ESTERO, Fla. -- The offense of the Florida Everblades (36-19-6-4) hit a wall on Friday night as they were blanked 3-0 by the Idaho Steelheads (35-28-2-1) at Hertz Arena. 

The Steelheads held a slight edge over the Blades in the first period, posting 11 shots compared to Florida’s five. With a scoreless tie at the intermission, the bright spot for the Everblades came from the penalty kill unit as they held off Idaho on both of their power-play chances.

After 13:16 of the second period, the Steelheads were able to find a hole in the Everblades defense with a tic-tac-toe goal from Will Merchant to take the 1-0 lead. They doubled the advantage exactly one minute later as Ryan Dmowski fired a shot into the net from the half wall. It was Idaho’s first power play tally of the game and their third of the series. 

Willie Knierim’s goal for the Steelheads at 6:39 of the third period served as the final blow for the Blades as he advanced the score to 3-0. Goaltender Jake Kupsky secured his third shutout of the season with 29 saves. 

The Everblades conclude their three-game homestand vs. Idaho tomorrow, April 2 at Hertz Arena. Every Saturday night Blades home game starts with a tailgate, and live music will be performed by James Prather from 5-7 pm. Also, it’s Marvel Super Hero night! Come join the Marvel Universe on Saturday, April 2 as the team is masked as Thor, wearing specialty jerseys for the game! The action begins at 7:00pm and tickets can be purchased HERE.

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

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JOIN THE FUN

2022 Kelly Cup Playoff Packages 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. 

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.

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

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.

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