ESTERO, Fla. – A sold out crowd of 7,358 fans came to Hertz Arena to see the Florida Everblades clinch a spot in the Kelly Cup Playoffs and earn an opportunity to defend the team’s back-to-back Kelly Cup championships.
The fans got exactly what they wanted to see.
With a 2-1 victory over the South Carolina Stingrays in the penultimate game of the regular season on Friday night, the Everblades won for the fifth straight game, locked up a postseason berth, and have a chance to continue down the path that Southwest Florida hockey fans hope leads to a third-straight Kelly Cup.
Jesse Lansdell snapped a 1-1 tie early in the third period and Cam Johnson stopped 24 of 25 shots to secure his ECHL-leading 27th win of the season in goal for the Everblades.
The long-time South Division rivals battled to a scoreless first period, with the Everblades doubling up their Stingrays in the shot department by a 10-5 margin.
Both sides would find their offense in the second period. The Everblades broke through first, taking a 1-0 lead at 8:34 of the middle frame on a power-play goal by Sean Josling, who one-timed a pass from Josh Ho-Sang into the South Carolina net for his 21st goal of the season. Will Reilly added a secondary assist. South Carolina’s Kyler Kupka responded at 11:36, tying the score at 1-1, a score that would hold into the second intermission.
In the decisive third period, Lansdell regained the lead for the Everblades at the 3:43 mark, potting his second goal in as many games. Just seconds after Florida killed off a South Carolina power play, Lansdell slipped behind the Stingrays’ defense, stole a clear by goaltender Mitchell Gibson, buried the puck and put the Blades ahead for good, 2-1.
Florida outshot South Carolina 27-25.
The Everblades will close out the regular season Saturday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m. Saturday’s regular-season finale will be Pink in the Rink presented by Radiology Regional and Fan Appreciation Night, filled with giveaways throughout the game, a pregame tailgate party with live music and bounce houses, specialty pink jerseys that can be bid on using the Dash Auction App, a team photo giveaway courtesy of FGCU and a Drawstring Backpack Giveaway by Radiology Regional.
Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
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BLADES BITS
With five straight victories, the Everblades have matched the team’s longest winning streak of the season, equaling the five-spot they put up from January 12-24 when they defeated Savannah four straight times and tacked on a win over Atlanta to close out the streak.
Sean Josling scored for the third time in the last four games, getting the Everblades on the board after more than 28 minutes of scoreless hockey following the opening draw. Josling now sports a five-game point streak with three goals and two assists in those five contests.
Josh Ho-Sang continues to make plays, as he collected his eighth assist in the last five games. Since joining the Everblades on March 22, Ho-Sang has 13 points on two goals and 11 helpers in 10 contests.
Will Reilly remains hot down the homestretch, as he now sports a three-game point streak and a three-game assist streak. Reilly has six points in those three contests, with two goals and four assists. In his last 18 games dating back to March 2, Reilly has 18 points on four goals and 14 assists. The 18 points during that hot run ranks second among ECHL defensemen, just one off the league lead
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JOIN THE FUN
Tickets for the first two home games of the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs presented by Lexus are available now, as are 2024 Kelly Cup Playoff Packages which include games in all four rounds. To learn more, please click HERE.
Season ticket plans for the 2024-25 campaign are on sale now! Become a Blades 365 Member for the 2024-25 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!
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, or online at espnswfl.com or everblades.mixlr.com. Stay up to date by following the Blades on social media with all the latest news, scores, and promotions on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and Twitter.
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