ESTERO, Fla. — The Florida Everblades claimed three of a possible six points in a three-in-three road swing through South Carolina, opening the trip with one-goal losses Friday and Saturday before closing the weekend with a convincing 6-3 victory Sunday afternoon.

Florida’s strong finish to the weekend kept the Everblades atop the South Division standings with 55 points, while the Stingrays remain in second place, four points back with two additional games played. 

Heading into the final week of January, the Blades also hold first place in the Eastern Conference, carrying a two-point edge over Wheeling (53 points), though the Nailers have a game in hand.

Special Teams Driving Results

Special teams play has continued to drive results for the Everblades this season and proved critical once again during the team’s road trip through South Carolina. 

Friday night in Greenville, a late second-period power-play goal by the Swamp Rabbits stood as the game-winning tally in a one-goal loss at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Saturday, a costly shorthanded goal by the Stingrays tied the game at one before South Carolina sealed the victory in overtime. Florida flipped the script Sunday afternoon at the North Charleston Coliseum, striking for a pair of power-play goals and a shorthanded marker in a crucial 6-3 win over second-place South Carolina to maintain sole possession of first place in the South Division. 

The Blades’ power play has started to heat up as of late, converting in four of their last five games, while the penalty kill has surrendered just one goal over that stretch. Brad Ralph’s special teams units have been especially effective on the road, featuring the league’s ninth-ranked power play at 20.0 percent and a penalty kill that ranks second at 90.0 percent. Overall, Florida is 15-2-1-1 when scoring a power-play goal and 18-3-2-1 when not allowing a power-play goal against. 

Responding to Adversity

After dropping three straight games for the first time this season, the Everblades closed the week by earning three of a possible six points and snapping the skid in Sunday’s series finale. All three defeats during the stretch came by two goals or fewer, including an empty-net goal against Jacksonville and back-to-back one-goal losses to open the road trip.

Part of Florida’s response came from its leadership group, as captain Oliver Chau found the scoresheet Sunday afternoon with his first goal since December 5 and his first multi-point performance since December 21. Florida also received scoring contributions from all four lines in Sunday’s win, highlighted by three goals from the Craig Needham line. Florida scored six goals in the victory, including three from its special teams units, to defeat second-place South Carolina 6-3 at North Charleston Coliseum.

Head coach Brad Ralph noted that the response was building even before the results showed on the scoreboard. “I thought we played well Saturday. I liked our game,” Ralph said. “Adding a level of emotion and perseverance Sunday was the difference.”

Standout Performers

Anthony Romano – Romano paced Florida offensively over the road trip, recording four points (2g–2a), including a three-point performance in Sunday’s win. The forward scored both a shorthanded and power-play goal in the series finale, earning first star honors. Romano continues to lead the Everblades in scoring with 35 points and is riding a four-game point streak (3g–5a).

Ben Brar – Brar provided important scoring depth during the weekend, finding the back of the net in back-to-back games. The forward capped the stretch by scoring the game-winning goal in Sunday’s victory, supplying timely offense from Florida’s bottom six.

Zach Berzolla – Berzolla notched three points (1g–2a) over the road trip, opening the scoring for Florida in Sunday’s win with his second goal of the season. The defenseman also added an assist on Romano’s shorthanded goal earning third star honors in the series finale. Berzolla ranks second among Florida blueliners with 18 points and owns a +18 rating.

Jesse Lansdell – Lansdell was a steady contributor throughout the weekend, recording points in all three games (1g–2a). The forward now has points in five of his last six contests and is tied for fifth on the team in scoring with 20 points.

By the Numbers

Florida’s special teams have found their stride over the past five games, operating at 21.7 percent (5-for-23) on the power play and 93.8 percent (15-for-16) on the penalty kill during that stretch. 

Anthony Romano became the second Everblade this season to record both a power-play goal and a shorthanded goal in the same game, accomplishing the feat Sunday at South Carolina. Florida has now scored both a power-play and shorthanded goal in the same contest six times this season. Romano’s 35 points are tied for 14th most in the ECHL.

Gianfranco Cassaro leads all Florida blueliners with 20 points (7g–13a), scoring his seventh goal of the season Friday in Greenville. The Nobleton, Ontario native recorded goals in three straight games and is tied for 17th among ECHL defensemen in scoring.

