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BLADES BLITZ BEARS IN SERIES OPENER

Friday, May 2nd
BLADES BLITZ BEARS IN SERIES OPENER

ESTERO, Fla. – The Florida Everblades scored early and often, riding a four-goal second period to claim a 5-3 victory over the Orlando Solar Bears in Game One of the South Division Finals before 5,512 fans Friday night at Hertz Arena. 

With the victory, Everblades Head Coach Brad Ralph earned his 100th ECHL postseason win, making him the first head coach to reach the century mark in Kelly Cup playoff victories. Ralph is 100-58 all-time, including an 80-40 mark leading the Blades in the postseason.

Defenseman Cole Moberg got the scoring started for the Everblades, burying a one-timer from the right point at 5:38 of the first period that gave Florida a 1-0 lead. The Blades dominated the tempo throughout the opening frame, creating three power-play opportunities and outshooting Orlando 11-3.

A quick power-play goal by Jesse Lansdell 1:34 into the second period doubled the Everblades’ lead to 2-0, setting the stage for the good guys to take a huge lead later in the frame. Florida struck three times in a 6:33 span to pull ahead 5-0. Tallies by Jordan Sambrook (12:23), Colton Hargrove (15:13) and Carson Gicewicz (18:56) closed out the four-goal middle stanza. 

In the final frame, the Solar Bears got on the board with a goal by Hudson Thornton at 1:25 and also added markers by Ara Nazarian (6:44) and Djibril Touré (14:36), as the Everblades maintained a multi-goal lead through the end of the contest, claiming the 5-3 victory.

Florida outshot Orlando 27-18 in the contest. Everblades netminder Cam Johnson made 15 saves, improving to 5-0 in the playoffs, while Solar Bears goalies Jon Gillies and Ryan Fanti logged 14 and eight saves, respectively. Gillies was forced to the bench for the first time in the playoffs after the Blades pulled ahead 4-0.

The in-state rivals will hook up for Game Two Saturday night before the series shifts to Orlando for Game Three on Tuesday. Saturday’s puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m. Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
 

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BLADES BITS

Three Everblades enjoyed two-point nights, as first star Cole Moberg, second star Jordan Sambrook and Carson Gicewicz each scored goals and added an assist.

The Game One victory saw the Everblades improve to 21-8 all-time vs. Orlando in Kelly Cup action. Entering this series, the Blades have won all five postseason series versus the Solar Bears. Florida was 8-2-3-0 against Orlando in the regular season.

With Friday’s win, the Everblades remained a perfect 5-0 in the 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs presented by Lexus and will carry an eight-game postseason winning streak into Saturday’s Game Two.`
 

Friday Night’s Scoresheet 

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JOIN THE FUN

Season ticket plans for the 2025-26 campaign are on sale now! Become a Blades 365 Member for the 2025-26 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. 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.

Upcoming Home Games

Full Schedule
Orlando Solar Bears
Florida Everblades
Saturday, May 3rd
Orlando Solar Bears @ Florida Everblades
Puck Drops:
7:00 PM EDT
Hertz Arena
Orlando Solar Bears
ORL Orlando Solar Bears
at
Florida Everblades
FLA Florida Everblades
Hertz Arena
Orlando Solar Bears
Florida Everblades
Monday, May 12th
Orlando Solar Bears @ Florida Everblades
Puck Drops:
7:30 PM EDT
Hertz Arena
Orlando Solar Bears
ORL Orlando Solar Bears
at
Florida Everblades
FLA Florida Everblades
Hertz Arena
Orlando Solar Bears
Florida Everblades
Tuesday, May 13th
Orlando Solar Bears @ Florida Everblades
Puck Drops:
7:30 PM EDT
Hertz Arena
Orlando Solar Bears
ORL Orlando Solar Bears
at
Florida Everblades
FLA Florida Everblades
Hertz Arena

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