THUNDERBOLTS RETURN HOME TO FACE STORM THIS FRIDAY, SATURDAY 

DECEMBER 2, 2022

 Evansville, In.: Riding a three-game road winning streak back home to Evansville, the 1^stPlace-Thunderbolts return to Ford Center ice with a doubleheader against the Quad City Storm on Friday and Saturday before hitting the road again back to Vermilion County on Sunday and Huntsville on Tuesday.

Week In Review: 

 The Thunderbolts defeated the Peoria Rivermen 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday night in Peoria, behind regulation goals from Andrew Shewfelt, Brendan Harrogate, and Hayden Hulton, before Mike Ferraro scored the winning goal in overtime.  On Friday night, the Thunderbolts picked up another win with a 3-1 win in Huntsville, with Ferraro scoring the opening goal, Matthew Barron scoring the game-winning goal, and Scott Kirton adding an empty-net goal.  On Sunday in Danville, the Thunderbolts again got the job done with a 4-2 victory over the Vermilion County Bobcats, as Mathieu Cloutier scored to counter an early 1-0 Bobcats lead, followed up by second-period goals from Kirton, Shewfelt, and Brendan Harrogate.  In goal, Chase Perry picked up the wins on Wednesday and Sunday, stopping 34 of 37 and 34 of 36 shots, respectively, while Zane Steeves earned the win in Huntsville on Friday, stopping 34 of 35 shots.

 The Week Ahead: 

The Thunderbolts host the Quad City Storm this Friday, December 2^nd, and Saturday, December 3^rd at Ford Center, both games starting at 7:00 pm CT.  Friday’s game will be Hoosier Lottery/Food Drive Night, and fans can bring non-perishable canned foods to donate and receive a dollar off admission per can (up to $7 off).  Free Draw game tickets, courtesy of the Hoosier Lottery, will be given out to fans, 18 years of age or older.  Saturday’s game will be Gamer’s Night, featuring specialty jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game, a special video game competition on the Jumbotron during the first intermission, as well as displays from robotics teams of several Tri-State schools.  For tickets, call (812) 422-BOLT (2658), buy online at EvansvilleThunderbolts.com or buy tickets in-person at the Ford Center Ticket Office.  Following the pair of home games, the Thunderbolts hit the road once again, starting at Vermilion County on Sunday, December 4^th at 4:00 pm CT, before traveling back South to Huntsville to take on the Havoc on Tuesday, December 6^th at 7:00 pm CT.  Both road games can be viewed on SPHL TV with a subscription through HockeyTV.  Fans can also listen in for free on the Thunderbolts Radio Network, through the Thunderbolts Mixlr Channel or at EvansvilleThunderbolts.com/fan-center/live .

Scouting the Opponent: 

• Quad City Storm: 
  • Record: 8-5-0, 16 Points, T-4^th Place
  • Leading Goal Scorer: Michael Moran (7 Goals)
  • Leading Point Scorer: Michael Moran, Filip Virgili, Cole Golka, Leif Mattson (10 points each)
  • Primary Goaltender: Kevin Resop (4-2-0, .952 Save %)
  • Thunderbolts 22-23 Record vs QCS: 1-1-0The Storm won 3-1 in Danville over the Vermilion County Bobcats this past Wednesday after falling behind 1-0 in the third period, with goals from Brendan Soucie, Curtis Hansen, and Cole Golka to complete the comeback.  On Friday, the Storm was shut out 3-0 in Peoria by the Rivermen, followed up with a close 3-2 defeat on home ice against the same Rivermen in Quad City on Saturday with goals from Soucie and Connor Fries.  In net, Kevin Resop picked up the win on Wednesday with 43 saves on 44 shots before stopping 35 of 38 shots in Saturday’s 3-2 loss, while Bailey Brkin stopped 34 of 37 in the 3-0 loss on Friday.
• Vermilion County Bobcats: 
  • Record: 2-10-1, 5 Points, 11^th Place
  • Leading Goal Scorer: Sullivan Shortreed, Vadim Vasjonkin (4 Goals each)
  • Leading Point Scorer: Davis Kirkendall (10 Points)
  • Primary Goaltender: Sean Kuhn (1-4-1, .911 Save %)
  • Thunderbolts 22-23 Record vs VCB: 2-0-0Egor Borshchev scored Vermilion County’s lone goal in their 3-1 loss to Quad City on Wednesday.  The Bobcats then lost a pair of home games against the Birmingham Bulls, 3-2 on Friday and 7-2 on Saturday, with goals from Gianni Vitali and Vadim Vasjonkin on Friday and from Charlie Bedard and Vasjonkin on Saturday.  Vasjonkin scored the early goal against Evansville on Sunday, with Adam Eby scoring the Bobcats’ second goal in their 4-2 loss to the Thunderbolts. In goal, Sean Kuhn stopped 26 of 29 shots against the Storm on Wednesday and 14 of 18 shots on Sunday against Evansville, while Brett Epp saved 28 of 31 shots on Friday and 15 of 21 shots on Saturday against the Bulls.  The Bobcats play in Peoria this Friday night and host the Rivermen on Saturday before hosting the Thunderbolts on Sunday afternoon. 
• Huntsville Havoc: 
  • Record: 7-5-0, 14 Points, T-6^th Place
  • Leading Goal Scorer: Kyle Clarke (6 Goals)
  • Leading Point Scorer: Tyler Piacentini (11 Points)
  • Primary Goaltender: Nick Latinovich (5-3-0, .937 Save %)
  • Thunderbolts 22-23 Record vs HSV: 2-0-0

