Thunderbolts Hit the Road for Pair, Then Begin 6-Game Homestand

After being unable to secure a win in a week for only the third time this season, the Evansville Thunderbolts aim to reset and get back to winning form on the road once again this Friday in Vermilion County and Saturday in Knoxville, before returning home to face Huntsville in the first of six consecutive home games at Ford Center. 

Week In Review: 

                 The Thunderbolts were defeated 4-1 by the Huntsville Havoc on Wednesday at Ford Center in only their fourth loss on home ice this season, with Andrew Shewfelt scoring the lone goal.  On Friday night at Birmingham, the Thunderbolts trailed yet rallied often, nearly coming back several times against the Bulls yet falling just short in a 6-4 loss, with a pair of goals from Felix Sasser and a goal each from Alex Cohen and Brendan Harrogate.  Saturday brought one of the tougher losses of the year, an 8-2 loss at Huntsville, despite a 2-0 comeback in the first period off goals from Scott Kirton and Cameron Cook.   

 The Week Ahead: 

The Thunderbolts play at Vermilion County this Friday night at 7:00pm CT before traveling to Knoxville to face the Ice Bears on Saturday night at 6:35pm CT.  On Sunday the Thunderbolts return home to host the Huntsville Havoc for Sunday Funday, with puck drop at 3:00pm CT.  Sunday’s game will feature $2 Bud Light and $2 hot dogs until the end of the 1^st Intermission (while supplies last), while kids 12 and under are eligible for a free bag of popcorn.  Friday and Saturday’s games can be viewed on SPHL TV with an active subscription through HockeyTV, or can be listened to for free on the Thunderbolts Radio Network, via https://evansvillethunderbolts.com/fan-center/live or on the Thunderbolts Mixlr Channel.  For tickets to Sunday afternoon’s game, call (812)422-BOLT (2658), go to EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or visit the Ford Center Ticket Office. 

 Coming Soon: 

                 The Thunderbolts homestand continues into next week, as the Thunderbolts host the Macon Mayhem on Friday the 27^th and Saturday the 28^th, both games beginning at 7:00pm CT.  Friday the 27^th will be Faith Night, sponsored by Oakland City University.  OCU will be offering a chance for a high school junior or senior student to win a $12,000 scholarship, while Hush Harbor will be performing a contemporary Christian concert after the game, presented by WAY-FM.  Saturday the 28^th will be Star Wars Night, featuring specialty jerseys which will be auctioned off following the game, a tauntaun race, as well as a costume contest. 

Bowling with a Bolt Event Planned

An fun event is being planned for Sunday, January 29.

Billed as "Bowling with a Bolt", the event will have players and fans bowling at Franklin Lanes from 2:00 to 4:00pm.  

Several entertaing elements have been added, along with the bowling, including chances to win prizes.

The cost is $25 per person.

See the fan page for more details.

Thunderbolts Start 5-Game Road Stand

With a full 4-0 sweep of their homestand against Pensacola two weekends ago and the Havoc and Storm this past weekend, the high-flying Thunderbolts look to continue their success on the road, starting with a pair of games this upcoming weekend in Birmingham against the Bulls.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Friday, December 2^nd against the Quad City Storm at 7:00pm CT.  For tickets, call (812)422-BOLT (2658), go to EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or visit the Ford Center Ticket Office.

Week In Review:

            The Thunderbolts defeated the Havoc 4-1 on Friday night, behind a goal and two assists from Scott Kirton, a goal and assist each from Matthew Barron and Tanner Butler, and another goal from Fredrik Wink.  The defense kept Zane Steeves’ workload to a near-minimum, and Steeves stopped 19 of only 20 shots faced.  On Sunday afternoon the Thunderbolts blasted the Quad City Storm 5-0 with goals from Kirton, Mike Ferraro, Derek Sutliffe, Bryan Etter, and Matt Ustaski.  Steeves’ 33 saves earned him his first shutout of the season and the 2^nd in his SPHL career.  Steeves earned the SPHL’s Player of the Week honors with his combined 52 saves on 53 shots on the weekend.  With the two victories on the weekend, the Thunderbolts now sit in 2^nd place in the SPHL standings, one point behind 1^st place Quad City.

The Week Ahead:

The Thunderbolts are in Pelham, Alabama to take on the Birmingham Bulls on Friday, November 18^th and Saturday, November 19^th, both games beginning at 7:00pm CT.  Both games can be watched on SPHL TV with a subscription through HockeyTV.  Fans can also listen in for free on the Thunderbolts Radio Network, through the Thunderbolts Mixlr Channel or at EvansvilleThunderbolts.com/fan-center/live . 

