Just As Good In Kansas

While he was still wearing the familiar green-and-white of the Saskatchewan Huskies on his mask and pads, former Huskies men's hockey netminder Roddy Ross was in a different crease one week after winning a bronze medal in Ottawa at the U Cup National Men's Hockey Championship. AHL and ECHL teams will be looking across the university and college ranks on both sides of the border to help their quests in bringing home a championship, and the Wichita Thunder decided to shore up their goaltending situation by signing Ross to a deal yesterday. The former sixth-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2019 made his way to Coralville, Iowa where the Thunder were playing against the Iowa Heartlanders, and he got the start today for the Thunder as they wasted no time in seeing what he could do between the pipes!

There wasn't a lot of time for comments as my internet search turned up very little to reflect both the team's and Ross's thoughts on coming together, but Wichita head coach Bruce Ramsay likely knew that Ross would be ready for the challenge today. Ramsay is a veteran head coach with seasons in the AHL and ECHL including 2020-21 when he was named as the ECHL Coach of the Year, so having a netminder at his disposal like Ross is an advantage a lot of coaches would like. He gave the nod to Ross today who wore #1 in his professional debut.

The Thunder built a 2-0 lead through 40 minutes before the Heartlanders pressed hard in the third period. Officially, Ryan Miotto is the answer to the trivia question of "who scored the first professional goal on Roddy Ross" as he potted a rebound early in the third period to cut the lead to 2-1. The second professional goal that Ross surrendered went to Ryan McGuire who scored with just under eight minutes to play on the power-play on a deflection, and we'd hear the horn end regulation time with the teams tied at 2-2.

Iowa's Luke Mobley had the only shot on net that Iowa recorded in overtime because Sean Bates scored at 2:57 to give the Wichita Thunder the 3-2 overtime victory! That goal marked the first professional win for Ross in his career, and his 42-save performance will likely stand as one of the highest for the remainder of this season. Ross stopped 16 of 18 shots in the third period alone as Iowa outshot Wichita by an 18-3 count in the frame!

Ross will get a few days to practice with his new teammates after today's victory as Wichita will visit the Tulsa Oilers on Friday before returning home on Sunday to face the Allen Americans. With Tulsa blowing out Rapid City today, the Thunder still hold a one-point lead over the Oilers heading into Friday's game, so that's a big one for both teams. Wichita needs the win as Tulsa has a game in-hand on the Thunder, so expect a battle on Friday in the Oklahoma city.

With the win today, Wichita remains in third-place in the ECHL's Mountain Division, but they sit just four points back of the Tahoe Knight Monsters after they dropped a decision today to Idaho. With five games remaining on Wichita's schedule, they could close that gap and pass the Knight Monsters as the Thunder finish the season on the road in Tahoe for a three-game set with the Knight Monsters. Those games will be played on April 9, 11, and 12, and we could see the Thunder move into second-place. Can they catch Tahoe?

They'll certainly try, but they'll be a little harder to beat with Roddy Ross backstopping them. I'm happy to see Ross get a shot with the San Jose Sharks' ECHL affiliate, and there could be more opportunities for him as the San Jose Barracuda sit one point back of the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the AHL's Pacific Division. Ross certainly earned an opportunity at the ECHL level after the incredible season he had, and it's awesome to see him pick up his first professional win in his first professional start! Keep the winning ways going!

Congratulations to Roddy Ross, former Saskatchewan Huskies netminder, on landing with the Wichita Thunder, picking up his first professional win, and showing everyone why he was deserving of the 2025 Canada West Goaltender of the Year award!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!