ESTERO, Fla. – The Florida Everblades erupted for three goals in the second period, but an overtime goal by Derek Lodermeier lifted the Jacksonville Icemen to a 4-3 victory in Game Three of the South Division Semifinal series Wednesday night at Hertz Arena. An exuberant crowd of 4,874 saw Jacksonville take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Everblades fell behind by multiple goals early, as Jacksonville struck first for the third straight game in the series and eventually took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. Lodermeier connected for his third goal of the series at the 4:30 mark, while Garret Van Wyhe doubled the visitors’ lead less than four minutes later.
On the bright side, the Blades outshot the Icemen 15-14 in the opening stanza, peppering Jacksonville goaltender Matt Vernon with 15 shots on goal – the highest total taken by either team in one period during the series – while Cam Johnson stopped 12 shots, his highest total in a period this postseason.
A three-goal second period for the Everblades would make it an entirely new game, as the contest was knotted 3-3 after 40 minutes of play. Sean Josling got the Blades on the board at 10:16, and after Jacksonville’s Damian Giroux responded at 10:49, Florida tied the score off goals by Joe Pendenza and Jordan Sambrook at the 14:38 and 16:08 marks, respectively.
In a scoreless third period, the ECHL’s top two defenses throughout the regular season rose to the occasion, while the elite netminders were just that. For the Everblades, Johnson turned aside all 12 Jacksonville shots he faced in the frame, giving him 34 saves through 60 minutes of play. On the other end of the rink, Jacksonville’s Vernon turned aside four shots to end regulation with 30 saves. 
In overtime, Lodermeier’s second goal of the contest and fourth of the series at the 3:45 mark proved to be the difference. Both teams took two shots on goal in the extra period. Johnson ended with 35 saves for the Everblades, while Vernon finished with 32 for the Everblades.
The series continues at Hertz Arena with Game Four on Friday night, which features the extremely popular 239 Friday special, with fans able to purchase two tickets, one popcorn and a souvenir program for the special price of $39. Game Five is slated for Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information on the Kelly Cup Playoffs presented by Lexus and to purchase tickets.
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