Storm Battle Back to Take Weekend Series Over Thunderbolts on Dog Olympic Night

Sunday afternoon at Vibrant Arena was anything but ordinary as the Quad City Storm welcomed the Evansville Thunderbolts for the third matchup of the weekend. With dogs filling the concourse for Dog Olympic Night and playoff positioning on the line, the game delivered a physical, fast-paced finish that capped off a successful weekend for Quad City.

Evansville struck first in terms of momentum, earning an early power-play opportunity just 2:55 into the opening period after a high-sticking call against the Storm. That would prove to be the only penalty assessed to Quad City all game, but the Thunderbolts wasted no time asserting control regardless. Evansville dominated puck possession early, keeping the Storm pinned in their own zone and capitalizing on miscommunication and costly turnovers.

Storm goaltender Jake Steeves was under siege from the start, facing a barrage of shots as Evansville jumped out to a 6–1 shot advantage in the first ten minutes. The frustration was visible, as Steeves could be heard urging his teammates to communicate better after several near-collisions and passes to players who weren’t looking.

The physical tone of the weekend continued Sunday, with both teams battling hard along the boards and taking opportunities to finish checks whenever officials weren’t watching closely. Given that three players were sidelined due to league suspensions—two for Evansville and one for Quad City—this came as no surprise.

Despite the festive atmosphere of Dog Olympic Night, which featured fan-favorite events like the cutest dog contest, races, and eating competitions, the Storm struggled to generate offense in the first period. Quad City had difficulty entering the Evansville zone cleanly and went into the first intermission still searching for momentum.

That momentum finally arrived in the second period. After an almost immediate offsides stoppage to open the frame, play rarely slowed down. The Storm came out with noticeably more intensity, evening up the shot totals early and spending extended time in the Thunderbolts’ zone. However, turnovers continued to plague Quad City and kept Evansville within striking distance.

The fast pace eventually favored the visitors. At 11:32 of the second period, Evansville opened the scoring when Derek Contessa fired a shot that ricocheted down and skipped over Steeves’ left shoulder. The goal shifted momentum once again, with the Thunderbolts pressing hard over the final minutes of the period.

But Quad City found a timely response. With just 1:30 remaining in the second, the Storm capitalized on a fortunate bounce as a loose puck deflected off the back of Evansville goaltender Stead and slid across the goal line. The goal was credited to Donte DiPonio—his second of the season—with assists from Johnny Wizke and Jake MacDonald, sending the teams into the locker room tied 1–1.

The Storm wasted no time building on that energy in the third period. Less than three minutes in, Jake MacDonald buried his second goal of the season off a feed from Nick McHugh, giving Quad City its first lead of the afternoon at 2–1.

Evansville finally found themselves shorthanded at 3:52 of the third when Matt Clark was called for holding—the Thunderbolts’ only penalty of the night. While the Storm didn’t convert on the power play, they continued to control the pace of play. As the period wore on, Evansville pushed shots toward the net, but many missed wide as Quad City focused on clean passing and high-quality scoring chances.

In the final five minutes, the Thunderbolts ramped up the pressure, pulling their goalie with just over three minutes remaining. Evansville attempted to get into Steeves’ head with chirping during stoppages, but the Storm netminder stayed locked in. With under a minute to play, Tarkianen sealed the win with an empty-net goal, assisted by Nathan Berke and Jake MacDonald, securing the victory and the weekend series for Quad City.

With the win, the Storm move to just one point behind fifth place in the standings and improve to 6-3-1 over their last ten games. Steeves was stellar between the pipes, stopping 33 of 34 shots to earn the game’s first star, while MacDonald collected the second star with a goal and two assists.

Quad City now turns its attention to a tough upcoming series against the Pensacola Ice Flyers, currently third in the league and led by points leader Mike Moran, as the Storm continue their push up the standings.