SPHL Evansville Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts to Travel to Pensacola for Three-Game Weekend

Published on March 22, 2023 under SPHL (SPHL)
Evansville Thunderbolts News Release


Evansville, In.:With a stretch of six games in nine days completed, the Thunderbolts are back on the road for the next week, playing in Pensacola this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night as they aim to solidify their hold on home-ice advantage in the upcoming playoffs. The Thunderbolts next home game will be on Saturday, April 1st against the Knoxville Ice Bears at 7:00pm.

Week In Review:

On Thursday, the Thunderbolts were defeated 4-1 by the Huntsville Havoc, with Andrew Shewfelt scoring the lone goal in the second period. On Friday night in Pelham, the Thunderbolts registered their first-ever 1-0 shutout victory in franchise history in a win over the Birmingham Bulls, with Jeremy Masella scoring the lone goal. The win was also Evansville's 29thof the season, a new single-season best. The weekend concluded with a close 3-0 loss to Birmingham on Saturday night at Ford Center. The Thunderbolts remain in 4thplace in the league standings, .008% ahead of 5th-Place Roanoke and .014% ahead of 6th-Place Knoxville. Teams who finish in 4thPlace or higher will secure home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, guaranteeing two home games for those teams if their first-round series goes to a full three games. Under the win percentage-based seeding system, the Thunderbolts only need a maximum of 1 more point to clinch a playoff berth and can clinch as early as this Friday.

The Week Ahead:

The Thunderbolts are in Pensacola this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to take on the Ice Flyers. Friday and Saturday's games begin at 7:05pm CT and Sunday's game begins at 4:05pm CT. All three games can be viewed on SPHL TV with a paid subscription through HockeyTV or can be listened to for free on the Thunderbolts Radio Network via the Thunderbolts MixLr Channel or at EvansvilleThunderbolts.com/fan-center/live .

Coming Soon:

The Thunderbolts' final regular season home games following this weekend will be on Saturday, April 1stagainst the Knoxville Ice Bears for Superhero Night, and Friday, April 7thagainst the Birmingham Bulls for Fan Appreciation Night. Superhero Night will feature the final specialty game-worn jerseys of the season, which will be auctioned off after the game, and another Party in the Plaza, beginning at 4pm along with a beer garden. Fan Appreciation Night is all about the celebration of our great fans, with plenty of chances to win prizes. More details on Fan Appreciation Night will be coming soon. Playoff information will be coming towards the end of the regular season, as the Thunderbolts continue to work hard on the ice to finish as high in the standings as possible and to secure home-ice advantage in round one.

Scouting the Opponent:

Pensacola Ice Flyers:

Record: 23-22-5, 51 Points, 7th Place

Leading Goal Scorer: Garrett Milan (24 Goals)

Leading Point Scorer: Garrett Milan (65 Points)

Primary Goaltender: Brad Arvanitis (6-4-4, .917 Save %)

Thunderbolts 22-23 Record vs PEN: 2-0-0

Check out the Evansville Thunderbolts Statistics

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