Everblades to Host Atlanta in Saturday Night Rubber Match

WHO: Everblades vs. Atlanta Gladiators

WHERE: Hertz Arena (Estero, Fla.)

WHEN: Saturday, December 18 at 7:00 pm

TICKETS: Purchase tickets for Saturday’s game and all future Everblades games HERE.

PROMOTION: Join us for a night of fun holiday festivities based on the Christmas classic Elf! In addition, every Saturday home matchup this season will kick off with a free pregame tailgate party!  Come out to Hertz Arena early and tailgate from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. This Saturday’s tailgate party will feature live music by Rob Ziruolo, kids’ activities, meet and greet with Santa and the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdale Horses! Also, skate on the ice post game, fans are encouraged to bring their own skates. Read more about the Blades’ busy promotional schedule and great deals HERE.BROADCAST: Watch every Florida Everblades game on FloHockey.TV. 

ESTERO, Fla. – The first-place Florida Everblades host the Atlanta Gladiators for the rubber match of their three-game series on a busy Saturday night at Hertz Arena.  Action will get underway at 7:00 pm. THE OPPONENT: The Atlanta Gladiators bring an 11-10-2-0 record into play Saturday night.  Our rivals from the Peach State find themselves in fourth place in the ECHL South with 24 points. Cody Sylvester leads all Atlanta skaters with 18 points (11 G, 7 A). Hugo Roy has scored a team-high 12 goals, while Luke Nogard has dished out a team-best 14 assists.THE SERIES: While Atlanta holds a 2-1 edge in 2021-22, the Everblades have a robust 105-56-15 (.639) edge over the course of the all-time series,LAST TIME OUT: Atlanta earned a 2-1 victory over the Everblades Friday night at Hertz Arena, snapping the Blades’ four-game winning streak as well as their own two-game losing streak. The Gladiators’ Michael Turner scored just two minutes into the contest to put the visitors on top 1-0.  After a scoreless second period, Atlanta extended their lead to 2-0 on a Cody Sylvester tally at 6:42 of the third frame. Florida’s Kody McDonald would snap the shutout with his third goal of the season off assists from John McCarron and Jake Jaremko at the 18:48 mark, but the Blades ultimately fell short 2-1 despite holding a commanding 36-20 advantage in shots on goal.SONG OF THE SOUTH: Despite Friday’s setback, the Everblades remain in first place in the ECHL South Division at 12-7-2-3 overall.  With 29 points, the Blades remain one point ahead of Jacksonville (13-8-1-1, 28 pts), which was idle on Friday. Orlando (12-10-1-0, 25 pts) sits in third-place, one point ahead of Atlanta (11-10-2-0, 24 pts). Norfolk (10-13-0-1, 21 pts) is in fifth, followed by Greenville (9-10-1-1) and South Carolina (9-10-2-0), both with 20 points.JAREMKO’S POINT STREAK HITS FIVE: Jake Jaremko picked up an assist on Kody McDonald’s late third-period goal on Friday to extend his point streak to five straight games, the longest streak by an Everblade heading into Saturday’s game.  Over the past five games, Jaremko has collected six points on three goals and three assists. THE CAPTAIN IS HOT: With an assist on Friday, Everblades Captain John McCarron has continued his strong December, tallying at least one point in each of the six games he has played this month. Over those six games, McCarron has collected seven points on two goals and five assists. Captain Everblade has dished out a helper in each of his last three games. With 352 career points in an Everblades sweater, including playoffs. Captain John McCarron is now just 13 points shy of Reggie Berg’s franchise record of 365. In regular-season games, McCarron’s 306 career points ranks third, four out of second place (310, Tom Buckley) and 13 short of the franchise mark (319, Reggie Berg).  In the goals and assists category, with 131 regular-season goals and 175 regular-season assists, McCarron is two goals away from second-place all-time in regular-season goals. Additionally, with 149 career goals in all games including playoffs, McCarron is one goal away from second place all-time in that category.APPROACHING FOUR FIGURES: Thanks to Wednesday’s victory, the Blades are just two wins away from the franchise’s 1000th victory. Dating back to the beginning in 1998, over 24 seasons, the Everblades have compiled a 998-495-54-113 all-time record (.652).SPEAKING OF FOUR…: Everblades veteran head coach Brad Ralph is four wins away from his 500th win as a head coach. In his 12th season as a head coach, Ralph sports a 496-213-69 (.682) career record. Breaking it down, Ralph sports a 448-193-65 (.681) mark in the pro ranks, a 377-159-58 (.684) ledger in the ECHL, and a 245-94-38 (.698) mark with the Blades, just five wins shy of 250 in Southwest Florida.

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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 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.

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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 at https://espnswfl.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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