Evansville, In.: Despite the tough 4-3 shootout loss to the Macon Mayhem, it was a great win for children in need in the Tri-State as 4,304 stuffed animals were tossed onto the ice for the Thunderbolts’ Annual Teddy Bear Toss on Friday night at Ford Center. The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Saturday, December 6th against the Birmingham Bulls at 7:00pm CT.
The Mayhem took the game’s first lead 3:30 into the game off a net-front redirection by Conor Witherspoon. At 13:20, Evansville tied the game as Isaac Chapman scored on a turnaround shot in the mid-slot from Dilan Peters and Derek Contessa to begin the deluge of stuffed animals onto the ice from the stands on all sides. The Thunderbolts jumped ahead in the second period as Keanan Stewart scored from Scott Kirton and Tyson Gilmour to give Evansville their first lead, pushed further to 3-1 at 11:37 as Stewart scored again on a 2-on-1 rush from Eelis Laaksonen and Connor Tait. Macon rallied to tie in the third period, as Connor May scored at 11:48 and Hayden Ford scored with 46 seconds remaining to force overtime. The game required a shootout as overtime went scoreless, and Macon defeated Evansville in the shootout two goals to none to win 4-3.
Stewart scored twice for Evansville, while Chapman scored one goal. In goal, Stead finished with 36 saves on 39 shots. The Thunderbolts and Mayhem meet again on Friday, February 6th at Macon Coliseum, with Macon leading the season series 2-0.
