EVERBLADES NIPPED BY SWAMP RABBITS IN OT

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Florida Everblades jumped out to a 2-0 second-period lead, but fell victim to three unanswered goals and came up on the short end of a 3-2 overtime decision to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits Saturday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, settling for just one point in the ECHL standings.

The first two periods were as different as different could be. Despite outshooting the Swamp Rabbits 16-5 over the first 20 minutes, neither side could break through before the first intermission. The dearth of goals on both ends of the ice would end once the puck dropped on the second period.

Scoring in the second period started early and came often, with Florida netting the first two goals of the contest. Zach Tsekos struck first with a shorthanded tally at 1:14 for his second marker of the season and Wilmer Skoog followed in short order with his first professional goal, as the Everblades jumped out to a 2-0 lead at the 5:37 mark.

Not the gracious hosts, Greenville responded quickly with a J.D. Greenway goal at 6:36 that halved the Blades’ lead to 2-1. Six minutes later, the Blades’ first multi-goal lead of the series would be erased, as Tyler Inamoto converted at 12:40 to pull the Swamp Rabbits even at 2-2 heading into the second intermission.

Defense would once again be the standard in a scoreless third period, with Florida outshooting Greenville 12-11 and sending the game into overtime. The Everblades would play past 60 minutes for the second time this season, while the Swamp Rabbits went into extra time for the first time in the campaign.

Greenville’s Bobby Russell scored the overtime game-winner at 4:29 of overtime to claim a second point for the Swamp Rabbits. 

Evan Cormier (2-1-1-0) registered 31 saves in goal for the Everblades, while Ryan Bednard (3-0-0-0) turned aside 38 shots for the Swamp Rabbits.
 

The road trip concludes Sunday afternoon at 3:05 p.m., as the Everblades will look to pick up a win in the series finale before returning home for a two-game set with the Atlanta Gladiators at Hertz Arena on Friday, November 17 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, November 18 at 7:00 p.m. On Friday, welcome the Blades back to The Swamp for a 239 Friday and pick up two tickets, 2 nacho bowls and a souvenir program for the special price of $39. Saturday will be an extra special day as we celebrate Swampee’s Birthday with a Kelly Cup pennant giveaway and a special tailgate party complete with live music and bounce houses. There’s something for everybody! Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information and to purchase tickets. 
 

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BLADES BITS

• Saturday night’s contest marked Brad Ralph’s 500^th regular-season game as the Everblades' head coach. During his eight-year tenure with the Blades, Ralph sports a regular-season career mark of 317-132-51, while in 11 ECHL seasons overall as a head coach, Ralph has authored a 449-196-71 record in 716 games. The ECHL’s all-time leader with 130 career Kelly Cup playoff games coached, Ralph has a league-record 79 wins against just 51 losses, with two Kelly Cup championships to his credit. 
• With a goal and an assist in the second period, Zach Tsekos registered his second two-point game of the season. Tsekos’ first two-point effort came in the Everblades’ 4-0 victory over Orlando on November 1 at Hertz Arena.
• The three Everblades who picked up points on Friday all factored into the scoring for the second straight night. On Friday, Bobo Carpenter scored the Blades’ only goal, with Wilmer Skoog and Dennis Cesana picking up the assist. In the middle game of the series on Saturday, Carpenter and Cesana notched helpers on Tsekos’ opening goal, while Skoog added his first professional goal.
• Blueliner Cole Moberg came through on the offensive end and snapped a six-game scoreless streak with his second assist of the season on Skoog’s goal. His only other point this season was an assist in a 3-1 loss at Jacksonville on October 21.
• The Everblades reached the 40-shot plateau for the third straight game after coming up under 40 in each of the season’s first six games.
• Former Everblade Jake Smith picked up a second period assist for the Swamp Rabbits. Last season, Smith notched 32 points on 18 goals and 14 goals in a 45-game stint with Florida.

Saturday Night’s Scoresheet 

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