Roanoke, Va.: In a massive gut-check performance, the Thunderbolts turned the page from Friday’s loss and bounced back to defeat the Rail Yard Dawgs 3-2 in overtime on Saturday night at Berglund Center. The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Saturday, February 24th against the Peoria Rivermen, puck drop at 7:00pm CT.
In a very close first period, Roanoke took the game’s first lead as Josh Nenadal scored 6:24 into the game, yet the Thunderbolts managed to keep the deficit at only one goal, while threatening several times in the Roanoke end. The offense finally came through in the second period for Evansville, starting with Vadim Vasjonkin’s deflection goal off a Nick Prestia shot at 8:08. A few minutes later, Myles Abbate gave the Thunderbolts a 2-1 lead by diving to knock in a loose puck in the crease, assisted by Hayden Ford at 13:03. Jesse Anderson tied the game for Roanoke just over two minutes into the third period, and the game remained deadlocked for the rest of regulation time, as both goaltenders stood on their heads and went save-for-save. Dmitri Yushkevich was the overtime hero for Evansville, scoring 48 seconds into extra time by sniping home a shot from the mid-slot, assisted by Matthew Hobbs and Lincoln Hatten.
Vasjonkin, Abbate and Yushkevich scored one goal each for Evansville, while Brendahn Brawley stopped 39 of 41 shots faced in goal for his 9th win of the season, his 3rd with Evansville. The Thunderbolts and Rail Yard Dawgs do not meet again this regular season, with the season series ending in a 2-2 tie.
Individual game tickets and group packages are on sale for this 2023-24 season. Season tickets for the 2024-25 season are on sale now. 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