'Blades Open Road Trip with 3-2 Loss at Kalamazoo

Written by Robert Molnar

KALAMAZOO, MI – Former Everblade Peter Schneider scored twice while also adding the eventual game-winning goal early in the third period to lead the Kalamazoo Wings (34-27-1-3, 72 pts) to a 3-2 victory over the Florida Everblades (41-17-2-3, 87 pts) Wednesday night at the Wings Event Center.

Kalamazoo opened the scoring in the first period using a rebound attempt on the front door to take a 1-0 lead. Moving the puck into the low slot, Lane Scheidl ripped a shot off the stick of Everblades goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. The puck bounced straight up after contacting the stick and the puck was swatted out of midair by Peter Schneider and sent into the net.

The K-Wings doubled their lead by taking advantage of a loose puck in the attacking zone to take a 2-0 lead. Tyler Biggs sent a crisp pass towards Eric Kattelus in the high slot. Left alone, Kattelus ripped his quick wrist shot past the blocker of Alex Nedeljkovic for the goal.

Everblades looked to mount a comeback in the second period, thanks to a great solo effort from Dalton Smith. Smith managed to catch up to the loose puck and head behind the net. Going for a wraparound, Smith’s shot snuck into the net after bouncing off the skate of Kalamazoo goaltender Joel Martin.

In the third period, both teams knew the next goal would be an extremely important one. Unfortunately for the ‘Blades, that goal went in favor of the Wings. Picking up a pass near the faceoff dot, Cameron Darcy immediately turned the puck towards the front of the net. Meeting the puck at the front door, Peter Schneider flipped his shot past a diving Nedeljkovic to put Kalamazoo up 3-1.

Florida Everblades refused to go away, and again cut the Wings lead to just one late in the third period. After six or seven shots blocked by the Kalamazoo players, the Everblades  finally capitalized as the red hot Stephen MacAulay picked up the puck near the net and blasted it past Joel Martin.

Still down a goal, the Everblades continued their offensive pus with few more solid scoring chances during the remaining part of the third period. However, even with the goaltender pulled for the final couple of minutes of the contest, the ‘Blades could not find a way to tie the game and took the loss 3-2.  .

Joel Martin played extremely well and made some excellent saves late in the game for Kalamazoo, earning the win after stopping 29 of the 31 shots he faced. Alex Nedeljkovic also had a strong performance in net, but suffers the loss in goal for the Everblades after allowing three goals on 30 shots.

The Everblades continue their northern road trip at the Huntington Center where they will take on the ECHL leading Toledo Walleye. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Eastern time.  Fans can catch the game broadcast on WJBX (101.5 FM, 104.3 FM and 770-AM), or online by CLICKING HERE.  Fans can also watch the game online at ECHL.TV

Upcoming Home Games & PromotionsWednesday, March 29 vs. Kalamazoo, 7:30 p.m. – The final $2 Wednesday of the season!  Fans can enjoy $2 hot dogs, $2 beers, $2 wines all night long! Wednesday is also College Night.  College students receive a $5 tickets with free parking when they present their College ID at Germain Arena.

Friday, March 31 vs. Kalamazoo, 7:30 p.m. – Joins us for dinner & hockey, as kids eat FREE in the Breakaway Sports Pub with the purchase of an adult entree! The first 400 fans will receive FREE passes to the Naples Zoo!   There will also be a Jason's Deli giveaway as well!  We will be celebrating youth hockey throughout the night with the Junior Everblades Hiockey Association.

Saturday, April 1 vs. Kalamazoo, 7:00 p.m. – First 500 fans (aged 12 and under) will receive a FREE Everblades Jersey courtesy of Wendy's!   It is also Storybook Prince & Princess Night, featuring themed characters and photo booth in the concourse!  From 5-7 p.m. there will be live music 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.comSpecial Offer!  Purchase any new ticket package for the 2016-17 season, and receive an Everblades jersey t-shirt and a $20 gift card from Ford's Garage!  Locations include Cape Coral, Downtown Fort Myers and Miromar Outlets in Estero.  We offer several tickets packages designed to help fit your budget and scheduleDiscounted Group Tickets: Bring your group of 10 or more to a game at a discounted price, and you may 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###