Thunderbolts Host Ice Flyers for Final Regular Season Games
SPHL Evansville Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts Host Ice Flyers for Final Regular Season Games

Published on April 2, 2026 under SPHL (SPHL)
Evansville Thunderbolts News Release


Evansville, In.: After a tough finish to their weekend in Peoria, the Thunderbolts look to regroup ahead of their final tune-up before the playoffs, a doubleheader and potential playoff preview on Ford Center ice against the Pensacola Ice Flyers with home-ice advantage on the line, this Friday night for Country Night and Saturday for Fan Appreciation Night.

Week In Review:

The Thunderbolts held on to defeat the Rivermen 3-2 in overtime on Friday, with Anthony Mollica scoring the overtime game-winning goal and second period goals from Myles Abbate and Matthew Hobbs. The Thunderbolts were defeated in very close, low scoring games on Saturday and Sunday in Peoria, 3-1 on Saturday with a late goal from Jordan Simoneau and 2-1 on Sunday with a last-minute goal from Scott Kirton to make both games close at the finish.

The Week Ahead:

Join us for Country Night this Friday, April 3rd at the Ford Center! Break out the boots and flannel as we bring country vibes to the rink with hits all night long, themed fun, and hard-hitting hockey action! Sam Hahn is set to perform on the ice after the game! Puck drop is at 7:00! We want to say THANK YOU during our Fan Appreciation Night this Saturday, April 4th! Join us for a special game filled with raffles from our amazing sponsors to honor the best fans in hockey. Don't miss your chance to cheer loud before the team heads to the Presidents Cup Playoffs! A game-worn jersey auction will be held after the game. The first 1800 in the building will receive a team poster presented by FanCave! Select merchandise items will be discounted at 25% off for everyone in attendance.

Coming Soon:

At present time, the Thunderbolts can finish the regular season as high as 2nd place and as low as 5th place. Teams that place 4th or higher in the regular season gain home ice advantage in the best-of-three games first round of the President's Cup Playoffs. If Evansville wins at least one game against Pensacola in regulation time, they will clinch 4th place at minimum. Evansville can also climb to 3rd or 2nd place depending on their success this weekend as well as how many points Roanoke gains in Peoria and how many points Huntsville gains in Quad City. Evansville currently sits tied in 3rd place with both Roanoke and Pensacola, and one point behind Huntsville, all teams with 2 games remaining. As such, Evansville could still face either Huntsville, Roanoke, Pensacola, Birmingham, Knoxville, Quad City, or Macon in the first round of the playoffs. Scheduling will be determined following the weekend.

Scouting the Opponent:

Pensacola Ice Flyers:

Record: 28-19-9, 65 Points, T-3rd Place

Leading Goal Scorer: Sam Rhodes (24 Goals)

Leading Point Scorer: Sam Rhodes (38 Points)

Primary Goaltender: Troy Kobryn (2-4-2, .919 Save %)

Thunderbolts Season Record vs PEN: 2-0-0

Pensacola began their past weekend with a 5-2 win over the Quad City Storm on Friday night with goals from Cooper Jones, Andrew Kurapov, Tyler Burnie, Ethan Price and Tyler German. In Saturday's rematch, Pensacola scored first with a goal from Andrew Poulias but fell 2-1 in a shootout to close out the Ice Flyers' regular season home schedule.

Call-up Report

- Jaden Shields (Rapid City - ECHL)

- 39 GP, 5 G, 16 A, 21 P, 14 PIM

- Connor Federkow (Worcester - ECHL)

- 19 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, 8 PIM

- Keanan Stewart (Tahoe - ECHL)

- 10 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, 2 PIM

Transactions:

- Sat. 3/28: D Ethan Lund signed to standard contract

- Sat. 3/28: D Carter Poulin released from professional tryout (PTO)

- Sat. 3/28: D Dmitry Yushkevich placed on 14 Day Injured Reserve

- Fri. 3/27: F Sean Bunting placed on waivers

- Fri. 3/27: D Caleb Huffman activated (rights previously acquired from Macon)

- Fri. 3/27: F Brock McLeod signed to professional tryout (PTO)

- Thur. 3/26: D Max Thiessen moved from 14-Day to 30-Day Injured Reserve

Season tickets for the 2026-27 season and single-game tickets for the remainder of 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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