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

Barnaby Makes Immediate Impact Despite Bolts Loss to Bulls

Evansville, In.:  It took only 2:17 of play for Matthew Barnaby to score in his return to the Thunderbolts, however it would be all the Thunderbolts could get in a 4-1 loss at Pelham on Friday night.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Saturday, October 26th against the Huntsville Havoc at 7:00pm CT.

Down 1-0 1:33 into the game on a goal for Birmingham’s Carson Rose, Barnaby’s goal tied the game less than a minute later at 2:17, assisted by new addition Carson Gallagher.  However, the Bulls broke the tie at 10:15 of the second period with a goal for Michael Gillespie.  Nikita Kozyrev added a goal in the third period before Rose scored again to put the game away late in the third period, 4-1 Bulls the final score.  The game also featured a pair of fights, as Bronson Adams went toe-to-tie with Kyler Matthews late in the second period, before Matthew Hobbs took on Matthew early in the third period.  Also of note was the Thunderbolts’ penalty kill, which went a perfect 5-for-5, and remains perfect on 8 power plays faced.

Barnaby scored Evansville’s goal, while Cole Ceci finished with 44 saves on 48 shots.  The Thunderbolts and Bulls meet once again on Saturday, December 6th at Pelham Civic Complex.

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 Forward Carson Gallagher to a PTO

On Friday, the Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes announced the signing of forward Carson Gallagher to a professional tryout (PTO).

Gallagher joins the Thunderbolts after starting the 2024-25 season in senior hockey with the Deseronto Bulldogs of the EOSHL, scoring 2 goals and 7 points in 4 games.  The native of Courtise, Ontario played four seasons of college hockey with Sacred Heart University in 2020-21, SUNY-Plattsburgh from 2021-2023, and Toronto Metro University in 2023-24.  In 79 collegiate games, Gallagher scored 26 goals and 59 points.  Prior to college, Gallagher played junior hockey with the Cobourg Cougars and Whitby Fury of the OJHL between 2016-19 and Johnstown Tomahawks in 2019-20.

Thunderbolts Sign Forward Matthew Barnaby Jr

Evansville, In.:  The Evansville Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes are pleased to announce the signing of forward Matthew Barnaby Jr. for the 2024-25 season. The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be this Saturday, October 26^th against the Huntsville Havoc.

Barnaby played for the Thunderbolts during the 2019-20 season before the COVID shutdown occurred. During the 2019-20 season, Barnaby tallied 14 goals and 34 points in 44 games, including 3 power play goals. Due to the Thunderbolts going inactive during the 2020-2021 season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Barnaby signed with the Huntsville Havoc, tallying 12 goals and 25 points in 23 games played. The Buffalo, New York native spent two seasons in the ECHL between the Fort Wayne Komets and the Orlando Solar Bears before heading to Finland to play with Rovaniemen Kiekko (RoKi) in the Mestis league.

                “I’m super excited and I’m looking to contribute in any way I can. There’s a great group of guys here and I couldn’t be more excited to play for Jeff Bes again.” replied Barnaby when asked about how it feels to be back with the Thunderbolts.

“We’re excited to have Matthew come back to Evansville. He certainly brings energy, skill and commitment to our team and our organization,” said Jeff Bes about the signing of Matthew Barnaby Jr. “We can’t wait to see what he does on the ice. Matthew is a great kid, and the fans are going to love him.

Individual game tickets, group packages, and season tickets are on sale for the upcoming 2024-25 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