Thunderbolts Rally to Win Series Opener over Pensacola
SPHL Evansville Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts Rally to Win Series Opener over Pensacola

Published on April 9, 2026 under SPHL (SPHL)
Evansville Thunderbolts News Release


Evansville, In.: After a shaky first period in which Pensacola struck first, the Thunderbolts called upon their playoff veteran experience to settle things down before scoring four unanswered goals to win game one of the best-of-three series, 4-1 the final score. Game two will be in Pensacola on Friday, April 10th, face-off at 7:05pm CT.

The Thunderbolts were slower to acclimate than they would have liked out of the gate, with Pensacola taking control in the first period and taking the first lead as Matt Allen scored at 10:01. After a stronger finish to the first period, great goaltending from Kristian Stead, and a jolt coming from an Ice Flyer shot hitting the crossbar early in the second period, Evansville found their game and scored three unanswered goals within a span of 3:53 to turn the 1-0 deficit to a 3-1 lead; Aaron Huffnagle scored first at 10:08, skating through the right circle and sniping a shot over the shoulder of Christian Propp off the rush to tie the game, assisted by Isaac Chapman. Less than two minutes later at 11:41, Myles Abbate scored off the rush coming up the left side, firing just over the glove of Propp, assisted by Chapman again to give Evansville their first lead. At 14:01, another goal off the rush made it 3-1 Evansville as Evan Miller scored on a breakaway amid a bad Pensacola line change, assisted by Anthony Mollica. Only 12 seconds into the third period, Evansville extended the lead to 4-1 as Abbate entered the zone and dangled around Propp, assisted by Chapman and Huffman to finish the scoring. Evansville will have two opportunities to win the series, starting with game two in Pensacola on Friday, April 10th at 7:05pm CT. Game three (if necessary) would be at Ford Center on Sunday, April 12th at 3:00pm CT.

Abbate scored two goals while Huffnagle and Miller added one goal each. Chapman tallied three assists, breaking the franchise single-game playoff record for assists and tying the record for points, while Stead finished with 29 saves on 30 shots on goal for his first professional playoff win.

Season tickets for the 2026-27 season are on sale now. Individual game tickets and group packages are on sale for the remainder of this 2025-26 season. Call 812-422-BOLT(2658) or visit our website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.com) for details.

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