Thunderbirds Weekly Report (January 28th)

WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The Carolina Thunderbirds swept a three-game series over HC Venom this past weekend at the Fairgrounds Arena taking all nine possible points in convincing fashion. With the sweep, the Thunderbirds remain in first place in the Continental Division and are four points ahead of the second place Baton Rouge Zydeco.

On Friday night, Carolina scored twice in the 1st period and twice in the 2nd period to cruise to a 4-1 victory to open the weekend. Jiri Pestuka had the game-winning goal with 4:38 remaining in the 1st period. In game two, Mario Cavaliere saved all 26 shots he saw, and the Thunderbirds had five different goal scorers en route to a 5-0 victory. Sunday saw Carolina acting as the road team, but the result stayed the same as Roman Kraemer tallied four points, Gus Ford had a goal and two assists with the Thunderbirds finishing off the sweep of HC Venom with a 4-2 victory.

The Thunderbirds now prepare for another home-and-home series with the Blue Ridge Bobcats starting on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. at the Hitachi Energy Arena. Game two will be in Winston-Salem on Saturday night with puck drop slated for 7:35 p.m. from the Fairgrounds Arena. Carolina this year against the Bobcats is 4-4-1 with the last matchup on January 18th, a 4-1 victory for the Thunderbirds in Wytheville.

Carolina Leaders

 Goals: Jon Buttitta/Gus Ford (13)

Assists: Gus Ford (23)

Points: Gus Ford (36)

+/-: James Farmer (+18)

Penalty Minutes: Steven Ford (38)

Power Play Goals: Roman Kraemer (6)

Short Handed Goals: Jon Buttitta (2)

Game Winning Goals: Jon Buttitta/Roman Kraemer/Jiri Pestuka (3)

Wins: Mario Cavaliere (12)

Goals Against Average: Mario Cavaliere (1.82)

Save Percentage: Mario Cavaliere (.934)

THUNDERBIRDS RECORD: 21-7-3

Super Mario: Carolina netminder Mario Cavaliere is again putting the league on notice. Cavaliere against HC Venom picked up two wins, including a shutout on Saturday night, and stopped 56 out of 57 shots over the weekend. The Mississauga, Ontario native leads the FPHL in GAA (1.82), SV% (.934) and shutouts (5).

Gus Bus: Since returning from injury on January 10th, Thunderbirds forward Gus Ford has found his footing. Ford, who was the FPHL’s Forward of the Year last season, has recorded points in all eight games since his return, totaling 14 points over that stretch. The Tillsonburg, Ontario native is tied for the team lead in goals with 13, and leads the Thunderbirds in assists (23) and points (36).

Upcoming Schedule:

Friday: 7:30 p.m. – Carolina Thunderbirds vs Blue Ridge Bobcats – Hitachi Energy Arena

TV Broadcast: Thunderbirds TV - Radio Broadcast: WTOB 980 AM

Saturday: 7:35 p.m. – Blue Ridge Bobcats vs Carolina Thunderbirds - Fairgrounds Arena

TV Broadcast: Thunderbirds TV - Radio Broadcast: WTOB 980 AM

Tickets for Saturday can be purchased here.