Thunderbolts Outlast Rivermen in Peoria with 3-2 Win
SPHL Evansville Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts Outlast Rivermen in Peoria with 3-2 Win

Published on February 20, 2026 under SPHL (SPHL)
Evansville Thunderbolts News Release


Peoria, IL - Tied 1-1 after two periods, the Thunderbolts came through in the clutch in the third period, scoring twice and making the lead stick as they ended the Rivermen home winning streak at 12 games, 3-2 the final score in Peoria on Friday night. The Thunderbolts' next home game at Ford Center will be on Saturday, February 21st against the Peoria Rivermen at 7:00pm CT.

After a scoreless first period, the Thunderbolts grabbed the game's first lead at 6:59 of the second period as Matthew Hobbs chipped a shot over Nick Latinovich and into the net off a behind-the-net setup from Tyson Gilmour and Myles Abbate. Peoria answered later at 14:35 as Connor Szmul scored on a breakaway, but the Thunderbolts outshot Peoria 9-3 in the second period, the momentum tangible for Evansville despite the tied score. Evansville began the third period on a 6-0 shot run and broke the tie at 7:31 as Aiden MacIntosh scored off a Peoria neutral zone turnover to Evan Miller, who upon the quick re-entry fed MacIntosh for his first professional goal in his first professional game. At 13:33, Evansville extended the lead to 3-1 as Evansville caught Peoria in a bad line change, with Abbate scoring on a 3-on-2 rush from Gilmour and Will van der Veen. In the final two minutes, the Rivermen pulled Latinovich and managed to score and cut the lead to 3-2, but the goal for Alec Baer was with only 5.5 seconds remaining, too little too late for Peoria as Evansville secured the victory to kick off the three-in-three weekend against the Rivermen heading back to Ford Center for Saturday and Sunday rematches.

Abbate scored one goal and one assist, MacIntosh and Hobbs each scored one goal, and Gilmour tallied a pair of assists. In goal, Kristian Stead stopped 20 of 22 shots on goal for his 19th win of the season. The Thunderbolts and Rivermen meet once again on Saturday, February 21st at Ford Center, with Evansville leading the regular season series 5-4.

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

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