THUNDERBOLTS PREPARE FOR BUSY FOUR-GAME WEEK

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 THUNDERBOLTS PREPARE FOR BUSY FOUR-GAME WEEK 

 Evansville, Ind: After a week of rest following a 3-1 victory over the Huntsville Havoc this past Friday, the Thunderbolts’ schedule gets much busier with four games over a span of six days, starting at Ford Center this Friday night against Quad City.

  Week In Review: 

Austin Plevy got the Thunderbolts off to a hot start against the Havoc on Friday night at Ford Center, scoring only 2:44 into the game to give Evansville a 1-0 lead.  With Brian Billett leading the way in net, the Thunderbolts held the 1-0 lead through almost two periods, when Tyson Kirkby scored on a late breakaway to double Evansville’s lead to 2-0 after two periods.  The Havoc scored their lone goal with 7:13 remaining in the third period to make it 2-1, but the Thunderbolts held on to win, following an empty-net goal from Tanner Butler to re-extend Evansville’s lead to 3-1 before the final buzzer.  Billett was outstanding in net, stopping 30 of 31 shots.

The Week Ahead: 

The Thunderbolts host the Quad City Storm on Friday night, before hosting the Vermilion County Bobcats on Saturday night and again on Wednesday, February 9th. All three games at Ford Center have an opening face-off set for 7:00 pm CST.  For tickets, call (812)422-BOLT (2658), go to EvansvilleThunderbolts.com or visit the Ford Center Ticket Office. The Thunderbolts will also play in Vermilion County against the Bobcats on Sunday afternoon, with an early start of 4:00 pm CST at the David S. Palmer Arena.  Sunday’s game can be viewed online with a paid subscription to SPHL TV through HockeyTV, or can be listened to for free through the Thunderbolts Radio Network; via the Thunderbolts Mixlr Channel or online at EvansvilleThunderbolts.com/fan-center/listen.

Scouting the Opponent: 

  • Quad City Storm: 
    • Record: 18-8-7, 43 Points, T-4th Place
    • Leading Goal Scorer: Connor Fries/Shane Bennett (14 Goals Each)
    • Leading Point Scorer: Shane Bennett (31 Points)
    • Primary Goaltender: Thomas Proudlock (2-5-2, .901 Save %)
    • Thunderbolts 21-22 Record vs QCS: 3-3-0The Storm opened their previous weekend with a close 4-2 loss to the Peoria Rivermen at home on Friday night.  Down 2-0, Marcus Ortiz pulled the Storm back within one, as did Connor Fries when the Storm trailed 3-1 in the second period before the Rivermen pulled away with a late goal in the final minute of the game.  Quad City pulled off a major 5-2 upset win at home over Knoxville on Saturday night, behind a two-goal night for Dillon Fournier, goals from Shane Bennett, Filip Virgili and Ortiz, and a strong 30-save performance from goaltender Kevin Resop.  The Ice Bears got revenge on Sunday, defeating the Storm 4-2, with the Storm goals coming from Kyle Heitzner and Tommy Stang. 
  • Vermilion County Bobcats: 
    • Record: 3-23-3, 9 Points, 11th Place
    • Leading Goal Scorer: Houston Wilson (7 Goals)
    • Leading Point Scorer: Houston Wilson (13 Points)
    • Primary Goaltender: Ben Churchfield (2-9-1, .889 Save %)
    • Thunderbolts 21-22 Record vs VCB: 4-0-0
Vermilion County suffered a 4-0 shutout loss at home on Friday night against Knoxville, with two goals in the final two minutes exacerbating what was actually a fairly close 2-0 game until late.  The Bobcats were shut out once again 4-0 on Saturday night by the Peoria Rivermen, following a tough start in net for Ben Churchfield, allowing all four goals on 13 shots before Joe Sheppard stopped all 10 remaining shots in relief.  Sunday’s rematch against the Rivermen saw Vermilion County gain a brief first period 2-1 lead, thanks to two quick goals from Mitch Atkins and Christian Faggas.  The lead was short lived as the Rivermen tied the game later in the first period and pulled away with another three goals to defeat the Bobcats 5-2.  The Bobcats host Peoria once again on Friday before traveling to Evansville on Saturday. 

Call-up Report 

– Kyle Thacker (Adirondack Thunder – ECHL) 
– Games Played: 27 (5 with Iowa, 14 with Cincinnati, 8 with Adirondack) 
– 2 Goals, 3 Assists, 5 Points, 8 PIM- Cooper Jones (Idaho Steelheads – ECHL) 
            – Games Played: 19 (1 with Jacksonville IceMen, 18 with Idaho) 
– 0 Goals, 1 Assist, 1 Point, 2 PIM– Cole Stallard (Iowa Heartlanders – ECHL) 
– Games Played: 32
– 7 Goals, 6 Assists, 13 Points, 46 PIM– Scott Kirton (Newfoundland Growlers – ECHL) 
            – Games Played: 6 (4 with Cincinnati, 2 with Newfoundland) 
– 0 Goals, 1 Assist, 1 Point, 0 PIMTransactions:  Sat. 1/29: TJ Dockery placed on 21-day Injured ReserveThe Thunderbolts are currently competing in their fifth season in the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League).  Season tickets are less than $9 per game.  To order your tickets for this season, call 812-422-BOLT(2658).

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
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