Evansville, In.:  In the final game at Ford Center before Christmas, the Thunderbolts emerged victorious over Roanoke behind Joey Berkopec’s first two goals as a Thunderbolt, 6-2 the final score on Friday night.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Saturday, December 28th against the Quad City Storm at 7:05pm CT.

After a scoreless first period, Roanoke got off to a strong start in the second period but were stymied by several great saves from Ty Taylor to keep the game scoreless.  Minutes later, Joey Berkopec gave Evansville the first lead off a low-angle shot from the right side on the rush, unassisted at 3:04.  40 seconds later at 3:44, Logan vande Meerakker made it 2-0 as he finished off an initial shot by Nolan McElhaney that rolled well short as his stick broke on the shot, also assisted by Matthew Hobbs.  At 6:39, Berkopec scored again on a shot from the top of the slot through traffic, assisted by Tyson Gilmour and Grayson Valente.  Following a goaltending change, Roanoke found life late in the period, as Matt O’Dea scored at 17:02 and Carson Gallagher at 18:35 to shorten Evansville’ lead to 3-2 through two periods.

The Thunderbolts got back to work in the third period, and took a 4-2 lead 1:42 into the final frame as Matt Dorsey forced a Roanoke turnover right to Gilmour at the net-front for the goal.  Shortly afterward at 4:45, Brendan Harrogate found Anthony Hora coming up the left side with a pass from behind the net, blasted through on a one-timer to make it a 5-2 game, also assisted by Gilmour.  Late in the game, Harrogate scored on a rebound off the rush from Benjamin Lindberg and Grayson Valente to make it a 6-2 game with 2:20 remaining.

Berkopec scored two goals on the night including the game-winner, Gilmour finished with a goal and two assists, Harrogate ended with a goal and assist, while Vande Meerakker and Hora scored one goal each.  Valente tallied a pair of assists, while Taylor finished with 43 saves on 45 shots for his 3rd win of the season.  The Thunderbolts and Rail Yard Dawgs do not meet again this regular season, with Evansville winning the season series 1-0.

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