THUNDERBOLTS HOST HUNTSVILLE THIS SUNDAY FOR PRINCESS & PIRATES NIGHT

Evansville, In.:  With another three standings points gained against the Quad City Storm this past weekend, the Thunderbolts will make a quick trip to Knoxville to face the Ice Bears on Friday night before returning to Ford Center on Sunday to host the Huntsville Havoc for Princess & Pirates Night.

                After a quick start on Friday night against Quad City with both teams scoring an early goal, Evansville’s by Jordan Simoneau, the game was held to a 1-1 through the rest of regulation, requiring a shootout.  Tyson Gilmour scored first for Evansville in the shootout, but the Storm came back to win 2-1.  The Thunderbolts got revenge on Saturday, defeating Quad City 6-2 behind two goals from Gilmour and additional goals from Simoneau, Scott Kirton, Myles Abbate, and Matthew Hobbs.  Cole Ceci stood out again between the pipes for Evansville on both nights, stopping 30 of 31 shots along with 5 of 7 in the shootout on Friday, and 28 of 30 shots on Saturday.

                This Friday, the Thunderbolts will be in Knoxville to take on the Ice Bears, opening face-off set for 6:05pm CT.  Fans can watch the action on FloHockey with a paid subscription or can listen for free on the Thunderbolts Mixlr Channel.  There will also be an away game watch party at Parkway Pizza on Evansville’s Westside.  Sunday will be Princess & Pirates Night against the Huntsville Havoc, opening face-off set for 3:00pm CT.  Hot Dogs, Popcorn, and regular Sodas will be on sale for $3 each, a hair tinsel station will be set up by Top Knot Beauty Studio, an inflatable slide will be available from Legendary Inflatables, and fans can skate on the Ford Center ice with the team after the game.  For $10 extra per child through Ticketmaster or the Ford Center Box Office, kids can receive an add-on package for either a Princess or Pirate Party; the Princess Party Package containing a light-up flower crown and friendship bracelet, and the Pirate Party Package containing a light-up foam wand, an eyepatch, and a scavenger hunt.

                After this Sunday, the Thunderbolts will be on the road for three consecutive games, starting in North Carolina on March 14th and 15th as they face the Fayetteville Marksmen for the only two meetings of the regular season, followed by the final regular season trip to Quad City on Thursday, March 20th.  The Thunderbolts return to Ford Center on Saturday, March 22nd as they host the Storm for Jurassic Night, featuring specialty game-worn Jurassic jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game, and replica jerseys which will be on sale at the Thunderbolts Merchandise Stand.

                The Ice Bears have lost 12 games in a row and only have 2 wins in their last 17 games, their struggles continuing with a pair of losses at Peoria this past weekend.  Knoxville lost by a 7-5 score on Friday, with two goals from Dawson McKinney and additional goals from Noah Finstrom, Eric Olson, and Lucas Helland.  They were unable to score any goals on Saturday, as they were shut out 4-0.

                Last weekend for the Havoc began with a 5-1 win over the Macon Mayhem on Thursday in Huntsville, with two goals from Craig McCabe and additional goals from Matt Allen, Benito Posa and Cole Reginato.  On Friday, Huntsville was defeated 6-2 in Birmingham by their arch-rivals the Bulls, with goals from Reginato and Sam Ruffin keeping them close until the later second period.  Huntsville got revenge against the Bulls on Saturday night back in Huntsville, winning 2-1 in overtime with a second period goal from Jack Jaunich and the overtime-winning goal from Giovanni Procopio.

– Lincoln Hatten (Worcester Railers – ECHL)

                – 49 GP, 6 G, 13 A, 19 P, 45 PIM

– Anthony Hora (Worcester Railers – ECHL)

                – 12 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 P, 2 PIM

– Ty Taylor (Orlando Solar Bears – ECHL)

                – 1 GP, 1-0-0, .923 SV%

Tue. 3/4: G Daniel Davidson placed on waivers

Mon. 3/3: F Vili Vesalainen placed on waivers

Sat. 3/1: D Jake Mendeszoon signed to professional tryout (PTO)

Fri. 2/28: D Benjamin Lindberg returned from call-up to Worcester (ECHL)

Fri. 2/28: F Jordan Simoneau activated from Injured Reserve

Fri. 2/28: F Nolan Dawson placed on 14-Day Injured Reserve

Fri. 2/28: D Jake Jurgeneit placed on waivers

Fri. 2/28: F Aidan Wagner moved from 14-Day to 30-Day Injured Reserve

Individual game tickets and group packages are on sale for the 2024-25 season.  Season tickets for the 2025-26 season are on sale now.  Call 812-422-BOLT(2658) or visit our 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