After falling behind by a pair of early goals, the Thunderbolts battled well through the rest of the contest from behind, but ultimately fell just short, losing to the Huntsville Havoc by a 3-1 score on Saturday night at Ford Center. The Thunderbolts next home game will be on Sunday, December 26th at 3:00pm CT as they host the Quad City Storm. For tickets, call (812)422-BOLT (2658), buy online at EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or buy tickets in person at the Ford Center Box Office.
Huntsville grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period, following an early goal by Cole Reginato at 1:49, followed by Sy Nutkevich at 11:34.  Evansville responded early in the second period as Josh Adkins scored in his second consecutive game, at 4:27 assisted by Scott Kirton and Austin Plevy. Brian Billett made plenty of big saves to keep Evansville within one goal. Adversely, Huntsville goaltender Max Milosek did the same, keeping Evansville down by a goal. The stalemate continued throughout the game, until Billett was pulled for a late 6-player attack that resulted in an empty-net goal for Tyler Piacentini to end the scoring, as Evansville’s comeback went unfinished, losing 3-1.
Billett stopped 26 of 28 shots, remaining tied for the franchise record for career wins (17) with retired Thunderbolts goaltender Braeden Ostepchuk. The game also marked a milestone for head coach Jeff Bes, who coached his 400th professional game on Saturday. The Thunderbolts next face the Havoc on Thursday, January 6th at Ford Center, face-off at 7:00pm CT.
The Thunderbolts are currently competing in their fifth season in the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League). Season tickets are less than $9 per game. To order your tickets for this season, call 812-422-BOLT(2658).
