ESTERO, Fla. – On Fan Appreciation Night, the Florida Everblades delivered a dominant performance, earning a 5-0 shutout victory over the South Carolina Stingrays at Hertz Arena in front of 6,992 fans.
Kyle Betts wasted no time getting the Florida Everblades on the board, scoring within the first minute of the opening frame off a rebound from Tarun Fizer. Jett Jones followed up with another tally, capitalizing on a play set up by Jordan Sambrook, who now improves to a plus-60 rating for the season, and Reid Duke. Oliver Cooper added to the goal, netting the Blades’ third goal of the period. Riley Bodnarchuk picked up his first professional points on the play, while Kyle Neuber recorded the secondary assist.
In the second frame, Fizer buried a rebound chance, with assists from Betts and Bodnarchuk, who recorded his first two assists and first multi-point game, in the ECHL. Just eight seconds later, Jesse Lansdell found the back of the net to extend the lead to 5-0, marking his eleventh goal of the season. Fizer collected another assist on that one, along with Patrick Kyte.
A scrum broke out, resulting in penalties to both sides. South Carolina’s Ben Hawerchuk was assessed a slashing minor, while Florida’s Connor Doherty received a double minor for roughing. The altercation escalated further and ended with all 10 skaters on the ice receiving 10-minute misconduct penalties
A quieter third period saw no additional scoring, though a few more minor penalties were assessed. Kyle McClellan stood tall between the pipes, turning aside all 26 shots he faced to secure his third career shutout.
The Florida Everblades will face the Reading Royals next week on Friday and Saturday, April 17 and 18, in the final stretch of the regular season.
BLADES BITS
- Riley Bodnarchuk has his first multipoint game in the ECHL, with two recorded assists
- Kyle Nueber moves up to 900 total penalty minutes with Florida after tonight's penalty.
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