Stewart's Overtime Goal Leads Thunderbolts Over Marksmen 3-2

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SPHL Evansville Thunderbolts

Stewart's Overtime Goal Leads Thunderbolts Over Marksmen 3-2

March 14, 2025 - SPHL (SPHL)
Evansville Thunderbolts News Release


Fayetteville, NC: In the Thunderbolts' first game at Fayetteville in over five years, Mackenze Stewart scored his first goal as a Thunderbolt in dramatic fashion, scoring in overtime to defeat the Marksmen 3-2 in Fayetteville on Friday night. The Thunderbolts' next home game will be on Saturday, March 22nd against the Quad City Storm at 7:05pm CT.

For the second game in a row, Aidan Litke opened the scoring early in the first period for Evansville, scoring moments after a power play chance expired at 3:39, assisted by Stewart and Isaac Chapman. The Marksmen answered back to tie the game 1-1, as Trent Grimshaw scored a power play goal with only 1.8 seconds remaining in the first period. The lone goal of the second period was scored by Evansville on a 3-on-2 rush by Will van der Veen at 3:48, assisted by Logan vande Meerakker and Scott Kirton, the goal being Van der Veen's first professional goal in his first professional game. Evansville led 2-1 nearly the entire rest of the way, however Sam Anzai banked in a shot from behind the goal line with only 2:25 remaining in the third period to force overtime. In overtime, Stewart scored at 4:21 with assists from Myles Abbate and Matt Dorsey, as Dorsey initially stormed the net and Abbate fed Stewart with a beautiful pass from the far corner while tied up by a Marksmen defender. With the win, Evansville is now 8-1-1 in their past 10 games, the best 10-game record at present time for any team in the SPHL.

Stewart scored the game-winning goal along with an assist, while Litke and Van der Veen scored one goal each in regulation. In goal, Cole Ceci finished with 30 saves on 32 shots on goal for his 17th win of the season and his 30th as a Thunderbolt, which gives Ceci the franchise all-time wins record previously held by Brian Billett. The Thunderbolts and Marksmen meet again on Saturday, March 15th at Crown Coliseum. Friday's win was Evansville's 23rd of the season, increasing Evansville's standings points to 52 as the Thunderbolts are again tied for 5th place and only one point out of 4th place. Evansville now only needs a maximum of 7 points out of 16 possible remaining points to clinch a playoff spot.

Individual game tickets and group packages are on sale for the 2024-25 season. Season tickets for the 2025-26 season are on sale now. Call 812-422-BOLT(2658) or visit our website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.com) for details.

About Evansville Thunderbolts: The Evansville Thunderbolts is the area's only professional hockey team. The Thunderbolts are a proud member of the 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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