Everblades Ready to Take Care of Bears

WHO: Florida Everblades vs. Orlando Solar BearsWHERE: Hertz Arena (Estero, Fla.)WHEN: Wednesday, February 23 at 7:30 pmTICKETS:  Purchase tickets for Wednesday’s game and all future Everblades games HERE.PROMOTIONS: 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.BROADCAST: 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.

ESTERO, Fla. – The Florida Everblades open a four-game week which sees them cross paths with three different opponents. Opening the week, a 7:30 pm contest against the Orlando Solar Bears at Hertz Arena will close out a four-game homestand.

THE OPPONENT: Enter the Orlando Solar Bears (25-19-3-0, 53 points) who sit squarely in fourth place with a .564 points percentage. Over the past 10 games, the Solar Bears sport a 5-4-1-0 record, while they enter play with a 10-11-1-0 record in games away from the Amway Center.

THE SERIES: The Blades and Bears have met nine times this season, with the Everblades holding a 4-4-1-0 record. Most recently, the rivals met in Orlando on February 12 and 13 with the Blades picking up a 2-1 victory in the series opener and the Solar Bears claiming a 5-4 overtime win in the finale. 

TOP BEAR HUNTERS: John McCarron (8 G, 4 A, 12 points), Blake Winiecki (4 G, 7 A, 11 points) lead all Florida scorers in games against Orlando, while Joe Pendenza (4 G, 3 A, 7 points) and Levko Koper (2 G, 5 A, 7 points) are right behind them. In net, Parker Gahagen is 1-1 with a 2.03 GAA and a .946 save percentage.

LAST TIME OUT: The Everblades closed out a two-game sweep of the visiting South Carolina Stingrays with a second consecutive 4-3 victory on Saturday. Leading the way for the Blades were Dylan Vander Esch, who scored two goals, and Joe Pendenza who collected three assists, as 6,741 energetic fans home left Hertz Arena happy. Florida scored three second-period goals and rallied from a 2-1 deficit. Jake McLaughlin and Stefan Leblanc also found the net for the good guys, while Tomas Vomacka registered 22 saves to earn his seventh win of the year.   

CHECKING IN ON THE CAPTAIN: After registering four goals in three games and six goals in five games, Captain Everblade has gone three consecutive games without a goal, but adding a pair of assists to help the Blades pick up five points in the standings. As a Blade, the Captain’s career goal totals remain at 144 in the regular season and 162 in all games including playoffs. The franchise’s all-time point leader remains one goal shy of Reggie Berg’s career regular-season mark of 145 and within two of Berg’s overall mark of 164. With six goals in eight February games – and three two-goal games and one hat trick in his arsenal this season – the franchise career goal scoring marks are squarely within the Captain’s sights.

FIVE GAMES IN A ROW WITH AT LEAST ONE POINT: The Everblades have picked up at least one point in five straight games, posting a 3-0-1-1 record for eight points in the current stretch dating back to February 12. This streak is the Blades’ third-longest run this season. Florida rattled off eight straight games with at least one point from November 12-27, claiming a 4-0-2-2 mark (12 points) during that run. The team also had a six-game string with at least one point from December 31-January 14, going 5-0-1-0 (16 points) in that run.

OUR THREE PERFECT TENS: Three Everblades remain among the ECHL’s top-10 point scorers. Blake Winiecki is currently in third place with 51 total points on 22 goals and 29 assists. John McCarron is tied for fourth in the league with 50 points on 22 goals and 28 assists, while Joe Pendenza comes in tied for eighth with 46 points on 19 goals and 27 helpers. Both Winiecki and McCarron are tied for second in the loop in goals, while Winiecki is tied for fifth in assists.

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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.

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 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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