Thunderbolts Defeat Havoc 2-1 for Third Straight Victory

Evansville, In.:  Behind two early goals and more solid defense, the Thunderbolts defeated the Huntsville Havoc 2-1 on Friday night at Ford Center, extending Evansville’s win streak to three games and entering a tie for first place in the SPHL standings.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Friday, November 14th against the Quad City Storm at 7:00pm CT.

The Thunderbolts jumped out to an early lead, as a pass from Havoc goaltender Brian Wilson from behind the net banked off a teammate’s skate and into the crease, where Cameron Patton scored to give Evansville the opening lead, assisted by Aidan Litke only 2:27 into the game, the goal being the first of Patton’s professional career.  Another Wilson turnover ended up in the Havoc net later at 9:15, as Will van der Veen intercepted a Wilson pass up the far boards and got a quick shot off, with the rebound scored on by Derek Contessa, who was playing in his 100th professional game, to make it 2-0 Evansville.  The Havoc made their biggest push early in the second period and Josh Kestner scored 4:48 into the middle frame to cut Evansville’s lead to 2-1.  Kristian Stead was perfect the rest of the game, Evansville’s penalty kill went 3-for-3, and the Thunderbolts defense was able to keep the Havoc off the attack and secure the 2-1 victory, with Evansville now tied with the Havoc and Pensacola Ice Flyers for first place in the SPHL standings as of Friday evening.

Patton and Contessa scored Evansville’s goals while Kristian Stead finished with 25 saves on 26 shots on goal for his 5th win of the season.  The Thunderbolts and Havoc meet again on Friday, December 19th at Von Braun Center, with the season series tied 1-1.

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 Sign Defenseman Jaden Shields; Place Tait on 14-Day IR

On Tuesday, the Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes announced a pair of transactions, led by the signing of defenseman Jaden Shields to a standard contract.

Shields joins the Thunderbolts after just over a full season in the ECHL with the Tulsa Oilers late in 2023-24 along with the Kalamazoo Wings and Norfolk Admirals in 2024-25.  In 35 total ECHL games, Shields amassed 2 goals and 15 points.  The Royal Oak, Michigan native played four seasons of college hockey in his home state at Adrian College between 2020-2024, and was a top offensive producer, scoring 24 goals and 121 points along with a +72 rating in 110 games, finishing his collegiate career as an alternate captain in 2023-24 before turning pro with Tulsa.  Among other accolades accrued at the collegiate level, Shields was named NCHA Freshman of the Year in 2020-21, NCHA Player of the Year and AHCA First Team All-American West in 2023-24, and with Adrian won NCHA Conference Championships back-to-back in 2021-22 and 2022-23 as well as the NCAA Division 3 National Championship in 2022-23.  Shields also played several seasons of junior hockey in the NAHL (entirely with the Austin Bruins) and USHL (with Sioux City, Chicago, Omaha, Sioux Falls, and Lincoln) between 2016-2020.

In additional transaction news, forward Connor Tait was placed on 14-Day Injured Reserve. 

Thunderbolts Defeat Rivermen 4-1; Sweep Weekend Home Series

Evansville, In.:  After building a 3-0 lead in the game’s first half, the Thunderbolts’ defense held the fort down the rest of the way as Evansville completed the weekend sweep on home ice against the Rivermen, 4-1 the final score on Saturday at Ford Center.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Friday, November 7th against the Huntsville Havoc at 7:00pm CT.

