Thunderbolts Fall, 5-1, in Game Two against Rivermen
SPHL Evansville Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts Fall, 5-1, in Game Two against Rivermen

Published on May 1, 2026 under SPHL (SPHL)
Evansville Thunderbolts News Release


Peoria, Ill.: The focus now becomes one game at a time for the Thunderbolts as they return to Ford Center ice, where they have been excellent against Peoria this season, down 2-0 in this best-of-five Final series after a 5-1 defeat in game two in Peoria on Friday night. Game three against the Peoria Rivermen at Ford Center will be on Wednesday, May 6th, face-off at 7:00pm CT.

Right out of the gate, the Rivermen took the lead only 20 seconds into the first period, Garrett Devine scoring the goal. Overall, the Thunderbolts had a solid first period and tied the game at 5:26 as Ethan Lund scored his first professional goal, a shot from the point through traffic assisted by Myles Abbate and Aiden MacIntosh. The second period got off to a rocky start, as Michael McChesney scored for Peoria at the 2:45 mark, followed by Braydon Barker at 5:13. Evansville stopped the bleeding from there and held the score at 3-1 Rivermen after two periods. The Thunderbolts had a strong third period, outshooting Peoria 10-5 and nearly cutting the lead to one goal as Anthony Mollica rang a shot off the post halfway through the period, but Evansville was unable to rally from there, with the Rivermen adding two empty net goals to wrap up the scoring at 5-1. The Thunderbolts will return to Ford Center for game three on Wednesday looking to earn a fourth game on home ice on Thursday. Evansville was 6-1 against Peoria on Ford Center ice this regular season, and at one point had a five-game overall win streak against Peoria between February 4th and March 27th, still keeping Evansville's chances very much alive of grinding their way to a return trip to Peoria next weekend, starting one game at a time with four days to prepare.

Lund scored Evansville's goal, while Kristian Stead finished with 21 saves on 24 shots on goal. Game three will be at Ford Center on Wednesday, May 6th at 7:00pm CT. If necessary, game four at Ford Center will be on Thursday, May 7th at 7:00pm CT, and a fifth game would be in Peoria on Saturday, May 9th at 7:15pm CT.

Season tickets for the 2026-27 season are on sale now. Individual game tickets and group packages are on sale for the remainder of this 2025-26 season. Call 812-422-BOLT(2658) or visit our website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.com) for details.

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