Kirton’s Late Goal Leads Thunderbolts over Mayhem

Evansville, In.:  In a low-scoring Sunday afternoon matinee at Ford Center, it was Scott Kirton who provided the clutch third period goal to lead the Thunderbolts over the Mayhem by a 2-1 score.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Friday, March 13th against the Knoxville Ice Bears at 7:00pm CT.

The first period was very low on offense, with Evansville leading the shot count 3-2, yet making the third shot count nonetheless as Evan Miller scored off the post and in at the 17:07mark, assisted by Myles Abbate and Aiden MacIntosh to give Evansville the opening lead through 20 minutes.  In the second period, Evansville was unable to extend their lead, and the Mayhem managed to tie the game 1-1 on a 5-on-3 power play, Parker Allison scoring the goal at 16:16.  In the third period, a point shot by Matt Clark was deflected beautifully by Scott Kirton in the mid-slot and into the net with 7:20 remaining to give Evansville a 2-1 lead.  The Mayhem pulled goaltender Bailey Brkin in the final minutes but were unable to tie the game as Evansville came up victorious for the 25th time this season, surpassing their 24-win total in the regular season last year, and moving back into a tie for 2nd place in the SPHL standings with 9 games remaining in this regular season.  With the victory, Evansville now only needs a maximum of 8 points out of the remaining 18 possible to clinch a berth in this year’s President’s Cup Playoffs.

Miller and Kirton scored one goal each for Evansville, while Cody Karpinski finished with 22 saves on 23 shots for his 4th win of the season.  The Thunderbolts and Mayhem do not meet again this regular season, with Macon winning the regular season series 3-2, but with both teams claiming an even 6 points against each other as only one Macon win was in regulation. 

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 Fall Short in Knoxville, 4-1

Knoxville, Tn.:  Despite taking the game’s first lead, the Thunderbolts fell victim to tough circumstances and tough luck as the Ice Bears picked up the 4-1 victory on Saturday night in Knoxville.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Sunday, March 8th against the Macon Mayhem at 3:00pm CT.

                Evansville played much better at both ends of the ice in the first period compared to Friday, outshooting the Ice Bears 13-11, and scoring the opening goal as Seth Bernard scored at 5:29, assisted by Derek Contessa and Joey Berkopec.  The goal was Bernard’s first as a pro, as well as a power play goal that ended a five-game stretch without a power play goal for the Thunderbolts.  The Ice Bears rallied to tie late in the period, as Tyler Stewart scored at 16:03.  In the second period, the Thunderbolts were frequently assessed penalties, and the Ice Bears scored on a 5-on-3 to take a 2-1 lead, Kyle Soper scoring the goal at 4:00.  Dawson McKinney extended the lead to 3-1 at 6:25 and David Gaeta added another goal with 5 seconds remaining to make it 4-1 Knoxville at the second intermission.  The Thunderbolts outshot the Ice Bears 9-6 in the third period but were unable to rally as they fell by the 4-1 final score.

                Bernard scored Evansville’s goal while Kristian Stead finished with 30 saves on 34 shots.  The Thunderbolts and Ice Bears meet again on Friday, March 13th at Ford Center, with the regular season series tied 2-2.

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 Shutout 3-0 At Knoxville

Knoxville, Tn.:  Despite the best efforts of Kristian Stead in goal in keeping the Thunderbolts in the game, Evansville was unable to find the back of the net in a 3-0 shutout defeat in Knoxville on Friday night.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Sunday, March 8th against the Macon Mayhem at 3:00pm CT.

                Evansville started strong in the first couple minutes, but the Ice Bears quickly took control, outshooting Evansville 20-10 in the opening frame.  The only shot of the 20 to beat Stead in the opening frame was scored on a net-front redirection by Jason Brancheau at the 14:07 mark on a 4-on-4 sequence to give the Ice Bears the lead.  In the second period, Evansville outshot Knoxville 14-11, however the Ice Bears struck twice to give themselves a 3-0 lead off goals from Jared Westcott at 12:18 and Brancheau at 16:15.  The third period was relatively low-event, with only 9 combined shots on goal as the Ice Bears played a shutdown game to preserve the 3-0 lead, leaving the Thunderbolts in search of revenge heading into Saturday night’s rematch.

                In goal, Stead finished with 33 saves on 36 shots.  The Thunderbolts and Ice Bears meet again on Saturday, March 7th at Knoxville Civic Coliseum, with Evansville still leading the regular season series 2-1.

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

Thunderbolts Sign Forward Killian Rowlee to PTO

On Friday, Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes announced the signing of forward Killian Rowlee to a professional tryout (PTO).

Rowlee joins the Thunderbolts following the conclusion of his collegiate career at Curry College, where he was teammates with Thunderbolts rookie forward Eelis Laaksonen for three seasons between 2022-2025 and together were members of Curry's 2024-25 CNE Conference Championship team.  Over 4 seasons of D3 collegiate hockey between 2022-2026, Rowlee scored 35 goals and 52 points in 83 regular season games, including a team-leading 14 goals along with 19 points in 23 games this season, his 19 points tied for second-most on the team.  The native of Fulton, New York played a full season of Junior A hockey with the OJHL's Lindsay Muskies in 2021-22 prior to enrolling at Curry College, scoring 14 goals and 25 points in 53 games.

Thunderbolts Sign Forward Sean Bunting to SPC

On Thursday, Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes announced the signing of forward Sean Bunting to a standard contract.

Bunting joins the Thunderbolts following the conclusion of his collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.  Over 4 seasons of D3 collegiate hockey, Bunting scored 19 goals and 46 points in 79 regular season games, including 6 goals and 15 points in 25 games this season.  The native of Phoenix, Arizona played a full season of top-tier junior hockey in the USHL with the Sioux City Musketeers in 2018-19, tallying an assist in 43 games before playing in the BCHL with Langley in 2019-20, scoring 4 goals and 15 points in 50 regular season games.  In one final season of junior hockey, Bunting suited up for the NAHL's Shreveport Mudbugs in 2020-21, scoring 10 goals and 24 points in 54 games before enrolling in college.