Thunderbolts Open 25-26 Season with Shootout Win against Bulls

Pelham, Ala.:  Against a mostly new group of Birmingham Bulls, the Thunderbolts battled their way to a 3-2 shootout victory on Friday night at the Pelham Civic Complex to begin the 2025-26 season.  The Thunderbolts’ home opener and President’s Cup Championship celebration game at Ford Center will be on Saturday, October 25thagainst the Quad City at 7:00pm CT.

In the first period, the Thunderbolts controlled the bulk of 5-on-5 hockey, however it was the Bulls who grabbed the period’s lone goal, a power play tally from Shane Murphy at 16:58 to give Birmingham the first lead of the night.  Evansville broke through on Hayden Stewart at 17:34 of the second period, as Aidan Litke roofed a wrist-shot through traffic to tie the game, assisted by Cameron Patton and Derek Contessa.  Following a successful penalty kill to begin the third period, the Thunderbolts took a 2-1 lead at 4:05 as Jordan Simoneau outmuscled the Bulls in their goal crease, assisted by Connor Federkow and Matthew Hobbs to make it 2-1 Evansville.  The Bulls finished regulation strong and tied the game with 3:21remaining off a goal from Connor Scahill, forcing overtime.  The Bulls had numerous chances in overtime, but a combination of fortunate bounces and great saves from Kristian Stead in his Thunderbolts debut stole the show, as the game went to a shootout.  Filimon Ledziankou gave the Bulls the lead in the shootout’s first round, before Evansville came back with goals from Scott Kirton and Myles Abbate in the fourth and fifth rounds, along with four consecutive stops from Stead to deliver Evansville the 3-2 victory.

Litke and Simoneau scored one goal each in regulation, while Kirton and Abbate scored one goal each in the shootout.  In goal, Kristian Stead finished with 36 saves on 38 shots on goal along with 4 saves on 5 shootout attempts to secure his first win as an Evansville Thunderbolt in his debut.  The Thunderbolts and Bulls meet again on Saturday, December 6th at Ford Center, with Evansville leading the season series 1-0.

Season tickets, Individual game tickets and group packages are on sale for the 2025-26 season.  Call 812-422-BOLT(2658) or visit our 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 Announce Jackson Stotts as Head Equipment Manager

Evansville, In.: The Evansville Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes are pleased to announce the hiring of Jackson Stotts as Head Equipment Manager for the 2025-26 season. The Thunderbolts will raise their President’s Cup Championship banner prior to their 2025-26 home opener at Ford Center on Saturday, October 25th against the Quad City Storm.

Stotts previously served as Head Equipment Manager of the Thunderbolts during the 2022-23 season before joining the Philadelphia Rebels of the NAHL in the same role for the 2024-25 season. Stotts also served as Head Equipment Manager for the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers in the 2021-22 season. The Huntsville, Alabama native learned much of his skills while assisting the equipment staff of the Huntsville Havoc for many of his teenage years before beginning his career in earnest with Des Moines. In response to the hiring of Stotts, Head Coach Jeff Bes commented: “We’re happy to have Jackson back, and looking forward to having a great season with him as our equipment manager.”

Season tickets and single game tickets for the 2025-26 season are on sale now. Call 812-422-BOLT(2658) or visit our 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 Announce Training Camp Roster

Here is your official 2025-26 Training Camp Roster:

Kristian Stead G
Brendahn Brawley G
Cameron MacPhee D
Joey Berkopec D
John Woernle D
Max Thiessen D
Colin Tracy D
Conner Federkow D
Jake Jurgeneit D
Cade Hanley D
Eelis Laaksonen C
Evan Benwell RW
Myles Abbate LW
Matthew Hobbs C
Connor Tait RW
Aidan Litke LW
Derek Contessa RW
Brennan McFarland RW
Damon Zimmer LW
Nolan Dawson C
Issac Chapman RW
Zev Podolski C
Scott Kirton LW

Thunderbolts Re-Sign Forward Derek Contessa

Evansville, In.: The Evansville Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes are pleased to announce the re-signing of forward Derek Contessa for the 2025-26 season. The Thunderbolts will raise their President’s Cup Championship banner prior to their 2025-26 home opener at Ford Center on Saturday, October 25th against the Quad City Storm.

