Kirkpatrick's Hat Trick Sparks 'Blades to 7-4 Win Over Jackals

ESTERO, FL -  Michael Kirkpatrick netted his first career hat trick as the Florida Everblades (14-3-1-2, 31 pts) rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Elmira Jackals (5-11-4-0, 14 pts) by a 7-4 score Wednesday night at Germain Arena.

VIDEO:  Watch the Game Highlights 

Elmira opened the scoring when Vaclav Karabacek put back a rebound from a Matt Lane shot to put the Jackals on top 1-0.

The Jackals built up their lead to 3-0 when Kyle Rankin and Sebastian Sylvestre recorded second period tallies.

The Everblades got on the board on newcomer Rory Rawlyk’s first goal of the season at 6:41 of the middle frame.

Nine minutes later, Florida received a three-goal outburst from Brendan O’Donnell, Adam Brace, and Brant Harris in a span of one minute and forty-nine seconds to grab a 4-3 lead at the end of 40 minutes of play.

In the third, Kirkpatrick added a fifth unanswered goal by Florida, when he caught the puck at the top of the the crease and slid it past a sliding Jason Kasdorf to put the score at 5-3.

The Jackals later pulled within one on the power play. Matt Lane hurled a wrist shot from the left wing circle that clipped past Florida netminder Anthony Peters at 7:51 of the period.

However, Kirkpatrick scored twice more, including an empty-net tally in the final minute to secure the hat trick and the 7-4 victory for the Everblades.  Kirkpatrick’s hat trick was the second in an many games for the Everblades, as John McCarron recorded four goals in last Saturday’s game against Orlando.

Brant Harris and Brendan O’Donnell each finished the game with five point nights (1g, 4a).

Prior to the game, the Everblades added defenseman Rory Rawlyk who recorded his first goal in his Everblades debut.  The 6-5, 220-pound blueliner recorded ten points (3g, 7a) in 28 appearances with the Orlando Solar Bears last season.

The Two teams will meet again on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and again on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.  for the annual IBERIABANK Teddy Bear Toss.

Upcoming Home Games & Promotions

Friday, December 9 vs. Elmira, 7:30 p.m. – Kids eat FREE in the Breakaway Sports Pub with the  purchase of an adult entree!

Saturday, December 10 vs. Elmira, 7:00 p.m. – Annual IBERIABANK Teddy Bear Toss!  Fans are encouraged to bring a new teddy bear or stuffed animal to the game to throw onto the ice when the Everblades score their first goal.   All of the teddy bears will be rounded up and delivered to local children's charities for the holidays!

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###