Titans Slip Past 'Blades in Overtime

ESTERO, FL – Mike Ulrich’s goal with 27 seconds remaining in overtime lifted the Trenton Titans to a 5-4 victory over the Florida Everblades Friday night at Germain Arena.

The first period was filled with anticipation as the ‘Blades and Titans battled to be the first on the board. Nearly 11-minutes into the period, the Titans secured the first goal of the game. Stephen Schultz shot the puck from the bottom of the left circle into the top right corner of the net past an unsuspecting Pat Nagle. The first period ended with Trenton taking a 1-0 lead over the ‘Blades.

Four minutes into the second period, the Titans scored again. Mike Ullrich took a shot from the right circle, but was deflected by Nagle. Schultz picked up the rebound and pushed the puck around the back of the net to sneak it past the goal post, bringing the score to 2-0.

A minute later, Maxime Parent beat Titans goaltender Scott Wedgewood  on a rebound shot which put the ‘Blades on the board to pull within one.

The Titans didn’t wait long to answer, as forward Bryan Haczyk rebounded the puck and fired it past Nagle’s right shoulder for the goal to put Trenton back up by two.

Nearly 13 minutes into the second period, there was a scuffle in front of the ‘Blades net. Schultz was able to slip the puck past Nagle and score his third goal of the game to net the hat trick, bringing the score to 4-1. The goal signaled the end of the night for Nagle, who was relieved by Rob Madore.

Florida countered two minutes later scoring the first of two shorthanded goals on the same penalty. Mathieu Roy drove the puck through the crease and fired the puck past Wedgewood from the bottom of the left circle to pull Florida within two.

Moments later, Mike Ratchuk passed the puck to Everblades Forward Alex Hutchings as he skated down the slot. Hutchings ripped a shot which cleanly beat Wedgewood for the second shorthanded marker,  and closed the 2nd period with another goal for the Blades, bumping the score to 4-3.

Less than two minutes into the third period, Brody Sutter accepted a pass from Leigh Salters at the top of the right circle. Sutter took a wrist shot and sent the puck flying into the net past Wedgewood evening the score to 4-4.

The two teams battled for the next 15 minutes and traded off scoring chances, but both goaltender came up with all of the necessary stops to send the game to overtime.

Trenton sealed the game at 4:32 in overtime as Mike Ullrich beat Everblades Goalie Rob Madore and on a quick wrister from the right side of the crease to lift the Titans to the 5-4 victory.

Rob Madore takes the loss in the game in a relief effort allowing one goal on 15 shots faced. Starter Pat Nagle allowed four goals on 23 shots. Scott Wedgewood earns the win stopping 37 out of 41 shots.

The Everblades will close out the five-game homestand on Saturday against Greenville beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Fans who purchase a ticket to the Everblades game may also attend the Gun’ ‘N Hoses game at 4:00 p.m. Come watch the local police and fire fighters battle it out on the ice.   The McDonald’s Tailgate party featuring live music and bounce houses starts at 5:00 p.m.  There will also be a car show at Germain arena tomorrow as well.

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 atwww.ticketmaster.com

Partial-season packages are still available, and start as low as $150 and offer a flexible option for fans. Group discounts are also available, and can save fans up $8 off per ticket from the normal box office price. For more information on all available packages, call the Everblades office at 239-948-7825.