Evansville Thunderbolts

What did I learn this week? That an Evansville Thunderbolts game is the place to be on a Friday night. Held in the Ford Center, these hockey games have one of the best atmospheres… even if there isn’t a huge crowd.

This Friday, February 28th, the Thunderbolts had the first of two games against the Quad City Storm that are scheduled for this weekend. The puck dropped at 7:15PM (CST) and the excitement did not cease until the buzzer went off at the end of the third period.

In the first period, the matchup was very even. Both the Thunderbolts and the Storm were showing signs of strong offense and defense. The better team was going to have to earn the win. Halfway through the first, the score was still 0-0. Thunderbolts goalie, Brian Billett, had some remarkable saves to prevent any momentum from the Storm. Yet, in the last minutes of the first period, Thunderbolts center, Noah Corson, scored a goal with 1:43 left which put Evansville up 1-0.

After intermission #1 and a wonderful performance from the River City Ice Theatre, the second period was underway. 40 seconds into the period, Quad Storm scores. Vincent Beaudry was able to take advantage of the Storm’s power play and tied the game 1-1. This goal was only the beginning of what was going to be an exciting second and third period.

With 14:05 left in the second, Quad City took the lead 2-1 thanks to a goal by Ludlow Harris Jr. Yet, that was quickly answered by a goal from Thunderbolts player, Demico Hannoun which tied the game again at 2-2. Even though the second period ended with a tie score, the Quad City Storm were showing some major offensive power that was making it very hard for the Thunderbolts to gain any momentum.

After the zambonis took a lap around the rink, it was time for the final period of the game. Almost immediately, the Thunderbolts score with less than one minute off the clock and before their fans could even finish celebrating that goal, they score AGAIN only 10 seconds later. The first goal by Tanner Butler and the second goal by Mike Ferraro put Evansville up 4-2 and gave them the confidence and energy to finish the game strong. Despite a goal with roughly 16 minutes left in the period by Storm player, Dakota Klecha, the Thunderbolts still had the momentum. They answered with a goal by Braden Hellems to have a comfortable lead and an eventual final score of 5-3.

The Evansville Thunderbolts clearly designated the Ford Center as “Their House” and I am sure are ready to get to play the Storm again tomorrow in front of a Saturday night crowd. With an atmosphere filled with passionate fans, the infamous hockey fights and a jumbotron filled with memes… I would recommend that people get out and support Evansville’s local SPHL professional hockey team as they race for the playoffs.