Final Matchup of the Season for Blades and Nailers

WHO: Florida Everblades vs. Wheeling NailersWHERE: Hertz Arena - Estero, Fla.WHEN: Friday, March 27 at 7:00 p.m.TICKETS: Find tickets for tonight’s gameHERE.PROMOTIONS: Saturday is DC Comics and Halloween Night in March! The Blades will wear the guise of Aquaman for the night. Additionally, the Blades will be hosting a Halloween Theme night with a Swampee/Waste Pro Man bobblehead giveaway to the first 1,000 fans presented by Waste Pro USA. Fans are encouraged to dress up for a Costume Contest. The fun starts early with the Saturday Tailgate Party featuring free live music from The Freecoasters from 5:00-7:00 p.m. outside of Hertz Arena! Find tickets to the game on Mar. 27 HERE.BROADCAST: Watch every Florida Everblades game on FloHockey.TV. Listen to tonight’s exciting game action on WJBX News, Talk & More on 104.3 FM, 101.5 FM and AM 770, plus online at wjbxnewstalk.com.

GAME NOTES

ESTERO, Fla. -  The Florida Everblades (28-10-0-2) and the Wheeling Nailers (10-22-5-0) meet again tonight for third matchup of the week. Wheeling prevailed on Wednesday in a 6-2 win while Florida took last night’s affair with a 5-2 victory. The two teams will not meet again in the regular season.

Last Time Out: The Everblades' special teams led the way in their 5-2 win over the Nailers on Friday night at Hertz Arena. After being down 1-0 early in the first period, Florida netted two power-play goals and a shorthanded tally en route to their win. John McCarron, Levko Koper, and Michael Huntebrinker all turned in multi-point efforts in a game that ran close until late in the third. 

Scouting the Nailers: Wheeling is led by the 24 points (11g-13a) of Cody Sylvester. Rookie forward Matt Alfaro has also been impressive for the Nailers with his nine goals and 14 assists. Wheeling is the youngest team in the ECHL with an average age of 24. Florida is the most experienced team in the league with Everblades players combining for over 3600 ECHL games played.

McCarron Moving Up: Florida captain John McCarron continues to climb the Everblades all-time lists. With two helpers in Friday’s win over Wheeling, McCarron is now tied with Mathieu Roy for fourth all-time in Everblades assists at 172 (including playoffs). The Blades captain is also one goalaway from tying Matt Demarski  for third all-time in goals by an Everblades player at 111. McCarron is currently in his fifth year with Florida and his third as captain.

Top Guns: Florida’s Michael Huntebrinker leads the ECHL with 21 goals on the season. The forward struck most recently with a power-play goal in the second period against Wheeling on Friday. Huntebrinker also recorded the first Everblades hat trick of the season last Sunday against Greenville. Last weekend’s three goals marked Huntebrinker’s third hat trick of his career. The 28-year-old achieved the feat in both 2017 and 2018 with the Reading Royals. Everblades forward John McCarron pulls in at second place in the ECHL with 19 tallies on the season after his goal on Friday against the Nailers.

Blades Lead the Way: After Friday’s win, the Everblades still lead the Eastern Conference and the entire ECHL with a .725 points percentage. Florida sports the most prolific offense (3.68 goals for per game) and second stingiest defense in the league (2.50 goals against per game). The Blades also feature the league’s second best penalty kill at 87.6%. Florida’s penalty kill shut down 16 of 17 Greenville power-play chances last weekend in upstate South Carolina.

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JOIN THE FUN 

Become a member of the Florida Everblades family by securing a great seat location and big savings with a Blades 365 Membership!

Purchase a new Ticket Package or Flexible Voucher Package for the Blades 2020-21 and/or 2021-22 season and receive a $20 gift card to Ford’s Garage along with an Everblades tote bag! To view the Blades 365 Membership savings, benefits and options click HERE.

2020-21 Kelly Cup Playoff Packages are now on sale. To view the Kelly Cup Playoff Package options click HERE. 

Discounted Group Packages are also available for Groups of 10 or more! To reserve your group for an upcoming home game, call or text the Everblades Front Office at (239) 948-7825.

Make it a Suite Night with the Everblades! A Luxury Suite and Party Suite are available at a limited number of Everblades home games this season. For the latest availability on Suites, call or text the Everblades Front Office at (239) 948-7825.

Everblades put the FUN in FUNdraising! There is no handling of money or tickets and no limit to the amount of money your group can make with  Everblades easy-to-run online Fundraiser! For more information, or to reserve a Fundraiser Night at an Everblades regular season home game, call or text (239) 948-7825.

JOIN THE BROADCASTS

Watch every Florida Everblades game on the new home for ECHL hockey at FloHockey.TV.

Listen to the exciting game action on WJBX News, Talk & More on 104.3 FM, 101.5 FM and AM 770, plus online at wjbxnewstalk.com. In addition, some Blades Broadcasts can be heard on 99.3 ESPN or online at993espn.com.

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

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