Everblades Shine in 5-2 Win Over Solar Bears

ESTERO, FL – Anthony Peters finished with 33 saves to help lead the Florida Everblades (17-5-1-2, 37 pts) to a 5-2 victory over the Orlando Solar Bears (16-9-3-0, 35 pts) Wednesday night at Germain Arena.  With the win, the Everblades reclaim sole possession of first place in the South Division.

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Orlando grabbed an early lead when Joe Perry led a 2-on-1 rush into the zone and delivered a pass to Brett Findlay who finished off the play with a shot that clipped behind Florida goaltender Anthony Peters.

The Everblades evened the score at 9:21 of the first period of when Brant Harris delivered a low shot from the left wing circle that beat a screened Kasimir Kaskisuo for the goal.

Less than two minutes later, the Everblades took the lead on the power play.  Matt Berry circled the net and stuffed a backhand shot through the five-hole of Kaskisuo to finish off a wrap-around attempt to put the score at 2-1.

A broken Orlando stick actually became a bad break for Florida at 16:22 of the period.   Jon Jutzi broke his stick while attempting a slapshot from the point. The resulting contact caused the puck to deflect off-target, but directly to Connor Gaarder who tapped the puck into the Florida net for his first goal of the season and tying the game at two.

Neither team generated much offense in the second period as the score remained 2-2 heading into the third.

At 7:31 of the final period, Dalton Smith shoved in a rebound from a John McCarron shot that that put the ‘Blades back in front 3-2.   With an assist on the play, McCarron extended his point-scoring streak to seven games.

Just 90 seconds later, Florida extended their lead on an excellent circle-to-circle pass that connected to perfection.  Alexander Kuqali skated the puck to the bottom of the left circle and then stretched a pass across the ice to Michael Kirkpatrick who immediately buried the puck into the net behind Kaskisuo to extend the Florida lead to 4-2.

Peters turned aside all 15 third period shots to keep the lead for his club, while Florida's penalty kill was a perfect 6-for-6 Wednesday, which included a lengthy 5-on-3 Orlando power play opportunity. In the closing minutes, Adam Brace added an empty-net tally to seal the 5-2 win.

Peters turned in an impressive outing stopping 33 of 35 shots faced, while Kaskisuo takes the loss allowing four goals on 28 shots.

BOX SCORE / GAME SHEET

The two teams will meet again tomorrow at the Amway Center in Orlando beginning at 7:00 p.m. Fans can catch the game on WJBX (770-AM, 101.5 FM, 104.3 FM) or online by CLICKING HERE  Upcoming Home Games & PromotionsWednesday, January 4 vs. Manchester, 7:30 p.m. – $2 Wednesdays! $2 Beers, Wines & Hot Dogs all night long!  Wednesday's are also College Night.  College students receive a $5 ticket w/ free parking when they present their College ID at Germain Arena.

Friday, January 6 vs. Manchester, 7:30 p.m. – Kids eat FREE in the Breakaway Sports Pub with the  purchase of an adult entree!

Saturday, December 7 vs. Manchester, 7:00 p.m. – The Fur Circus (pictured below) will perform during the intermissions and entertain fans throughout the night.  Pregame tailgate from 5-7 p.m. featuring live music and bounce houses.  A great night to bring 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.com2016-17 Season Ticket Plans Now Available!  Full and flexible partial season ticket plans are currently available for the 2016-17 season. We offer several tickets packages designed to help fit your budget and schedule.Special Offer!  Purchase any new ticket package for the 2016-17 season, and receive a $20 gift card from Ford's Garage!  Locations include Cape Coral, Downtown Fort Myers and Miromar Outlets in Estero.Discounted Group Tickets: Bring your group of 10 or more to a game at a discounted price, and you ma also receive an Everblades souvenir! Group tickets are available for all home games. For more information on group tickets, call 239-948-7825.

 This release courtesy of Fort Myers Technical College & Cape Coral Technical College

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