On Wednesday night in Pensacola, the Havoc opened up a 3-0 lead off a goal from Cole Reginato and a pair of goals from Kyle Clarke, before the Ice Flyers rallied back to tie the game 3-3.  In the final minute of regulation, Austin Martinsen put Huntsville back in front in what became a 4-3 Huntsville victory.  On Thursday, the Havoc defeated the Birmingham Bulls 2-1 with goals from Rob Darrar and Sam Hunter.  In Friday’s 3-1 loss to Evansville, Nate Hudgin scored the lone goal.  In goal, Nick Latinovich stopped 37 of 40 shots in Wednesday’s win and 25 of 27 shots in Friday’s loss, while Cody Karpinski earned the win on Thursday with 36 saves on 37 shots. The Havoc play in Pensacola again this Friday before hosting the Thunderbolts on Tuesday night.

Call-up Report 

– Chase Perry (Greenville Swamp Rabbits – ECHL)

                                – 0 GP, 0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, .000 Save %

Transactions:     

Wed. 11/30: G Chase Perry called up to Greenville (ECHL)

Wed. 11/30: D Chris Jones signed to contract
Wed. 11/30: C Matt Ustaski placed on 21-Day Injured Reserve
Wed. 11/23: D Tanner Butler placed on 30-Day Injured Reserve
Wed. 11/23: LW Derek Sutliffe released from professional tryout
Sat. 11/19: C Hayden Hulton activated from Injured Reserve
Sat. 11/19: RW Fredrik Wink placed on 21-Day Injured Reserve
Fri. 11/18: LW Cameron Cook activated from Injured Reserve

Individual game tickets, season tickets and group packages are on sale for this 2022-23 season.  Call 812-422-BOLT or visit our all-new 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 Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). The team is owned and operated by VW Sports, L.L.C, a subsidiary of VenuWorks, Inc. www.evansvillethunderbolts.com

 Evansville, In.: Riding a three-game road winning streak back home to Evansville , the 1^stPlace-Thunderbolts return to Ford Center ice with a double-header against the Quad City Storm on Friday and Saturday before hitting the road again back to Vermilion County on Sunday and Huntsville on Tuesday.

Week In Review: 

                The Thunderbolts defeated the Peoria Rivermen 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday night in Peoria, behind regulation goals from Andrew Shewfelt, Brendan Harrogate, and Hayden Hulton, before Mike Ferraro scored the winning goal in overtime.  On Friday night, the Thunderbolts picked up another win with a 3-1 win in Huntsville, with Ferraro scoring the opening goal, Matthew Barron scoring the game-winning goal, and Scott Kirton adding an empty-net goal.  On Sunday in Danville, the Thunderbolts again got the job done with a 4-2 victory over the Vermilion County Bobcats, as Mathieu Cloutier scored to counter an early 1-0 Bobcats lead, followed up by second period goals from Kirton, Shewfelt, and Brendan Harrogate.  In goal, Chase Perry picked up the wins on Wednesday and Sunday, stopping 34 of 37 and 34 of 36 shots, respectively, while Zane Steeves earned the win in Huntsville on Friday, stopping 34 of 35 shots.

