Thunderbolts Host Quad City this Saturday, Huntsville on New Year's Eve

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SPHL Evansville Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts Host Quad City this Saturday, Huntsville on New Year's Eve

December 24, 2024 - SPHL (SPHL)
Evansville Thunderbolts News Release


Evansville, In.: Gaining at least a point in two consecutive games to finish this past weekend against Roanoke and Knoxville, the Thunderbolts will be in Quad City this Thursday and Friday to take on the Storm, before returning home to host Quad City this Saturday and the Huntsville Havoc on New Year's Eve.

Week In Review:

Following a 6-0 loss in Peoria on Thursday morning, the Thunderbolts turned the page quickly on Friday night at Ford Center, defeating the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs 6-2 with two goals from Joey Berkopec and additional goals from Logan vande Meerakker, Tyson Gilmour, Anthony Hora and Brendan Harrogate. Evansville rallied on Saturday night in Knoxville, forcing overtime after trailing by one goal twice to earn a point with a 4-3 shootout loss. Benjamin Lindberg, Vande Meerakker, and Vili Vesalainen scored a goal each, with Vesalainen and Vande Meerakker adding a goal in the shootout.

The Week Ahead:

The Thunderbolts will be in Quad City to take on the Storm this Thursday, December 26th at 6:10 pm and Friday, December 27th at 7:10pm. Fans can watch the action on FloHockey with a paid subscription or listen in for free on the Thunderbolts Mixlr Channel. There will also be an away game watch party at Parkway Pizza on Evansville's West Side. Saturday, December 28th will be Bad Gift Exchange Night as the Thunderbolts host the Quad City Storm, where fans can bring in an unwanted, rewrapped gift to the table in the lobby before the start of the game, receive a special ticket, return to the table during the first intermission, and trade your special ticket in to select a new rewrapped gift. Porkchop from Bulls, Bands, and Barrels will be holding live demonstrations in the Ice Box in Section 109 and will be available for autographs and photos throughout the night. A special holiday ticket offer is also available, buy one get one free, for this Saturday's game, available only through Ticketmaster. Tuesday, December 31st will be the Thunderbolts' Annual New Years Eve game against the Huntsville Havoc, featuring a game-worn jersey auction immediately following the game, followed by a post-game fireworks show inside Ford Center. A special New Year's Eve Game Family Pack of 4 goal zone tickets and $40 in food vouchers for only $80 is available through the following link: http://bit.ly/4gum6FV. Both home games begin at 7:05pm CT. For tickets, call (812)422-BOLT (2658), go to EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or visit the Ford Center Ticket Office.

Coming Soon:

Friday, January 3rd will be Free Kids Friday presented by TaylorMade, as the Thunderbolts host the Quad City Storm. Everyone who buys an adult ticket through the Ford Center Box Office will receive a free kid's (12 and under) ticket. An inflatable slide will be set up in the lobby, courtesy of Legendary Inflatables. Other activities, including Mr. Gatti's Pizza, will also be available throughout the concourse. Saturday, January 4th will be Heavy Metal Night as the Thunderbolts host Peoria, featuring specialty game-worn jerseys that will be auctioned off immediately after the game. Replica jerseys will also be available for purchase at the merchandise stand. Space Monkey Records will be at the game with their Mobile Boom Box in the lobby.

Scouting the Opponent:

Quad City Storm:

Record: 9-10-2, 20 Points, T-7th Place

Leading Goal Scorer: Leif Mattson (16 Goals)

Leading Point Scorer: Leif Mattson (36 Points)

Primary Goaltender: Brent Moran (8-5-1, .918 Save %)

Thunderbolts Record vs QCS: 2-1

The Storm swept their past weekend's games against the Peoria Rivermen, beginning with a 7-4 win on Friday in Peoria. Savva Smirnov recorded a hat trick, with Dillon Fournier, Weiland Parrish, Leif Mattson, and Tommy Tsicos adding a goal each. Quad City defeated the Rivermen 4-3 in a shootout on Saturday on home ice, with two goals in regulation from Johnny Witzke and one from Mattson, while Parrish, Smirnov, Witzke and Mattson scored goals in the 10-round shootout.

Huntsville Havoc:

Record: 16-3-2, 34 Points, 1st Place

Leading Goal Scorer: Jack Jaunich/Austin Alger (11 Goals Each)

Leading Point Scorer: Jack Jaunich (24 Points)

Primary Goaltender: Mike Robinson (10-2-1, .921 Save %)

Thunderbolts Record vs HSV: 2-3

Huntsville defeated the Pensacola Ice Flyers 5-4 in a shootout on Friday night, with two goals from Austin Alger, and one goal each from Robbie Fisher and Craig McCabe, along with shootout goals from Jack Jaunich and Fisher. Huntsville failed to sweep the weekend, falling 3-2 at Pensacola on Saturday with goals from Dylan Stewart and Dominick Procopio. The Havoc will host Roanoke this Thursday, travel to Roanoke on Friday, and play in Fayetteville on Saturday, before facing the Thunderbolts next Tuesday on New Year's Eve.

Call-up Report

- Lincoln Hatten (Worcester Railers - ECHL)

- 23 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 7 P, 13 PIM

- Scott Kirton (Cincinnati Cyclones - ECHL)

- 3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, 2 PIM

Transactions:

- None to Report This Week

Individual game tickets, group packages, and season tickets are on sale for the 2024-25 season. Call 812-422-BOLT or visit our all-new website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.com) for details.

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