Evansville, In.: Following an extremely busy and hard-fought week of 4 games in 5 days, the 1st Place Thunderbolts return to Ford Center ice this Saturday for the annual Teddy Bear Toss Night game, against the Vermilion County Bobcats.
Week In Review:Â
The Thunderbolts were shut out 4-0 by the Quad City Storm on Friday night, before responding with a 3-0 shutout victory over the Storm on Saturday night, behind two goals from Scott Kirton and one from Mathieu Cloutier. On Sunday afternoon, the Thunderbolts won 4-3 in Vermilion County, with goals from Cloutier, Cameron Cook, Andrew Shewfelt, and Matthew Barron. On Tuesday, the Thunderbolts lost 3-0 in Huntsville. In goal, Zane Steeves kept the Thunderbolts in both games he played, stopping 38 of 42 shots against Quad City on Friday, and 27 of 29 shots in Huntsville on Tuesday. Trevor Gorsuch earned both wins this past weekend, becoming the first Thunderbolts goaltender to earn a shutout in his debut by stopping all 33 shots from the Storm on Saturday, before stopping 32 of 35 shots in Vermilion County on Sunday.
 The Week Ahead:Â
The Thunderbolts host the Vermilion County Bobcats this Saturday, December 10th at Ford Center, starting at 7:00 pm CT. Saturday’s game will be Teddy Bear Toss Night, where fans can bring new or gently used stuffed animals to be tossed onto the ice following the Thunderbolts’ first goal of the game. All stuffed animals will later be distributed to local children’s charities. For tickets, call (812) 422-BOLT (2658), buy online at EvansvilleThunderbolts.com or buy tickets in-person at the Ford Center Ticket Office.
Scouting the Opponent:Â
      Vermilion County Bobcats:Â
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- Record: 2-13-1, 5 Points, 11th Place
- Leading Goal Scorer: Sullivan Shortreed, Vadim Vasjonkin, Aaron Ryback (4 Goals each)
- Leading Point Scorer: Davis Kirkendall, Aaron Ryback (10 Points each)
- Primary Goaltender: Sean Kuhn (1-5-1, .902 Save %)
- Thunderbolts 22-23 Record vs VCB: 3-0-0
            Prior to hosting Evansville on Sunday, the Bobcats lost a close 4-3 contest in Peoria on Friday, with goals from TJ Sneath and Gianni Vitali in the first period, and Aaron Ryback late in the third period. Saturday’s rematch at home against Peoria was an 8-1 loss, with Peter DiMartino scoring the lone Bobcats goal. Against the Thunderbolts on Sunday, DiMartino, Justin Portillo and Matt O’Shaughnessy scored in their close 4-3 loss to the Thunderbolts. In net, Brett Epp stopped 35 of 39 shots on Friday in Peoria and stopped 6 of 9 shots against the Rivermen on Saturday before being replaced by Sean Kuhn, who stopped 27 of 32 shots the rest of the way on Saturday and 33 of 37 shots on Sunday against Evansville.
