Rivermen Upset Evansville, 4-3, - Hand Bolts First Road Regulation Loss
SPHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Upset Evansville, 4-3, - Hand Bolts First Road Regulation Loss

Published on November 29, 2025 under SPHL (SPHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


PEORIA, IL - The Peoria Rivermen (9-5-0) ended a seven-game losing streak against the Evansville Thunderbolts (10-3-1) that dated back to February of last season on Saturday night. The Rivermen, buoyed by their goaltender Nick Latinovich, edged out Evansville 4-3 at Carver Arena to force a weekend split. Mike Gelatt, Griffen Fox, Alec Baer, and Michael McChesney all scored for the Rivermen while Latinovich made 18 saves on 21 shots.

The Rivermen, with the victory, end the month of November with a 6-4 record and enter December reinvigorated after a win over one of the top teams in the SPHL. Peoria outshot the Thunderbolts on Saturday, 36-21, and is now 1-3-0 against Evansville this season. The Rivermen will hit the road next week for a Friday, Saturday, Sunday road series in Fayetteville, North Carolina, against the Marksmen.

FIRST PERIOD

Peoria started fast and found the back of the net just as quickly. After disrupting a blue-line pass on the defensive side, Mike Gelatt and Griffen Fox chased down a loose puck and stepped in on a two-on-none rush. Gelatt made a perfect pass to the left of the net for Fox, who buried the puck into the back of the net for his second goal in as many games to give the Rivermen a 1-0 lead. Myles Abbate was able to locate a loose puck on Evansville's first period to find the equalizer about five minutes later to tie the game 1-1. Late in the first, Nick Parody fired a shot from the left-wing point that was deflected by Gelatt right in front. Gelatt deflected the puck past the pad of Evansville goaltender Kristian Stead for his second point of the game, and another Rivermen lead, this time 2-1. But once again, Abbate struck down the Rivermen lead on a short-handed breakaway from center ice. Abbate's second goal of the night tied the game at 2-2 and once again presented the Rivermen with a tied contest entering the second period.

SECOND PERIOD

The middle period was a tight-checking back-and-forth affair, as both sides limited the offensive chances against each other, and both goaltenders were strong. Nick Latinovich made a massive save on a breakaway midway through the second period to keep the game tied, and the Rivermen took advantage a few minutes later. Braydon Barker corralled the puck at the right-wing point and fired a shot on net with traffic in front. Daniel Chartrand got a stick on the rebound and deflected it to the crease, where Alec Baer charged in from the left-wing circle and deposited the rebound into the back of the net. For the third time of the night, the Rivermen held a one-goal lead over Evansville, and this time it held until the second intermission.

THIRD PERIOD

The Rivermen added on to their lead just over three minutes into the third as Terry Ryder sent a point shot from the left side to the net that was deflected by Michael McChesney right in front. McChesney's deflection put the Rivermen ahead by a score of 4-2 over the Bolts and set Peoria up for its first victory over Evansville. But the Bolts did not go away easily. A power-play goal late in the contest gave Evansville some life, but the Rivermen defense locked down the Thunderbolts in the defensive and neutral zones for the rest of the game. In the end, Peoria defeated Evansville for the first time this season and handed the Thunderbolts their first regulation road loss of the season.

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SPHL Stories from November 29, 2025


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