ESTERO, Fla. - The Florida Everblades (33-16-0-2) fell to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (23-15-9-3) in a 3-0 decision on Saturday night at Hertz Arena. The defeat marked only the second time this season that the Everblades were shut out.
FIRST STAR: Ryan Bednard (GRN) - 19 saves, shutout
SECOND STAR: Matt Bradley (GRN) - one goal, +1, three shots
THIRD STAR: Frank Hora (GRN) - one goal, +2, six shots
The Everblades appeared to have scored in the middle of the first period with Myles Powell battling in front of the net. Upon further review, it was determined that Powell illegally kicked the puck across the goal line, and the tally was erased.
Greenville began mounting pressure in the second period on the man-advantage. After the Blades killed off a double minor called against Matt Petgrave, John McCarron was whistled for slashing, and Florida’s penalty-kill unit was pressed back into service. On the power play, Matt Bradley batted in a rebound past Florida goaltender Jake Hildebrand to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 edge (8:04).
With just over five minutes left in the second, the puck caromed off the wall in the Florida zone and found Frank Hora who scored on a sharp wrister (14:44). Jack Poehling added an empty-net goal late in the third to seal a 3-0 win for the Swamp Rabbits (19:22).
While Greenville used the power play to gain momentum in the second period, Florida could not find any success on the man-advantage. The Blades finished the night 0-for-4 on the power play and only tested the Swamp Rabbits’ goaltender Ryan Bednard with 19 shots.
The Everblades play next on Friday, Apr. 23 at 7:30 p.m. against the Jacksonville Icemen (21-18-3-3) at Hertz Arena. Enjoy 239 Fridays! Get two premium seats, two cheeseburgers and fries, and two autographed programs for only $39! Take advantage of the 239 Fridays online only offer at FloridaEverblades.com/239. Kids 12 and under eat free with purchase of an adult entree at Breakaway Sports Pub, located inside Hertz Arena. All frontline/essential workers receive a buy one, get one free ticket offer for all remaining Friday regular season home games. Find the Frontline Fridays ticket offer HERE. .
Florida and Jacksonville meet again on Saturday, Apr. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Hertz Arena. Help the Blades fight the good fight on Marvel Super Hero Night! The team will be masked as Groot, decking out in specialty jerseys for the game. Marvel-themed intermission games and activities, references to the movies, and more! In addition to Marvel Super Hero night, there will be a cooler bag giveaway to the first 1,000 fans presented by Arthrex. Also enjoy free live music from James Prather from 5:00-7:00 p.m. outside of Hertz Arena! Find tickets for the game on Apr. 24HERE.
The weekend wraps up on Sunday, Apr. 25 when the Everblades take on the Icemen at 3:00 p.m. at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville.
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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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