Thunderbolts Rally to Earn Point in Shootout Loss to Storm
SPHL Evansville Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts Rally to Earn Point in Shootout Loss to Storm

Published on February 28, 2026 under SPHL (SPHL)
Evansville Thunderbolts News Release


Moline, Ill.: Down 2-1 and no further behind thanks to great goaltending from Cody Karpinski, the Thunderbolts rallied to force overtime and shootout, however the Thunderbolts shootout woes continued as they fell short, 3-2 Storm the final score in Moline on Saturday night. The Thunderbolts' next home game at Ford Center will be on Sunday, March 8th against the Macon Mayhem at 3:00pm CT.

In the final game of 6 for the Thunderbolts in a grueling 9-day span, the Thunderbolts managed to open the scoring as Myles Abbate scored on the rush from Tyson Gilmour and Matthew Hobbs at 11:50. Quad City charged back however, as Leif Mattson scored on a breakaway at 15:15, and Davis Kirkendall scored on a rebound at 19:01 to give Quad City a 2-1 lead after one period. Karpinski made a pair of huge saves, on Taylor Pryce in the final minute of the first period, and Denver Craig early in the second period, to keep Evansville within a goal, and the Thunderbolts gained momentum as a result, finally managing to tie the game with 2:04 remaining in the second period as Jordan Simoneau scored on a turnaround shot from Dmitry Yushkevich and Evan Miller. Evansville outshot Quad City 13-6 in the third period, but neither goaltender yielded the rest of the way in regulation or in overtime. In the shootout, Simoneau scored on Evansville's fourth attempt, but Jesper Tarkiainen tied the shootout moments later, and Brodie Girod scored the winning goal in the bottom of the fifth round, as Evansville fell to 2-6 this season in shootouts, still gaining a point to stay in 2nd place by two points over Pensacola.

Abbate and Simoneau scored one goal each, and Karpinski finished with 31 saves on 33 shots, along with 3 saves on 5 shootout attempts. The Thunderbolts and Storm meet again on Friday, March 21st at Ford Center, with the Storm clinching the regular season series with an 8-5 lead.

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. About Evansville Thunderbolts: The Evansville Thunderbolts is the area's only professional hockey team. The Thunderbolts are a proud member of the SPHL. The team is owned and operated by VW Sports, L.L.C, a subsidiary of VenuWorks, Inc.

www.evansvillethunderbolts.com

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