Lightning strikes twice: Thunderbolts win back-to-back President’s Cup finals
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) — Some stories just write themselves, and that’s the case for what the Evansville Thunderbolts just accomplished this week. “They have a great group, but I think we have a resilient group, and we knew we would come in here and win this game,” says Thunderbolts Captain Matthew Hobbs.
It was that unwavering belief that helped lightning strike twice for the bolts. “We had a quote up in our room these last three games and it’s, we know what they have, we know we have more,” says Thunderbolts Right Winger Jordan Simoneau. “We just had to believe in ourselves.
After those first two games there was never a doubt. ” Many on the outside had their doubts. Evansville found itself in a 2-0 hole, a deficit no SPHL team has climbed out of in finals history going against the best team in the league, one that was 9 points clear of second place but none of the attention was on the bigger picture.
“Short term focus,” says Head Coach Jeff Bes. “We wanted to win the first five minutes on Wednesday and then carry on and win the next five. That mindset was what was really successful for us.
” That mindset isn’t formed overnight. The Thunderbolts have been flying together for some time now. The core of this team was a part of the championship group in 2025 that now has become just the fourth team in league history to repeat as champions.