CALISTI SCORES TWICE, FRANCO’S STREAK HITS 10 GAMES IN 4-1 WIN

ESTERO, Fla. – Robert Calisti scored two goals, Dominic Franco stretched his point streak to 10 games and Cam Johnson extended his unbeaten streak to five games as the Florida Everblades coasted to a 4-1 victory over the Kalamazoo Wings Saturday night at Hertz Arena.

It took a little while for the offense to click, but Brandon Hickey and Calisti scored 37 seconds apart to give the Everblades a 2-0 lead by the 9:46 mark of the opening period. Lukas Kälble and Jake Smith picked up the assists on Hickey’s goal, while Hickey earned the helper on Calisti’s score.

With just over three minutes to play in the middle period, Calisti’s second goal of the night extended the Blades’ lead to 3-0. Smith notched his second assist of the game, while Dominic Franco also added a helper, extending his ECHL-best point streak to double digits.

Oliver Chau padded the Blades’ advantage to 4-0 at 13:04 of the final period. Kälble picked up his second assist, while Kobe Roth also got in on the fun.

Kalamazoo’s Max Humitz spoiled Cam Johnson’s run at a second consecutive shutout with a power play goal at 17:35 of the third.

In between the pipes for the Everblades (11-3-2-1), Johnson registered 16 saves and picked up his seventh win of the season. For Kalamazoo (8-8-1-0), Evan Cormier made 27 saves and suffered the loss.

With the two-game series sweep of the K-Wings in the books, the Everblades will hit the road for a three-in-three stretch, facing the Greenville Swamp Rabbits at 7:05 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7 before meeting the Savannah Ghost Pirates for a pair of games on Thursday, Dec. 8 and Friday, Dec. 9 at 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively.

SCORING SUMMARY – Click for full box score   1st Period9:09 Florida B. Hickey 2 (L. Kälble, J. Smith)9:46 Florida R. Calisti 5 (B. Hickey)2nd Period17:07 Florida R. Calisti 6 (J. Smith, D. Franco)3rd Period13:04 Florida O. Chau 5 (L. Kälble, K. Roth)17:35 Kalamazoo M. Humitz 4 PP  (B. Saigeon)GOALTENDERSKalamazoo – Evan Cormier, 27 SavesFlorida – Cam Johnson, 16 SavesTEAM STATISTICSShots on Goal – Kalamazoo 17, Florida 31Power Plays – Kalamazoo 1-2, Florida 0-2Shorthanded Goals – Kalamazoo 0, Florida 0Penalties (Minutes) – Kalamazoo 2 (4) Florida 2 (4)

NEWS AND NOTES

• In the two-game series, the Everblades outscored Kalamazoo 7-1, while outshooting the K-Wings 65-37.
• With Saturday’s win, the Everblades have earned at least one point in seven straight games, posting a 5-0-1-1 mark and capturing 12 of a possible 14 points in that stretch. In addition, the Blades sport a 7-1-0-0 mark at Hertz Arena. Florida also improved to 18-3-5 all-time against Kalamazoo. 
• Kalamazoo managed just four shots on goal in the opening period, six in the second period and seven in the third frame, making it six straight periods that the Everblades held the K-Wings to single digits. Over the last three games, Florida has allowed less than 10 shots in eight straight periods and in 10 of the last 11 frames.
• The first-period goals scored by Brandon Hickey and Robert Calisti came 37 seconds apart, the quickest back-to-back goals scored by the Everblades this season. Back on November 23, Kyle Neuber and Oliver Chau potted goals 41 seconds apart in the second period at Jacksonville.
• Cam Johnson now sports a five-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1-1) and has won three straight games at home, the second time he has won three in a row at Hertz Arena this year.
• Dominic Franco ran his point streak to 10 games (4 G, 7 A), the longest current point streak in the ECHL.
• Hickey’s two-point game was his first multi-point performance of the season.
• Calisti registered his second two-goal game of the season, as he previously scored twice in a 5-2 win over Jacksonville on November 5. It was the third two-goal outing by an Everblade this season.
• Jake Smith’s two assists were his first two in an Everblades sweater and gave him at least one point in each of his first three games with the club (2 G, 2 A).
• Joe Pendenza (2 G, 5 A) and Ben Masella saw their respective six-game point and three-game assist streaks snapped.  

NEXT GAME 

The Everblades will head north for three road games in three days, starting with a 7:05 p.m. tilt on Wednesday, Dec. 7 against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in the Palmetto State. Back on Nov. 12-13, the Blades took three of a possible four points in the Upstate, dropping a 3-2 overtime decision before bouncing back with a 3-1 victory. After the quick stop in Greenville, the Blades will stop off in Savannah for a pair of contests on Thursday, Dec. 8 and Friday, Dec. 9 at 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively. Florida has a win in the only previous matchup with the Ghost Pirates, earning a 3-2 overtime win on Nov. 10.

After the three-game road trip, the Everblades will return to Hertz Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 14 for a 7:30 contest against the Orlando Solar Bears, the first of three matchups between the teams in an eight-day stretch. The Wednesday night battle will feature the popular Hump Day Deals with $3.00 Bud Light drafts and $3.00 hot dogs. With a college ID, enjoy discounted tickets by placing your order HERE.

Be sure and catch all the action 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 https://everblades.mixlr.com.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 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.

Calling all Everblades fans! Be among the first hockey fans in Southwest Florida to show off your pride in the newly-crowned Kelly Cup Champion Florida Everblades! Grab the newest and hottest Kelly Cup Championship merchandise by checking out the entire collection that is available online by visiting shop.floridaeverblades.com or at the Hertz Arena Pro Shop!

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, online at https://espnswfl.com or Mixlr at https://everblades.mixlr.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 Florida Panthers and the AHL's Charlotte Checkers.

###