Thunderbolts Host Birmingham Bulls on New Year's Eve
SPHL Evansville Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts Host Birmingham Bulls on New Year's Eve

Published on December 26, 2025 under SPHL (SPHL)
Evansville Thunderbolts News Release


Evansville, In.: Despite the recent offensive dry spell, the Thunderbolts will look to reset and bounce back in a pair of games this Friday and Saturday at Quad City before hosting the Birmingham Bulls for the annual New Year's Eve game at Ford Center on Wednesday.

Week In Review:

It was the toughest weekend offensively in quite some time for Evansville, suffering a pair of 2-0 shutout losses in Peoria on Thursday the 18th and Huntsville on Friday the 19th. The Thunderbolts showed a good amount of fight and decently outshot the Rivermen on Saturday night back at Ford Center but fell 4-1 with Derek Contessa scoring Evansville's lone goal.

The Week Ahead:

The Thunderbolts will play at Quad City this Friday and Saturday night, both games at Vibrant Arena are set for 7:10pm CT puck drops. Fans can watch online on FloHockey or can listen for free via the Thunderbolts Mixlr Channel. Get ready to ring in the new year! Join us on Wednesday, December 31st at the Ford Center for our New Year's Eve Game against the Birmingham Bulls! Enjoy all the hard-hitting hockey action as the Bolts close out 2025, then stick around after the final horn for a spectacular post-game fireworks show on the ice! Opening face-off is set for 7:00pm CT. The players jerseys will be auctioned off postgame, giving fans a chance to take home a piece of the action!

Coming Soon:

It's time to roll the dice, Evansville - the Thunderbolts are cashing in a brand-new identity for one weekend only! Join us at the Ford Center on Friday, January 2nd and Saturday, January 3rd as your Thunderbolts rebrand to the Ohio Valley Riverjacks! We're celebrating the rich casino and riverboat history of Evansville, bringing that high-stakes energy straight to the ice. From the jerseys to the lights, it's a full house of fun, excitement, and hard-hitting hockey action! Place your bets on the home team - and get ready to hit the jackpot with the Ohio Valley Riverjacks, one weekend only! A few Bulls, Bands and Barrels talents will be set up in the lobby for pictures and autographs ahead of puck drop on January 2nd. During the first intermission, take on the BBB talent for an on-ice competition and win 4 tickets! Throughout the game, the BBB crew will be throwing out merchandise to a few lucky fans! Looking to enjoy a rodeo show in January? Go see Bulls, Bands, and Barrels at the Ford Center on Saturday, January 10 by purchasing tickets on Ticketmaster.com or the Ford Center Box Office!

Scouting the Opponent:

Quad City Storm:

Record: 9-11-2, 20 Points, 8th Place

Leading Goal Scorer: Leif Mattson (10 Goals)

Leading Point Scorer: Leif Mattson (23 Points)

Primary Goaltender: Zane Steeves (4-7-1, .926 Save %)

Thunderbolts Regular Season Record vs QCS: 3-2

The Storm were shut out 1-0 at Huntsville on Thursday the 18th, prior to a pair of games in Macon against the Mayhem. On Friday the 19th, the Storm led 2-0 on goals from Jesper Tarkiainen and Leif Mattson before losing 3-2 in overtime. The Storm built up a 3-0 lead on Saturday with goals from Tarkiainen, Tommy Tsicos and Devin Sanders and kept Macon behind them just enough, winning 4-2 with a late empty net goal from Tsicos to seal the deal.

Birmingham Bulls:

Record: 6-11-5, 17 Points, T-9th Place

Leading Goal Scorer: Tim Kent (9 Goals)

Leading Point Scorer: Tim Kent (19 Points)

Primary Goaltender: Jacob Mucitelli (5-5-2, .907 Save %)

Thunderbolts Regular Season Record vs BHM: 2-0

On Friday, December 19th, the Bulls rallied from 2-0 down in Knoxville with a pair of goals from Tim Kent but fell just short 3-2. On Saturday in Roanoke, the Bulls held four different leads with two goals from Drake Glover and additional goals from Shawn Kennedy, Matt Wood, and Connor Scahill. Even as Roanoke rallied each time to tie the game and force overtime, the Bulls gutted out the 6-5 victory with an overtime goal from Macgregor Sinclair. This Tuesday at Pensacola, the Bulls rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits with goals from Kent, Glover, and Kennedy before defeating Pensacola 4-3 in overtime with a goal by Kevin Sadovski. The Bulls host the Macon Mayhem this Friday and Saturday before traveling to Evansville for New Year's Eve.

Call-up Report

- Jaden Shields (Idaho - ECHL)

- 17 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 P, 6 PIM

- Keanan Stewart (Iowa - ECHL)

- 5 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 1 P, 4 PIM

- Aidan Litke (Niagara University - NCAA D1)

- 0 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, 0 PIM

Transactions:

- No transactions to report.

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

Check out the Evansville Thunderbolts Statistics

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SPHL Stories from December 26, 2025


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