Scouting the Opponent: 

• Birmingham Bulls:
  • ◦ Record: 4-3-0, 8 Points, T-5^th Place
  • ◦ Leading Goal Scorer: Carson Rose (5 Goals)
  • ◦ Leading Point Scorer: Carson Rose (13 Points)
  • ◦ Primary Goaltender: Hayden Stewart (3-2-0, .920 Save %)
  • ◦ Thunderbolts 21-22 Record vs BHM: 5-2-1

On home ice for both games this past week, the Bulls defeated the Fayetteville Marksmen 5-2 on Thursday, with Matt Wiesner, Stepan Timofeyev and Mike Davis scoring one goal and assist each, and Jordan Martin along with Jake Goldowski adding a goal each.  Hayden Stewart picked up the win in net with 20 saves on 22 shots.  The following night against Knoxville saw a narrow 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Ice Bears.  Carson Rose led the offense with two goals and an assist, while Martin and Jake Pappalardo scored a goal each.  Stewart was in net once again but stopped only 29 of 34 shots faced.  The Bulls play in Macon this Thursday night before returning home to host the Thunderbolts on Friday and Saturday. 

Call-up Report 

            - None

Transactions: 

Thur. 11/10: Derek Sutliffe signed to Professional Tryout

The Thunderbolts are currently competing in their sixth season in the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League). Individual game tickets, season tickets, and group packages are on sale for this 2022-23 season.  To order your tickets for this season, call 812-422-BOLT(2658).

Steeves Earns SPHL Player of the Week Honors

The Evansville Thunderbolts of the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League) and Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes are pleased to announce that goaltender Zane Steeves has been named the SPHL’s Player of the Week for November 7^th to 13^th.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Friday, December 2^nd against the Quad City Storm at 7:00pm CT.  For tickets, call (812)422-BOLT (2658), go to EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or visit the Ford Center Ticket Office.

On Friday night against the Huntsville Havoc, Steeves only allowed a single goal on 20 shots faced as he backstopped the Thunderbolts to a 4-1 win.  The Red Deer, Alberta native did himself one better on Sunday against the Quad City Storm, pitching a 33-save shutout as the Thunderbolts defeated Quad City 5-0.  The shutout was his first as a Thunderbolt, and the second of his SPHL career.  So far this season, Steeves has a record of 6-1, along with a goals-against average of 2.00 and a whopping .932% save percentage.  His 6 wins lead all goaltenders in the SPHL, while his goals-against average and save percentage rank 3^rd and 5^th, respectively.

Individual game tickets, season tickets and group packages are on sale for this 2022-23 season.  Call 812-422-BOLT or visit our all-new website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.com) for details.

Thunderbolts Announce Opening Roster, Captains

The Evansville Thunderbolts of the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League) and Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes announce today the opening roster and team captain and assistant captains for the 2022-23 Season.

At Forward, Mike Ferraro, Matthew Hobbs, Cameron Cook, Hayden Hulton, and Aaron Huffnagle all return from the 2021-22 roster, along with SPHL free agent signings Andrew Shewfelt from Pensacola and Mathieu Cloutier from the Peoria Rivermen.  The Thunderbolts welcome veteran Swedish forwards Fredrik Wink and Philip Wong, both from Sollumtuna HC of the Swedish Division 2 league.  After a professional season in Germany with ESC Kempten, Brendan Harrogate joins the lineup, along with rookies Matthew Barron, Kenny Britton, and Walker Sommer, all of whom join the Thunderbolts after playing college hockey last season with Ontario Tech University, University of Victoria, and Niagara University, respectively.

On Defense, Tanner Butler, Timothy Faulkner, and Dillon Hill all return from 2021-22, along with Oleksandr Liulchuk, who starts his second stint as a Thunderbolt after playing for Evansville in the 2018-19 campaign.  Alexis Girard joins the defense corps after playing with Fayetteville, Knoxville and Vermilion County, as well as in the ECHL with Trois-Rivieres in 2021-22.  Former Quad City defenseman Kristaps Nimanis joins the team following a pair of seasons in his native Latvia with Liepaja, while veteran Swedish defenseman Felix Sasser also comes to Evansville from Sollumtuna HC along with forwards Wink and Wong.  Rounding out the defense is Zachery Bennett, who turned pro in 2021-22 in Sweden with the Soderhamn/Ljusne HC and Stromsbro IF programs.

The goaltending tandem consists of Henry Johnson, who played briefly with the Macon Mayhem following 5 seasons of college hockey with Bemidji State and Mercyhurst Universities, and Zane Steeves, previously with the Huntsville Havoc and Birmingham Bulls in 2021-22.

Third-year Thunderbolts forward Hayden Hulton has been named the 8^th captain in franchise history, after previously serving as an assistant captain in 2021-22.  In addition, third-year defenseman Tanner Butler and defenseman Kristaps Nimanis have been appointed as assistant captains for the 2022-23 season.