THUNDERBOLTS HEAD TO BIRMINGHAM THURSDAY, HOST RIVERMEN SATURDAY

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 Evansville, In.: On the heels of a huge 5-1 victory over the Rivermen in front of almost 5,000 fans on Saturday at Ford Center, the Thunderbolts are back on the road this Thursday in Birmingham before hosting Peoria once again on Saturday for the Thunderbolts’ Dog’s Night Out game.

Week In Review: 

 

               The Thunderbolts hit one of their biggest bumps in the road last

Wednesday, losing 7-1 to the Birmingham Bulls with Matthew Hobbs scoring the lone Evansville goal.  The Thunderbolts looked much better on Friday in Peoria, but tough bounces turned into a 5-1 loss to the Rivermen with Cameron Cook scoring the lone Evansville goal.  The Thunderbolts turned things around with their 5-1 win over the Rivermen on New Year’s Eve at Ford Center, with two goals from Aaron Huffnagle and one goal each from Hayden Hulton, Mike Ferraro and Felix Sasser.  Zane Steeves played in goal for all three games, stopping 38 of 44 shots on Wednesday and 25 of 29 on Friday, before getting the win on Saturday with 33 saves on 34 shots.

 

The Week Ahead: 

The Thunderbolts will be in Birmingham to take on the Bulls this Thursday night at 7:00pm CT, before hosting the Rivermen this Saturday night for the Thunderbolts’ Dog’s Night Out game, featuring specialty jerseys which will be auctioned off after the game, dogs available for adoption in the lobby before the game, dog races on the ice during the first intermission, as well as a dog costume contest.  Fans can bring their dogs to the game for only 5 dollars each.  Thursday’s game can be viewed on SPHL TV with an active subscription through HockeyTV, or can be listened to for free on the Thunderbolts Radio Network, viahttps://evansvillethunderbolts.com/fan-center/live or on the Thunderbolts Mixlr Channel.  For tickets to Saturday night’s game, call (812)422-BOLT (2658), go to EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or visit the Ford Center Ticket Office.

Scouting the Opponent: 

  • Birmingham Bulls: 
    • Record: 14-8-1, 29 Points, T-4th Place
    • Leading Goal Scorer: Michael Gillespie (12 Goals)
    • Leading Point Scorer: Michael Gillespie (34 Points)
    • Primary Goaltender: Hayden Stewart (6-5-0, .883 Save %)
    • Thunderbolts 22-23 Record vs BHM: 0-2-1The Bulls defeated Evansville 7-1 on Wednesday night, with two goals each from Zac Masson and Stefan Brucato, along with goals from Mike Davis, Matt Wiesner and Carson Rose.  Birmingham followed up with a 6-4 win in Pensacola on Friday, with one goal each from Nick Minerva, Scott Donahue, Ryan Romeo, Dylan Johnson, Troy MacTavish, and Masson.  The Bulls won yet again in Knoxville on Sunday by a 3-2 score in overtime, as Brucato and Davis scored in regulation while Jake Pappalardo scored the overtime goal.  In goal for all three wins was Austin Lotz, who stopped 27 of 28 shots on Wednesday, 30 of 34 in Pensacola on Friday, and 26 of 28 in Knoxville on Sunday.
  • Peoria Rivermen: 
    • Record: 15-4-2, 32 Points, T-1st Place
    • Leading Goal Scorer: Alec Baer (13 Goals)
    • Leading Point Scorer: Alec Baer (30 Points)
    • Primary Goaltender: Eric Levine (7-3-2, .903 Save %)
    • Thunderbolts 22-23 Record vs PEO: 2-2-2

In Peoria’s 5-1 win over Evansville on Friday, Alec Hagaman, Joseph Drapluk, Andrew Durham, Marcel Godbout and Ben Assad each scored one goal.  Only Tyler Barrow found the back of the net for the Rivermen in their 5-1 loss in Evansville on Saturday.  In goal, Eric Levine stopped 23 of 24 shots on Friday night in Peoria, while Ben Churchfield played in goal on Saturday, stopping 40 of 44 shots.  The Rivermen host Vermilion County this Friday before traveling back to Evansville.

 

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