Evansville Thunderbolts

Ice hockey team in Evansville, Indiana

Evansville Thunderbolts

City| Evansville, Indiana
League| SPHL
Founded| 2016 (2016)
Home arena| Ford Center
Colors| Red,blue, gray, white

Owner(s)| VW Sports, LLC.
Head coach| Jeff Bes
Website| evansvillethunderbolts.com
Franchise history
2016–present| Evansville Thunderbolts
Championships
Playoff championships| 1 (2024-25)

The Evansville Thunderbolts are a minor league ice hockey team in the SPHL. The team plays at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. The team replaced the Evansville IceMen of the ECHL.

## History

[edit]

During the 2015–16 season, the City of Evansville and the owner of the ECHL's Evansville IceMen, Ron Geary, were unable to agree to a new lease for the IceMen to continue to operate out of the Ford Center.[1] On January 19, 2016, Geary announced that he had agreed to terms with the nearby city of Owensboro, Kentucky to relocate the team to the Owensboro Sports Center.[2]

On February 8, 2016, Evansville mayor, Lloyd Winnecke, announced that local businessman and IceMen season ticket holder, Mike Hall, had secured an expansion team in the Southern Professional Hockey League to play at the Ford Center beginning in the 2016–17 season, thus displacing the IceMen franchise from Evansville.[3] On March 1, the City of Evansville and the new team signed a five-year lease agreement to play at the Ford Center.[4] Hall would act as general manager while the majority owner was VW Sports, LLC., a subsidiary of VenuWorks, Inc., the arena management company.[5]

On March 22, 2016, former IceMen head coach Jeff Pyle was announced as the head coach for its inaugural season.[6] The new team name was announced on April 15, 2016,[7] taken from the P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft which was manufactured in Evansville during the Second World War.[8] Near the end of the first season, Mike Hall sold his portion of the team to VW Sports, LLC.[5] and Pete Xander was named the new general manager for the 2017–18 season.[9]

After two seasons, head coach Pyle left for the head coaching position with the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL.[10] Pyle was replaced by former NHL player Ian Moran as head coach and Adam Stio was named general manager for the 2018–19 season.[11] The team finished in last place and general manager Stio was fired at the end of the season[12] and Moran resigned.[13] Longtime SPHL head coach Jeff Bes was hired as the head coach for the 2019–20 season,[14] while Patrick Kelly was hired as the new general manager.[15] The 2019–20 SPHL season was curtailed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic while the Thunderbolts were in a position to qualify for the playoffs.

Due to the ongoing effects and restrictions during the pandemic, the Thunderbolts were one of five SPHL teams to not participate in the 2020–21 season.[16] Before returning for the 2021–22 season, the Thunderbolts hired Bob McNamara as the general manager.[17]

At the conclusion of the 2024-25 regular season the Thunderbolts finished with a 24-24-2-6 record clinching the 7th seed in the President’s Cup. On April 24, 2025, the Thunderbolts won The President’s Cup, their 1st in franchise history following a 2-1 overtime win over the Knoxville Ice Bears.

## Season-by-season records

[edit]

Overview of Evansville Thunderbolts seasons  Season | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | Finish  | Playoffs

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2016–17 | 56 | 14 | 32 | 10 | 38 | 138 | 206 | 10th of 10, SPHL | did not qualify
2017–18 | 56 | 27 | 20 | 9 | 63 | 186 | 191 | 6th of 10, SPHL | Lost Quarterfinals, 2-1 (Macon)
2018–19 | 56 | 12 | 38 | 6 | 30 | 124 | 224 | 10th of 10, SPHL | did not qualify
2019–20 | 46 | 25 | 14 | 7 | 57 | 153 | 151 | 5th of 10, SPHL | Season cancelled
2020–21 | did not participate
2021–22 | 56 | 28 | 26 | 2 | 58 | 162 | 155 | 7th of 11, SPHL | Lost Quarterfinals, 2-0 (Huntsville)
2022–23 | 56 | 32 | 22 | 2 | 66 | 172 | 165 | 5th of 11, SPHL | Lost Quarterfinals, 2-0 (Roanoke)
2023-24 | 56 | 23 | 29 | 4 | 50 | 149 | 177 | 8th of 10, SPHL | Won Semifinals, 2-1 (Birmingham) Lost Semifinals, 2-0 (Peoria)
2024-25 | 56 | 24 | 24 | 8 | 56 | 149 | 172 | 7th of 10, SPHL | Won Quarterfinals, 2-1

