Quad City Storm Sweep the Weekend, Extend Win Streak to Four

The Quad City Storm put together their best weekend of the season, going a perfect 3–0 on home ice to extend their win streak to four games. With strong goaltending, red-hot sticks, and plenty of offensive pressure, the Storm are starting to look like a team that’s found its groove as the season turns the corner.

Friday Night: Storm Shut Out the Bulls, 3–0

The Storm opened their homestand Friday night hosting the Birmingham Bulls, and it didn’t take long to get on the board. Friend of the show Leif Mattson got the scoring started 5:36 into the first period, finishing a play set up by Brodie Girod and Noah Massie. The goal was Mattson’s 7th of the season and set the tone early.

The second period belonged to the Storm as well, with Brodie Girod scoring the only goal of the frame 4:43 in, assisted by Mattson. Girod’s goal was his 6th of the season and gave QC a comfortable 2–0 lead.

Birmingham had a chance to get back into the game late in the second when Tommy Tsicos took the Storm’s only penalty at 18:35, but the Bulls couldn’t capitalize on the power play.

Midway through the third, the Bulls’ intensity picked up, but it backfired when Connor Scahill was called for boarding, giving the Storm a power play. Girod made them pay, scoring his second goal of the night and 7th of the season, with assists from Jesper Tarkainen and Nick Parody, sealing a 3–0 shutout.

Between the pipes, Zane Steeves was flawless, stopping all 26 shots he faced to earn First Star of the Night honors. The Storm offense was relentless, firing 46 shots and keeping Birmingham on their heels all game.

Saturday Night: Mattson Ends It in Overtime

Saturday night brought a rematch with Birmingham, and once again it was Leif Mattson opening the scoring. Mattson found the net 11:34 into the first period, assisted by Devin Sanders and Brandon Walker.

The Bulls responded in the second period when Matt Wood scored 4:44 in, marking Birmingham’s first goal of the weekend and tying the game at one. The Storm answered exactly one period after Mattson’s opener, as Noah Massie scored at 11:34 of the second, assisted by Sanders and Mitchell Haight, restoring the Storm lead.

However, Birmingham wasn’t done. With just one second left in the second period, Tim Kent tied the game at two, sending the contest into a scoreless third period and setting up overtime hockey in Quad Cities.

Overtime didn’t last long. Veteran leadership took over as Leif Mattson buried his second goal of the night just 3:04 into overtime, with an assist from Nick Parody, giving the Storm a 3–2 win and the weekend series sweep. Mattson earned First Star of the Night honors for his two-goal performance.

Steeves was once again strong in net, stopping 31 of 33 shots, while the Storm continued to generate offense, outshooting Birmingham 44–33.

Sunday Night: Storm Ground the Thunderbolts

Sunday night brought tougher competition to town, as the #3 team in the league, Evansville Thunderbolts, came to face the Storm. The game started slow, but the final four minutes of the first period were all Quad City—and once the Storm took flight, they didn’t look back.

The scoring surge began at 16:10 of the first, when Savva Smirnov opened the scoring, assisted by Nick McHugh and Brandon Stojcevski. Just 38 seconds later, Devin Sanders added another, making it 2–0 with assists from Haight and Mattson.

Smirnov wasn’t done, scoring his second of the night just over a minute later to push the lead to 3–0, assisted by Stojcevski and Noe Perez. Then, with under 30 seconds left in the period, Sanders struck again, making it 4–0 with helpers from Mattson and Donte DiPonio.

Evansville finally responded in the second period after Brandon Walker was called for closing his hand on the puck. The Thunderbolts scored just 10 seconds into the power play, with Tyson Gilmour making it 4–1. A little over a minute later, Myles Abbate cut the lead to two at 4–2.

That would be as close as Evansville would get.

The Storm locked things down defensively for the remainder of the game, completing a weekend sweep and effectively pitching a team shutout at home across the three-game stretch.

Luke Lush got the start in net Sunday and was outstanding, stopping 31 of 33 shots. Despite being outshot 33–21, the Storm made their chances count when it mattered most.

Momentum Building in Quad Cities

After a rough start to the season, the Storm’s sticks have clearly woken up. Strong goaltending, balanced

scoring, and sustained offensive pressure have turned things around, and a four-game win streak has injected real momentum into the locker room.

If this weekend was any indication, the Storm are finding their identity—and the rest of the league should be paying attention.