Thunderbolts to Face off with Rivermen in President's Cup Final
SPHL Evansville Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts to Face off with Rivermen in President's Cup Final

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


Evansville, In.: Following their semifinal series victory over the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, the Thunderbolts will meet the Peoria Rivermen for the third playoff year in a row, this time in the President's Cup Final in a clash between the two most recent champions.

Week In Review:

Returning to Ford Center for games three and four against Roanoke with the series tied 1-1, the Thunderbolts broke a 1-1 tie late in the third period with a power play goal by Myles Abbate, the lead supplemented by empty net goals from Jordan Simoneau and Evan Miller as Evansville pulled through with the 4-1 win on Wednesday, with Miller also scoring the opening goal. Up 1-0 after two periods in game four on Thursday with a power play goal from Scott Kirton, Abbate scored once again in the third period to extend the lead to 2-0. Roanoke answered quickly to make it a 2-1 game, before a goal from Miller with 3 and a half minutes left restored the two goal lead, with Simoneau adding yet another empty net goal to seal the 4-1 victory and the 3-1 series victory. In goal for both wins was Kristian Stead, stopping 38 of 39 shots in game three and 33 of 34 shots in game four.

The Week Ahead:

Games one and two of the President's Cup Final, once again a best-of-five game series, will be played in Peoria this Thursday, April 30th and Friday, May 1st, both games beginning at 7:15pm CT. Fans can watch both games live on FloHockey or can listen in for free through the Thunderbolts Mixlr Channel.

Coming Soon:

Game three will be played at Ford Center next Wednesday, May 6th, and if necessary, game four will also be played at Ford Center on Thursday, May 7th, both games beginning at 7:00pm CT. Should a fifth game be necessary, it will be played in Peoria on Saturday, May 9th at 7:15pm CT. For tickets to games three and four (if necessary), fans can purchase tickets by calling (812)422-BOLT (2658), going to EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or by visiting the Ford Center Ticket Office.

Scouting the Opponent:

Peoria Rivermen:

Record: 38-17-3, 79 Points, 1st Place

Leading Regular Season Goal Scorer: Michael McChesney (33 Goals)

Leading Regular Season Point Scorer: Alec Baer (58 Points)

Primary Regular Season Goaltender: Nick Latinovich (17-8-1, .930 Save %)

Thunderbolts Regular Season Record vs PEO: 8-6

The Rivermen defeated the #8 seeded Macon Mayhem in the first round two games to none, 2-0 in game one and 4-1 in game two. In the semifinals, Peoria battled the #7 seeded Knoxville Ice Bears in a series that Peoria trailed two games to one before rallying to win the next two games and win the series in five games. JM Piotrowski scored twice in game one, with Mike Gelatt scoring the opening goal, while Connor Szmul broke a 3-3 tie with 2:11 remaining in regulation with Griffen Fox and Michael McChesney adding empty net goals in a 6-3 win. Peoria lost home ice advantage with a 3-1 loss in game two, with Alec Baer scoring the lone goal in the first period. The Rivermen were pushed to the brink with a 4-2 loss in game three in Knoxville, Matt Wiesner and Baer scoring the goals in a failed rally after trailing 4-0. Peoria did not allow another goal in either of the next two games, winning 5-0 in game four behind another two goals from Piotrowski and additional goals from Cory Dennis, Jordan Ernst, and Garrett Devine, and a 1-0 victory in game five in Peoria with Kullan Daikawa scoring the lone goal. Nick Latinovich played both games in the first round and in four of the five games in the semifinals, posting a 5-1 record and a .960% save percentage in goal through two rounds.

Call-up Report

- Jaden Shields (Rapid City - ECHL)

- 39 GP, 5 G, 16 A, 21 P, 14 PIM

- Connor Federkow (Worcester - ECHL)

- 20 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, 8 PIM

- Keanan Stewart (Tahoe - ECHL)

- 12 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, 2 PIM

Transactions:

- No Transactions to Report.

Season tickets for the 2026-27 season and single-game tickets for the 2026 playoffs are on sale now. Call 812-422-BOLT(2658) or visit our website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.com) for details.

Check out the Evansville Thunderbolts Statistics

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