(Huntsville) Won Semifinals, 2-0 (Peoria) Won Finals, 2-0 (Knoxville)

## See also

[edit]

* Indiana portal

* Sports in Evansville

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "A Letter To IceMen Fans, From Team Owner Ron Geary". Evansville IceMen. November 16, 2015.
2. ^ "BREAKING: Evansville IceMen Announce Move". The Sin Bin. January 19, 2016. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
3. ^ "Evansville will be home to Southern Professional Hockey League franchise". Evansville Courier & Press. February 8, 2016.
4. ^ "City signs lease contract with new hockey team". Evansville Courier & Press. March 1, 2016.
5. ^ a b "VW Sports, L.L.C. acquires additional ownership interest in Evansville Thunderbolts". SPHL. March 27, 2017.
6. ^ "Jeff Pyle returning to coach Evansville's SPHL hockey team". Evansville Courier & Press. March 22, 2016.
7. ^ "Evansville Announces New SPHL Team Name". Tristate Homepage. April 15, 2016.
8. ^ "New Hockey Team Unveiled as Evansville Thunderbolts". Tristate Homepage. April 15, 2016.
9. ^ "THUNDERBOLTS NAME PETE XANDER GENERAL MANAGER". Thunderbolts. August 24, 2017.
10. ^ "Atlanta Gladiators bring back winningest coach in franchise history". Gwinnett Daily Post. July 6, 2018.
11. ^ "Thunderbolts name Ian Moran as head coach, Adam Stio as general manager". TheSPHL.com. August 10, 2018. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
12. ^ "Evansville ThunderBolts and Team General Manager Parting Ways". OurSports Central. April 15, 2019.
13. ^ "Evansville ThunderBolts to Begin Nationwide Search for New Head Coach". OurSports Central. May 1, 2019.
14. ^ "Jeff Bes to Lead Evansville Thunderbolts as New Head Coach". OurSports Central. May 30, 2019.
15. ^ "Evansville Thunderbolts Welcome New General Manager and Senior Account Executive". OurSports Central. June 3, 2019.
16. ^ "SPHL announces changes for 2020-2021 season". SPHL. October 6, 2020.
17. ^ "Thunderbolts name Bob McNamara as new GM". SPHL. June 10, 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* SPHL website

* v
* t
* e

SPHL

Teams|

* Birmingham Bulls
* Evansville Thunderbolts
* Fayetteville Marksmen
* Huntsville Havoc
* Knoxville Ice Bears
* Macon Mayhem
* Pensacola Ice Flyers
* Peoria Rivermen
* Quad City Storm
* Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs

Arenas|

* Berglund Center (Rail Yard Dawgs)
* Carver Arena (Rivermen)
* Crown Coliseum (Marksmen)
* Ford Center (Thunderbolts)
* Macon Coliseum (Mayhem)
* James White Civic Coliseum (Ice Bears)
* Pelham Civic Center (Bulls)
* Pensacola Bay Center (Ice Flyers)
* Vibrant Arena at The MARK (Storm)
* Von Braun Center (Havoc)

Seasons|

* 2004–05
* 2005–06
* 2006–07
* 2007–08
* 2008–09
* 2009–10
* 2010–11
* 2011–12
* 2012–13
* 2013–14
* 2014–15
* 2015–16
* 2016–17
* 2017–18
* 2018–19
* 2019–20
* 2020–21
* 2021–22
* 2022–23
* 2023–24
* 2024–25

* President's Cup
* William B. Coffey Trophy
* Other professional hockey leagues

* v
* t
* e

Sports teams based in Indiana

Baseball|

Indianapolis Indians

Fort Wayne TinCaps
South Bend Cubs

Gary SouthShore RailCats

Evansville Otters
NwL
Kokomo Jackrabbits

Dubois County Bombers
Lafayette Aviators
Terre Haute Rex

Basketball|

NBA
Indiana Pacers
WNBA
Indiana Fever
G League
Noblesville Boom
ABA
Indiana Lyons

Football|

NFL
Indianapolis Colts
IFL
Fishers Freight

Hockey|

ECHL
Fort Wayne Komets
Indy Fuel
SPHL
Evansville Thunderbolts
FPHL
Indiana Sentinels

