Pelham, Ala.: With a goal in each period and excellent interior defense, the Thunderbolts put together a well-rounded, detail-oriented effort in their 3-1 victory over the Birmingham Bulls in Pelham on Friday night. The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Wednesday, February 4th against the Peoria Rivermen at 7:00pm CT.
Evansville grabbed the opening lead 17:45 into the first period, as Keanan Stewart scored with a mid-range shot off a low-to-high setup that went in off the crossbar, assisted by Evan Miller and Max Thiessen. 3:20 into the second period, Isaac Chapman scored to double Evansville’s lead to 2-0 with a shot from the top of the near circle that beat Hayden Stewart clean through traffic, the goal unassisted. The Thunderbolts further extended the lead to 3-0 midway through the 3rd period as Miller scored on a breakaway from Cameron MacPhee at 9:00. Birmingham did manage to break Evansville’s shutout bid with 3:29 remaining, as Kyren Gronick scored a power play goal for the Bulls to make it a 3-1 game, the only blemish in Evansville’s victory.
Miller led the way with a goal and assist, and Chapman along with Stewart added one goal each. In goal, Kristian Stead stopped 25 of 26 shots on goal for his 15th win of the season. The Thunderbolts and Bulls meet again on Saturday, January 31st at Pelham Civic Complex, with the regular season series tied 3-3.
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