Electric 2nd Period Propels 'Blades Past Swamp Rabbits

Game Recap Written By Bryce Wright

ESTERO, FL- Corey Cowick, Maxime St-Cyr, Logan Roe and Matt Willows each scored a goal as the Florida Everblades take home a 4-2 victory over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits Friday night at Germain Arena. The Everblades extended their unbeaten streak to nine games (8-0-0-1).

The Everblades fell behind early as the Swamp Rabbits were able to score two goals in the opening period.

At 8:07 into the first Richard Nejezchleb broke the scoreless tie as he grabbed the puck in front of the net off an Everblades turnover where he was able to twist and turn and bury the puck past Rasmus Tirronen to score the opening goal for the Swamp Rabbits.

40 seconds later Darian Dziurzynski stretched the Swamp Rabbits lead to two when he bounced the puck off the right post on the breakaway into the net giving the Swamp Rabbits a 2-0 lead over the Everblades heading into the second period.

Halfway through the second, the Everblades got on the board on the power play.  Matt Willows delivered one-time shot from the right wing circle that was initially stopped by Allen York.However, the rebound bounced to the top of the crease, and Corey Cowick batted the puck into the open net for the tally.

Four minutes later, the Everblades tied the game up with a Maxime St-Cyr shorthanded goal. Matt Willows made a beautiful pass up ice to St-Cyr who was racing past the Swamp Rabbits defense. St-Cyr made a move to the right but flipped the puck back left and was able to find the back of the net getting it past York tying the game up 2-2.

Then with one second left on the clock in the second period, the Everblades scored their third goal of the night on a 4-on-4 opportunity.  Justin Agosta made a magnificent pass just past the blue line in the offensive zone splitting the Swamp Rabbits defenders on the way to Logan Roe who found the back of the net, giving the Everblades a 3-2 lead heading into the final period of play.

In the third period the Everblades and Swamp Rabbits traded off scoring opportunities however could not find the net until 19:21 when Matt Willows was able to bury an empty net goal, sealing the victory for the Everblades

Rasmus Tirronen earned the victory stopping 27 out of 29 shots, while Allen York takes the loss allowing three goals on 26 shots on goal.

The Everblades' four goals were comprised of a power play goal, a shorthanded goal, a four-on-four goal, and an empty net goal.

The Everblades and Swamp Rabbits will face off again Saturday Jan 30 at Germain Arena. Game time is set at 7:00 p.m.

Upcoming Home Games

Saturday, January 30, vs. Greenville Swamp Rabbits, 7:00 p.m.  The Fur Circus (pictured below) will be in town entertaining the fans! Bring the kids! Joins us from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for the pregame tailgate party featuring live music, face painting, and bounce houses for the kids.

Ticket Information

Game Tickets: Everblades tickets may be purchased at the Florida Community Bank Box Office located at Germain Arena, or at any Ticketmaster outlet, or online atwww.ticketmaster.com

Discounted Group Tickets: Bring your group of 10 or more to a game at a discounted price, and also receive an Everblades souvenir! Group tickets are available for all home games. For more information on group tickets, call 239-948-7825.

Partial Season Ticket Packages:  Flexible partial season ticket plans are available to help fit your budget and schedule. For more information, call 239-948-7825, or stop by the team's main office located at Germain Arena from Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Fans may also stop by our sales tables located in the concourse at Everblades games. .

The Everblades are the proud ECHL affiliateof the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes###