Evansville, In.: After a 2-0 Evansville lead was nullified in the third period, Anthony Mollica’s overtime goal saved the day as the Thunderbolts defeated the Rivermen 3-2 at Ford Center on Friday night. The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Friday, April 3rd against the Pensacola Ice Flyers at 7:00pm CT.
Following another scoreless first period, Evansville opened the scoring at 3:24 of the second period as Matthew Hobbs scored on the power play from Myles Abbate and Mollica. At 14:38, a giveaway by Rivermen goaltender Jack Bostedt led to a goal by Abbate, as initial shots by Joey Berkopec and Isaac Chapman were stopped prior to Abbate cashing in. Peoria found momentum in the third period, as Jordan Ernst scored a power play goal at 9:10 to make it 2-1, and the Rivermen tied the game with 2:42 remaining as Michael McChesney scored on a multi-rebound chance off the rush. A last-minute delay of game penalty on the Rivermen proved to be decisive, as Mollica scored on the ensuing power play in overtime from Aaron Huffnagle and Abbate to win the game for Evansville by a 3-2 score, Evansville’s second overtime win of the season. With the win, Evansville remains tied for second place with Roanoke, one point ahead of Pensacola in fourth place, and three points ahead of Huntsville in fifth place in the battle for home-ice advantage in the opening round of the President’s Cup Playoffs.
Abbate scored one goal and added two assists, Mollica scored the game-winning goal plus one assist, and Hobbs scored one goal. In goal, Cody Karpinski finished with 30 saves on 32 shots for his 8th win of the season. The Thunderbolts and Rivermen meet again on Saturday, March 28th at Peoria Civic Center, with Evansville now leading the regular season series 8-4 and the series victory clinched.
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