The Week Ahead: 

The Thunderbolts host the Quad City Storm this Friday, December 2^nd and Saturday, December 3^rd at Ford Center, both games starting at 7:00pm CT.  Friday’s game will be Hoosier Lottery/Food Drive Night, and fans can bring non-perishable canned foods to donate and receive a dollar off admission per can (up to $7 off).  Free Draw game tickets, courtesy of the Hoosier Lottery, will be given out to fans, 18 years of age or older.  Saturday’s game will be Gamer’s Night, featuring specialty jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game, a special video game competition on the Jumbotron during the first intermission, as well as displays from robotics teams of several Tri-State schools.  For tickets, call (812) 422-BOLT (2658), buy online at EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or buy tickets in-person at the Ford Center Ticket Office.  Following the pair of home games, the Thunderbolts hit the road once again, starting at Vermilion County on Sunday, December 4^th at 4:00pm CT, before traveling back South to Huntsville to take on the Havoc on Tuesday, December 6^th at 7:00pm CT.  Both road games can be viewed on SPHL TV with a subscription through HockeyTV.  Fans can also listen in for free on the Thunderbolts Radio Network, through the Thunderbolts Mixlr Channel or at EvansvilleThunderbolts.com/fan-center/live .

Scouting the Opponent: 

• Quad City Storm: 
  • Record: 8-5-0, 16 Points, T-4^th Place
  • Leading Goal Scorer: Michael Moran (7 Goals)
  • Leading Point Scorer: Michael Moran, Filip Virgili, Cole Golka, Leif Mattson (10 points each)
  • Primary Goaltender: Kevin Resop (4-2-0, .952 Save %)
  • Thunderbolts 22-23 Record vs QCS: 1-1-0The Storm won 3-1 in Danville over the Vermilion County Bobcats this past Wednesday after falling behind 1-0 in the third period, with goals from Brendan Soucie, Curtis Hansen and Cole Golka to complete the comeback.  On Friday, the Storm were shut out 3-0 in Peoria by the Rivermen, followed up with a close 3-2 defeat on home ice against the same Rivermen in Quad City on Saturday with goals from Soucie and Connor Fries.  In net, Kevin Resop picked up the win on Wednesday with 43 saves on 44 shots before stopping 35 of 38 shots in Saturday’s 3-2 loss, while Bailey Brkin stopped 34 of 37 in the 3-0 loss on Friday.
• Vermilion County Bobcats: 
  • Record: 2-10-1, 5 Points, 11^th Place
  • Leading Goal Scorer: Sullivan Shortreed, Vadim Vasjonkin (4 Goals each)
  • Leading Point Scorer: Davis Kirkendall (10 Points)
  • Primary Goaltender: Sean Kuhn (1-4-1, .911 Save %)
  • Thunderbolts 22-23 Record vs VCB: 2-0-0Egor Borshchev scored Vermilion County’s lone goal in their 3-1 loss to Quad City on Wednesday.  The Bobcats then lost a pair of home games against the Birmingham Bulls, 3-2 on Friday and 7-2 on Saturday, with goals from Gianni Vitali and Vadim Vasjonkin on Friday and from Charlie Bedard and Vasjonkin on Saturday.  Vasjonkin scored the early goal against Evansville on Sunday, with Adam Eby scoring the Bobcats’ second goal in their 4-2 loss to the Thunderbolts. In goal, Sean Kuhn stopped 26 of 29 shots against the Storm on Wednesday and 14 of 18 shots on Sunday against Evansville, while Brett Epp saved 28 of 31 shots on Friday and 15 of 21 shots on Saturday against the Bulls.  The Bobcats play in Peoria this Friday night and host the Rivermen on Saturday before hosting the Thunderbolts on Sunday afternoon.
• Huntsville Havoc: 
  • Record: 7-5-0, 14 Points, T-6^th Place
  • Leading Goal Scorer: Kyle Clarke (6 Goals)
  • Leading Point Scorer: Tyler Piacentini (11 Points)
  • Primary Goaltender: Nick Latinovich (5-3-0, .937 Save %)
  • Thunderbolts 22-23 Record vs HSV: 2-0-0

On Wednesday night in Pensacola, the Havoc opened up a 3-0 lead off a goal from Cole Reginato and a pair of goals from Kyle Clarke, before the Ice Flyers rallied back to tie the game 3-3.  In the final minute of regulation, Austin Martinsen put Huntsville back in front in what became a 4-3 Huntsville victory.  On Thursday, the Havoc defeated the Birmingham Bulls 2-1 with goals from Rob Darrar and Sam Hunter.  In Friday’s 3-1 loss to Evansville, Nate Hudgin scored the lone goal.  In goal, Nick Latinovich stopped 37 of 40 shots in Wednesday’s win and 25 of 27 shots in Friday’s loss, while Cody Karpinski earned the win on Thursday with 36 saves on 37 shots. The Havoc play in Pensacola again this Friday before hosting the Thunderbolts on Tuesday night.

