ESTERO, Fla. – Four different Florida Everblades scored goals as 6,368 fans cheered the home team to a 4-2 victory over the South Carolina Stingrays Friday night on Blades Fight Cancer Night at Hertz Arena. With back-to-back wins over South Carolina, the Everblades moved past the Stingrays into first place in the ECHL South Division.
 
Scoring chances were light on both ends for the better part of the opening period, but the Everblades’ Reid Duke lit the lamp first with just 9.1 seconds left on the clock. Duke took a pass from Craig Needham at center ice and finished off a nifty two-on-one rush with his fourth goal of the season to give Florida a 1-0 nod through 20 minutes of penalty-free play.
 
Tempers flared in front of the visiting bench 4:07 into the second period, as the Blades and Stingrays combined for 20 minutes in penalties. Florida not only emerged with its only power play of the game, but capitalized in a big way less than a minute later. Kyle Betts potted his fifth goal of the season from the doorstep at the 5:02 mark for a 2-0 lead. Oliver Chau extended the lead to 3-0 at 7:08 with a blast from the slot for his third of the year.
 
Tarun Fizer tacked on an insurance goal at 11:53 of the third period, his second of the campaign, closing out the Blades’ scoring at 4-0 in favor of the good guys. Kyle Kupka spoiled Everblades goaltender Cam Johnson’s for his first shutout of the season, getting the Stingrays on the board at 14:57 and erasing the goose egg. Patrick Thomas added another tally for South Carolina at the 17:30 mark to end the scoring.
 
South Carolina outshot Florida 21-17, with Johnson (6-3-0-0) stopping 19 shots for his third-straight win.
 
The Everblades hit the road for a pair of in-state South Division contests next week, as the boys visit Orlando on Monday, November 24 and Jacksonville on Wednesday, November 26. Both road tilts will see the puck drop at 7:00 p.m. Next up at Hertz Arena is a pair of games versus the Savannah Ghost Pirates on Friday, November 28 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, November 29 at 7:00 p.m. Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information and to purchase tickets.


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BLADES BITS
 
With Friday night’s win, the Everblades have picked up at least one point in six of the last seven games (5-1-0-1), including victories in four of the team’s last five contests.
 
Reid Duke’s first-period goal snapped a personal string of five games without a goal. Duke added a second-period assist for his team-leading fourth multi-point game of the 2025-26 season.

Oliver Chau scored a goal for the first time in his last four games, while Kyle Betts scored for the first time in his last three contests. Betts also added a helper for his first multi-point game this season.

Tarun Fizer’s third-period goal was his first tally since the Blades’ 4-1 opening-night win October 17 in Orlando.
 
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.
 
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