‘Blades Weekly: Return home brings pair of South Division foes

ESTERO, Fla. — Following a season-high five-game road trip, the Florida Everblades return home this week and begin a division-dominated remainder of the season that includes just two non-division games the rest of the way.  

LAST WEEK’S RESULTSJan. 15 | at Kalamazoo Wings – W, 6-3Florida scored three times in the first period and received multi-point efforts from Justin Auger (1g, 1a), Hunter Garlent (1g, 1a), Cam Maclise (1g, 1a), Levko Koper (2a), and Patrick McCarron (2a) to halt a three-game losing streak. Full recap

Jan. 16 | at Indy Fuel – W, 4-2Blake Winiecki scored twice on the power play — the first time this season the ‘Blades have had two power-play markers in the same game — and Florida had four of the final five goals of the game to top Indy in the first meeting in Indianapolis since Dec. 5, 2014. Full recap

Jan. 18 | at Kalamazoo Wings – W, 4-1Florida hung three goals on Kalamazoo in the first period for the second straight meeting to sweep the three-game road trip. Koper (1g, 1a) led the way offensively with his fifth multi-point game of the season. Full recap

THIS WEEK’S GAMESJan. 24 | vs. Greenville Swamp Rabbits | 7:30 p.m. – Hertz ArenaJan. 25 | vs. Jacksonville Icemen | 7 p.m. – Hertz Arena ‘BLADES BIOS

• Florida goaltender Ken Appleby is tied for the league lead with his 17 victories this season and has appeared in 20 of the last 23 games for Florida.
• Zach Magwood’s shooting percentage of 24.6% is good for second in the league. He has scored 14 goals on 57 shots.
• Logan Roe is third overall and first among ECHL defensemen with his plus-minus rating of +28. He sits just six off sharing the league lead.
• Blake Winiecki is the only player since the 2017-18 season to have scored two power-play goals in the same game, and he’s done it twice in that time span. Prior to Winiecki, Zach Kamrass was the last ‘Blades player to notch two power-play goals in one game, netting two in a 5-3 victory over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on March 30, 2018.  

QUICK HITS

• Florida’s 14 road wins are the second-most in the league. Only the South Carolina Stingrays have more road victories (16). Florida’s road winning percentage of .704 is third in the league behind only South Carolina (.857) and the Allen Americans (.725).
• The Everblades scored three power-play goals on five chances in their final two games of last week and have notched 10 power-play markers on 35 chances (28.6%) over their last 14 games.
• Florida ranks in the top seven in goals for per game (3.50, 7th), shots for per game (33.70, 4th), goals against per game (2.78, 5th) and shots against per game (27.38, 3rd).
• The ‘Blades are one of only six teams that is undefeated when leading after two periods this season. Florida is 19-0-0-0 when it has the lead through 40 minutes.  

TEAM STATISTICSOverall record: 25-11-2-2Home record: 11-6-1-0Road record: 14-5-1-2Last week’s record: 3-0-0-0Last 10 games: 7-3-0-0Division standings: 2ndConference standings: 3rdLeague standings: 5th

‘BLADES LEADERSG: Blake Winiecki/Justin Auger (17)A: John McCarron (27)PTS: Winiecki/J. McCarron (35)+/-: Logan Roe (+28)SH: Winiecki (137)Goals-against average: Ken Appleby (2.64)Save percentage: Appleby (.899)Wins: Appleby (17)

UPCOMING PROMOTIONSFaith & Family Night/239 Friday (Jan. 24) – Join the ‘Blades for Faith & Family Night presented by WAY-FM, featuring a postgame concert by renowned Christian artist KJ-52. It’s also a 239 Friday, and fans can score on a great deal with two (2) Club Level seats, two (2) sodas and one (1) large popcorn for $39! The ‘Blades will give away two $500 gift certificates to the Diamond District on Jan. 24. Fans can enter to win by purchasing a 239 package or by texting in the codeword at the game.

Nickelodeon Night (Jan. 25) – COWABUNGA! The ‘Blades transform into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for Nickelodeon Night presented by Deromo’s Gourmet Market & Restaurant. Florida will wear special TMNT jerseys that will be auctioned off postgame to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County. Don’t miss out on an exclusive TMNT ticket offer! The TMNT ticket package starts as low as $27 and includes a TMNT hockey puck, a slice of pizza, and a ticket to the game. For more information, visit floridaeverblades.com/turtles.

Hump Day Deals (Jan. 29) — Celebrate Hump Day with $2 beer, wine and hot dogs and $4 New Amsterdam vodka drinks all night courtesy of Bud Light, Barefoot Wine, and John Morrell.

EVERBLADES 2019-20 BROADCAST INFORMATION Catch all the exciting action of Everblades hockey on WJBX News, Talk & More on 101.5 FM, 104.3 FM, 770 AM on the radio waves, or listen for FREE online.

Fans can also watch the games on a subscription basis on ECHL.TV.

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BLADES 365 MEMBERSHIPS Blades 365 Memberships are still on sale for the 2019-20 season! Get great seat locations, big savings and exclusive year-round experiences with a Blades 365 Membership!

Purchase a new Blades 365 Membership for the 2019-20 season and receive a $20 gift card to Ford’s Garage and an Everblades tote bag! To view the Blades 365 Membership savings, benefits and options CLICK HERE.

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The Florida Everblades are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Nashville Predators and AHL's Milwaukee Admirals