ESTERO, Fla. – Florida Everblades Captain John McCarron scored his franchise-record 146th regular-season goal early in the second period, but the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (19-22-4-3) scored two unanswered goals in the third period to claim a 3-2 victory Wednesday night at Hertz Arena. The setback snapped a six-game winning streak and a nine-game point streak for the Everblades (30-16-4-4).

The teams traded first period goals, but Winiecki netted his team-leading 24th goal of the season to stake the Everblades to an early 1-0 lead just 5:42 into the contest, just 27 seconds into Florida’s first power-play opportunity. Winiecki connected on a wrist shot from the right circle, with assists going to McCarron and Stefan Leblanc.

At the 11:09 mark, Greenville tied the game at 1-1, as Ben Freeman picked up a power-play goal, knocking in a rebound after a flurry of shots at Blades’ netminder Parker Gahagen at the 11:09 mark. The 1-1 deadlock would hold up into the first intermission.

With 6:18 elapsed in the second period, McCarron put the Everblades back on top, 2-1, knocking the puck past Greenville goaltender Jacob Ingham to make history. Not only did the marker put the Blades in the driver’s seat, but it gave Captain Everblade his 146th regular-season goal in a Florida uniform, a Franchise record. The milestone goal lifted McCarron past Reggie Berg atop the club’s regular-season leaderboard. McCarron and Berg, an Everblades legend from 1999 through 2007, are now tied for the franchise record with 164 career overall goals, which also includes playoffs. McCarron’s 24th goal of the season was assisted by Winiecki and Xavier Bouchard. 

In the third period, Nikita Pavlychev scored at the 7:05 juncture to pull the Swamp Rabbits even at 2-2. Greenville’s Shawn Cameron registered the game-winner at 14:47 to seal the 3-2 win for the visitors.

For the Everblades, Gahagen (12-8-1-1) made 23 saves and saw a four-game winning streak come to an end. Ingham (6-4-1-1) turned aside 23 Florida shots and earned the victory for the Swamp Rabbits.

The Everblades continue the longest homestand of the year with the second of three meetings with the Swamp Rabbits Friday at 7:30 pm. During each Friday home game of the 2021-22 season, fans can enjoy the action with the popular 239 ticket package, which pays tribute to Southwest Florida's area code and provides a great deal! You get two premium seat tickets, two autographed programs, and two Riptide Brewing IPA beers for just $39! Tickets can be purchased HERE.

Also, as a thank you to our first responder heroes, frontline workers are eligible to receive a buy one, get one ticket offer for all remaining Friday home games while supplies last. Get your tickets HERE.

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

###