ESTERO, Fla. – One night after locking up the South Division’s third seed in the upcoming 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs, the Florida Everblades closed out the regular season with a dramatic 4-3 come-from-behind shootout win over the South Carolina Stingrays in front of a standing-room only crowd of 7,423 fans Saturday night at Hertz Arena.
The victory was the sixth straight win for the Everblades, the team’s longest winning streak of the season.
Shortly after Sean Josling forced overtime by scoring with 1:47 left in regulation, Josling and Oliver Chau both found twine in the shootout for the Everblades. Florida goaltender Evan Cormier was nothing short of sensational in his first start since March 23. Cormier registered 42 saves over 67 minutes of action, while also making two huge stops in the shootout.
Offense was hard to come by for the majority of the first period, but Jack Adams gave South Carolina a 1-0 lead in the final minute of the opening stanza.
Bobo Carpenter wasted little time tying the score at 1-1 just 1:40 into the second period. Carpenter’s team-high 28th goal of the season came just 37 seconds into the Everblades’ first power-play shift of the night. Chau picked up his team-leading 34th assist of the season, while the red-hot Josh Ho-Sang collected his first assist of the night.
Unfortunately, Garet Hunt regained the lead for South Carolina at the 4:05 mark, as the Stingrays went back on top, 2-1, taking a one-goal lead into the final period.
Just 2:44 into the third period, Zach Berzolla notched the Everblades’ second power-play goal of the night – and his second man-up goal of the year – to level the score at 2-2. Ho-Sang picked up his second helper of the game – his 13th in 11 games – ‘while Josling also had an assist.
South Carolina’s Kevin O’Neil scored a power-play goal at the 11:46 mark to give the Stingrays a 3-2 lead, but Josling scored the Everblades’ third equalizer of the night, his 22th goal of the year burying a blast from the last point at 18:13 to knot the game at 3-3 and force overtime. Todd Skirving and Jordan Sambrook picked up the helpers.
Despite late rushes by both team in the final minute of the seven-minute overtime period, neither team could snap the deadlock, sending the final regular-season game to a three-round shootout.
Josling opened the shootout with a goal, while South Carolina’s evened things with a goal by Jonny Evans in the second round. After Chau found the net in the third round, Cormier denied Austin Magera to seal the win for the Everblades.
Next up for the Everblades is the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs presented by Lexus, as the Blades launch their unprecedented quest for a third straight Kelly Cup in the upcoming South Division Semifinals. The Blades will host the first of three potential home games in the series on Wednesday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information on the Kelly Cup Playoffs presented by Lexus and to purchase tickets.
---
BLADES BITS
With six straight victories, the Everblades have closed out the regular season with the team’s longest winning streak of the season. The Blades bested 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.
Bobo Carpenter finished the regular season as the Everblades’ leading goal scorer, picking up his 28th tally on Florida’s first goal of the contest. Oliver Chau earned his 34th assist on Carpenter’s goal, as he claimed the team’s regular-season assist lead. Chau heads into the postseason with a team-high 60 points, two ahead of Captain Joe Pendenza who earned a much-deserved night off in Saturday’s regular-season finale.
Evan Cormier made his first start in net for the Everblades since March 23 and was stellar, making 42 saves in relief of Cam Johnson. Johnson, the reigning two-time June M. Kelly Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award winner, leads the ECHL with 27 wins, 1,232 saves and a 2.21 GAA, while ranking second with a .921 save percentage.
Kyle Neuber picked up his first major penalty since March 18, as he outpointed South Carolina’s Josh Thrower with just over four minutes left to play in the opening period. With a team-high penalty 145 minutes in 46 games, Neuber is ranked 10th in the ECHL in penalty minutes this season. Neuber is the Everblades’ all-time leader with 764 minutes in penalties.
Josh Ho-Sang registered his ninth and 10th assists in the last six games. Since joining the Everblades on March 22, Ho-Sang has 15 points on two goals and 13 helpers in 11 contests. Over that 22-day stretch, Ho-Sang’s 13 assists lead the ECHL, while his 15 points are tied for fourth.
Sean Josling’s two-point third period stretched his current point streak to six games, with four goals and three assists over those six contests.
---
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.
Adirondack Thunder
Allen Americans
Atlanta Gladiators
Bloomington Bison
Cincinnati Cyclones
Florida Everblades
Fort Wayne Komets
Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Idaho Steelheads
Indy Fuel
Iowa Heartlanders
Jacksonville Icemen
Kalamazoo Wings
Kansas City Mavericks
Maine Mariners
Norfolk Admirals
Orlando Solar Bears
Rapid City Rush
Reading Royals
Savannah Ghost Pirates
South Carolina Stingrays
Tahoe Knight Monsters
Toledo Walleye
Trois-Rivières Lions
Tulsa Oilers
Utah Grizzlies
Wheeling Nailers
Wichita Thunder
Worcester Railers