ESTERO, Fla. -- The Everblades suffered a shootout loss for the second time at Hertz Arena this season after coming up short 3-2 on Saturday night against the Jacksonville Icemen.

It took just 6:18 of play for the Blades to get the raucous Hertz Arena crowd of 6,097 on their feet. Cruising into the offensive zone, Alex Aleardi deflected the puck off a Jacksonville skate and across the goalmouth to put Florida up 1-0. The lone assist went to Levko Koper, who sent in a pass from the neutral zone.

Luke Lynch’s goal evened the game for Jacksonville when he shifted to the far circle and flipped a backhand shot past Blades goalie Parker Gahagen. The official time for the mark, assisted by Jeff Taylor and Travis Howe, was 18:52 of the first period.

The Icemen took their first lead of the night in the middle stanza when Derek Lodermeier got alone and smoked a shot into the cage from between the circles. It was another late-period strike for Jacksonville with 1:23 remaining. With six seconds until the intermission, Blake Winiecki tied the game for the Blades, going top-shelf while standing along the near side of the goal line. The conversion marked Winiecki’s ninth consecutive game where he recorded a point.

A scoreless third period led the teams to overtime, where neither goaltender would budge. Derek Lodermeier’s goal in the third round of the shootout secured the 3-2 win for Jacksonville. Winiecki, Aleardi and John McCarron each came up empty handed in the skills competition for the Everblades. The shortcoming puts them at 7-3-1-2 this season while the Icemen now possess an overall record of 5-6-1-1.

The Everblades will head north to Jacksonville next week for a three-game series against the Icemen. The first matchup takes place this Wednesday, Nov. 24 at 7:00 pm. The game will be carried on FloSports.TV and ESPN Southwest Florida on 770 AM, 98.1 FM, 104.3 FM and online athttps://espnswfl.com.   

The next home game for the Blades will take place on Wednesday Dec. 1 when the Trois-Rivieres Lions come to town for the first time in history. Fans can enjoy Hump Day Deals including $3 John Morrell hot dogs and $3 Bud Light drafts. College students can show a valid student ID at the box office to purchase a student ticket for only $5! The action begins at 7:30 pm and tickets can be purchased HERE.

--

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 Voucher 12 package that allows you to use 12 tickets in any quantity during the 2021-22 season to earn the exclusive benefits of being a Blades 365 Member! To view the Blades 365 Membership savings, benefits and options click HERE.

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 CONVERSATION

Watch every Florida Everblades game on FloHockey.TV. Listen to the exciting game action on ESPN Southwest Florida on 770 AM, 98.1 FM, 104.3 FM and online athttps://espnswfl.com. 

Stay up to date by following the Florida Everblades on Social Media with all the latest news, scores and promotions on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tiktok, and Twitter.

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

###