Special Teams Lead 'Blades to Fourth Straight Win

Written by Robert Molnar

DULUTH, GA – Nelson Armstrong, Clark Seymour, and Joe Cox each scored a goal to help lead the Florida Everblades to a 5-1 victory over the rival Atlanta Gladiators Saturday night at the Infinite Energy Arena. With the win, the Everblades (4-0-0-0, 8 pts) have now won each of their first four games this season.

BOX SCORE

Weathering an early storm from the Gladiators, the Everblades opened the scoring in the contest. Taking advantage of a power play opportunity, the Florida special teams continued their red hot start as they made it four straight games with a power play goal to give the ‘Blades a 1-0 lead late in the first period.

Nelson Armstrong corralled a pass from Gus Young along the right wing side. From the top of the circle, Armstrong ripped a low shot through traffic and past the outstretched pad of Atlanta goaltender Matt Ginn.

The Everblades stuck again on the power play to take a 2-0 lead midway through the second period. Mitchell Heard cycled the puck to a waiting Clark Seymour. Seymour uncorked a rocket of a shot from the blueline that blasted right through traffic and into the top corner of the net.

However, the two-goal lead did not last long as the Gladiators quickly made it a 2-1 game thanks to a nice hustle play by Lindsay Sparks in the Florida zone. Form the corner, Sparks managed to come up with the puck before throwing a pass across the face of the goal. Thomas Frazee met the puck and quickly ripped his point blank chance past Everblades goaltender Callum Booth.

Florida re-established their two-goal lead just over a minute later, as Mitchell Heard and Joe Cox took advantage of a quick developing play to give the ‘Blades a 3-1 lead. After creating a neutral zone turnover, Heard brought the puck low into the attacking zone before flipping a perfect pass across to Cox. Showing great patience, Cox methodically buried the puck into the back of the net.

In the third, the Everblades continued to control the game through a strong defensive effort. Despite being shorthanded three separate times during the final frame, the ‘Blades penalty kill would not break, keeping  Atlanta off the scoreboard.  The ‘Blades finished off any threat of a comeback when Zack Kamrass buried an empty-net goal to put the ‘Blades up by a score of 4-1.

Despite having the game firmly in hand, Florida did not back down. The ‘Blades netted their fifth goal of the game just 20-seconds later when Matt Berry buried a pretty pass from Nolan Laporte behind Atlanta goaltender Matt Ginn.

Callum Booth continued the Everblades hot start between the pipes, earning the win after stopping all but one of the 28 shots he faced. Matt Ginn was once again solid between the pipes for Atlanta but suffers the loss after allowing four goals on 31 shots.

The Florida Everblades will now return home to begin a three-game home stand against the visiting Indy Fuel this Wednesday night at Germain Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Tickets for the contest can be purchased at the Florida Community Bank Box Office located at Germain Arena, at any Ticketmaster outlet, or online at www.ticketmaster.com

Fans can also catch the game broadcast on WJBX News, Talk & More on 101.5-FM.104.3-FM, 770-AM or by CLICKING HERE. Fans can also watch the game online at ECHL.TV

Upcoming Home Games

Wednesday, October 25 vs. Indy, 7:30 p.m.  $2 Hot Dogs, Beer and Wins all night long!

Friday, October 27 vs. Indy, 7:30 p.m.  Kids 12 and under eat free in the Breakaway Sports Pub with the purchase of an adult entree. (Promo good for every Friday game this season)

Saturday, October 28 vs. Indy, 7:00 p.m.  "Sweets in the Suites" Kids in Halloween costumes can trick-or-treat in the luxury suites during the intermission!

Ticket Information

2017-18 Ticket Packages are Currently on Sale!  We offer full season and flexible partial plans that will best fit your schedule and budget!  To view pricing and benefits of all available ticket packages CLICK HERE

SPECIAL OFFER! Purchase a new ticket package for the 2017-18 season and receive a $20 gift card to Ford's Garage!

Discounted Group Tickets: Bring your group of 10 or more to a game at a discounted price!  Group tickets are available for all home games. Fundraising opportunities are also available. For more information on group tickets, call 239-948-7825, or stop by the Everblades offices at Germain Arena Monday thru Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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