Who: Fort Wayne Komets (23-15-6-5, 57 pts, 3rd North Division) vs. Florida Everblades (26-17-2-3, 57 pts, 3rd South Division)Where: Germain ArenaWhen: 7:30pmSeason Series: Tied 1-1-0-0All-Time Series: Everblades lead 3-1-0Radio: 98.1 FM The Island and FloridaEverblades.com, 7:15pm pre-gameInternet Radio: http://www.swfllocalnews.comSmart Phone: TuneIn Radio (iOS & Android)Internet Television: http://www.americaonesports.com

Estero, FL – With the Eastern Conference playoff race intensifying, the Florida Everblades are back in Southwest Florida to open a three-game series Wednesday at 7:30pm against the Fort Wayne Komets—a team they are tied with in the East—at Germain Arena.

Entering play Wednesday, the Blades and Komets, both at 57 points, sit in a tie for sixth with Greenville: five points out of second place in the conference and three points ahead of ninth-place Evansville.

Florida continues to control a playoff spot thanks to the torrid play of the line of Trevor Bruess, Brandon MacLean and Kyle Bonis; Bruess (5g, 6a) and MacLean (5g, 12a) are each on 10-game point streaks while Bonis has at least one point in six straight (3g, 6a).

Team captain Mathieu Roy will be unavailable Wednesday for the Blades. The 2012-13 ECHL scoring title-winner returned to Quebec earlier this week to tend to family business.

Earlier Wednesday, goalie Kristers Gudlevskis, who started the season with the Blades, grabbed headlines at the 2014 Winter Olympics with Team Latvia, stopping 55 of 57 shots as Latvia nearly upset the heavily favored Canadians in Sochi, Russia.

Coming into the series, Fort Wayne stands as one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference, with just one regulation loss in their last 10 games (6-1-2-1) to pull into third in the North.

Brandon Marino is the ECHL’s top scorer, racking up 21 goals and 44 assists in 49 appearances.

With their franchise in its second year as an ECHL member club, Wednesday marks the Komets’ first-ever visit to Germain Arena.

Tickets are now on sale at the Capital Bank Box Office, open 10:00am-6:00pm, Monday through Friday.

Wednesday’s series lidlifter will be broadcast live online at FloridaEverblades.com and on the Everblades’ app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, with a video webcast available through America ONE, the official broadband and mobile broadcaster of the ECHL, at www.americaonesports.com. Pregame coverage will get under way at 7:15pm.

Beat the Box Office!

Don’t want to pay the box office rate for Everblades tickets? You don’t have to! Save up to $7.00 per ticket with great 10 and 20-game flex plans and group rates for the remainder of the 2013-14 campaign. Lock in your flex plan or group seats now for the Blades’ next home game on February 19.

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.###