Everblades Secure Brabham Cup with 5-1 Win Over Icemen

Photo courtesy of Gary McCullogh

JACKSONVILLE, FL –  Justin Kea finished with a goal and two assists to lead the Florida Everblades to a 5-1 victory over the Jacksonville Icemen Thursday night at Veterans Memorial Arena.  The Everblades secured the Brabham Cup, which is awarded to the ECHL’s regular season champion for finishing with the best record.  It marked the third time Florida has earned the regular season trophy (1999-2000 & 2008-09).   In addition the Everblades (51-13-2-4) tied a club record for points in a season with 108 points originally set back in the 1999-2000 seaosn.

BOX SCORE

It took just 90 seconds for the Everblades to fire their first warning shot, when Sam Warning recorded a goal on his first shift in an Everblades uniform.  Spencer Smallman delivered a cross-ice pass to Warning who cut to the top of the crease and slid a backhand shot through the five-hole of Jacksonville netminder Austin Lotz to put Florida in front 1-0.

Just 28 seconds later, the ‘Blades extended their lead to 2-0 on a tally by Logan Roe.  Roe received a pass from behind the net that wandered to him at the high slot.  Roe curled a wroster that clipped past the leg pad of Lotz for the tally.

Florida continued to build on its lead on with a power play strike at 9:13 of the opening frame.  Gus Young hammered a shot from the center point that was tipped and redirected into the net by Joe Cox.

The Everblades made it 4-0 before the close of the period, following a great play by newcomer Blake Winiecki.  The rookie forward from St. Cloud State University picked the pocket of a Jacksonville player attempting to skate the puck out of the zone.  Winiecki then took off toward net and delivered a shot that was stopped by Lotz. However, the rebound bounced to Justin Kea who tapped the puck into the net foe the tally.

The Icemen got on the board at 5:17 of the middle frame when Everett Clark raced to a rebound at the right side of the crease and cut a backhand shot high into the net over the shoulder of Florida netminder Martin Ouellette to put the count at 4-1.

Nearly four minutes later, the Everblades countered when Justin Kea and Kyle Neuber broke in on a 2-on-1 rush.  Kea carried the puck into the zone and delivered a pass across to Neuber who buried his shot behind Lotz to extend the Florida lead to 5-1 at the close of the second period.

Neither team generated much offense in the third period, combining for just seven shots on goal, as the score remained 5-1 at the end of regulation.

GAME NOTES:   Newcomer Blake Winiecki recorded the first points of his professional career (2 assists)...The Everblades held Jacksonville to a season low 13 shots on goal, while both team combined for 30 shots on net for the entire game.

The two teams will meet again on Friday in Jacksonville at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday,  April 7, vs. Jacksonville, 7:00 p.m.  Join us for the final home game of the regular season!. The game is Fan Appreciation Night as well as Blackout Night presented by the Passion Foundation.  The team will wear special black jerseys that will be auctioned off following the game!  There will also be a team award ceremony prior to the start of the game. Fans will also receive a coupon voucher for free product at Wawa!  There will also be a team photo giveaway!

Ticket InformationPlayoff Tickets and 2018-19 Ticket Packages are Currently on Sale!  Flexible partial plans are available. These packages will best fit your schedule and budget!  To view pricing and benefits of all available ticket packages CLICK HERE

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

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.

2018 Playoff Tickets On Sale Now! 

The Florida Everblades will face the Atlanta Gladiators in the first round of the 2018 Kelly Cup Playoffs beginning on Monday, April 16.  The following if the full first-round schedule:

Florida (1) vs. Atlanta (4) – Best-of-Seven SeriesGame 1:  Monday, April 16th – 7:30pm, Germain Arena  PURCHASE TICKETSGame 2:  Tuesday, April 17th – 7:30pm,  Germain Arena  PURCHASE TICKETSGame 3:  Thursday, April 19th – 7:35pm, Infinite Energy ArenaGame 4:  Friday, April 20th – 7:35pm, Infinite Energy ArenaGame 5:  Sunday, April 22nd – 2:05pm, Infinite Energy Arena  (If necessary)Game 6: Tuesday, April 24th – 7:30pm – Germain Arena (If necessary)Game 7:  Wednesday, April 25th – 7:30pm – Germain Arena (If necessary)

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