THE THUNDERBOLTS TO COMPLETE THEIR INAUGURAL NA3HL CAMPAIGN THIS WEEKEND HOME & HOME SERIES VS. NASHVILLE; HOME FINAL SAT. NIGHT; FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT EVANSVILLE PUSHES SOUTH DIVISION CO-LEADING PT. MALLARD TO OT ON FRIDAY NIGHT
LAST WEEK’S RESULTS: 2(0-1-1) 2-7
FRI. MAR. 4 POINT MALLARD 3 AT ‘BOLTS 2 (OT) SAT. MAR. 5 POINT MALLARD 4 AT ‘BOLTS 0
THIS WEEK’S GAMES: (2) FRI. MAR. 11 AT NASHVILLE 7:00 PM SAT. MAR. 12 VS. NASHVILLE 7:30 PM (HOME FINALE; FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT)
HOME FINALE — FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT— SAT. MARCH 12TH VS. NASHVILLE 7:30 PM *** ALL THUNDERBOLTS GAMES ARE BROADCAST LIVE ON EVANSVILLE’S WVHI-AM 1330 ***
LIGHTNING BOLTS’ SHOTS: The ThunderBolts are embarking on the final week of their 2015-16 NA3HL inaugural season this upcoming week. Under the tutelage of General Manager/Head Coach Scott Fankhouser, the State of Indiana’s only elite junior hockey team will complete their first-ever campaign this upcoming weekend when they tangle with Midwest Division rival Nashville. The two-game home-and-home series will open on Friday night at 7:00 pm in the “Music City†and conclude with the second installment on Saturday night in a 7:30 pm “Showdown at Swonder†encore engagement. The latter contest will represent the official close of the ThunderBolts NA3HL debut season. ThunderBolts game tickets are always FAN-FAMILY-FRIENDLY priced at ONLY $ 5 !!! ThIS still continues to be absolutely the best deal anywhere and everywhere!!
THE LAST WEEKEND: When the ThunderBolts clash with Midwest Division rivals, the Nashville Jr. Predators this weekend, they will be battling a Nashville club that has virtually cemented third place and a coveted playoff berth. The past weekend, the Jr. Preds divided a two-game series abroad in St. Louis against the divisional kingpins, the Jr. Blues. Saturday night, the “Music City†sextet edged St. Louis, 2-1, to halt a mild 2-game losing spell while bringing to an abrupt, brusque halt the Jr. Blues masterful 12-game winning streak on their home ice. However, in Sunday’s encore presentation, St. Louis dispatched the Nashvillians, 6-2. The ThunderBolts and the Jr. Predators have collided, head-on four different times thus far this season with the Tennessee-based squad ultimately gaining the conquest in each contest. The ThunderBolts have been limited to a scant four goals through those four games, never registering more than one goal in any single game as they have been out-goaled by a rather wide margin of 24- 4. Brandon Bornkamp 4(2-0-2); Mathieu LaForest 4(1-1-2); Brandon Rozema 4(1-1-2) have been the ‘Bolts major marquee marksmen while Josh Hill 4(6-3-9); Trent Kulcyk 4(2-4-6); Logan Orem 4(1-5-6) have been the Jr. Preds premiere point producers against Evansville.
WEEKEND WIND-UP: The past weekend, the second to last weekend of the ThunderBolts nativity season, saw the ‘Bolts battle the torrid, red-hot Ducks of Point Mallard in a two-game home stand series at Swonder Ice Arena. Coach Fankhouser’s yearling contingent did gain one point for their initial season’s resume through a thrilling Friday night overtime affair in a 3-2 ultimate outcome. Game two, Point Mallard was predominant in a 4-0 command performance. The ThunderBolts have garnered three of their five composite standings points this season against Point Mallard which is currently tied for the South Division’s top perch with Atlanta and only two-points clear of third place Texas. The Ducks have won 14-games consecutively and are unblemished in their last 15-starts overall since the ‘Bolts bushwhacked them back on January 3rd in Decatur, 7-4. That loss is Point Mallard’s lone home setback all season long as well.
