ESTERO, FL – The Florida Everblades start their 13th post-season at home in Florida at Germaine Arena. They will play the first two games, in their best-of-five series, at home against the Kalamazoo Wings. The series starts on Tuesday April 5th, and proceeds as follows:
· Kalamazoo at Florida Tuesday 4/5/11
· Kalamazoo at Florida Wednesday 4/6/11
· Florida at Kalamazoo Friday 4/8/11
· Florida at Kalamazoo Saturday 4/9/11 (if necessary)
· Florida at Kalamazoo Monday 4/11/11 (if necessary)
The Blades are veterans of the post-season having made the playoffs in each year since their inception in 1998-1999 season. They have made it to the Kelly Cup finals twice: 2004 (lost to the Idaho Steelheads) and 2005 (lost to the Trenton Titans). The mantra in Florida is still, “Will this be THE year?”
With Florida’s disappointing series this past weekend against division rivals, the South Carolina Stingrays, the Blades slipped into the sixth seed spot. However, that might not be a negative. Florida has had good luck against the Wings, going 4-1 against them this season.
This has not been the best-of-seasons for the Blades. Too many injuries, player call-ups to the AHL, a constant flow of new players – all of these have not allowed the Blades to form a solid team. There have been problems on the ice too – sluggish play, excessive passing, etc.
However, the playoffs are actually a totally different season. Everyone starts with a clean slate. Anyone can win the Kelly Cup. Blades Coach Greg Poss feels positive about his team.
“We’re doing the right things. We’ve stabilized, but we haven’t peaked. We’re getting there,” said Poss.
Poss is working diligently on his playoff roster. He recently added defenseman Eric Olimb (Nebraska-Oklahoma U) and forward Tyler Helfrich (Rensselaer Polytechnic). Both college players just joined the team and are expected to make the roster. Poss wants his team to be more defensive-minded. He made some trades and brought new faces in to round out the team.
The Blades are also expecting the return of goaltender Bobby Goepfert and forwards Dusty Collins and Cedric McNicoll from the AHL. The ECHL allows a team to dress 18 players for a game. They can have up to 23 players on their roster.
Kudos to Poss for being proactive and doing his best to ensure a healthy roster for the playoffs.
Goalies are a premium at that time of year.
One strong player to watch is defenseman Bobby Raymond. He has played in every game this season. A solid offensive defenseman, Raymond has 34 points in 72 games and a +25 rating.
Although his rating has slipped to a -10, Alex Imbeault is a talented forward. In 56 games with the Blades he has amassed 62 points (36 goals, 26 assists). He is a powerhouse on the ice.
In order to skate across the ice with the coveted Kelly Cup, the Blades are going to have to focus and fine tune their game. They can do it, if they play more as a team and less as individual players.
Forward Matt Beca said it best, ”It doesn’t matter who we play. We’re gonna have to beat good teams.” Contact Sharon.Weatherhead@prohockeynews.com
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