Everblades to Play Four Games in Five Days

ESTERO, Fla. – A busy week is on tap, as the Florida Everblades will lace up the skates for four games in five days. The action-packed stretch gets started on Wednesday, as the Blades will host the Utah Grizzlies in the only matchup between the opposing teams this season. Following the week’s only home game, the Everblades will head north for three games in three days against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits next weekend. The Blades and Bunnies will face off Friday and Saturday night at 7:05 pm, before closing out the series with a Sunday matinee at 3:05 pm. The three-in-three sojourn will be Florida’s final regular-season trip to the Upstate region of South Carolina this season. 

ON ICE THIS WEEK

Wednesday, January 26 Grizzlies at Everblades Hertz Arena 7:30 pmPROMOTIONS: Every Wednesday home game at The Swamp features some awesome Hump Day deals, including $3 John Morrell hot dogs and Bud Light drafts. Also, college students can show a valid student ID at the box office to purchase their student ticket for only $5. Students can also purchase tickets online HERE.Friday, January 28 Everblades at Swamp Rabbits Bon Secours Wellness Arena 7:05 pmSaturday, January 29 Everblades at Swamp Rabbits Bon Secours Wellness Arena 7:05 pmSunday, January 30 Everblades at Swamp Rabbits Bon Secours Wellness Arena 3:05 pmRead more about the Blades’ busy promotional schedule and great deals HERE.

NEWS AND NOTES

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW: After dropping a Martin Luther King Day matinee 4-2 to the homestanding Atlanta Gladiators in which John McCarron the Everblades franchise record for career points, the Blades and Glads shifted the series to Hertz Arena. Atlanta took the first contest on Friday by a 5-3 count, while the Everblades bounced back to claim a 3-2 win Saturday night. Newcomer Avery Peterson led the club with two goals, finding the net in each of his first two games with the Blades this past weekend.

SPREADING IT AROUND: Over the course of three games last week, 13 different Everblades recorded at least one point, led by Blake Winiecki who notched four points (1 G, 3 A) and Bobo Carpenter who tallied three (1 G, 2 A). Tyler Peterson was the only Blade to score two goals, as six different players found the net once. In the helper department, Winiecki collected a team-high three assists, while Carpenter and Joe Pendenza each recorded two. Seven different players had one assist.

THIS WEEK’S OPPONENTS: Two different ECHL opponents are on this week’s busy docket. The Utah Grizzlies will make their lone appearance of the season at Hertz Arena on Wednesday, as the Blades tune up for a three-in-three trip to face the Greenville Swamp Rabbits Friday through Sunday.

GRIZZLY SEASON: As Florida and Utah prepare to meet for the first time this season, a closer look at the Grizzlies is in order. The Utah Grizzlies are the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Utah currently leads the Mountain Division of the West Conference by a healthy margin, as they sport a 25-12-1-1 mark which is good for a league-best 52 points and a division-leading .667 winning percentage. They are the first ECHL team to reach the 25-win plateau this year.

THE SERIES WITH UTAH: Since rebranding as the Utah Grizzlies in 2005 after calling several different locales home from 1988 through 2003, Florida and Utah have met four different times. Florida sports an interesting 1-1-1-1 record across those four matchups. On March 8, 2017, the teams met for the first time and played for the only time in the series at Hertz Arena. Despite two assists from John McCarron, the only current Blade who appeared in that game, the Blades fell 4-3. In late November 2019, the squads met three times in West Valley City, Utah’s Maverik Center. The Blades went 1-0-1-1 in that series in which they outscored the Grizzlies 14-13. In the lone Florida win, 6-3 on November 29, 2019, six different Blades scored goals, including Blake Winiecki, who also added an assist. Ben Masella had two assists, while McCarron added one. Cam Johnson logged 31 saves and picked up the win in goal. 

THE SERIES WITH GREENVILLE: The Everblades and Swamp Rabbits have already met four times this season, with the good guys holding a 3-1 advantage in the season series. Back in November, Florida swept a two-game set in Greenville, posting a 4-0 win on November 12, behind a 21-save shutout from Parker Gahagen and two goals from Joe Pendenza, and taking a 5-4 triumph on November 13, as the Blades scored three unanswered third-period goals to rally from a 4-2 deficit. The teams split a pair of games at Bon Secours Arena two weeks ago, as the Everblades posted a 3-1 victory on January 14, while the Swamp Rabbits were a 3-1 winner the following night. This week’s series will mark the Blades’ final regular-season trip to Greenville this year, but the teams will meet for one more series in Estero on March 2, 4 and 5.

WINIECKI HITS 100…AND NEEDS ONE FOR 100: Blake Winiecki’s goal that opened the scoring in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Atlanta was the 100th goal of the Lakeville, Minnesota’s professional career. While Winiecki’s next goal will be the 101st of his professional career, it will also be his 100th in an Everblades sweater. He scored one goal with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers during a seven-game stint back in 2019-20.

STREAKING WITH BLAKE: Despite missing last Monday’s game against Atlanta – for good reason – Blake Winiecki remains on quite a roll, collecting at least one point in each of the last six games he was in the Everblades lineup. Over his six-game point streak, Winiecki has registered 10 points on four goals and six assists. The one game he missed? It was to accommodate last Monday’s ECHL All-Star Classic and Winiecki scored two goals and picked up an assist in his first ECHL All-Star appearance. Back in November, Winiecki assembled a 10-game point streak in which he tallied 16 points on 10 goals and six assists.

HOW ABOUT 400 POINTS FOR ALEARDI?: Alex Aleardi, who is on a uncharacteristic five-game dry spell after not going more than two games without a point at any time this season, is sitting on 399 career points as a pro. During a 476-game professional career on both sides of the Atlantic, Aleardi has registered 184 goals and 215 assists, good for 399 points.  

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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.

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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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