ESTERO, Fla. – A pair of first-period goals set the tone as the Florida Everblades cruised to a 5-2 wire-to-wire victory over the Savannah Ghost Pirates in front of 6,762 happy Southwest Florida hockey fans Friday night at Hertz Arena. Carson Gicewicz scored two goals and added an assist, while Jordan Sambrook collected two helpers to lead the Blades’ attack.
The first period was all Everblades as Colin Theisen and Gary Haden struck five minutes apart to give Florida a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission. Theisen opened the scoring with a power-play goal at the 7:31 mark, his 10th marker of the campaign, while Haden’s fifth doubled the Blades’ early lead.
After the teams traded second-period goals, the Everblades took a 3-1 lead into the locker room after 40 minutes of play. Five minutes into the frame, Savannah’s Ross Armour got the Ghost Pirates on the board with a five-on-three power-play goal, but Gicewicz responded for the good guys, potting his team-high 14th tally of the season just shy of the nine-minute mark.
In the third period, the teams once again traded goals, with both sides finding the net just 70 seconds apart. Gicewicz collected his second goal of the night and 15th of the season at 6:02, while Savannah’s Pat Guay responded at 7:12. An empty-net goal by Connor Doherty with 1:15 to play closed out the scoring.
Everblades netminder Will Cranley stopped 20 shots to win for the fifth time this season, while his Savannah counterpart Keith Kinkaid, a veteran of 169 NHL games, made 27 saves and suffered the loss.
The rubber match of the three-game set is slated for Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. and Blades fans are looking forward to our third annual Star Wars Night. Come dressed as your favorite Star Wars character on what promises to be a entertainment-packed night at The Swamp. Enjoy a plethora of themed activities, pick up a light sword courtesy of HSS at NCH, and enjoy live music at our pregame tailgate. Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
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