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