Call-Ups Shake up Thunder Roster
December 26, 2013 - SPHL (SPHL)
Bloomington Thunder News Release
The Bloomington Thunder are traveling to North Carolina with a roster that has considerably changed due to four more call-ups, an injury and a one-game suspension.
The Thunder face the Fayetteville FireAntz at Crown Coliseum on Friday night at 6:30 Central without six players who were part of Sunday's 4-1 win at Peoria. Four of the skaters were called up to ECHL teams this week including forward Kevin Walrod (Evansville), forward Sy Nutkevitch (Fort Wayne), defenseman Dustin Hopfner (Evansville) and defenseman Paul Arnott (Greenville). That brings the total number of call-ups to nine, most in the Southern Professional Hockey League this season. Defenseman Paul D'Agostino is doubtful for the weekend with a lower body injury and forward Ron Cramer has been suspended by the SPHL for Friday's contest after receiving a major boarding penalty on Sunday in Peoria.
Walrod leads the Thunder with 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points. Nutkevitch has registered one goal and five assists for six points in only five Thunder games. Hopfner has played in 17 Thunder contests with two goals and two assists for four points and the team's best plus-minus rating at +7. Arnott has one goal and three assists for four points in 21 games.
Thunder coach Greg Pankewicz plans to utilize nine forwards and five defensemen on Friday, adding a forward with Cramer's return on Saturday for the rematch in Fayetteville. Pankewicz will fill the gaps with forward Zac Pearson, who coached the team for three games three weeks ago in Mississippi on an interim basis and is the head coach of the Bloomington Junior Blaze, who are off this weekend. Pearson last played in 2011-12 with the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees of the Central Hockey League, recording 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points with 36 penalty minutes in 55 games. Pearson also played in all 76 games of the 2009-10 season with the Bloomington PrairieThunder, amassing 19 goals and 29 assists for 48 points with 67 penalty minutes.
The Thunder have also signed Trevor Jewell, a 6-2, 225-pound defenseman who played five games this season and scored two goals with the Watertown Privateers of the Federal Hockey League. Also returning is defenseman Kory Helowka, a six-foot, 195-pounder who played the first 12 games of the Thunder season but did not register a point.
Fayetteville is 10-5-2 with 22 points and is tied for fifth in the SPHL with the Mississippi Surge. The FireAntz split a pair of games at second-place Pensacola last weekend. The Thunder are in tenth place with a 6-15-0 mark for 12 points after Sunday's victory in Peoria.
The Thunder return to Central Illinois for a 7:05 New Year's Eve face-off at U.S. Cellular Coliseum against the Peoria Rivermen before a 5:15 New Year's Day rematch at Peoria. The Thunder will wear special jerseys during the New Year's Eve game that will be auctioned after the contest. Fans are invited to watch all Thunder road games at Six Strings, 524 N. Center St. in downtown Bloomington. Thunder games can be heard on WJBC.com and viewed via subscription at America One Sports with both broadcast links found on the home page of www.bloomingtonthunder.com. Thunder information can also be found on Facebook and Twitter (BLMThunder) and by calling 309-434-2980.
SPHL Stories from December 26, 2013
- Ice Bears End Skid with Win over Havoc - Knoxville Ice Bears
- Levine Backstops Rivermen to 2-1 Win - Peoria Rivermen
- Hosmer's Hat Trick Boosts Mississippi RiverKings over Mississippi - Mississippi Surge
- Call-Ups Shake up Thunder Roster - Bloomington Thunder
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