Tyriq Outen, Thunderbolts Shutout Rivermen 2-0

Evansville, In.:  In a tremendous defensive effort, the Thunderbolts held the Rivermen to only 23 shots and few quality chances, while goaltender Tyriq Outen was flawless in a 2-0 victory over the Peoria Rivermen on Friday night at Ford Center.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Saturday, November 21st against the Peoria Rivermen, opening face-off at 7:00pm CT.

The first period went without any goals, despite Evansville outshooting the Rivermen 14-6.  In the second period, Evansville again doubled up on Peoria with a 16-8 shot advantage and finally found the back of the net late in the period as Scott Kirton scored on a power play at 17:04, assisted by Logan vande Meerakker and Trevor LeDonne.  8:14 into the third period, a Matt Koethe lead pass into the attacking zone led to a 2-on-1 chance, with Joey Berkopec feeding Derek Contessa for the insurance goal to make it a 2-0 game.  The Rivermen pulled goaltender Nick Latinovich for much of the final five minutes but could not get through the stellar Evansville defense or Outen, with the Thunderbolts picking up their first shutout victory, and third victory overall, of the season to open the home-and-home weekend with the Rivermen.

Kirton and Contessa scored Evansville’s goals, while Tyriq Outen stopped all 23 shots for his second win of the season and first professional shutout.  The Thunderbolts and Rivermen meet once again on Saturday, November 14th at Peoria Civic Center, with Evansville leading the season series 1-0.

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

About Evansville Thunderbolts: The Evansville Thunderbolts are 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 Forward Jude Campbell; Place Prifrel on 14-Day IR

On Friday, Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes announced a pair of transactions, led by the signing of forward Jude Campbell.

Campbell, a native of Mermaid, Prince Edward Island, joins the Thunderbolts after completing his junior hockey career in the MJAHL with the Valley Wildcats and West Kent Steamers in 2025-26, scoring 13 goals and 30 points in 47 games.  Campbell played two seasons of major junior hockey in the QMJHL between 2022-2024 with the Rimouski Oceanic and Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, accumulating 4 goals and 7 points in 52 regular season games.  Campbell was also a member of the Charlottetown Knights U18 AAA club which won Prince Edward Island championships in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

In additional transaction news, forward Shane Prifrel has been placed on 14-Day Injured Reserve.

Thunderbolts Defeat Pee Dee in Front of Record Education Day Crowd

Evansville, In.:  Back on Ford Center ice for the annual Tuesday morning Education Day game, the Thunderbolts emerged victoriously in overtime over the Pee Dee IceCats in front of a new-record crowd of 8,214 fans, 2-1 the final score.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Friday, November 13th against the Peoria Rivermen, opening face-off at 7:00pm CT.

Despite outshooting Pee Dee 27-23 through two periods, neither team managed to score a goal through the first 40 minutes of play.  The stalemate finally broke with a power play opportunity for Evansville, as Derek Contessa scored shortside-high at the 1:55 mark, assisted by Evan Miller and Matt Koethe.  The IceCats tied the game only 54 seconds later at 2:49, as Danil Federov scored off a rebound following a 2-on-1 rush to the Evansville zone.  In the final seconds of regulation, captain Jordan Simoneau nearly won it for Evansville at the buzzer, but was hauled down on the breakaway, leading to a power play for Evansville to start overtime.  Only 47 seconds into overtime, it was Trevor LeDonne who scored the winning goal, once again shortside-high, the goal unassisted to win the game for Evansville.  The win for Evansville came in the Thunderbolts’ first-ever contest against the Pee Dee IceCats of Florence, South Carolina.  The attendance of 8,214 broke the Thunderbolts franchise record for a single game, previously set at 7,758 on Education Day in 2024, and for the first time in franchise history, the upper bowl at Ford Center has now been used for multiple Thunderbolts games in a single season. 

Contessa and LeDonne scored Evansville’s goals, while Tyriq Outen finished with 30 saves on 31 shots for his first win as a Thunderbolt.  The Thunderbolts and IceCats meet once again on Thursday, November 26th at Florence Center, with Evansville leading the season series 1-0.

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

About Evansville Thunderbolts: The Evansville Thunderbolts are 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 Defenseman Jamie Dorsey; Scott Kirton returns from ECHL Wheeling

On Tuesday, Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes announced several transactions, led by the additions of forward Scott Kirton and defenseman Jamie Dorsey.

Kirton returns for his sixth season with the Thunderbolts after starting this season with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL, skating in two games.  The native of Scarborough, Ontario needs little introduction to Evansville fans as the Thunderbolts franchise all-time regular season leader in games played (216), goals (85), assists (102), points (187), power play goals (19), and game-winning goals (16).  In 2025-26, Kirton scored 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points in 57 regular season games before adding 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in the President's Cup Playoffs, including the second go-ahead goal in Game Five of the President's Cup Final in Peoria, becoming one of nine Thunderbolts who were part of both President's Cup-winning teams of 2025 and 2026.

Dorsey (no relation to former Thunderbolts forward Matt Dorsey) joins the Thunderbolts after starting the season with the Monroe Moccasins of the FPHL, where he scored 1 goal and 3 points along with 21 penalty minutes in 6 games played.  The Wilbraham, Massachusetts native is in his fifth full professional season, starting with the Macon Mayhem in 2022, and played for the Mayhem until a trade to the Fayetteville Marksmen in the 2023-24 season, followed by a season and a half with the Birmingham Bulls between 2024-2026 before joining the Moccasins.  Dorsey also played 18 ECHL games in 2022-23 with the Orlando Solar Bears and Greenville Swamp Rabbits.  In 128 regular season SPHL games, Dorsey has recorded 4 goals and 23 points along with 298 penalty minutes.  

In additional transaction news, defenseman Bradey Farrell and forward Devyn Orpana have been placed on waivers.

Thunderbolts Acquire Davis Kirkendall in exchange for Future Considerations

On Sunday, Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes announced the trade acquisition of forward Davis Kirkendall from the Peoria Rivermen in exchange for future considerations.

Kirkendall joins the Thunderbolts in his fifth full season in the SPHL, starting with the Vermilion County Bobcats in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons before being traded to the Quad City Storm in 2023.  Kirkendall then signed with the Knoxville Ice Bears for the 2023-24 season and started with Knoxville in 2024-25 before being sent to Quad City for a second stint with the Storm from 2025 through the 2025-26 season.  The native of Hamel, Minnesota signed with the Peoria Rivermen as a free agent in October and tallied one assist in four games with the Rivermen, and in 165 total SPHL regular season games has amassed 29 goals and 44 assists for 73 career points.