ESTERO, Fla. - The Florida Everblades used five different scorers to earn a 6-2 victory over the Orlando Solar Bears on Friday night at Germain Arena.

Florida was looking to bounce back from Wednesdays’s game, and did just that jumping out to a 1-0 lead.  The ‘Blades took advantage in the first five minutes of the night, when Mathieu Roy picked up the rebound from a David Rutherford shot. from the left wing circle, and flipped a wrist which hit the cross bar and banked into the goal.

Two minutes later, the Solar Bears responded scoring on a power play opportunity when Ryan Reaves rebounded a Ryan Cruthers shot. Reaves’ shot bounced out of the glove of goaltender John Muse, and deflected into the net for the goal.

Blades managed to get one last goal in before the first period ended, as Bobby Raymond accepted a pass from slot in the left side circle and flipped a wrist shot on Orlando goaltender Hannu Toivonen giving the‘Blades a 2-1 lead. The goal was a power play marker for Raymond. .

The Bears came into the second period eager for their next goal, as C.J. Severyn received a pass from Derick Martin. Severyn swung at the puck which was in mid-air, and batted it into the net past Muse tying the game at two.

With 36 seconds remaining in the second, the ‘Blades managed to sneak in one more shot. A shot from David Rutherford bounced around in the crease, and Corey Trivino pushed the puck into the net ending the second period 3-2.

The ‘Blades were cooking in the third period, adding to their lead. Alex Hutchings snuck in a rebound shot on the shortside of Toivonen to extend the Florida lead by two.

Moments later, Roy registered his second goal of the night. Rutherford worked the puck to the front of the net, and Roy shoved the puck through the five-hole of Toivonen to put the ‘Blades up 5-2.

Florida continued to roll, as Mark Stuart received an Alex Hutchings pass from across the ice, and fired a wrist shot on the shorside to seal the 6-2 victory.

Toivonen suffers a loss allowing six goals on 30 shots while Muse earns the win stopping 34 of 36 shots faced.

Game Notes: David Rutherford finished the game with four assists, while Hutchings finished with a goal and two assists in the game.

The two teams will meet again at Germain Arena on Saturday, at 7:00 p.m. The McDonald’s Tailgate Party begins at 5:00 p.m. with live music and bounce houses for the kids.

Ticket Information: 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 at www.ticketmaster.com

Partial-season packages are still available, and start as low as $150 and offer a flexible option for fans. These packages make for great holiday gifts for the hockey fan in your life! For more information on all available packages, call the Everblades office at 239-948-7825