by Bob Lutz
Wichita Eagle

The Wichita Thunder hit rock bottom a couple of years ago and when that happens, there’s no guarantee of coming back. Rocks, after all, are very hard and falling on them is painful.

In fact, it was fair to wonder whether the Thunder would continue to exist following that 9-50-5 record in 2009-10. The ownership situation was sketchy with long-time Thunder owner Horn Chen losing interest. And general manager Joel Lomurno was under the gun to not only keep the franchise from sinking, but also to find a coach who could spark some life into a team that not only had the disastrous nine-win season, but had suffered through two terrible seasons before that.

Given those circumstances, I’m not sure how the Thunder pulled off becoming not only a viable Central Hockey League franchise once again, but one that will be playing in the CHL Finals beginning Saturday night at Intrust Bank Arena.

Lomurno found his man in Kevin McClelland, formerly a successful player in the NHL and a decorated minor league coach, most recently with Colorado. McClelland might have been told a few things that weren’t 100 percent accurate about the condition of the Thunder, but he bit at the challenge of coaching a once-proud franchise that was down in the dumps.

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