Everblades Look to Sweep Stingrays

WHO: Everblades vs. South Carolina Stingrays

WHERE: Hertz Arena (Estero, Fla.)

WHEN: Saturday, January 8 at 7:00 pm

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

PROMOTIONS: It’s another Saturday home game for the Blades and that means another free pregame tailgate party!  Come out to Hertz Arena early and tailgate from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. This Saturday’s tailgate party will feature live music by Kenny Girodano, kids’ activities, and food and drinks for all ages! Join us for a free pregame tailgate party before every Everblades Saturday home game all season long! Tickets can also be purchased HERE.

Saturday’s game is also Canadian Night at Hertz Arena, presented by TD Bank. Get specials on poutine and Labatt’s at Breakaway Sports Pub, Hertz Club at the Hertz Arena concessions stands!

Read more about the Blades’ busy promotional schedule and great deals HERE.

BROADCAST: Watch every Florida Everblades game on FloHockey.TV. 

ESTERO, Fla. – The Florida Everblades will look to close out a series sweep over the visiting South Carolina Stingrays Saturday night at Hertz Arena. John McCarron posted the first hat trick by an Everblade this season and the team scored a season-high eight goals in Friday night’s 8-3 victory to put Florida in a position to sweep the two-game series. Saturday night’s puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

Saturday’s game will be the final home game for the Everblades prior to the ECHL All-Star Break which is scheduled for January 18-20.

THE OPPONENT: The three-time Kelly Cup champions from North Charleston, S.C., the Stingrays (10-16-3-0) find themselves in seventh place in the South Division with 23 points. Andrew Cherniwchan leads the Swamp Rabbits with 21 points on 11 goals and 10 assists, while Justin Florek is hot on his heels with 18 points on 10 goals and eight assists.  The Rays are the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals and the AHL’s Hershey Bears.

THE SERIES: With a win in the series opener and the first matchup between the clubs this season, the Everblades improved to 119-73-24 (.606) all-time against the Stingrays. The 216 matchups – and 119 wins – are the Everblades’ most against any other ECHL team. 

LAST TIME OUT: John McCarron enjoyed a five-point night and scored the first hat trick by an Everblade this season and the Blades (17-8-3-3) erupted for a season-high eight goals on Friday night for an 8-3 victory over the South Carolina Stingrays (10-16-3-0) at Hertz Arena. Blake Winiecki (2 G, 1 A) and Alex Aleardi (1 G, 2A) also turned in three-point nights, while 10 different Everblades picked up at least one point in the victory.

EIGHT IS GREAT!: Friday’s eight-goal explosion was the highest goal total posted by the Everblades this season, eclipsing the septet of goals registered in a 7-3 victory at Norfolk on December 10. The Blades last put up eight goals in an 8-3 win at Atlanta on November 18, 2018. The Everblades last put up eight goals or more in Hertz Arena on April 8, 2017 in a 10-0 thumping of Orlando, the third time in the 2016-17 season that the good guys filled up the stat sheet (and the goal) with eight or more pucks.

SPEAKING OF EIGHT: Both John McCarron and Alex Aleardi have registered exactly eight points in their current three-game point streaks.  As we all know, half of eight is four, and both players have posted exactly four goals and four assists in those three-game streaks.

TWO-TIME STANLEY CUP CHAMPION IN BLADES LINEUP: Two-time Stanley Cup champion Trevor Daley has joined the Everblades and made his first appearance, drawing a starting nod in Friday’s 8-3 walloping of South Carolina. A two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins after their 2016 and 2017 Cup wins, Daley is in his 18th season of professional hockey. A second round (#43 overall) pick by the Dallas Stars in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Daley has spent most of his NHL tenure with the Stars, Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. The Toronto, ON native has appeared in 1,058 NHL regular-season games and also appeared in 118 games in the American Hockey League (AHL) between the Utah Grizzlies and Hamilton Bulldogs. In the NHL, Daley has registered 89 goals, 220 assists, 67 power-play points, 20 game-winning goals and 648 penalty minutes. 

HATTY FOR THE CAP: In Friday night’s 8-3 win over South Carolina, Everblades Captain John McCarron registered the first hat trick by an Everblade player this season and picked up his first three-bagger since February 3, 2018 in a 5-1 victory over Greenville in Hertz Arena. The last Blade to tickle the twine three times in one game was Michael Huntebrinker back on March 21, 2021, also in a 5-1 win over Greenville, but that one came on the road.

McCARRON WATCH: John McCarron picked up three goals and two assists in Friday night’s 8-3 win over South Carolina to continue his climb towards the top of all major offensive categories in the Everblades record book. With five points on Friday, Captain Everblade is just two points shy of the current club records for both regular-season and overall points.  With his first five-point game of the year, McCarron now has registered 317 regular-season points and 363 points including playoffs. The records in those categories are currently held by Reggie Berg, who amassed 319 regular-season points and 365 overall points, respectively, from 1999 through 2007.

AND THE WINIECKI WATCH: Friday’s goal was Blake Winiecki’s 75th career goal as an Everblade, including playoffs.  With two goals on Friday, the Lakeville, Minnesota product now has 98 career pro goals, including playoffs, leaving him two shy of 100 lamp lighters for his career.

BLADES DOMINATE LEAGUE POINT LEADERS: Four Everblades rank among the ECHL’s top eight players in points, with only one other team having a player in the league’s Top-10 Last night’s offensive eruption propelled Winiecki and Alex Aleardi into sole possession of the ECHL lead in both points and goals, respectively. Winiecki pulled into the top spot with 37 points, while Aleardi is atop the heap with 17 goals, one ahead of Winiecki and three others. With five points to raise his season total to 33, McCarron jumped four spots among the league’s point leaders, from 10th to sixth. Aleardi (5th, 32 pts) and Joe Pendenza (T7th, 30 points) also find themselves in the ECHL Top 10.

NEXT UP FOR THE BLADES: The Everblades will take to the road and spend next weekend in the Palmetto State.  The Blades will make their first trip to the Upstate region of South Carolina this season for a two-game series against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Games at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena are slated for Friday, January 14 and Saturday, January 15. Opening faceoff for both matchups in 7:05 pm. 

Read more about the Blades’ busy promotional schedule and great deals HERE.

--

JOIN THE FUNBecome 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.

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.

###