Marquardt Scores Twice as 'Blades Improve to 2-0

ESTERO, Fla. - Matt Marquardt scored twice to lead the Florida Everblades to a 4-2 win over the Orlando Solar Bears on Saturday night at Germain Arena.

Three minutes into the contest, Charles Landry took a shot from the blue line, giving Matt Marquardt the chance to catch the rebound. Marquardt shot the puck from the top right of the crease and scored the first goal of the game to give the ‘Blades a 1-0 lead.

Less then a minute into the second period, Justin Shugg received a pass from Corey Trivino and took advantage of his position at the bottom left of the crease. Shugg slipped the puck by John Curry’s right pad and earned his first goal of the season bringing the score to 2-0.

However, the Solar Bears didn’t give up. 19:33 into the second period, Ryan Ginand fed a pass to Nick Petersen at the top left of the crease. After multiple rebound shots, Petersen was able to get the puck into the net over an outstretched Pat Nagle.

The Blades were ready to claim the game at the beginning of the third period. At the two-minute mark, as Shugg raced with a Solar Bears defender to get the puck, and passed it through the slot to a wide open Marquardt in the right circle. Marquardt took the shot and secured a goal for the Blades pushing the score to 3-1.

The Solar Bears answered back at the thirteen minute mark. Ryan Cruthers accepted a pass from Petersen and scored his first goal of the game through the slot bringing the score to 3-2.

With a minute left in the period, Orlando was on the power play, and pulled the goaltender to create a 6-on-4 advantage. The Everblades took advantage, as Sean Whitney fed a pass to Maxime Langelier-Parent in the Everblades zone. Parent took the shot from behind his own blue line, and the puck found its way into the open net to seal the 4-2 victory. Florida improves to 2-0 in the early season.

Nagle earns the win in goal stopping 33 of 35 shots faced, while Curry take the loss allowing three goals on 35 shots.

The two teams will meet again at Germain Arena on Friday, October 19. Fan favorite Ernie Hartlieb will be in attendance as the Everblades honor his time with the team by retiring his number nine jersey.

Individual games tickets for preseason and opening weekend are currently on sale! Stop by any Ticketmaster outlet, or the Capital Bank Box Office at Germain Arena. The Capital Bank Box Office is open Monday thru Friday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Fans may also call Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, or order online atwww.ticketmaster.com

Season ticket packages are currently available, starting at $380 per seat for all 36 home games. Partial-season packages start as low as $150, and offer a flexible option for fans. For more information on all available packages, call the Everblades office at239-948-7825, or purchase tickets online.