ESTERO, Fla. – After Wednesday night's 4-2 victory over the Kalamazoo Wings, the Florida Everblades currently hold the advantage in the three-game series where the two teams will faceoff once again tonight, Friday November 22 at 7:30 p.m. and tomorrow, Saturday November 23 at 7 p.m.
The Blades head into tonight’s matchup with confidence following a strong performance in their last home game. Florida took an early lead when Carson Gicewicz found the back of the net off a clean pass from Marc Andre Gaudet during a two-on-two rush in the first period. Though Kalamazoo led in shots 8-7 at the end of the period, the Blades maintained the advantage in goals.
Cam Johnson's flawless effort coupled with the Blades’ offensive talent, Alex Kile and Oliver Chau were able to extend the lead, netting a goal each at 1:32 in the middle frame and 5:10 of the third.
Kalamazoo forwards Josh Bloom and Ben Berard made a late push, pulling their team within a goal with just minutes until the final whistle. In a last-ditch effort to tie the game, opposing goaltender Johnathan Lemieux was pulled for an extra attacker. However, the Blades' blue line held strong giving Chau the opportunity to capitalize and seal the win after an empty-net goal, his second of the night, in the final minute to secure Florida’s 4-2 victory.
Johnson came out stronger between the pipes for the Blades turning away 24 of the 26 shots he faced, while Lemieux stopped 24 Blades shots through 60 minutes of play. Both teams racked up 8 penalty minutes from four infractions each.
With the series advantage on the line, the teams will meet again in The Swamp tonight at 7:30 p.m. as the Blades look to carry their dominant win into back-to-back games.
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