ESTERO, Fla. — The Florida Everblades earned all six points during their three-in-three weekend, rallying for a 3–2 overtime victory Friday over Jacksonville before adding a 2–1 win Saturday against the Icemen and closed the weekend with a statement 6-1 triumph Sunday in Orlando. 

Florida’s dominant weekend against its in-state foes has the Everblades atop the South Division standings through 50 games with 70 points, holding a three-point lead over second-place Atlanta, which has two games in hand. The Blades also lead the Eastern Conference and are tied for second in the ECHL in points alongside Idaho. 

Special Teams Supplying a Boost 

Special teams proved critical over Florida’s latest three-game stretch, powering the Everblades to a perfect 3-0-0-0 weekend. On Friday, the Blades utilized a 6-on-4 power play inside the final five minutes to spark their comeback win, with Logan Lambdin netting his third power-play goal over the previous four games. Jesse Lansdell later tied the game with under a minute remaining on a 6-on-5 advantage, marking the second time this season Florida has scored a 6-on-5 goal and the first time the club has recorded multiple extra-attacker goals in the same contest. 

Florida’s penalty kill has also delivered timely results, successfully killing off its last 19 opportunities across a seven-game stretch. On Sunday, captain Oliver Chau added a shorthanded goal against Orlando to extend the lead to 4-1. Chau’s tally was Florida’s ninth shorthanded goal of the season, tied for second-most in the ECHL. Overall, the Everblades rank second in the league on the penalty kill, operating at 88.2 percent.

Returning to Full Strength 

The Everblades have weathered injuries and lineup turnover throughout the season but are beginning to return to full strength at a critical point in the schedule. Florida received another boost this past week with the return of forward Hudson Elynuik and defenseman Gianfranco Cassaro, both of whom rejoined the lineup Friday against Jacksonville.

Elynuik returned after being sidelined since January 3, missing the previous 18 contests. At the time of his injury, the 6-foot-5 forward led Florida in scoring with 19 points in 15 games, operating at a 1.27 points-per-game pace. The Calgary, Alberta native picked up where he left off, recording a key assist Friday on Logan Lambdin’s power-play goal that helped spark the comeback win before adding another assist Sunday in Orlando. 

Cassaro also strengthened Florida’s back end after missing seven games due to injury. Prior to his injury he led all Everblades defensemen with 20 points in 39 games. The 26-year-old made an immediate impact Saturday, blasting home his eighth goal of the season on Florida’s first shot of the game to give the Blades an early lead. His eight goals rank sixth among ECHL defensemen. Over the three-game weekend, the Nobleton, Ontario native totaled seven shots and finished plus-three.

Following Friday’s win, assistant coach Kyle Mountain emphasized their impact. “It’s big. You saw that with the power play and some of the offense down the stretch in that game. It’s tough coming back from injury — there’s rust and conditioning you have to work through — but those guys are always factors when they’re out there for us. It’s great having them back.”

Standout Performers

Cam Johnson – The Troy, Michigan native has been nothing short of impressive making six consecutive starts for the Blades. During this stretch the Blades netminder has posted a 4-0-1-1 mark helping Florida secure 10 of 12 possible points with a .942 save percentage and 1.29 goals-against average allowing two goals or fewer in each of those starts. Johnson earned second star honors in Friday’s win and third star honors Sunday in Orlando.

Tarun Fizer – Fizer played a pivotal role in Sunday’s 6-1 win over Orlando with his first three-point performance of the season including a pair of second period goals. The 24-year-old forward recorded his 100^th career ECHL point with the first of his two tallies and was named the game’s first star. 

Oliver Chau – The Everblades captain delivered a four-point weekend (2g–2a), including multi-point efforts Friday and Sunday. Chau netted the overtime game-winner in Friday’s comeback victory and added a shorthanded goal Sunday that was featured as one of the ECHL Plays of the Week. He now ranks third on the team in scoring with 30 points.

Jett Jones – The Olds, Alberta local has three points over his last two games including a multi-assist effort in Sunday’s contest earning second star honors. His multi-point performance was his fourth of the season. 

