EVERBLADES FALL TO STINGRAYS

ESTERO, Fla. –  The Florida Everblades rallied with third-period goals by Jake Smith and Stefan Leblanc, but came up on the short end of a 5-2 decision, falling to the South Carolina Stingrays Friday night at Hertz Arena.

Two goals in a 26-second span gave South Carolina a 2-0 lead at the 7:46 mark of the opening period. Kevin O’Neil scored on a man advantage for the ECHL’s top power-play unit, while Ryan Scarfo added an even-strength goal.

In the second period, South Carolina scored three goals to jump ahead 5-0. Anthony Del Gaizo scored at 12:33, Logan Courtnall connected at 19:31 and Bear Hughes added a goal at 19:57.

Florida picked up a pair of goals in the third period. Smith got the Everblades on the board, finding the net for the third straight contest with his 21st goal of season at the 7:48 mark. Leblanc and Blake Winiecki assisted on the power-play marker, which was Smith’s 17th goal with the Blades. Leblanc added a goal at 14:35 to close out his personal two-point night, while Cole Moberg picked up the helper.

South Carolina outshot the Everblades 36-35 and picked up its first victory in seven games between the rivals this season. Each team was whistled for 25 minutes in penalties on seven infractions.

The Blades and Stingrays wrap up the three-game series Saturday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m. Saturday’s tilt will feature a fan favorite in Blackout Night, as the Everblades will don black specialty jerseys. The Blackout jerseys will be auctioned off to benefit the Passion Foundation and its fight against Melanoma. Fans should plan to come out early for live music and bounce houses at our popular Saturday Tailgate party from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Get your Saturday tickets by clicking HERE.

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JOIN THE FUN

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.

Group Packages are available for a group of 10 or more!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.

Grab the newest and hottest Everblades 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 and online at https://espnswfl.com or everblades.mixlr.com. 

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The Florida Everblades are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Florida Panthers and the AHL's Charlotte Checkers.

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