Craig Needham saw his ECHL-best 11-game point streak snapped January 24 at Greenville, following a stretch that included goals in six consecutive games. Needham leads the Everblades with 15 goals and ranks first in the ECHL in shooting percentage at 28.8 percent.

Will Cranley is tied for second in the league with 13 wins, earning his latest Sunday afternoon after stopping 23 of 26 shots against South Carolina. The Peterborough, Ontario native previously strung together 11 consecutive victories and owns a 1.99 goals-against average, the third-best mark in the ECHL.

Florida ranks second in the ECHL in goals against per game (2.21) and first in shots against per game, limiting opponents to 24.92 shots per contest.

Weekly Rewind (1-1-1)

Friday: Greenville 4, Florida 3 | Game Sheet

Florida suffered a 4–3 setback Friday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena after Greenville scored three times in a 2:52 span late in the second period. Isaac Nurse opened the scoring midway through the first period with his first goal of the season, and Craig Needham restored Florida’s lead just 18 seconds after Greenville tied the game, sending the Everblades into the first intermission up 2–1. Greenville surged ahead with two even-strength goals and a power-play tally late in the second to take control. Florida pushed back in the third, outshooting the Swamp Rabbits 22–3 in the final period, and trimmed the deficit to one on a power-play goal by Gianfranco Cassaro with 27 seconds remaining, but could not find the equalizer. The Everblades outshot Greenville 46–24 in the loss. Will Cranley stopped 20 shots.

Saturday: South Carolina 2, Florida 1 (OT) | Game Sheet

Florida earned a point Saturday night but fell 2–1 in overtime to the Stingrays at North Charleston Coliseum. A scoreless first period saw Florida hold a 9–6 edge in shots. Ben Brar opened the scoring early in the second period with his fourth goal of the season, but South Carolina answered with a shorthanded breakaway goal to tie the game later in the frame. Neither team scored in the third, sending the contest to overtime, where Josh Wilkins ended it 59 seconds in with a slot shot. Both teams went 0-for-4 on the power play and finished with 27 shots on goal.

Sunday: Florida 6, South Carolina 3 | Game Sheet

The Everblades closed the weekend with a 6–3 victory Sunday afternoon over the Stingrays in a physical matchup between the South Division’s top two teams at North Charleston Coliseum. Zach Berzolla opened the scoring 1:38 into the first period, and Oliver Chau and Anthony Romano added special teams goals in the second as Florida built a 3–1 lead. South Carolina tied the game twice, including a third-period equalizer to make it 3–3, before Ben Brar snapped the deadlock with the game-winning goal at the 7:19 mark of the final frame. Romano added a power-play goal late and Jesse Lansdell sealed the win with an empty-net tally. Florida received scoring from all four lines and finished with three special teams goals in the victory. Will Cranley made 23 saves as the Everblades won the shot battle 32–26 in a game that featured 62 penalty minutes.

THE ROAD AHEAD

The Everblades return home tomorrow night to begin a three-game set against South Division foe Atlanta.  

Florida is 0–1 against the Gladiators this season, suffering a 2–0 setback on home ice October 24. A second-period power-play goal by Atlanta defenseman Chad Nychuk proved to be the difference before the visitors added an empty-net goal to seal the victory. TJ Semptimphelter turned aside all 25 Florida shots in the shutout performance. The win marked Atlanta’s first victory over the Everblades since April 14, 2023, snapping a stretch of 15 consecutive Florida wins in the series.

Atlanta enters the week following a two-game sweep of the Orlando Solar Bears, earning a 4–1 win Sunday afternoon and a 2–1 victory Monday night at the Kia Center. The Gladiators are currently tied for second in the South Division standings with South Carolina at 51 points and have played the fewest games of any team in the division (35).

Offensively, Alex Young and Louis Boudon lead Atlanta with 30 points apiece, while defenseman Chad Nychuk is tied for sixth among ECHL blueliners with 29 points. In goal, TJ Semptimphelter and Ethan Haider have split time, each making 18 starts. Semptimphelter leads the ECHL with a 1.62 goals-against average, while Haider is tied for second in the league with 13 wins.

The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. ET tomorrow night to open the series. The series continues Friday at 7:30 p.m. with Hertz Night and concludes Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET with Hispanic Heritage Night, presented by the Latinos 239 Foundation.