The Thunderbolts pressed right from the opening faceoff and throughout the first period, outshooting the Rivermen 13-8 and heavily out-chancing Peoria.  Late in the period, the Thunderbolts were rewarded as a shot from Connor Tait barely squeaked over the goal line, the goal confirmed after review, unassisted at 15:57 for Tait’s first professional goal.  Evansville continued the push early in the second period and extended the lead to 2-0 only 48 seconds in as Matthew Hobbs scored off a face-off from Jordan Simoneau.  On the power play, Aidan Litke scored on the rush set up by Myles Abbate at 6:37 to extend Evansville’s lead to 3-1 and force the Rivermen to change goaltenders.  In the third period, the Rivermen broke the shutout at 7:03 as Michael McChesney deflected a puck into the net to trim Evansville’s lead to 3-1.  With goaltender Jack Bostedt pulled late, the Rivermen were denied any further goals, and Simoneau cashed in for an unassisted empty-net goal at 19:35 to put the game out of reach as the Thunderbolts won 4-1, sweeping the weekend series.

Simoneau led the way with a goal and assist, while Tait, Hobbs and Litke scored one goal each.  In goal, Kristian Stead finished with 23 saves on 24 shots on goal for his 4th win of the season.  The Thunderbolts and Rivermen meet again on Friday, November 28th at Peoria Civic Center, with the Thunderbolts leading the series 2-0.

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

Thunderbolts Put On Defensive Showcase in 2-1 Win Over Peoria

Evansville, In.:  Behind goals from Jordan Simoneau and Connor Federkow along with a collective defensive effort that held Peoria to only 23 shots on goal, the Thunderbolts defeated the Rivermen 2-1 on Friday night at Ford Center.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Saturday, November 1st against the Peoria Rivermen at 7:00pm CT.

The Thunderbolts outshot the Rivermen 14-5 in the first period, despite being shorthanded for five minutes, and grabbed the game’s first lead at 11:49 as Simoneau scored on a 2-on-1 rush from Cameron MacPhee.  Early in the second period, the Thunderbolts doubled the lead to 2-0 at 3:17 as Federkow scored on a power play from Scott Kirton and Matthew Hobbs.  The extra insurance was wiped out 40 seconds later however, as Griffen Fox scored at 3:57 to cut the Thunderbolts’ lead to 2-1.  The Rivermen nearly tied the game in the final minutes of the second period, however a goal-line save with the stick by Kristian Stead on Brayden Barker denied the Rivermen of the tying goal.  In the third period, Evansville shut down the Rivermen once again, outshooting Peoria 16-6 and hanging on at the end for the 2-1 victory to open the weekend doubleheader against the Rivermen, ending Peoria’s unbeaten start to the season.

Simoneau and Federkow scored Evansville’s goals while Kristian Stead finished with 22 saves on 23 shots on goal for his 3rd win of the season.  The Thunderbolts and Rivermen meet again on Saturday, November 1st at Ford Center, with the Thunderbolts leading the 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 Host Nearly 7,000 for Education Day Game

Evansville, In.:  The Thunderbolts took on the Huntsville Havoc on Tuesday morning at Ford Center, and although they fell 6-2, put on a good show for the 6,852 fans that turned out, the vast majority being children from schools around the Tri-State.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Friday, October 31st against the Peoria Rivermen at 7:00pm CT.

In the first period, the Havoc opened the score at 8:05 with a breakaway goal by Connor Fries.  Evansville finished the first period strong, with Scott Kirton scoring an unassisted goal at 14:04 as he stole the puck in close.  The second period began with a scrap, as Matthew Hobbs got the better of Havoc veteran Josh Kestner, much to the delight of the crowd.  Unfortunately, the Havoc scored three goals, Austin Alger at 3:59, Ethan Lindsay on a power play at 8:33, and Fries again at 12:13 to open up a 4-1 lead.  Late in the second period, Evansville again found life as Myles Abbate scored off a net-front scramble from Hobbs to shorten the gap to 4-2.  The Havoc, however, pulled away in the third period with goals from Jaxon Camp and Kestner to round out the score at 6-2.

Kirton and Abbate scored Evansville’s goals while Brendahn Brawley finished with 31 saves on 37 shots on goal.  The Thunderbolts and Havoc meet again on Friday, November 7th at Ford Center, with the Havoc leading the 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