Motorsport|

IndyCar
Andretti Global
Arrow McLaren
Chip Ganassi Racing
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Ed Carpenter Racing
Juncos Hollinger Racing
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
IMSA
Bryan Herta Autosport
Wayne Taylor Racing
Indy NXT
Abel Motorsports
HMD Motorsports

Roller derby|

WFTDA
Demolition City Roller Derby
Fort Wayne Roller Derby
Naptown Roller Derby

Soccer|

USLC
Indy Eleven
USL2
Fort Wayne FC
South Bend Lions FC
NPSL
F.C. Indiana
WPSL
F.C. Indiana

Ultimate|

UFA
Indianapolis AlleyCats
Premier Ultimate League
Indianapolis Red

Volleyball|

Pro Volleyball Federation
Indy Ignite

College athletics|

| NCAA
Division I|

Ball State Cardinals
Butler Bulldogs
Evansville Purple Aces
Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana State Sycamores
IU Indy Jaguars
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons
Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles
Valparaiso Beacons

|

NCAA
Division II|

Indianapolis Greyhounds
Purdue Northwest Pride

NCAA
Division III|

Anderson Ravens and Lady Ravens
DePauw Tigers
Rose-Hulman Fightin' Engineers
Wabash Little Giants

NAIA|

Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats
Marian Knights
Oakland City Mighty Oaks
Saint Francis Cougars
Taylor Trojans

* v
* t
* e

City of Evansville

Annual festivals

* Evansville Freedom Festival
* Frog Follies
* Germania Männerchor Volksfest
* Jazz & Wine Festival
* ShrinersFest
* West Side Nut Club Fall Festival
* Vanderburgh County 4H Fair

Arenas and venues

* Alhambra Theatorium
* Bosse Field
* EVSC Fields
* Ford Center
* Goebel Soccer Complex
* Mesker Amphitheatre
* Metro Sports Center
* Old National Events Plaza
* Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum
* Swonder Ice Arena
* Victory Theatre

Corporate headquarters and major employers

* Accuride
* Atlas Van Lines
* Berry Global
* CenterPoint Energy
* Cleveland-Cliffs
* Mead Johnson
* Old National Bank
* OneMain Financial
* Shoe Carnival
* TJ Maxx
* Toyota

Education

* Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Evansville
* Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library
* Indiana University School of Medicine
* Ivy Tech Community College
* University of Evansville
* University of Southern Indiana
* ITT Technical Institute
* Harrison College
* Oakland City University
* Willard Library

Neighborhoods / districts

* Bayard Park
* Culver
* Downtown
* Haynies Corner
* Jacobsville
* Lamasco
* Lincolnshire Historic District
* Riverside Historic District
* Washington Avenue Historic District

Attractions

* Angel Mounds
* Bally's Casino
* Burdette Park
* Children's Museum of Evansville
* Evansville Museum
* Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra
* Ford Center
* LST 325 Museum
* Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden
* Reitz Home Museum
* Old National Events Plaza
* Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse
* Wesselman Woods

Malls & other commerce

* Downtown
* Eastland Mall
* Washington Square Mall

Sports

* Evansville Purple Aces
* USI Screaming Eagles
* Evansville Otters
* Evansville Thunderbolts
* Evansville Legends FC
* Demolition City Roller Derby
* Southern Indiana Athletic Conference
* Refrigerator Bowl
* Hoosier Nationals
* Thunder on the Ohio

Transportation

* CSX Transportation
* Evansville Regional Airport
* Metropolitan Evansville Transit System
* I-64
* I-69
* US 41
* Lloyd Expressway
* SR 57
* SR 62
* SR 65
* SR 66
* SR 662

Healthcare & emergency

* Ascension St. Vincent Evansville
* Deaconess Midtown Hospital
* Deaconess Gateway and Women's Hospital
* Southwestern Indiana Mental Health System
* IU Evansville Medical Center

Regional

* Center Township
* German Township
* Knight Township
* Perry Township
* Pigeon Township
* Vanderburgh County
* Evansville Metropolitan Area
* Southwestern Indiana
* Illinois-Indiana-Kentucky tri-state area
* Area codes 812 and 930

*[GP]: Games Played
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[OTL]: Overtime Losses
*[Pts]: Points
*[GF]: Goals For
*[GA]: Goals Against
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template