Blades Claim First Place with 4 Goal Burst

North Charleston, SC – The Florida Everblades took sole possession of first place in the South Division Saturday, blitzing the South Carolina Stingrays with four unanswered goals at North Charleston Coliseum in a matchup of the top two teams in the ECHL.

It was South Carolina who would open the scoring with 8:50 left in the first as Patrick Gaul misfired a rebound chance that pinballed off linemate Peter Boyd and in, boosting the home side to a 1-0 advantage.

Forward Kellan Tochkin evened it back up at one just 2:18 later, settling a Mike Merrifield rebound and firing it home before Rays goalie Jeff Jakaitis could recover.

Florida’s power play proved pivotal in the second as A.J. Jenks netted his fifth of the year, lifting the Everblades to a 2-1 lead by ricocheting a bad-angle shot off Jakaitis and in with 10:12 to go in the middle frame.

Brandon MacLean provided some big-time insurance for the Blades 3:33 into the third, crushing a one-timer from Trevor Bruess under the crossbar to extend the advantage to 3-1.

Jenks put the finishing touches on the Saturday win for Florida, firing in a backdoor pass from Mathieu Roy for what would prove to be the final score at 4-1, dealing the Stingrays their first regulation defeat of 2013-14.

Kristers Gudlevskis picked up his second straight win in net, stymying 27 South Carolina attempts to improve to 4-1-0-0. Jakaitis slipped to 7-1-1-1 on 24 stops.

The Everblades now return home to open a two-game set with the Orlando Solar Bears, starting Friday with a 7:30pm tilt against their in-state rivals at Germain Arena.

Tickets are now on sale at the Capital Bank Box Office at Germain Arena, Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Saturdays 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

Friday’s intrastate rumble will be broadcast locally on 98.1 FM The Island and worldwide online on America ONE, the official broadband and mobile broadcaster of the ECHL, at www.americaonesports.com. Pregame coverage will get under way at 7:15pm.

2013-14 Season Ticket Package Information

Ticket packages for the 2013-14 season are currently on sale—and going fast!  Full season packages begin at $380, while 10 and 20 game packages start as low as $160. Sign-up for a new season ticket package today, and receive a $20 gift card per seat to Outback Steakhouse!

For more information call 239-948-7825, or stop by the Everblades main office located at Germain Arena.

Office hours are Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.The Everblades are the proud ECHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning.###