PENDENZA’S FOUR-POINT NIGHT LEADS BLADES

SAVANNAH, Ga. – A four-point night by Joe Pendenza led a cadre of six different goal scorers on a night that saw the Florida Everblades score a season-high three power-play goals en route to a 7-4 victory over the Savannah Ghost Pirates Saturday night at Enmarket Arena.

The first period belonged to the visiting Everblades, as an even-strength goal by Pendenza (4:25) and a power-play tally by Sean Josling (16:50) gave the good guys a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

Savannah came back with a vengeance to start off a busy middle period which saw the South Division rivals combine for five goals as the host Ghost Pirates pulled ahead 3-2, before Florida reclaimed a 4-3 edge after 40 minutes. An early goal by Ross Armour (1:48) and a pair of scores by Logan Drevitch (9:54 and 12:27) gave Savannah its only lead of the contest before Florida pulled ahead 4-3 on a power-play goal by Will Reilly (15:05) and an even-strength marker by Oliver Chau (16:48) to close out a busy middle frame.

In the third, the Everblades got a quick goal by Cam Hausinger (2:08) to extend Florida’s lead to 5-3, but Savannah’s Drevitch finished off his hat trick just 12 seconds later (2:20) to trim the Blades’ advantage to 5-4.  Jordan Sambrook registered the Blades’ third power-play marker of the evening moments later (4:44) to restore the two-goal lead at 6-4. An empty-net goal by Pendenza with 18 seconds to play closed out the scoring.

Savannah outshot the Everblades 47-27, but Florida’s Evan Cormier (7-4-2-0) registered 42 saves on a busy evening in net. For Savannah, Michael Bullion (9-8-2-1) made 17 saves before giving way to Michael McNiven, who made three saves in just over 11 minutes of action.

Sunday at 3:00 p.m., the Everblades and Ghost Pirates will play their fifth consecutive game, with the Blades ready to return home to open a three-game homestand on Wednesday, January 24 against the Atlanta Gladiators. The 7:30 p.m. game will feature the always-popular Hump Day Deal, as fans can enjoy $3.00 hot dogs and $3.00 beers, while also being entertained by DJ Matty Chiuch.

Next weekend, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits will return to Hertz Arena for a 7:30 p.m. contest on Friday, January 26 and a 7:00 p.m. tilt on Saturday, January 27. Another 239 Friday will see fans able to purchase two tickets, a large popcorn and a souvenir program for just $39. Saturday will be a big night at Hertz Arena, as the evening starts with a pre-game tailgate party with live music, while the game will see the team decked out in specialty jerseys that will be available for purchase through an online auction, with proceeds benefitting Animal Refuge Center.

Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information and to purchase tickets. 

 

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BLADES BITS

With the victory, the Everblades moved to 3-1 in the extended five-game home-and-home series which concludes on Sunday, while improving to 4-1 in the season series.

Six different Everblades scored goals and 10 different Blades registered points on the night.

Joe Pendenza and Sean Josling both reached double-digit goal scoring on the season, and now have 12 and 10 goals this year, respectively, while Pendenza notched his fourth and fifth markers of the year on Savannah, tops among all Blades skaters.

Three was a magic number for the Everblades, as the team collected three power-play goals for the first time this season. In addition, with his first four-point night of the year, Pendenza extended his point streak to three games, notching three goals and three assists in that run.

Will Reilly has recorded back-to-back multi-point games, his first two two-point performances this season. Over a three-game point streak, Reilly has posted a pair of goals and collected three assists.

Nathan Staios joined Pendenza with two assists apiece, while Reilly and Josling both had a goal and assist for two points each. 

Both teams were whistled for 31 minutes on 10 penalties.

Saturday Night’s Scoresheet 

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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 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! 

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