EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Daniel Tedesco netted the RiverKings first hat-trick of the season, but it wasn’t enough as the Thunderbolts took down Mississippi, 5-3.
It was an uphill climb early for the RiverKings as Evansville got on the board first, early in the game. Playing in his first professional game, Hunter Stewart notched his first professional goal on the powerplay to give the Thunderbolts the 1-0 lead only 3:16 into the first period. The black and gold buckled down for the remainder of the period, not 
allowing a second goal and headed to the locker room only down by one.
Later in the second, Stewart struck again when he found a loose puck in the slot and rifled it over the shoulder of Tyler Green, taking Evansville to a 2-0 lead. Evansville would get their second goal of the night on the powerplay and take the 3-0 lead when Dave Williams buried a loose puck which spelled the end of Green’s night. Mississippi responded to the goaltender change getting their first goal of the game off the stick of Dan Tedesco, with 8:53 left to go in the middle frame.
With the score 3-1 after forty minutes, Tedesco made things interesting in the third period with his second goal of the night to pull the RiverKings within one. Near the halfway point of the third period, Devin Mantha was called for a delay of game when his outlet pass cleared over the glass from within the defensive zone. It didn’t take long for Evansville’s top-ranked power play to best the RiverKings penalty kill, with Stewart getting the hat-trick at the 12:59 mark of the third. Once again showing resiliency, the RiverKings battled back and not to be outdone, Tedesco matched Stewart with a hat-trick of his own, pulling the RiverKings within one for the second time, 4-3. Evansville iced the game with a goal only 19 seconds after Tedesco’s hat trick to seal the game, 5-3 in favor of the Thunderbolts.
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