'Blades Drop the Hammer on Jacksonville 3-1

Written by Keaton Hanley

ESTERO, FL – Martin Ouellette made 27 saves to lead the Florida Everblades to a 3-1 victory over the Jacksonville Icemen Saturday night at Germain Arena.   The Everblades (12-2-0-1) take both games of the weekend home-and-home set against Jacksonville.

BOX SCORE

The ‘Blades scored early to take the lead just 3:31 into the first period. Florida set up shop in the Icemen end as Brett Bulmer sent a pass from the corner to Nolan Laporte in the slot. Laporte waited in the slot with great patience before passing it across the slot to Logan Roe who dropped down from the blue line, and one-timed the puck into the back of the net past a sprawling Icemen goaltender in Jamie Phillips.

The Blades and Icemen exchanged chances for the remainder of the period, but due to good goaltending from Martin Ouellette the score remained 1-0 Blades as the game headed into the intermission.

The Icemen tied the game at the midway point of the second off a goal by Ryan Graham. A shot from Brendan Collier caromed off the pad of Ouellette and found its way straight to Graham’s stick who shoved it into the net to make it a 1-1 game. Graham’s tally was the only goal of the period and the score remained tied heading into the second break.

The ‘Blades took back the lead at 3:14 into the third period of play when Joe Cox buried the rebound of an odd angle shot from the blade of Mitchell Heard that hit off the pad of Phillips.  The rebound bounced to Cox who slipped the shot into Jacksonville net.

Florida added another goal just 3:40 later when the puck was at a standstill in the crease of Phillips following a shot from Laporte. Justin Kea rushed in to slam the rebound home to give the Blades a two-goal lead.

The Blades lead proved to be too much for the Icemen to handle as the Blades closed out the game by a score of 3-1, picking up all four points on the weekend against Jacksonville. Donning the Hulk jersey on Marvel Super Here Night,  Martin Ouellette was strong in net, stopping 25 of the 26 shots directed his way.   Phillips takes the loss allowing three goals on on 26 shots.

The Everblades will now hit the road for a six-game road trip that opens up on Wedndesday at Norfolk.Upcoming Home Games

Friday,  December 8, vs. Jacksonville, 7:30 p.m.  Kids eat free in the Breakaway Sports Pub with the purchase of an adult entree.

Saturday,  December 9, vs. Jacksonville, 7:30 p.m.  The Annual IBERIABANK Teddy Bear Toss!  It is one of the biggest games of the season.  Fans are encouraged to bring a new teddy bear or stuffed animal to the game to throw out onto the ice when the Everblades score their first goal.  All of the teddy bears will be rounded up and distributed to local children's charities for the holidays!

Ticket Information

Purchase Single Game Tickets at the Florida Community Bank Box Office located at Germain Arena, or online via Ticketmaster by CLICKING HERE

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###