Rough opening for Rivermen, Thunderbolts

The two Midwest based teams in the now 10-team Southern Professional Hockey League both opened the regular season with a couple of defeats on home ice.

While the defending regular season champion Peoria Rivermen were thrashed by the Huntsville Havoc, 6-1 and 5-1 at the Peoria Civic Center Oct. 21-22, the expansion Evansville Thunderbolts fell to the Mississippi RiverKings 2-1 at the Landers Arena in Southaven, MS before dropping a 4-3 Shootout decision the following afternoon at the Ford Center in Evansville.

Friday Games

Havoc 6 at Havoc 1

Teams played through an even opening period, the Riverkings opening the scoring with Jeff Jones pulling the trigger 92 seconds into the contest. The Rivermen struck back with a goal by Dakota Klecha, a rookie who played three seasons at Ferris State University  before moving on to a season of pro with the Orlik Opole team in Poland last season.

From the start of the season period though, this game was all-Havoc, the visitors slamming four unanswered middle period markers home and and then adding one more in the third.

Lou Educate,  a 26-year-old native of Libertyville, IL named SPHL Player of the Week fired pair of the miiddle period markers with others for Sy Nutkevich and Mike Piluso. Zach Carriveau added the other goal in the final period.

Adam Courchaine handled 24 of 25 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Havoc. Storm Phaneuf (35:05 11 saves on 15 shots) and Shannon Szabados (24:55, 13 saves on 15 shtots) both took a turn in goal for the Rivermen.

Thunderbolts 1 at Riverkings

Thunderbolts hit the board first in Mississippi, Dave Williams notching the first goal in team history just past the halfway mark of the first period.

Brantley Sherwood and Todd Hosmer notched the RiverKings goals 39 seconds apart in the early minutes of the middle frame and then counted on the standout netminding of Alex Caffi who turned aside 33 shots including all of the 28 fired in the final two periods.

Tanner Milliron was also impressive in goal for the Bolts, handling all of the 20 first period shots he faced and 40 shots overall.

Saturday Games

Havoc 5 at Rivermen 1

The game Saturday was similar with Klecha firing the lone Rivermen goal again in the opening period after Jordan Wood opened the scoring for the Havoc.

This time Educate fired three more goals, coming in succession — two in the middle period and the hat trick finisher with 6:27 to play. The other Havoc goal came from Wood, 25 seconds later.

Courchaine picked up another win for the Havoc with a 31-save effort Szabados (24:15, six saves on nine shots) and Phaneuf (35:45, 11 saves on 13 shots) splitting the chores for the Rivermen once again.

Riverkings 4 at Thunderbolts 3 (SO)

If the Thunderbolts were looking for an opening night thriller at the Ford Center, it was delivered in a game that wasn’t settled until a shootout, Matt Harrington notching the lone goal in five rounds, for the Havoc.

Bolts hit the scoreboard first again, Daniel Vernace hitting the mesh at the 6:41 mark of the opening period. Devin Mantha and Donald Olivari both scored for the Riverkings before John Scorcia added one late in the period to knot the game at 2-2.

After a scoreless middle period, Phil Bronner put the home team in the lead once again with his marker, 8:36 into the third. Harrington notched the equalizer with 5:47 to play and teams played through a scoreless overtime period.

After stopping 38 of 41 shots through 65 minutes of regulation and overtime, Brad Barone stopped five more in the Shootout to backstop the RiverKings win while Tyler Parks turned aside 37 in the game and was beaten by only Harrington on the five Riverkings attempts.

This weekend

Both the Rivermen and Thunderbolts will be back in action Oct. 28-29, the Rivermen making the trip to Georgia for a pair against the Macon Mayhem at the Macon Centreplex and the Bolts will host the other expansion team, the Roankoke Rail Yard Dawgs at the Ford Center.