GREENVILLE, SC – Eric Scheid scored his first two career goals while Mike Aviani added a goal and three assists to lead the Florida Everblades (10-0-1-0, 21 pts) to a 6-2 come from behind victory over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (3-3-2-0, 8 pts) Sunday afternoon at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. With the win, the Everblades remain unbeaten in regulation this season.
Unlike the previous night’s meeting, the Swamp Rabbits were the team that scored the game’s opening goal. Taking advantage of a turnover as the Everblades attempted to enter the neutral zone, Andrew Dommett picked up the puck and charged into the attacking zone. Closing on the goal, Dommett fired a hard wrist shot that clanked off the cross bar but still managed to bounce into the goal.
As the game progressed into the second period, both the pace and energy of the came picked up exponentially. An extremely hard hit from Justin DaSilva on Matt Berry sparked a quick response from John McCarron as the pair dropped the gloves.
Less than a minute after that fight, the Swamp Rabbits took advantage of the momentum that skirmish generated to double their lead. Picking up the puck at the left wing circle, Brandon Alderson moved around the Everblades defenseman and let loose a solid wrist shot that managed to beat Anthony Peters at the short side post.
Refusing to go away quietly, the Everblades struck back almost immediately following the goal, needing just 27-seconds to bring the Greenville lead back to only one. Moving into the zone, Scheid took a high stick to the face but refused to relinquish possession. Getting just below the blue line, Scheid cut the Greenville lead in half with a solid wrist shot that headed straight to the top corner of the net.
Continuing to build off that crucial goal, the Everblades took advantage of a loose puck opportunity late in the second period to tie the game up at 2-2. Getting to the high slot, Chase Golightly let go a wrist shot that was initially saved by Greenville goaltender Mackenzie Skapski. With the rebound loose, members of both teams crowded around the goal. Hitting off the post, the puck came to a rest in the open crease where Brant Harris managed to get just enough of it to knock it into the net.
As the teams headed into the third period, you could instantly tell who had the momentum. Continuing to earn some scoring chances, the Everblades cashed in midway through the frame to take a 3-2 lead. Surrounding the Rabbits goal, Mike Aviani took a feed from Mike Ferrantino on the goal line. Firing a wrist shot towards the face of goal, the puck took a deflection off the pads of Mackenzie Skapski and bounced right into the back of the net.
Doubling that lead a few minutes later, the Everblades took full control of the game thanks to some heads up play from Matt Berry. As the Everblades setup shop in the Greenville zone, an initial shot was blocked by Garrett Noonan. With Skapski having already committed to stopping that shot, Berry picked up the rebound and quickly fired it into the open net.
With the game entering it’s final minutes, the Everblades refused to let up on the punishment. Scoring their fifth and sixth straight goals of the contest, Matt Mackenzie and Scheid added to the Swamp Rabbits troubles in the third.
Anthony Peters earns his sixth win of the season, stopping 27 of the 29-shots faced. Mackenzie Skapski suffers the loss after allowing six-goals on 35-shots faced.
The Florida Everblades now return home to Germain Arena this Friday night where they will again take on the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Eastern time.
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