Blades Claim South Division Title in Regular Season Finale

ESTERO, Fla. -- The Everblades (42-20-6-4) scored all five of their goals within the final twenty minutes of play on Saturday night as they closed the regular season with a 5-3 win over the Atlanta Gladiators (43-24-4-1) at Hertz Arena. 

The defensemen stood tall from both sides in the first period with no goals being recorded. The Everblades outshot the Gladiators 9-6 and saw three power play opportunities. Atlanta came up empty in their lone man-advantage of the opening frame.

The Gladiators capitalized on their second power play attempt at 7:59 of the second period when Hugo Roy chipped in a rebound for a 1-0 Atlanta lead. Sanghoon Shin and Derek Nesbitt delivered the assists for the only goal leading up to the second intermission.

Penalty trouble bit the Everblades again in the third period after a Derek Nesbitt shot found the net just 40 seconds in to make the score 2-0 Atlanta. From there, the Blades raced in front with three goals 50 seconds apart between Levko Koper (1:19), Alex Aleardi (1:55) and Matteo Gennaro (2:09). Peter Bates provided damage control for Atlanta by tying the game 3-3 at the 9:33 mark.

The Everblades regained the lead at 4-3 courtesy of Joe Pendenza (12:45), beating Gladiators goaltender Chris Nell from the right circle. Pendenza got the job done from the same exact location 2:09 later for Florida’s fifth goal of the final period. That mark was the grand finale for the team as they went on to solidify the victory at 5-3. The win places the Blades in the #1 seed of the South Division for the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

Join us this weekend for games one and two of the first round of the 2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs! Game one is on Friday, April 22 at 7:30 pm. Grab one of the last 239 packages of the season that includes two Premium tickets, one large popcorn and two autographed programs for only $39 and a savings of over 50%! Also, kids 12 and under eat free at Breakaway Sports Pub with the purchase of an adult entrée. 

Game two is on Saturday, April 23 at 7:00pm. Enjoy a pregame tailgate from 5-7 pm with live music! Secure tickets for both games by visiting HERE. 

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JOIN THE FUN

2022 Kelly Cup Playoff Tickets are now on sale. Join the Blades in their pursuit for a second Kelly Cup title! To learn more, call or text (239) 948-7825 or purchase HERE. 

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 2022-23 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 or Mixlr at www.mixlr.com/florida-everblades. 

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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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