Rookie Isaac Chapman and veteran Scott Kirton showed promise as a duo, setting up each other for a goal apiece, however the Thunderbolts in the end fell short by a 6-3 score on Saturday night in Peoria. The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Friday, February 14th against the Quad City Storm at 7:05pm CT.
After falling behind 1-0, Chapman and Kirton connected to tie the game 1-1 at 9:40 of the first period, as Chapman set up Kirton for a close-range breakaway goal. However, Peoria responded to take a 3-1 lead on goals from Michael McChesney at 13:17 and Alec Baer on a penalty shot at 18:39. The Rivermen extended the lead to 5-1 as Griffen Fox scored 8:18 into the second period, followed by Garrett Devine at 17:11, before Chapman cut the lead to 5-2 on a back-door pass from Scott Kirton at 19:16, also assisted by Joey Berkopec. The Thunderbolts made things more interesting in the third period, as Aidan Litke scored his first goal as a Thunderbolt, a power play goal from Logan vande Meerakker and Nolan McElhaney at 7:41, however a major penalty would cut short a power play chance shortly afterward, and Jordan Ernst scored on 4-on-4 strength at 9:01 to put the game away at 6-3.
Chapman and Kirton finished with one goal and one assist each, while Litke scored Evansville’s third goal. In net, Cole Ceci finished with 35 saves on 41 shots. The Thunderbolts and Rivermen meet again on Sunday, February 16th at Ford Center.