THE NEW THUNDERBOLTS COMPLETE THEIR SEASON-OPENING SIX-GAME HOMESTAND

THE NEW THUNDERBOLTS COMPLETE THEIR SEASON-OPENING SIX-GAME HOMESTAND EVANSVILLE READY TO PLAY ITS NEXT FOUR GAMES ABROAD IN FIRST-EVER ROAD TRIP THUNDERBOLTS TRAVEL TO PEORIA FOR PAIR OF DUELS WITH DIVISION FOES MUSTANGS

WEEKEND RESULTS: 2 (0-2-0) 2-19 SAT. OCT. 3 ST. LOUIS 9 AT ‘BOLTS 0 SUN. OCT. 4 ST. LOUIS 10 AT ‘BOLTS 2

THIS WEEK’S GAMES: (2) SAT. OCT. 10 AT PEORIA 6:45 PM SUN. OCT. 11 AT PEORIA 1:15 PM

*** NEXT HOME GAME: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23RD VS. NASHVILLE JR. PREDATORS 7:30 PM *** *** ALL THUNDERBOLTS GAMES ARE BROADCAST LIVE ON EVANSVILLE’S WVHI-AM 1330 ***

LIGHTNING BOLT SHOTS: The fledgling Evansville ThunderBolts of the elite junior hockey league, the NA3HL, have completed their initial three weeks of their maiden voyage campaign of 2015-16. Under the direction of General Manager/Head Coach Scott Fankhouser, the ThunderBolts have concluded a season-launching and franchise-inaugurating six-game home stand displaying slow, but gradual improvement in each succeeding contest from their home of Swonder Ice Arena. The State of Indiana’s lone, exclusive elite junior hockey team is experiencing the expected growing pains of an expansion enterprise in a highly-respected and highly-regarded junior hockey circuit. However, with the influx of a quartet of newcomers now adorning their roster, the ThunderBolts are continuing to attain positive, harmonious strides in the advancement of their on-ice product with the vast majority of the long season still straight ahead. The acquisitions of defenseman Steven Rutherford, left wings Ian Blaeser and Mathieu LaForest along with right Billy Bonser should elevate the hockey club considerably.

MIDWEST DIVISION ENVISION: Through the initial three weeks of the infant campaign, the ThunderBolts reside in fifth place in their division with a mark of 6(0-6-0) 0-points. St. Louis has climb into the division’s top perch at 8(7-1-0) 14-points and a 4-game win streak, all compiled abroad. Cincinnati 6(4-2-0)8; the Thunder have also claimed four consecutive triumphs; Peoria 8(4-4-0)8; the Mustangs have dropped three in succession; Nashville 8(4-4-0)8; won two in a row; comprise the rest of the Midwest Division standings at this juncture of the season.

REWIND THE WEEKEND: Climaxing their season-broaching six-game home stand at the friendly climes and environs of “Hockey Swonder,” the ThunderBolts sustained a pair of setbacks at the expense of, perhaps, the premiere team in the entire 34-team NA3HL circuit, the St. Louis Jr. Blues. Saturday night, the “Blue Notes” submerged the ‘Bolts’ ship, 9-0 on the impetus of a trio of three-goal unanswered stanzas. The “Gateway City” sextet rained a 69-shot barrage on human contortionist-like goaltender Adam Conkling as the home standing ThunderBolts incurred their first-ever zeroing as a young franchise. Despite a 10-2 defeat on Sunday afternoon in the conclusion of the two-game series, the ‘Bolts showed significant improvement, peppering the Jr. Blues with a

season-high 42-SOG including a stanza-standard of 20 in the final frame. The “Killer Bees,” Brandon Bornkamp (1- 1-2) and Billy Bonser (1-1-2) accounting for Evansville’s firepower, triggering goals 3:20 apart in the latter stages of the second stanza. Bonser’s strike was stoked on the power play. The St. Louis power play was even more predominant, delivering a perfect personified 4-4 with the man advantage. Goaltender Brian Forness withstood a 42- shot salvo from the alien ice invaders from Missouri.

