ESTERO, Fla. – Led by the first career two-point performances by Isaac Nurse and Ben Brar – and another strong outing by goaltender Cam Johnson – the Florida Everblades scored the first three goals of the contest and never looked back, defeating the Orlando Solar Bears for the second-straight night, rolling to a 4-2 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 7,233 fans Saturday night at Hertz Arena.
Saturday night’s party got off to a fast start, as Craig Needham won the opening faceoff and scored just 11 seconds later to give the Everblades a quick 1-0 lead. Just activated for his home debut, Gary Haden fed a wide-open Needham from behind the Orlando goal line and Needham cashed in from the doorstep. Nurse also earned an assist on Needham’s third goal of the season.
With Florida on its second power-play shift of the contest, Colin Theisen finished off a crisp series of passes from Colton Hargrove and Tyler Kobryn for his ninth goal of the season as the Blades pulled ahead 2-0 with
2:40 left before the first intermission.
The Everblades’ hot start continued into the second period as Nurse took a feed from Brar, slipped past the Orlando defense and potted his third goal of the season at the 3:39 mark to give Florida a 3-0 lead. With a goal and an assist, Nurse registered the first two-point game of his professional career.
At 15:02 of the middle frame, Aaron Luchuk got the Solar Bears on the board with a power-play goal, his second score in as many games for Orlando, which cut the Everblades’ lead to 3-1.
Brar would also record a two-point night for the Everblades, adding an empty-net goal with 1:56 to play, while Jack Adams struck on the power play for the Solar Bears with 36 seconds to play, ending the contest with Florida on top 4-2.
The victorious Johnson (16-2-1-0) stopped 22 of 24 Orlando shots in the victory. Ryan Fanti (3-9-1-0) made 29 saves and suffered the loss for the visiting Solar Bears. The Everblades outshot Orlando in all three periods and held a 33-24 advantage in shots on goal for the night.
The Everblades and Solar Bears will take a break on Sunday before meeting in the finale of the current three-game series Monday night at Hertz Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The New Year’s Eve Eve contest will give fans a chance to ring in the new year a little early with the Everblades. This exclusive offer includes a premium level ticket and either a glass of champagne or an ice cream for the special price of $20.25. Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
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