Call-up Report 

– Chase Perry (Greenville Swamp Rabbits – ECHL)

                                – 0 GP, 0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, .000 Save %

Transactions:     

Wed. 11/30: G Chase Perry called up to Greenville (ECHL)

Wed. 11/30: D Chris Jones signed to contract
Wed. 11/30: C Matt Ustaski placed on 21-Day Injured Reserve
Wed. 11/23: D Tanner Butler placed on 30-Day Injured Reserve
Wed. 11/23: LW Derek Sutliffe released from professional tryout
Sat. 11/19: C Hayden Hulton activated from Injured Reserve
Sat. 11/19: RW Fredrik Wink placed on 21-Day Injured Reserve
Fri. 11/18: LW Cameron Cook activated from Injured Reserve

Individual game tickets, season tickets, and group packages are on sale for this 2022-23 season.  Call 812-422-BOLT or visit our all-new website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.com) for details.

VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University Trailblazers checked in this week as the No. 6 team in the country and got their first chance to defend this new ranking Wednesday at the Physical Education Complex.

Vincennes came out on top in the first meeting of the ‘Battle of the Blazers’ winning over the Lewis & Clark Trailblazers 90-59.

VU grabbed the first momentum swing of the opening half with a 13-3 scoring run to give Vincennes a 21-10 lead.

VU would grow their lead to 36-18 late in the first half, before Lewis & Clark rallied back to close out the first half on an 8-0 scoring run to cut the deficit to single digits with VU holding a 41-32 lead heading into the break.

Lewis & Clark continued to cut into the VU lead to start the second half, getting the VU lead down to just five points early in the second period.

Vincennes was able to completely swing the momentum back after out scoring Lewis & Clark 35-9 to build an 80-49 advantage.

Vincennes continued to put the pressure on as VU closed out their 11th straight win of the season and second Region 24 win of the year over Lewis & Clark by the final score 90-59.

Salukis take 80-53 win

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Completing the first half on a 30-10 run, Southern Illinois pulled away for an 80-53 victory over the University of Evansville men’s basketball team in Wednesday’s Missouri Valley Conference opener at the Ford Center.

Southern Illinois shot 60.7% for the season while hitting 12 of their 24 attempts from long range.  The Purple Aces shot 40.4% in the game with Antoine Smith Jr. recording a team-high 12 points.  Kenny Strawbridge Jr. scored 10 while Yacine Toumi finished with eight.  SIU was led by Lance Jones, who scored 17 points.  Xavier Johnson posted 14.

“We played against an older, more experienced team that was prepared to play.  The flood gates opened early and they did not stop,” UE head coach David Ragland said.  “We will learn from it, get better and be ready for Saturday.”

Evansville hit three of its first four shots to open the game with a 6-2 edge.  Southern Illinois scored six in a row to go up 8-6 before a Kenny Strawbridge Jr. free throw gave UE a 9-8 edge.  With the score tied at 11-11, the Salukis scored 12 in a row to go up 23-11 just past the midway point of the half.

Marvin Coleman II found Yacine Toumi for an open triple but the Salukis continued their run.  Over the final 10 minutes of the period, SIU outscored the Aces by a 30-10 margin to go up 41-21.  They connected on 10 out of 11 attempts at one point as they extended the lead.  They shot 62.1% in the opening 20 minutes while holding UE to 39.1%.

Out of the break, SIU opened the scoring with a triple and pushed the advantage to 50-24.  Coleman ended the stretch and Gage Bobe followed with a 3-pointer to cut into the deficit.  Once again, SIU responded as they posted the next 16 to go up 66-29.

Antoine Smith Jr. recorded a dunk with Strawbridge following it up with a 3-point play.  As the clock closed in on eight minutes remaining, Gabe Spinelli made a nice move at the basket to pick up his second field goal of the night before Smith added five more to cap off a 12-0 run.

Over the final minutes, the teams exchanged buckets with SIU completing the 80-53 victory.  Much of the success for SIU came in their ability to share the ball as they were credited with 23 assists in 34 makes.  Jones posted nine helpers for the Salukis.  Southern Illinois finished with a 29-28 edge on the boards with Preston Phillips leading the Aces with five.

Valley play continues for the Aces on Saturday with a trip to Northern Iowa.