FIRST TIME AWAY FROM HOME BAY: The ThunderBolts now confront a four-game foreign ice excursion which represents their first-ever sojourn abroad in their brief history. GM/Coach Fankhouser’s contingent will travel to Peoria for a pair of encounters this weekend, colliding with the Mustangs Saturday night and Sunday afternoon with broadcast times for both bouts being 6:15 pm on Saturday night and 12:45 pm for the Sunday matinee affair on Evansville’s WVHI-AM 1330. Then the following weekend, October 16th and 17th, the ‘Bolts trek to Atlanta for a two-game series against the transplanted Capitals of the South Division. This franchise operated in Topeka until the current ’15-16 season. The ThunderBolts’ next home appearance is set for Friday night, October 23rd at Swonder Ice Arena where they will launch a two-game home-and-home series against their division rivals, the Nashville Jr. Predators.

“THE KILLER BEES” BLITZ: With the recent acquisitions of left wing Ian Blaeser and right wing Billy Bonser, Coach Fankhouser has assembled a new-look line with incumbent center Brandon Bornkamp in the middle. Bornkamp’s 6-snipes pace the club while Bonser and Blaeser have achieved the respective reputations of goal- scoring prowess. The past Sunday, Bornkamp and Bonser were on the beam, delivering both ‘Bolts’ strikes 3:20 apart in the latter stages of the second stanza with Bonser’s individual foray produced through the power play. Prior to his procurement by Evansville, Bonser, the Jackson, MI native, had engineered 1-goal, 1-assist and +2 rating in his lone appearance with NA3HL entry West Michigan earlier in the current campaign. Meanwhile, Bornkamp’s 6- goals through the ‘Bolts first 6-games represent the top team total.

THE STEVEN ‘STING’: Steven Rutherford, Evansville’s most recent new addition to the lineup has asserted his presence prominently and in a very short period of time. Bereft of genuine practice time, the former Greensboro star defenseman assumed an immediate, regular shift on the ThunderBolts blue line, quickly becoming a crowd “fave- rave.” Rutherford injected a much-needed dimension on defense, playing with a cactus style; being abrasive while exhibiting a serrated edge in his on-ice style; showing he is not averse to apprehending all trespassers and loiterers in his team’s defensive zone.

FIRST PERIOD PLIGHT: Through six-games, the first period has emerged as the ThunderBolts true “bugaboo.” They have been out-goaled collectively overall, 16-1 and 14-0 over the past five outings. Their best offensive stanza has been the middle stanza where they have registered one-half, or seven of their 14-GF thus far this season. In the SOG category, the ThunderBolts have been outgunned, 328-150, surrendering an average of 54.7 SOGA per game. Evansville is averaging 25-SOG per game offensively.

POWER PLAY POLISH: The ThunderBolts power play has been a beacon in the night thus far this early season. When Billy Bonser connected on the PP in Sunday’s matinee encore feature presentation against St. Louis, it was power play goal #6 for the hometown team. That is an average of one PPG per game. For the season, the ‘Bolts’ power play is 6-32 for a proficiency rating of 19%. Brandon Bornkamp (2) and Brett Howard (2) top the team in PPG. Meanwhile, the penalty-killing unit has lacked consistency especially after the Jr. Blues gigantic 4-4 PP performance on Sunday. Evansville’s shorthand band is ranked last, operating at 53.6% efficiency rating with the adversaries percolating at 13-28.

POINT-MAKING MAESTROES: Brandon Bornkamp 6(6-3-9); Jon Grimm 6(1-6-7); Brett Howard 6(2-4-6); Billy Bonser 3(2-2-4); Brian Crink 6(1-2-3); Brett Siewertsen 6(0-3-3); Triston Theriot 6(1-1-2); Manny Nahal 4(1- 0-1); Joey Sorensen 6(1-0-1).

FEW FUN FAST FACTS FROM “FIC”: In his first two starts of the season, goaltender Adam Conkling has been peppered with 131-SOG for an average of over 65-per game, allowing 17-GA. The ‘Bolts have yet to gain the lead in any of their 6-games thus far this season. They have earned one tie in that span. St. Louis 42-SOG Sunday were the fewest allotted by the ‘Bolts this season. While their 42-SOG were their best mark of the campaign. Brandon Bornkamp has recorded the only team multi-goal game at this hour of the season. Brian Crink (1-2-3) and Brett Siewertsen (0-3-3) are the club’s top two scoring defensemen. When the ThunderBolts outshot St. Louis Sunday, 16-14 in the first period and 20-11 in the third stanza, it marked the first two periods this season in which they had outshot the opposition. Of the ‘Bolts remaining 16-home dates, 8 will be on Friday nights and 8-more on Saturday nights at their home of Swonder Ice Arena

.