By the Numbers

Florida continued their success this season in their specialty uniforms winning both games over Jacksonville in their First Responders jerseys and now own a 11-0-2-2 record when wearing specialty jerseys. 

The Blades have not lost in regulation on home ice since January 28, a 2-0 setback against Atlanta, posting a 4-0-2-1 mark during this stretch.

Jordan Sambrook is second in the ECHL with a +29 rating while rookie forward Kyle Penney is tied for third among rookie skaters with a +15 rating. 

Cam Johnson’s 16 wins are tied for fourth most in the ECHL while his 2.08 goals-against average rank sixth and leads the league with 1819 minutes played.

Florida’s six goal offensive outburst Sunday in Orlando marked the sixth time this season the Everblades have scored six goals or more in a game and the second this season against Orlando at the Kia Center. 

Weekly Rewind (3-0-0-0)

Friday: Florida 3, Jacksonville 2 (OT) | Game Sheet

Florida opened the weekend with a dramatic 3–2 overtime comeback victory over Jacksonville at Hertz Arena. After falling behind 2–0 in the second period, the Everblades surged late in regulation. Logan Lambdin snapped Florida’s 145:34 scoreless drought with a 6-on-4 power-play goal, and Jesse Lansdell tied the game with 45 seconds remaining on a 6-on-5 advantage.

In overtime, Craig Needham led a rush up ice before slipping a backhand feed across to Oliver Chau, who buried the winner 3:47 into the extra session. Florida outshot Jacksonville 49–18 in the contest, while Cam Johnson stopped 16 of 18 shots in the victory.

Saturday: Florida 2, Jacksonville 1 | Game Sheet

The Everblades completed the sweep of their in-state rivals with a 2–1 win Saturday night before a sellout crowd at Hertz Arena. Gianfranco Cassaro opened the scoring on Florida’s first shot of the game, wiring home a one-timer six minutes into the opening frame.

Connor Doherty extended the lead in the second period before Jacksonville answered later in the stanza. Johnson was sharp throughout, turning aside 23 shots including 12 in the first period to secure his 15th win of the season. All the scoring came at even strength, as both teams were held off the board on the power play.

Sunday: Florida 6, Orlando 1 | Game Sheet

Florida closed out the three-in-three weekend with a dominant 6–1 victory over Orlando. Craig Needham struck early in the first period to give the Blades the lead before Tarun Fizer scored twice in the second to extend the advantage.

After Orlando cut the deficit to 3–1 early in the third, captain Oliver Chau responded with a shorthanded goal to halt any momentum. Reid Duke and Patrick Kyte added late tallies to cap the scoring. Johnson made 22 saves in the win as Florida secured its third straight victory and improved its lead atop the South Division standings.

THE ROAD AHEAD

The Blades are back home ice Thursday night against the Orlando Solar Bears for the second of three consecutive meetings against their in-state foes. Florida has controlled the season series, posting a 7-1-1 record in nine matchups, including a 3-1-1 mark at Hertz Arena. 

Orlando enters the contest on a five-game skid and sits 11 points out of the final playoff spot. Florida, meanwhile, has won three straight and holds a three-point lead atop the South Division standings. Captain Oliver Chau has led the way in the season series with seven points (1g-6a) in nine games, while Reece Newkirk paces Orlando with 51 points, tied for third-most in the ECHL.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET at Hertz Arena. The teams will meet again Saturday in Orlando for a 7:00 p.m. faceoff. Florida is 4-0-0 this season at the Kia Center and has outscored the Solar Bears 16-3 on the road. 

Brad Ralph’s group will close out the week Sunday in Jacksonville for a 3:00 p.m. puck drop at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Florida’s lone meeting in Jacksonville this season resulted in a 3-2 overtime setback on November 26, when Scott Ratzlaff turned aside 41 shots. Since then, the Blades have hosted the Icemen in five consecutive meetings, posting a 4-1 record at Hertz Arena. Jacksonville currently sits last in the South Division with 43 points and is winless in its last four games (0-2-2). The Icemen will also feature a different look than the group Florida last saw in Estero, as Jacksonville has since traded captain Christopher Brown, who ranked second on the team with 28 points, along with forward Garrett Van Whye to Toledo.