Thunderbolts Dominate Bulls in 5-1 Victory

Evansville, In.:  After Friday’s tough loss to Macon, the Thunderbolts responded well, soundly defeating the Birmingham Bulls 5-1 at Ford Center on Saturday night and taking 3 out of 4 possible points on the weekend.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Saturday, December 20th against the Peoria Rivermen at 7:00pm CT.

                Evansville took control early and took the game’s first lead 6:36 into the game, with Jordan Simoneau scoring on a takeaway in the Birmingham zone, assisted by Myles Abbate and Matthew Hobbs.  At 13:08, Connor Federkow broke to the net off the right side boards and scored to extend Evansville’s lead to 2-0, assisted by Scott Kirton and Tyson Gilmour.  In the second period, Gilmour ended a long goal-scoring drought to make it 3-0, scoring on a rebound from Kirton and Joey Berkopec at 12:39.  The Bulls’ last gasp came early in the third period as Shawn Kennedy scored at 2:59 off a 3-on-1 rush immediately following a Birmingham penalty kill, briefly shortening the Thunderbolts lead to 3-1.  The Thunderbolts brushed the Bulls’ comeback attempt aside in short order, with Isaac Chapman scoring on a 2-on-1 just over three minutes later at 6:19 from Aidan Litke to make it a 4-1 game.  At 12:48, the final dagger came from Keanan Stewart, scoring unassisted after stealing the puck in the Birmingham zone to finish the scoring at 5-1 Evansville.

Gilmour finished with one goal and one assist while Chapman, Simoneau, Federkow and Stewart scored one goal each.  Kirton tallied a pair of assists, while Kristian Stead finished with 15 saves on 16 shots on goal for his 11th win of the season.  The Thunderbolts and Bulls meet again on Wednesday, December 31stat Ford Center, with Evansville leading the season series 2-0.

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

Over 4,000 Teddy Bears Thrown Onto Ford Center Ice on Teddy Bear Toss Night

Evansville, In.:  Despite the tough 4-3 shootout loss to the Macon Mayhem, it was a great win for children in need in the Tri-State as 4,304 stuffed animals were tossed onto the ice for the Thunderbolts’ Annual Teddy Bear Toss on Friday night at Ford Center.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Saturday, December 6th against the Birmingham Bulls at 7:00pm CT.

The Mayhem took the game’s first lead 3:30 into the game off a net-front redirection by Conor Witherspoon.  At 13:20, Evansville tied the game as Isaac Chapman scored on a turnaround shot in the mid-slot from Dilan Peters and Derek Contessa to begin the deluge of stuffed animals onto the ice from the stands on all sides.  The Thunderbolts jumped ahead in the second period as Keanan Stewart scored from Scott Kirton and Tyson Gilmour to give Evansville their first lead, pushed further to 3-1 at 11:37 as Stewart scored again on a 2-on-1 rush from Eelis Laaksonen and Connor Tait.  Macon rallied to tie in the third period, as Connor May scored at 11:48 and Hayden Ford scored with 46 seconds remaining to force overtime.  The game required a shootout as overtime went scoreless, and Macon defeated Evansville in the shootout two goals to none to win 4-3.

Stewart scored twice for Evansville, while Chapman scored one goal.   In goal, Stead finished with 36 saves on 39 shots.  The Thunderbolts and Mayhem meet again on Friday, February 6th at Macon Coliseum, with Macon leading the season series 2-0.

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

Thunderbolts Sign Goalie Adam Manji; Activate Peters and Tait

Prior to Friday's game against Macon, the Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes announced several transactions, led by the signing of goaltender Adam Manji to a standard contract, as well as the activations of Dilan Peters and Connor Tait from Injured Reserve.

Manji played NCAA Division 1 hockey at American International College in 2024-25, going 2-1 with a .921% save percentage in 7 games played before transferring to Lake Superior State University.  The native of New Westminster, British Columbia played three seasons of junior hockey in the BCHL with the Coquitlam Express between 2021-2024, compiling a record of 36-38-13 with a .904% save percentage in 90 games played in goal.

In other transaction news, defenseman Dilan Peters and forward Connor Tait have been activated from Injured Reserve.  Peters has played 7 games so far this season with Evansville, holding a +1 rating, while Tait has so far scored 1 goal in 6 games.  Lastly, goaltender Brendahn Brawley has been placed on waivers.

Kristian Stead wins Goaltender of the Month for October/November

HUNTERSVILLE, NC (December 3, 2025) - The SPHL announced today that Kristian Stead of the Evansville Thunderbolts has been named the inaugural Warrior Hockey SPHL Goaltender of the Month for October/November.

Stead was between the pipes for 13 of Evansville’s first 14 games, posting a 10-2-1 record, a 1.75 goals against average, and a 0.945 save percentage, in leading the Thunderbolts to a tie for the best winning percentage (0.750) and second place in the standings entering December.

The Merritt, BC native currently leads the SPHL in wins, minutes, and saves, while ranking second in goals against average and save percentage. Stead allowed two or fewer goals in 10 of his 13 outings and gave up just one goal in eight games, including five in a row from October 31-November 15.

Abbate Scores Twice in 4-3 Loss to Rivermen

Peoria, Ill.:  It was a strong night for special teams as well as for Myles Abbate, who scored twice on the night, however Evansville’s regulation unbeaten streak came to an end as the Thunderbolts came up just short in Peoria, 4-3 on Saturday night.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Friday, December 5th against the Macon Mayhem at 7:00pm CT.

Peoria took the game’s first lead at 1:26 of the first period as Griffen Fox scored on a 2-on-0 rush.  At 7:24, Evansville tied the game on a power play as Myles Abbate scored from Aidan Litke and Isaac Chapman.  The Rivermen retook the lead at 13:51 as Mike Gelatt scored on a net-front redirection.  The Thunderbolts bounced back late in the period, as Abbate scored Evansville’s first shorthanded goal of the season at 17:02, unassisted on a breakaway to send the game to the first intermission tied at two goals apiece.  The Rivermen took the lead once again 14:05 into the second period off a goal from Alec Baer and extended the lead to 4-2 early in the third period with a redirection goal by Michael McChesney at 3:11.  Down by a pair of goals, the Thunderbolts kept battling, and on a power play got back to within a goal as Keanan Stewart scored with 6:09 remaining from Tyson Gilmour and Jordan Simoneau.  Despite pulling Kristian Stead late for an extra attacker, the Thunderbolts came up just short by a 4-3 score, the first regulation loss since October 28th, also ending a six-game winning streak against the Rivermen dating back to last regular season.

Abbate scored twice for Evansville, while Stewart scored one goal.   In goal, Stead finished with 32 saves on 36 shots in only his 2nd regulation loss of the season.  The Thunderbolts and Rivermen meet again on Thursday, December 18th at Peoria Civic Center, with Evansville leading the season series 3-1.

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