Marquardt Scores Twice, 'Blades Defeat Elmira 6-3

ESTERO, Fla. –Matt Marquardt’s two goals helped propel the Florida Everblades to a 6-3 victory over the Elmira Jackals at Germain Arena on Wednesday night.

The Everblades came into the first period with a strong offensive showing, scoring three unanswered goals. The first came as Justin Shugg battled for the puck alongside of the boards and found teammate Matt Marquardt in the left side circle. Marquardt saw an open lane and fired off the quick wrist shot which beat Elmira goaltender Marc Cheverie. The goal was Marquardt’s fifth of the season.

Bobby Raymond added the second goal at the nine-minute mark of the period. Matt Beca found Raymond who shot the puck from the right side of crease, sliding it through the five-hole of Cheverie to extend the lead to 2-0.

The ‘Blades didn’t stop there, as David Rutherford grabbed an Elmira turnover and a wristed a shot from the slot which ripped past the glove of Cheverie for the goal. The goal gave Florida the 3-0 advantage.

The Jackals got on board at the thirteenth-minute, when Dustin Gazely streaking in along the boards found Andrew Rowe at the crease. Rowe finished off the play with a wrist shot to score past Everblades goaltender Pat Nagle. .

Less than a minute later,  Elmira pulled within one when Jordan Peitrus found Darren Kramer at the crease whose shot beat Nagle and put the score at 3-2 which would hold for the remainder of the period.

Three minutes into the second period, Justin Shugg, led a 2-on-1 charge into the zone. Shugg managed to pass the puck across the slot to Marquardt who scored his second goal of the night.

However, the Jackals didn’t stay quiet for long., as Artem Demkov from behind the net found an open Gazley who slipped a shot shortside past Nagle.

Moments later, Brody Sutter led a 2-on-1  rush of his own,  and dropped the puck off to Alex Hutchings who tapped the puck into the net for the goal, giving the ‘Blades a 5-3 lead after two periods. .

The Everblades scored the lone goal of the third period on the power play as Beca passed the puck through the crease to Captain Mathieu Roy who flipped the puck into the net for the goal. Everblades were able to cruise to a 6-3 victory.

Pat Nagle earns the win stopping 36 of 39 shots faced, while Marc Cheverie suffers the loss allowing three goalson 11 shots, while Maxime Clermont allowed three goals on 23 shots faced in a relief effort.

The two teams will meet again at Germain Arena on Friday, November 9 at 7:30pm. Friday night will be military night here at Germain Arena and the ‘Blades will be wearing special military jerseys. All military personnel and veterans can purchase a discounted $10 ticket for the game by presenting their military ID to the Capital Bank Box Office prior to the game.

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, for the remaining 29 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 at 239-948-7825, or purchase tickets online.