Evansville, In.: Following their first-ever playoff series victory over the Birmingham Bulls in three games, the Thunderbolts’ journey continues into the second round, where they will play the Peoria Rivermen for the opportunity to play in the President’s Cup Final.
Week In Review:
The Thunderbolts began the series against the Bulls with a close 5-4 defeat in game one in Pelham, with goals from Dmitri Yushkevich, Myles Abbate, Brendan Harrogate, and Logan Vande Meerakker. In do-or-die game two at Ford Center on Thursday, Mark Zhukov’s goal forced overtime, where Chays Ruddy became the overtime hero in Evansville’s 2-1 victory, forcing game three at Birmingham.
The series was decided in overtime in game three on Saturday, with Matthew Hobbs scoring the series-winner just over five minutes into overtime. Saturday’s regulation goals were scored by Vande Meerakker, Vadim Vasjonkin, and Yushkevich. Cole Ceci played all three games in goal for Evansville, stopping 29 of 34 shots in game one, 34 of 35 shots in game two, and 56 of 59 shots in game three.
