Evansville, In.: After a difficult second period in which Evansville trailed 4-0, the Thunderbolts got halfway back in the third period but fell short, 4-2 the final score against Quad City on Saturday afternoon at Ford Center. The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Wednesday, February 4th against the Peoria Rivermen at 7:00pm CT.
After a scoreless first period, the Storm burst ahead in the second period with four unanswered goals, starting with back to back goals on 2-on-1 rushes only 41 seconds apart, scored by Brodie Girod at 1:36 and Devin Sanders at 2:17. On a power play chance, Girod scored once again at 9:42, followed by a goal from Jesper Tarkiainen at 17:48 to make it 4-0 before the end of the middle frame. Off a giveaway from Zane Steeves, Evansville broke shutout at 6:04 as Derek Contessa scored from Scott Kirton to make it 4-1. In the fading seconds, Evansville made it a 4-2 final with Tyson Gilmour’s goal at 19:50, assisted by Isaac Chapman and Will van der Veen.
Contessa and Kirton scored one goal each for Evansville, while Kristian Stead stopped 31 of 35 shots on goal. The Thunderbolts and Storm meet again on Saturday, February 27th at Ford Center, with Quad City leading the regular season series 6-5.
