals and was a finalist for the league MVP.
- Also, the Thunder’s Matt Summers has led the way offensively for Wichita. He leads the team with 42 assists and 61 points and finds himself in 17th in the league leaders.
- Rio Grande Valley’s Aaron Lee has been just as clutch, leading his team with 38 goals (second in the league) and has recorded 60 points. He also leads the Killer Bees with nine game winning goals, just shy of Robinsons’, and has earned a call up to the American Hockey League this season for his efforts.
- Rio Grande’s Dan Gendur has also been huge for the Killer Bees and leads their squad with 73 points (28g, 45a) while recording 21 powerplay assists. He sits in seventh in the league leaders with his points, and fifth with his powerplay assists.

Special Teams
- Wichita is in 6th in the league with their 18.7 power play percentage, 11th with their 81.8 penalty kill percentage 
- Rio Grande Valley is 8th in the league with their 17.6 powerplay percentage, 4th with their 83.7 penalty kill percentage
- The Killer Bees are tied for second with allowing 43 goals on the powerplay, but somehow are still 4th in killing those off
- Rio Grande Valley is also 3rd in the league with 11 Shorthanded Goals Against while Wichita is last with only 3 Shorthanded Goals Against

Key Notes
- Wichita had the most amount of wins with 44 (.689 win percentage)
- Wichita is 8-12-0 after trailing after two periods which shows the effort and resiliency of this squad
- Thomas Beauregard of the Thunder has been the strongest player in this three game series by scoring three goals with one assist
- Wichita goaltender Adam Russo has shutout the Killer Bees once this season
- Rio Grande Valley will have two goalies to utilize in the post season: John Murray who has played 36 games (16-14-2) and Wylie Rogers who has played 30 games (13-10-5)
- Rio Grande is 17-0-1 after leading after the 1st period
-The Killer Bees are one of the best teams in the CHL when striking first going 25-4-3 when scoring the first goal
-Wichita is the best third period team in the league outscoring the opposition 89-55