WICHITA, Kan – The moment that Wichita Thunder fans have been waiting for is finally here. A November, 2004 vote that passed by 5,030 votes cleared the way for a 15,000 seat arena to be built in downtown Wichita. Fast-forward five years and the brand new Intrust Bank arena is just hours away from hosting its first hockey game.

Photo Credit: Intrust Bank Arena

The arena, which was built at an estimated cost of $196 million, will see the Thunder host the Tulsa Oilers on Saturday. The Thunder have been struggling so far this season, having dropped a CHL record 22 games in a row. However, despite the losing streak, ticket sales seem to be brisk. According to team officials, over 10,000 tickets have already been sold. The team expects a crowd of over 11,000 on Saturday. Intrust Bank Arena reportedly seats 13,500 for hockey.

The Thunder have been a regular at the trade table as of late, as they have picked up seven new players via trades since December 29. The team has made a couple of deals with Mississippi, sending away defenseman Kevin Truelson, goaltender Tim Boron and forward Glenn Detulleo. In exchange they have acquired forwards Ryan Campbell (14 G, 19 A, 33 points) and Kevin Cooper (5 G, 5 A, 10 points), defenseman Steve Makway (5 G, 22 A, 27 points) and netminder Ian Keserich, who has registered a .927 save percentage in six games with the Thunder. They also have recently acquired forward Jason Reese (4 G, 9 A, 15 points) from Arizona in exchange for forward Marc Belanger. A trade with Odessa netted them D-man J.R. Bria and forward Paul Kelly in exchange for center Troy Ofukany.

Things could get interesting on Saturday night, as it will be the second time in as many nights that the Thunder and Oilers will face-off. Tulsa hosts Wichita tonight at the BOK Center. Historically, the two teams tend to get a little rough when playing each other on consecutive nights. Three fights and sixteen penalties marred the last game the two played on the back end of a two-game in two-day series on November 22nd. The Oilers hold the lead in the season series with a 5-1 record.

The Thunder nearly snapped their losing streak on Thursday night, before ultimately losing to Bossier-Shreveport 2-1 at the CenturyTel Center. With the game tied 1-1, a power play goal by Tyrel Lucas at 11:42 of the third period proved to be the heartbreaker for Wichita. The Oilers have gone 3-3 since team points leader Rob Hisey was called up to the Springfield Falcons of the AHL on December 28th.

Contact the author at john.hall@prohockeynews.com