FIRST-EVER OVERTIME: In their 44th game of their first-ever NA3HL season, the ThunderBolts finally attained the opportunity to play overtime. The past Friday night, the ‘Bolts were intrinsically involved in their first- ever, thrilling and exciting three-on-three five-minute sudden-death overtime clash, locking antlers with Point Mallard. Though the ultimate outcome was not totally ideal, the ThunderBolts did earn one more point on their first season’s standing and they accomplished the crowd-pleasing feat by forging a dynamic and gigantic third period comeback counterattack crescendo. The hometown team triggered a pair of goals 1:45 apart to expunge a 2-0 deficit and force the extra session due to the 2-2 tie. Evansville was 0:53 away from its first-ever endeavor into the OTSO when the Ducks doused and dashed those hopes with the late OT/GWG to earn the available “bonus point.â€
UNEXPECTED “RETURNS:†Making a surprise return to the ThunderBolts lineup the past weekend was their All-Star defenseman Triston Theriot. Feared lost for the remainder of the season due to a fractured scapula which he sustained in the opening game of last month’s NA3HL’s Annual Top Prospects Tournament in suburban Detroit, the Fort Wayne, IN product was the supreme catalyst in his club’s stirring two-goal third period resurgence in 1:45 Friday night to prolong the contest to the “OT.†Theriot uncorked a pair of blue line sizzling shots; with the first one being his 6th goal of the season. His second howitzer resulted in a Jon Grimm masterful deflection for the GTG. For the season, Theriot has scored 3 of his 6-goals against the Ducks.
THE BRYSON BARRICADE: Central High School local product Bryson Linenburg continues to bedazzle with his extraordinary improvement as the ThunderBolts human puck barricade. The ThunderBolts backbone backstop was brilliant in both of his starts the past weekend against Point Mallard. Pelted and peppered with a plethora of pucks, Linenburg faced 123-shots during the two-game series, repelling 116 of those attempts for a SPCT of a sparkling .943. He made an amazing 58-saves both nights, earning the ThunderBolts “Penn Station Star of the Game†honors in the Friday night overtime clash.
JONNY B. GOOD: Team captain and leading scoring ace of the place Jon Grimm has enjoyed some of his best performances this campaign against the high-powered Point Mallard Ducks. The past Friday night, “The Captain’s†16th goal of the season on a picture-perfect, textbook-designed deflection of a Triston Theriot cannonading point shot equalized the contest at 2-2, eradicating a ThunderBolts 2-0 deficit. For the season, in 8-games against the Ducks, Grimm registered 14-points on 5-goals, 9-assists with an excellent, team-best +6 rating.
SPECIAL TEAMS TUNING: It has been six games since the ThunderBolts last connected with a power play goal. They are 0-18 in that span, representing their longest power play drought of the season. The penalty-killing unit has been demonstrating some significant improvement. The opposition is 5 for the last 24 for an efficiency rating of 79.2%. Evansville is the lone team in the league without the benefit of a shorthanded goal this season. The ‘Bolts have allowed 12-shorthanded goals against for the season.
TOP OF THE CROP: With one week remaining in their regular season schedule, ThunderBolts scoring kingpins are ranked in order: 1- Jon Grimm 42(16-25-41); 2- Brandon Bornkamp 44(21-19-40); 3- Mike Kelley 40(10-19- 29); 4- Brandon Rozema 42(14-9-23); 5- Triston Theriot 40(6-13-19); 6- Mathieu LaForest 41(5-11-16); 7- Billy Bonser 42 (8-7-15); 8- Brian Crink 45(3-10-13); 9-Cedric Calhoun 33(5-4-9); 10- Zach Faith 34 (1-8-9).
FEW FUN FAST FACTS FROM “FIC:†The ‘Bolts have collected 3 of their 5 standings points this season against first place Point Mallard. Point Mallard’s current 15-game undefeated streak started after the ‘’Bolts ambushed them in Decatur back on January 3rd, 7-4. Jon Grimm and Brandon Bornkamp really excelled in the 8- game season series against Point Mallard this season. Grimm was 8(5-9-14) with a stellar +6 rating; Bornkamp was 8(4-6-10) with a +4 rating. In their recently concluded 4-game home stand, the ‘Bolts were 4(0-3-1), being outscored, 18-3. In games one and four of the home stand, the ‘Bolts were blanked by replica results of 4-0 by Peoria and Point Mallard respectively. ‘Bolts have scored only 5-GF in the last 5-games. In his last 20-games, Brandon Rozema is the team’s top scoring mogul with 20(12-6-18); last 14(8-6-14); last 6(4-1-5). The ‘Bolts 13 third period goals against Point Mallard represent the most goals that they have scored in a single period against any team this season. The ‘Bolts 44-SOG in the game one OT bout Friday night equaled their second most shots on goal in a single game this season. The most being 45, also against Point Mallard in their 7-4 first-ever victory on January 3rd at Decatur. Evansville’s 21-SOG in the second period on Friday night were its second most in a single stanza thus far this season. The ‘Bolts 13-SOG Saturday night were their third fewest in one game this season. Defenseman Brian Crink is the last man standing. He is the lone ‘Bolts player to play in all 45-games this year. The ThunderBolts have utilized 31-players this season.
