Following a pair of very close losses against the Knoxville Ice Bears this past weekend, the Thunderbolts make their first road trip to Birmingham to take on the Bulls this Friday night before returning to Ford Center to host the Huntsville Havoc on Saturday for Hockey Horrors Night and the Peoria Rivermen next Tuesday, October 29th for the annual Education Day morning game.
Evansville, In.: Following a pair of very close losses against the Knoxville Ice Bears this past weekend, the Thunderbolts make their first road trip to Birmingham to take on the Bulls this Friday night before returning to Ford Center to host the Huntsville Havoc on Saturday for Hockey Horrors Night and the Peoria Rivermen next Tuesday, October 29th for the annual Education Day morning game.
Week In Review:
The Thunderbolts built up a 2-0 lead on Friday night off goals from Scott Kirton and Bronson Adams before the Ice Bears rallied to tie the game and win in overtime, 3-2. On Saturday, Benjamin Lindberg and Tyson Gilmour provided goals in a 3-2 regulation loss. In goal, Cole Ceci stopped 48 of 51 shots on Friday, while Ty Taylor stopped 31 of 33 shots on Saturday.
The Week Ahead:
The Thunderbolts will be in Birmingham this Friday night to take on the Bulls at 7:05pm CT. Fans can watch the action on FloHockey with a paid subscription or listen in for free on the Thunderbolts Mixlr Channel. This Saturday, the Thunderbolts will host the Huntsville Havoc for Hockey Horrors Night, featuring specialty glow-in-the-dark Halloween jerseys worn by the players that will be auctioned off after the game. Joining us before the game will be some frightful friends, courtesy of Evansville Nightmare Factory. On Tuesday, October 29th, the Thunderbolts will host their annual Education Day morning game as they take on the Peoria Rivermen starting at 10:00am CT. All student/chaperone tickets are only $7 each, with a free Education Day Booklet included with each ticket for Grades 6 and under.
Coming Soon:
Friday, November 1st will be Free Kids Friday/Mascot Night presented by TaylorMade, as the Thunderbolts host the Huntsville Havoc at 7:00pm CT. Mascots from several local and regional institutions will be on hand, including from the Indianapolis Indians, University of Southern Indiana, University of Evansville, Ellis Park, the Evansville Otters, and Highland Challenger Baseball. With every adult ticket purchased at the Ford Center Box Office, fans will receive a free kid’s (12 and under) ticket. An inflatable slide courtesy of Legendary Inflatables will be set up in the lobby, and other activities will be available throughout the concourse.
Scouting the Opponent:
- Birmingham Bulls:
- Record: 1-0-1, 3 Points, 4th Place
- Leading Goal Scorer: Carson Rose (3 Goals)
- Leading Point Scorer: Michael Gillespie (5 Points)
- Primary Goaltender: Hayden Stewart (0-0-1, .894 Save %)
- Thunderbolts 23-24 Record vs BHM: 3-3-1
The Bulls opened their season at home against Huntsville on Friday in a back-and-forth game that ended up as a 5-4 overtime loss to the Havoc. Kolten Olynek and Carson Rose put the Bulls ahead 2-0 in the first period, Rose scored again in the second period to make it 3-2 Birmingham, and Michael Gillespie scored late in the third period to force overtime. On Saturday, the Bulls picked up a 4-3 victory in Macon with goals from Gillespie, Rose, Olynek, and Drake Glover. In goal, Hayden Stewart stopped 42 of 47 shots on Friday, with Austin Lotz stopping 26 of 29 shots in Saturday’s win.
- Huntsville Havoc:
- Record: 2-0-0, 4 Points, T-1st Place
- Leading Goal Scorer: Noah Finstrom/Jack Jaunich (2 Goals Each)
- Leading Point Scorer: Noah Finstrom/Jack Jaunich (3 Points Each)
- Primary Goaltender: Brian Wilson (1-0-0, .970 Save %)
- Thunderbolts 23-24 Record vs HSV: 2-4-0
Against the Bulls on Friday, Robbie Fisher and Noah Finstrom scored for the Havoc in the first period, while Phil Elgstam and Benito Posa scored Huntsville’s third period goals, with Finstrom scoring in overtime. The Havoc finished the weekend with a 4-1 win at Pensacola behind two goals from Jack Jaunich and additional goals from Doug Elgstam and Giovanni Procopio. In goal, Mike Robinson stopped 31 of 35 shots on Friday, with Brian Wilson saving 32 of 33 shots on Saturday. The Havoc will host the Ice Flyers in Huntsville this Friday night before traveling to Evansville on Saturday.
- Peoria Rivermen:
- Record: 0-0-1, 1 Point, T-6th Place
- Leading Goal Scorer: Alec Baer (2 Goals)
- Leading Point Scorer: Alec Baer (2 Points)
- Primary Goaltender: Colby Muise (0-0-1, .903 Save %)
- Thunderbolts 23-24 Record vs PEO: 5-8-1
The Rivermen played a single game this past weekend, at Quad City on Saturday night against the Storm. With Peoria up 2-0 behind a pair of goals from captain Alec Baer, the Storm rallied in the third period to tie the game and win in overtime 3-2. In net, Colby Muise stopped 28 of 31 shots on goal in the loss. Peoria will host the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs this Friday and Saturday night before traveling to Evansville for next Tuesday morning’s game.
Transactions:
Mon. 10/21: F Curtis Judd placed on waivers
Thur. 10/17: G Cole Ceci signed to contract
Thur. 10/17: G Jonah Capriotti placed on 14-Day Injured Reserve
Wed. 10/16: F Jordan Simoneau placed on 14-Day Injured Reserve
Individual game tickets, group packages, and season tickets are on sale for the 2024-25 season. Call 812-422-BOLT or visit our all-new website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.
About Evansville Thunderbolts: The Evansville Thunderbolts is the area’s only professional hockey team. The Thunderbolts are a proud member of the SPHL. The team is owned and operated by VW Sports, L.L.C, a subsidiary of VenuWorks, Inc. www.evansvillethunderbolts.com