ESTERO, Fla. – In the final head-to-head meeting between the teams this season, the Florida Everblades (35-17-2-2) rallied past the South Carolina Stingrays (24-20-10-3) 3-2 in another see-saw affair at Hertz Arena.

FIRST STAR: Stefan Leblanc (FLA)- one goal, +3, 1 shot, game-winning goal

SECOND STAR: Joe Pendenza (FLA)- one goal, one assist, +1, two shots

THIRD STAR: Jake Hildebrand (FLA) – 38 saves, 19th win of the year

BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS

Florida opened the score just 20 seconds into the game. Everblades rookie forward Cole Sanford darted in behind the South Carolina defense and slipped the puck past goaltender Matt Jurusik for his first goal in a Florida uniform to give the Everblades a 1-0 lead (0:20).

In the second period, the Stingrays tied the game on the power-play. Dan DeSalvo waltzed in from center ice and snapped a slot shot by netminder Jake Hildebrand for his 15th goal of the season (3:23).South Carolina took the lead midway through the middle stanza. From the left circle, Blake Hillman’s centering pass was deflected by Mark Cooper, who notched his 8th of the campaign making it 2-1 (9:58).Florida got back on even terms just over two minutes later. Veteran forward Joe Pendenza went five-hole on a shot from the right circle burying his 15th marker of the year to even the score 2-2. Myles Powell and Michael Huntebrinker collected the helpers on evening the score (12:11).In the third period, Florida grabbed back the lead. Pendenza sent a centering feed in front for Stefan Leblanc, who deflected in the eventual game-winning goal for his career-high fourth tally of the season at the 7:28 mark giving the Everblades a 3-2 advantage.Late in the third, South Carolina pulled its goalie for the extra attacker but the Blades would hold on for their 35th victory of the season. The Everblades finished the 13-game season series with an impressive 10-1-1-1 record against the Stingrays.

The Everblades return to Hertz Arena this Wednesday, May 12th against the Jacksonville Icemen at 7:30 p.m. Enjoy $3 Bud Light Drafts, $3 Barefoot Wine, $3 John Morrell Hot Dogs, and $4 New Amsterdam and Pink Whitney Vodka! Calling all College Students – Show your College ID at the Hertz Arena Box Office and receive $5 tickets at every Blades Wednesday Night home game! Find tickets for the game on May 12 HERE.

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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 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 clickHERE.

2021 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 the 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 BROADCASTSWatch every Florida Everblades game on the new home for ECHL hockey atFloHockey.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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