Everblades Split With Stingrays

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. –  A third-period goal by Mark Senden got the Florida Everblades on the board, but it was not enough to erase a two-goal deficit, as the Blades fell to the South Carolina Stingrays by a 3-1 count Sunday afternoon at North Charleston Coliseum. The ECHL South Division rivals split a two-game series as the Everblades fell in regulation for the first time in eight games.

For a second consecutive night, the Everblades and Stingrays battled to a scoreless opening period. The Blades could not get the offense rolling after the opening draw, but an 11-save effort from goaltender Cam Johnson kept the score even heading into the first break. South Carolina claimed an 11-4 advantage in the shot department, but came up short on all three first-period power-play opportunities.

Scoreless hockey would remain in fashion late into the second period, but South Carolina struck first, notching a power-play goal at 16:01 of the middle frame. Ivan Lodnia staked the Stingrays to a 1-0 lead just 13 seconds into the home team’s fifth power-play opportunity of the afternoon. The Everblades claimed a 9-7 edge in shots on goal in the middle frame, while also coming up scoreless on two power-play shifts.

South Carolina doubled the lead early in the third period, as Benton Maass made it 2-0 in favor of the Stingrays at 6:42 of the final frame, but the home team’s two-goal lead would be short lived.

Just 19 seconds after coincidental roughing minors resulted in the team’s playing 4-on-4 hockey, Senden got on the board for the Everblades, trimming the South Carolina lead to 2-1. The goal was Senden’s eighth goal of the year, while Zach Uens and Will Reilly picked up the assists.

With the Blades holding a 6-on-4 advantage after a South Carolina minor penalty with 2:10 to play and Florida pulling netminder Johnson, the Stingrays’ Ryan Leibold scored an empty-net shorthanded goal at the 18:40 mark to close out the scoring at 3-1 in favor of the home team.

Both teams took 27 shots on goal. Johnson (15-10-4-2) made 24 saves for the Everblades, while Mitchell Gibson (16-8-1-1) stopped 26 shots for the Stingrays.

With the three-game road trip in the rear-view mirror, the Everblades will return to Hertz Arena to close out February with a three-game set against the Worcester Railers on Wednesday February 21, Friday, February 23 and Saturday, February 24. Puck drop for the first two games will be 7:30 p.m., while Saturday’s matchup will begin at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday’s game features another popular Hump Day Deal, with fans able to purchase hot dogs and beer for $3.00 apiece, while enjoying live music from DJ Matty Chiuch.

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

 

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BLADES BITS

The 2-1 regulation loss was the first for the Everblades in eight games, as Florida entered Sunday’s contest with a 4-0-2-1 mark in the last seven games.

Mark Senden snapped a four-game streak without a goal, as he potted the Everblades’ first goal of the contest just over seven minutes into the game. It was Senden’s second point in three games, on the heels of his assist in Jacksonville on Friday.

Zach Uens picked up his first assist since he collected two helpers in back-to-back games on February 3 in Savannah and February 7 versus Adirondack.

Will Reilly also logged his first assist since dishing out helpers in consecutive games in Savannah on February 2-3.

Sunday Afternoon’s Scoresheet 

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