1. Home
  2. News
  3. Irvine's Hat Trick Leads Dominant Everblades to Eastern Conference Finals

Irvine's Hat Trick Leads Dominant Everblades to Eastern Conference Finals

Tuesday, May 16th
Irvine's Hat Trick Leads Dominant Everblades to Eastern Conference Finals

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. –  Tyler Irvine scored a hat trick as the Florida Everblades jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in a 5-2 victory to eliminate the Jacksonville Icemen in Game Six of the South Division Finals Monday night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Florida took the series by a 4-2 margin and will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Newfoundland Growlers for the second consecutive season.

Irvine got the scoring started for the Everblades at 9:13 of the first period, backhanding home a blocked shot taken by Zach Uens for his fifth goal of the playoffs. Cam Darcy also picked up an assist as Florida pulled ahead 1-0 with the team’s first lead since closing out their Game Three victory over Jacksonville in Estero. The Blades controlled the game’s first 20 minutes, outshooting the Icemen 11-5 and successfully killied off Jacksonville’s sole power-play opportunity of the period.

Cole Moberg chose an opportune time to notch the first goal by an Everblades defenseman this postseason, as he doubled the Blades’ lead to 2-0 at 1:51 of the second period. Logan Lambdin earned his first assist since the opening game of the series. The teams ended up trading second-period goals, as Ara Nazarian broke through for the Icemen at the 18:56 mark and cut the Blades’ lead to 2-1 after 40 minutes. Florida outshot Jacksonville for the sixth straight regulation period in the series, 9-6.

In the third period, Irvine struck again to give the Everblades a 3-1 lead at 11:19, converting a pass from Levko Koper just as he left the penalty box and got behind the Jacksonville defense to knock home the insurance goal. Irvine’s fourth goal of the series led all Florida players. Jacksonville’s Derek Lodermeier tipped in the puck with the Icemen on a six-on-five advantage at 18:32 to pull the home team within one, but empty-net goals by Levko Koper and Irvine in the final minute closed out the scoring.

Everblades goaltender Cam Johnson stopped 17 of 19 shots as his playoff record improved to 8-3-1, while former Blade Parker Gahagen made 23 saves and evened his record at 2-2 for Jacksonville. Florida registered a 28-19 advantage in shots on goal.

With two series wins in the rearview mirror, the Everblades will now move on to the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year. The Blades will battle the Newfoundland Growlers for the E.A. “Bud” Gingher Memorial Trophy and a spot in the 2023 Kelly Cup Finals. The Blades will battle the Newfoundland Growlers for the E.A. “Bud” Gingher Memorial Trophy and a spot in the 2023 Kelly Cup Finals. 

Hertz Arena will be the site of Game One on Friday, May 19, Game Two on Saturday, May 20 and Game Three on Monday, May 22. Home games will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Monday, and 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets for the first three games of the series will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 16 at the Fifth Third Bank Box Office at Hertz Arena, online HERE or by calling the Everblades office at 239-948-PUCK. 

---

JOIN THE FUN 

The 2023-24 season ticket plans are on sale now! Become a Blades 365 Member for the 2023-24 season and enjoy incredible savings and benefits! 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.  

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. 

### 

Upcoming Home Games

Full Schedule
Teddy Bear Toss
Saturday, December 7th
Teddy Bear Toss
Puck Drops:
7:00 PM EST
Hertz Arena
Jacksonville Icemen
JAX Jacksonville Icemen
at
Florida Everblades
FLA Florida Everblades
Hertz Arena
Hump Day Deals
Wednesday, December 11th
Hump Day Deals
Puck Drops:
7:30 PM EST
Hertz Arena
Orlando Solar Bears
ORL Orlando Solar Bears
at
Florida Everblades
FLA Florida Everblades
Hertz Arena
South Carolina Stingrays @ Florida Everblades
Friday, December 20th
South Carolina Stingrays @ Florida Everblades
Puck Drops:
7:30 PM EST
Hertz Arena
South Carolina Stingrays
SC South Carolina Stingrays
at
Florida Everblades
FLA Florida Everblades
Hertz Arena

Latest News

More News
"EVERBLADES TRADE MYLLARI TO SOLAR BEARS FOR ANGELI, SEND ANGELI TO GRIZZLIES IN BETTS DEAL
"EVERBLADES TRADE MYLLARI TO SOLAR BEARS FOR ANGELI, SEND ANGELI TO GRIZZLIES IN BETTS DEAL
BLADES AND ICEMEN SET FOR BACK-TO-BACK GAMES TONIGHT AFTER 3-2 WIN
BLADES AND ICEMEN SET FOR BACK-TO-BACK GAMES TONIGHT AFTER 3-2 WIN
CHAU'S TWO-GOAL SECOND PERIOD LEADS BLADES TO 3-2 WIN OVER ICEMEN
CHAU'S TWO-GOAL SECOND PERIOD LEADS BLADES TO 3-2 WIN OVER ICEMEN

Get Hockey Updates

Sign up for our email newsletter to be the first to know about news and upcoming games!