Thunderbolts Midweek Report: Thunderbolts to Host Ice Bears
Published on February 14, 2018 under SPHL (SPHL)
Evansville Thunderbolts News Release
Evansville, Ind: Only 9 points behind first-place Pensacola, the Thunderbolts get back to action with three games this upcoming weekend, hosting the Knoxville Ice Bears before hitting the road for another tour or Alabama, with stops in Birmingham against the Bulls and in Huntsville to take on the Havoc.
Weekend In Review:
After hosting Birmingham on Thursday, the Thunderbolts played a home-and-home double with the Mississippi RiverKings. On Friday night, Dylan Clarke picked up his 20th goal of the season and Jonah Imoo had a solid night, stopping 32 shots of 34 faced. The next night in Mississippi, the Bolts would go down 4-0 before mounting a comeback to tie the game, as Frank Schumacher, Nick Lazorko, John Scorcia and Mike Fazio all found the back of the net to tie the game at four goals aside.
The Weekend Ahead:
The Thunderbolts host the Knoxville Ice Bears on Friday, Feb. 16, for Medical Appreciation Night. Face-off is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. CST. On Saturday, Feb. 17, the Thunderbolts will be in Birmingham taking on the Bulls for a 7:05 p.m. CST puck drop. The Bolts finish the weekend on the road with a 5 p.m. CST late afternoon contest in Huntsville against the Havoc. Both road games can be viewed on SPHL Live and listened to for free on the Thunderbolts Radio Network on MixLr.
Scouting the Opponent:
Knoxville Ice Bears:
Record: 21-12-4, 46 Points, 5th Place
Evansville 17-18 Record vs. Knoxville: 2-2
Leading Goal Scorer: Berkley Scott (18 Goals)
Leading Point Scorer: Berkley Scott (40 Points)
Primary Goaltender: Zoltan Hetenyi (14-11-1, 2.90 GAA, .916 Save %)
This past Thursday, the Ice Bears would fall in overtime in Huntsville, 3-2. Tyler Howe and Lawrence Cornellier scored the goals for Knoxville, who at one point trailed 2-0 before tying the game. The Ice Bears got revenge on the Havoc on home ice on Friday night, winning 2-1 with goals from Eliot Grauer, and Marcus Ortiz, who's game winning goal was scored with just over six minutes left in regulation. Hetenyi stopped 40 shots of 41 faced, and would start again the following night in Roanoke. The Rail Yard Dawgs would find their way to a 5-1 victory over Knoxville, as Michael Chen tallied the lone goal, and Hetenyi allowed 5 goals on 23 shots.
Birmingham Bulls:
Record: 14-20-5, 33 Points, T-8th Place
Evansville 17-18 Record vs Birmingham: 5-1
Leading Goal Scorer: Jacob Barber (18 Goals)
Leading Point Scorer: Jacob Barber (36 Points)
Primary Goaltender: Mavric Parks (8-16-3, 3.12 GAA, .916 Save %)
Following the Bolts meeting with the Bulls on Thursday, the Bulls returned home to stun the Peoria Rivermen twice on home ice, winning 3-2 on Friday, and in comeback fashion, 6-5 in a shootout on Saturday. Taylor Dickin, Shane Topf and Justin Larson notched goals on Friday, with Parks stopping 42 of 44 shots. The following night, down 5-3 in the final seven minutes, Jacob Barber and Evan Schultz would score to force overtime, and Barber would win the game in the shootout, finishing with a hat trick against his former club. Schultz finished with two goals, while Andy Bathgate tallied one. Last night, the Bulls pulled off another upset, downing the Pensacola Ice Flyers by a 5-3 score at home. Barber picked up another two goals, John Rey scored twice, and Brandon Fehd would add another as the Bulls storm their way into playoff contention. Before hosting Evansville, the Bulls play in Macon on Friday night.
Huntsville Havoc:
Record: 22-12-4, 48 Points, 3rd Place
Evansville 17-18 Record vs. Huntsville: 2-1
Leading Goal Scorer: Christian Powers (19 Goals)
Leading Point Scorer: Sy Nutkevich (42 Points)
Primary Goaltender: Keegan Asmundson (13-9-1, 3.11 GAA, .908 Save %)
Following their doubleheader with Knoxville, the Havoc hosted the Ice Flyers on Saturday Night. In a back and forth battle, Powers, Stephen Hrehoriak, Andy Willigar, and Shawn Bates all tallied goals in regulation. The Ice Flyers forced overtime, and the game was decided in a shootout as Stuart Stefan would pot the lone shootout goal to win it for Huntsville 5-4. Last night, the Havoc would win again by the same score in Mississippi, with the winning goal being scored with only 1:32 left in regulation in a 4-4 tied game by Willigar. Nutkevich, Stefan, Alex Botten and Justin Fox would also score as Keegan Asmundson stopped 36 of 40. Before hosting the Thunderbolts, Huntsville heads to Roanoke for two games on Friday and Saturday night.
Transactions:
2/08: Mike Fazio signed
2/08: Jackson Leef loaned to ECHL Brampton Beast
2/14: Patrick Harrison and Shayne Morrissey acquired from the Pensacola Ice Flyers in exchange for Lee Christensen
Harrison, a defenseman from Vernon, Ontario, played 55 games with the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs in 2010-11. He has played 38 games in the SPHL with the Louisiana IceGators, Huntsville Havoc, Peoria Rivermen, Birmingham Bulls, and the Ice Flyers, scoring three goals and ten points.
Morrissey, forward, from St. John's, Newfoundland, is in his first year playing professional hockey. After a brief stint with the FHL's Danville Dashers, scoring 8 points in 4 games, Morrissey played 27 games with the Huntsville Havoc and the Ice Flyers, scoring 8 goals and 14 points. Prior to the season, he played four years of college hockey at Neumann University.
2/14: Matt Leon placed on waivers
About Evansville Thunderbolts: The Evansville Thunderbolts is the area's only professional hockey team. The Thunderbolts are a proud member of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). The team is owned and operated by VW Sports, L.L.C, a subsidiary of VenuWorks, Inc. www.evansvillethunderbolts.com.
SPHL Stories from February 14, 2018
- Ice Flyers Complete Deal with Evansville - Pensacola Ice Flyers
- Thunderbolts Midweek Report: Thunderbolts to Host Ice Bears - Evansville Thunderbolts
- Ice Flyers Games Postponed this Weekend Due to Ice Conditions - Pensacola Ice Flyers
- SPHL Announces Suspension - SPHL
- Late Goal Dooms RiverKings, Fall to Havoc 5-4 - Mississippi RiverKings
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