EVERBLADES PICK UP A POINT IN OT

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Luke Santerno gave the Florida Everblades a 3-2 lead late in the third period in his Blades’ debut, but the Savannah Ghost Pirates evened the score and went on to claim a 4-3 victory in overtime Saturday night at Enmarket Arena.

The first period belonged to the Everblades, as the good guys struck twice in a 1:14 span midway through the opening frame. Joe Pendenza got the scoring started, as he picked up his team-leading 15^th goal of the year, tipping in a blast from Zach Uens at the 10:49 mark, with Will Reilly earning a secondary assist. 

Reilly would double the Blades’ lead with his fourth goal of the season at 12:03, as Uens and Slava Demin claimed the helpers, giving the Everblades a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

Unfortunately, Florida’s two-goal lead would be erased by the home team in the second period, as Carter Long converted at the 2:39 mark and Alex Swetlikoff scored the equalizer at 8:29, pulling Savannah even at 2-2 heading into the second intermission.

The deadlock would last deep into the third period until Santerno gave the Everblades a 3-2 lead with the team’s third goal from way up top at the15:35 off assists from Demin and Cam Darcy. The goal was Santerno’s first as an Everblade and fourth in the ECHL this season.

With Savannah’s goal empty, Alex Gilmour knotted the game at 3-3, as the Ghost Pirates struck at 18:16 of regulation. 

Savannah’s Simon Pinard snapped the deadlock just 27 seconds into overtime to give the Ghost Pirates a 4-3 victory. 

The Ghost Pirates claimed a 26-24 edge in shots on goal. Evan Cormier (8-5-3-0) registered 22 saves for the Everblades, while Jordan Papirny (4-4-1-0) tallied 21 saves for Savannah.

The Everblades will return to Hertz Arena for a four-game homestand which will get underway on Wednesday, February 7 with the first of three games against the North Division leading Adirondack Thunder at 7:30 p.m. Fans can enjoy another popular Hump Day Deal with $3.00 beers, $3.00 hot dogs and live music by DJ Matty Chiuch throughout the evening 

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

 

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BLADES BITS

The tandem of Will Reilly and Zach Uens registered two points apiece in the first period, with Reilly picking up a goal and an assist and Uens chipping in a pair of helpers. Reilly’s multi-point game was his fourth of the season, with all four coming in a nine-game span. For Uens, the two-point effort was his first of the season.

Slava Demin also had a two-point game, his first of the season, thanks to a pair of assists.

Luke Santerno’s third-period goal in his Florida debut was his fourth ECHL goal this season, adding to the three tallies he had in 34 games with Kansas City before joining the Blades on Friday. 

Neither team capitalized on the power-play, as the Everblades went 0-for-4 on the man advantage, while the Ghost Pirates also came up empty on four power-play opportunities.  Both teams were whistled for 10 penalty minutes on five minor penalties.

Saturday Night’s Scoresheet 

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