CECI LEADS THUNDERBOLTS TO 5-1 WIN OVER QUAD CITY
Evansville, In.: It was a stellar night in goal for Cole Ceci, who turned away almost every big Storm scoring chance in the first two periods before the Thunderbolts pulled away with three late goals in a 5-1 victory over Quad City on Friday night at Ford Center. The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Saturday, January 4th against the Peoria Rivermen at 7:05pm CT.
Following some big saves in the first few minutes from Ceci, the Thunderbolts gained the first lead 6:35 into the first period, scored off a rebound by Brady Lynn and assisted by Nolan McElhaney and Jordan Simoneau. Quad City converted on an early second period opportunity, tying the game 1-1 on a goal from Leif Mattson at 2:34. Following several saves by Ceci to keep the game tied, Evansville grabbed a 2-1 lead as Matthew Hobbs scored unassisted on a 2-on-1 rush at 6:59. Late in the third period, Myles Abbate scored on a penalty shot at 16:03 to make it a 3-1 game, followed by an empty net goal from Brendan Harrogate, who scored at 18:05 from Abbate and Tyson Gilmour to further gap the lead to 4-1 and extend Harrogate’s point streak to 7 consecutive games. At 18:40, the Thunderbolts made it 5-1 as Gilmour scored on another 2-on-1 break, assisted by Lynn and McElhaney.
Gilmour, Abbate, and Lynn scored a goal and assist each, Harrogate and Hobbs finished with one goal each, and McElhaney tallied a pair of assists. In goal, Ceci finished with 21 saves on 22 shots for his 6th win of the season. The Thunderbolts and Storm meet again on Friday, February 14th at Ford Center, face-off set for 7:05pm CT.
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.
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