Contessa returns for his second season with the Thunderbolts after joining Evansville as a free agent in the Summer of 2024, after playing his first professional season with the Macon Mayhem in 2023-24. In the 2024-25 regular season, Contessa scored 5 goals and 12 points in 45 games, bringing his SPHL regular season career total to 13 goals and 33 points in 93 games. The Freehold, New Jersey native elevated his play in the President’s Cup Playoffs, scoring two goals, including the double overtime game-winning goal in Game One of the final series in Knoxville, and three points in Evansville’s 7 games en route to the President’s Cup. Prior to 2023-24, Contessa played division one college hockey at Sacred Heart University from 2019-2021 and division three at Endicott College from 2021-2023. In juniors, Contessa played one season in the NAHL with the Shreveport Mud Bugs in 2017-18, where he won a Robertson Cup Championship, and the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL in 2018-19.

Reflecting on 2024-25, Contessa commented: “Joining the team last year, I was ecstatic to come to Evansville and play at Ford Center. I knew how great the town was and how professional of a building the Ford Center is. Once I got to Evansville and met the team, I knew we had something special. Winning any championship at any level is a feat to accomplish, and every team goes through ups and downs. We were really close, and we meshed so well together that we were unstoppable during the playoffs. We put all the pieces together, with the President’s Cup being the result, and winning the Cup is a memory that I will never forget.” Transitioning into 2025-26, Contessa continued: “(Winning the Cup) it’s something I want to replicate this year, and this year I want to finish in the top four of the standings going into the playoffs, giving ourselves more breathing room later in the regular season. I want to be unstoppable as a power forward and contribute more consistently in scoring, my training this Summer has been focused on that, and I am excited to see how it plays out during the season.” In closing, Contessa finished by saying: “My excitement level for this coming season is through the roof. I can’t wait to be with the team and see our fans again. The season is around the corner, and I can’t wait!”

On re-signing Contessa, Head Coach Jeff Bes commented: “Contessa really stepped up last season and especially in the postseason. He’s a big body who wins a lot of battles at the net-front and along the boards. He was a dominant force in the playoffs, and we are confident he will bring that consistency throughout the coming season.”

Season tickets and single game tickets for the 2025-26 season are on sale now. Call 812-422-BOLT(2658) or visit our 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 Re-Sign Forward Isaac Chapman

Evansville, In.: The Evansville Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes are pleased to announce the re-signing of forward Isaac Chapman for the 2025-26 season. The Thunderbolts will raise their President’s Cup Championship banner prior to their 2025-26 home opener at Ford Center on Saturday, October 25th against the Quad City Storm.

Chapman joined the Thunderbolts from Alvernia University just after the mid-way point of the 2024-25 season and made an immediate impact in his jump to the professional ranks, scoring 8 goals and 13 points in 24 regular season games, before adding a goal and 4 points in the President’s Cup Playoffs. The native of Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia played three seasons of junior hockey in the MJAHL with the Pictou County Crushers in 2018-19 and Edmundston Blizzard between 2019-2021, scoring 58 goals and 105 points in 119 games. Chapman enrolled at Norwich University in 2021-22, where he played one season before transferring to Alvernia University. In 75 total collegiate games between 2021-2025, Chapman scored 27 goals and 58 points in 75 games.

Looking back at joining the Thunderbolts during the 2024-25 season, Chapman commented: “The experience was awesome, I just wanted to come in here and do what the team needed, and I was treated like a professional from the moment I walked in. Between the other players, the staff, and the fans, I saw how great the organization is. Winning a championship is always special, but there was something sweeter about doing it as an underdog. Being such a close group and being treated so well played a huge part in bringing the championship to Evansville.” On preparing for his first full professional season, Chapman kept his focus simple, saying: “I think I just need to stick to my process, don’t get too far ahead, focus on one day at a time. I want to be a player who is trusted to play in any situation.” Entering training camp, Chapman concluded by saying: “I’m super excited for this season, there is going to be a huge buzz in the city coming off last season’s championship. I think it’ll be huge for us to ride that momentum into the season and come out swinging.”

On re-signing Chapman, Head Coach Jeff Bes commented: “Isaac came in last year and gave us the adrenaline boost we needed. He is just a top notch guy that gelled instantly with our group. He can score goals and make plays, but it’s also what you don’t see that he does well; getting pucks out, backchecking, blocking shots, and the great energy he provides on the bench. We know he will build and grow his game even more this season.”

Season tickets and single game tickets for the 2025-26 season are on sale now. Call 812-422-BOLT(2658) or visit our 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