Ceci, Bolts Penalty Kill Put on Masterclass in 2-1 Win Over Havoc

Huntsville, Ala.:  Behind six successful penalty kills, 44 saves from Cole Ceci, and a clutch third period goal from Vili Vesalainen, the Thunderbolts gutted out a 2-1 victory over the Havoc in Huntsville on Saturday night.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Saturday, November 9th against the Macon Mayhem at 7:05pm CT.

Evansville put on another strong first period, and Tyson Gilmour opened the scoring at 6:21 from Brendan Harrogate and Joey Berkopec.  Huntsville goaltender Mike Robinson kept the Havoc alive with some big saves through the second period, and the Havoc finally broke through as Phil Elgstam scored on a net-front redirection at 6:24 to tie the game at 1-1.  In the third period, a Berkopec shot was deflected in by Vesalainen to put Evansville ahead at 4:54, with the assist credited to Gilmour at the time of publishing.  With some more big saves from Ceci and one more massive penalty kill later in the third period, Evansville held on to win 2-1 for their first road win of the season.

Gilmour finished with a goal and assist, Vesalainen scored the game winning goal, and Berkopec will likely be credited with two assists when all is said and done.  In goal, Cole Ceci finished with 44 saves on 45 shots for his second win of the season.  The Thunderbolts and Havoc meet once again on Thursday, December 5th at Von Braun Center.

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.com) for details.

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

Barnaby Remains Hot for Thunderbolts Despite Loss to Havoc

Evansville, In.:  Matthew Barnaby continued his hot streak in his second stint as a Thunderbolt, scoring his fourth goal in four games for Evansville.  However, it was not enough for the Thunderbolts, who fell 3-1 to the Huntsville Havoc on Friday at Ford Center.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Saturday, November 9th against the Macon Mayhem at 7:05pm CT.

Barnaby’s goal came 13:01 into the first period, assisted by Scott Kirton and Derek Contessa.  Despite some strong looks at extending the lead in the second period, the door was shut on the Thunderbolts, before Robbie Fisher tied the game for Huntsville with only 11 seconds remaining in the second period.  The Havoc stormed ahead with two quick goals from Matt Allen and Benito Posa in the third period’s first half, and the Thunderbolts were unable to come back despite some great late chances, with the Havoc coming away with the 3-1 win.

Barnaby scored Evansville’s goal, while Ty Taylor finished with 34 saves on 37 shots.  The Thunderbolts and Havoc meet once again on Saturday, November 2nd at Von Braun Center.

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.com) for details.

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

Thunderbolts Host Record Crowd for Annual Education Day Game

Evansville, In.:  For the second-straight season, the Thunderbolts broke their single-game attendance record for this year’s Education Day game, welcoming 7,758 fans to Ford Center on Tuesday morning, putting on an exciting show of a game and making the day a net positive despite falling 5-2 to the Peoria Rivermen.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Friday, November 1st against the Huntsville Havoc at 7:00pm CT.

                The Thunderbolts broke through first as Tyson Gilmour snuck a shot into the net from Vili Vesalainen and Derek Contesa at 16:43 of the first period to give Evansville a 1-0 lead after one period.  Peoria struck with two quick goals in the second period, as Mike Gelatt scored at 5:03 and Tyler Kobryn at 8:20 to give Peoria a 2-1 lead.  Evansville rallied to tie the game once again at 2-2, as Brendan Harrogate scored from Scott Kirton and Grayson Valente at 10:47, before the Rivermen retook the lead at 13:37 on a goal from Alex Koopmeiners to make it 3-2 Peoria.  The Thunderbolts threatened to tie again in the third period, but could not find a third goal, while Peoria added two late goals from Gelatt and Josh Martin to put the relatively-close game out of reach near the very end.

Gilmour and Harrogate scored Evansville’s goals, while Cole Ceci finished with 28 saves on 33 shots.  The Thunderbolts and Rivermen meet once again on Friday, November 8th at Peoria Civic Center.

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.com) for details.

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

Thunderbolts Sign Defenseman Brock Bartholomew

On Monday, the Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes announced the signing of defenseman Brock Bartholomew.

Bartholomew is in his third professional season, playing his first two seasons overseas in Sweden in and England.  In 2022-23 in Sweden's Division 2 league, Bartholomew skated in 23 games for Alfta GIF and 1 game for Orsa IK, scoring 9 goals and 20 points.  In 2023-24, Bartholomew posted 23 goals and 63 points in only 53 games with the Hull Seahawks of the NIHL in England, leading all defensemen in goals and points league-wide.  The St. Albert, Alberta played junior hockey in his home province's Alberta Junior Hockey League from 2017-2019, primarily with the Drayton Valley Thunder.  From 2019-2022, Bartolomew played his final three junior seasons with the Amherst Ramblers of the MJAHL, captaining the team in 2021-22 and being named as the league's Best Defenseman of that season

In additional transaction news, defenseman Nolan McElhaney has been placed on 14-Day injured reserve.

Thunderbolts Rally Down 2-0, Defeat Havoc 3-2 in Overtime

Evansville, In.:  After falling behind 2-0 to the Huntsville Havoc in the first period, the Thunderbolts rallied back to tie the game and win in overtime, 3-2 at Ford Center on Saturday night.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Tuesday, October 29th against the Peoria Rivermen at 10:00am CT.

Late first period goals from Noah Finstrom at 14:42 and Buster Larsson at 19:32 propelled the Havoc to a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes of play.  In the second period, Matthew Barnaby began the comeback as he scored at 3:38 on a wraparound to make it a 2-1 deficit, the goal coming on a power play, assisted by Scott Kirton and Anthony Hora.  At 17:23, Barnaby scored once again on a rebound from Joey Berkopec and Grayson Valente to tie the game at 2-2.  Following a scoreless third period, the game went to a very active overtime period, beginning with a successful Thunderbolts penalty kill that included an Evansville penalty shot attempt for Matthew Hobbs, which was saved by Havoc goaltender Brian Wilson.  At 3:59 however, the Thunderbolts pulled through to score the clinching goal as Brendan Harrogate scored unassisted with a steal at the net-front to win it for Evansville, 3-2.

Barnaby scored Evansville’s two regulation goals, with Harrogate scoring the overtime-winning goal.  In goal, Cole Ceci finished with 35 saves on 37 shots for his 1st win of the season.  The Thunderbolts and Havoc meet once again on Friday, November 1st at Ford Center.

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.com) for details.

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