Storm Storm Back to Beat Thunderbolts in Shootout Thriller

The Quad City Storm gave their fans an unforgettable post-Christmas show on December 26, erasing an early three-goal deficit and defeating the Evansville Thunderbolts 5–4 in a shootout at Vibrant Arena.

The night started with fireworks before the puck even settled in. Divyne Apollon immediately set the tone, dropping the gloves with Will van der Veen and working the crowd while clearly getting the better of the fight.

The building was buzzing—but unfortunately, the early emotion seemed to spark the wrong bench.

Thunderbolts Strike First

Evansville wasted no time taking control of the game. The Thunderbolts capitalized on Storm penalties early, scoring three times in the opening period.

Evan Miller opened the scoring on the power play at 5:33 of the first period. Just under three minutes later, Derek Contessa followed with another power-play goal at 8:19. Evansville capped off the first-period barrage when Eelis Laaksonen scored at 16:53, sending the Storm to the locker room trailing 3–0.

Storm Clean It Up and Fight Back

Quad City made clear adjustments in the second period, most notably staying out of the penalty box after taking four penalties in the opening frame.

The comeback began at 7:27 of the second period when Savva Smirnov put the Storm on the board, finishing a play set up by Jesper Tarkiainen and Noe Perez to make it 3–1.

Evansville briefly halted the momentum as Myles Abbate scored at 12:03 to restore a three-goal cushion at 4–1. But that’s when the Storm truly woke up.

At 15:16, Dmitri Toporowski buried a power-play goal after Laaksonen took his second penalty of the period. Tommy Tsicos and Smirnov earned the assists. Just over a minute later, Jake MacDonald pulled the Storm within one, finishing a play from Leif Mattson and Noah Massie. Suddenly, what once looked like a runaway was a 4–3 game heading into the third.

Toporowski Delivers Again

The Storm carried their momentum into the final frame, and it paid off late. At 13:57 of the third period, Toporowski struck again, scoring his second goal of the night to tie the game at four.

The intensity ramped up even further at 17:34 when Toporowski delivered a massive hit that sparked a scrum between both teams. Two players from each side were sent to the box for roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct, but play remained at full strength.

Neither team could find a winner in regulation or overtime, setting the stage for a dramatic shootout.

Shootout Heroics Seal the Comeback

Evansville shot first, but Storm goaltender Luke Lush was locked in, making a key stop to start the shootout. Stojcevski attempted a smooth forehand-to-backhand move for Quad City but was denied.

Lush stayed perfect in round two, stopping another Thunderbolts attempt. That opened the door for Leif Mattson, who slowed his approach and slipped the puck past the Evansville goalie after the netminder momentarily lost sight of it.

Evansville answered in round three when Laaksonen made a last-second forehand move to beat Lush. The Storm responded immediately, as Savva Smirnov powered a backhand shot past the goaltender despite limited recent game action.

Lush shut the door once again in round four, and Devin Sanders completed the comeback in style, ripping a top-right shot past the Thunderbolts goalie to give Quad City the 5–4 shootout victory.

A Win Worth the Wait

After falling behind 3–0, the Storm showed resilience, discipline, and belief to claw their way back into the game. It may have taken a period to shake off the holiday rust, but Quad City rewarded the home crowd with a thrilling comeback and a statement win to close out the night.

This was a performance that showed what the Storm are capable of when momentum shifts their way—and a reminder that no deficit is too big when this team finds its rhythm.