Evansville, In.:  After another tough first period, the Thunderbolts again found a way to rally, coming back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game and force overtime, earning a point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Macon Mayhem on Saturday night at Ford Center. The Thunderbolts next home game will be on Saturday, November 11th against the Huntsville Havoc, puck drop at 7:00pm CT.
The Mayhem picked up a 3-0 lead in the first period with Alex Laplante scoring at 7:15, CJ Hayes at 9:32, and Tommy Munichiello at 17:10. The turning point of regulation time for the Thunderbolts proved to be an outstanding penalty kill to begin the second period, killing off a five minute major Macon power play. Minutes later, Evansville’s first goal came at 8:29, with Bair Gendunov scoring to put Evansville on the board, assisted by Grayson Valente on their own power play to make it a 3-1 game. Outshooting Macon 15-3 in the third period, the Thunderbolts scored another pair of goals to tie the game, as Gendunov scored once again at 6:21 from Valente and Hayden Ford, followed by Matt Dorsey’s goal at 12:34 from Scott Kirton and Nick Prestia. In overtime, both teams exchanged opportunities before Macon won the game on a shot from Adam Eby at 3:42. Despite losing in the end, the Thunderbolts secured 3 out of 4 points on the weekend, when they could have easily gotten none at all, thanks to the Thunderbolts’ refusal to give up.
Gendunov led the scoring with his pair of goals, Dorsey finished with one goal, while Valente tallied two assists. In goal, Kuhn finished with 25 saves on 29 shots to help the Thunderbolts earn a point. The Thunderbolts and Mayhem meet once again on Sunday, December 31st, once again at Ford Center.
