Evansville, In.:  Following a weekend sweep on home ice against the Quad City Storm this past weekend that moved them up into 7th Place, the Thunderbolts will have a big opportunity to fortify their standings positioning this coming weekend as they travel to Knoxville to take on a likely-shorthanded Ice Bears team on Friday and Saturday, before returning home next weekend for Star Wars Night against Peoria on Saturday the 20th at Ford Center.
Week In Review:Â
  Cole Ceci returned to the Thunderbolts lineup in time for the first game against Quad City on Friday and stopped all 22 shots faced in a 3-0 shutout victory, with goals from Brendan Harrogate and Bair Gendunov, who scored twice on the night. Only one shot of 30 got by Ceci in Saturday’s rematch against Quad City as the Thunderbolts completed the sweep with a 3-1 victory behind goals from Hayden Ford, Vadim Vasjonkin and Harrogate.
The Week Ahead:Â
The Thunderbolts will be in Knoxville to take on the Ice Bears this Friday and Saturday night, both games set to begin at 6:35pm CT. Fans can watch both games on FloHockey with a paid subscription or can listen in for free on the Thunderbolts Mixlr Channel. Fans can also watch both games at the Official Thunderbolts away game watch party at Parkway Pizza on 3911 Broadway Avenue on Evansville’s West Side.
Coming Soon:Â
  The Thunderbolts will host the Peoria Rivermen on Saturday, January 20th for Star Wars Night, beginning at 7:00pm CT. In one of the most anticipated home game promotions of the season, the Thunderbolts will again be wearing specialty Star Wars-themed jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game. Additional details for Star Wars Night will be coming soon.
Scouting the Opponent:Â
 Knoxville Ice Bears:Â
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- Record: 8-16-2, 18 Points, 9th Place
- Leading Goal Scorer: Brady Fleurent (13 Goals)
- Leading Point Scorer: Brady Fleurent (19 Points)
- Primary Goaltender: Kristian Stead (2-6-0, .899 Save %)
- Thunderbolts 23-24 Record vs KNX: 0-1
               A frustrating first half of the season for the Ice Bears continued through the last week, with three losses to add to their now-nine game losing streak going into this weekend. On Friday in Fayetteville, an early 1-0 lead on a goal by Brady Fleurent would later be tied in the first period, followed by three Fayetteville goals in a 1:50 span in the third period that blasted the score open, leading to a 4-1 Knoxville loss. Another early lead on Saturday in Roanoke on a goal from Davis Kirkendall would also be flipped in the third period, with Roanoke scoring four consecutive goals, three on the power play, en route a 4-2 Roanoke victory with Rex Moe getting one goal back late for Knoxville. Frustration reached a boiling point and exploded on Sunday on home ice against Roanoke in a 5-1 loss that de-evolved quickly into a massive display of brawling and discomposure that has become far-less commonly seen in the SPHL in recent times. Down 1-0, Derek Osik tied the game for Knoxville in the second period before penalty trouble again led to the game getting away from the Ice Bears, with Roanoke scoring four unanswered goals, the first three once again on power plays, to gain full control of the game. Several instances of attacks on unwilling Roanoke skaters and near-bench clearing brawls that saw multiple ejections, game misconducts, major penalties, and the very partition separating the benches being damaged later in the game will likely result in heavy disciplinary action, the extent of which is still not yet known.
