GLENS FALLS, NY – John McCarron’s goal early in the third period lifted the Florida Everblades to a 3-2 victory over the Adirondack Thunder in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Cool Insuring Arena Wednesday evening. Florida leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.
The Everblades converted on their first power play of the game at 6:09 of the opening frame. Sam Warning raced to the point to keep the puck in the offensive zone and saucered a short pass to Gus Young at the center point. Young took a couple of strides to the high slot and wristed a shot past a screened Drew Fielding for the game’s first goal.
Florida struck again just 1:42 later when Logan Roe delivered a shot from the point that clipped just above Fielding’s right pad to extend the lead to 2-0. The Everblades ended the period on their second power play of the game, but were unable to convert and took the two-goal edge into the first intermission.
Adirondack flipped the script in the second, scoring just 59 seconds into the period. Ryan Schmelzer raced into the corner for the puck and delivered a backhanded pass to a wide-open Terrance Wallin at the right circle. Wallin sniped a shot in the short side corner just above Martin Ouellette’s glove to put the Thunder on the board.
Just under four minutes later, the Thunder struck again on a scoring chance finished off by Schmelzer. Schmelzer broke toward the front of the net from the left wing and fluttered a soft shot that clipped off the arm of Ouellette and into the net to tie the game at 2-2.
The Everblades then got into penalty trouble in the middle frame, but successfully killed off four consecutive penalties to leave the score knotted at two apiece at the second intermission.
Florida’s efforts to hang on in the second period, paid big dividends early in the third, as the team reclaimed the lead just 1:42 into the final frame. McCarron delivered a cross-crease pass to Sam Warning who delivered a quick shot that was stopped by Fielding. However, the rebound bounced to Spencer Smallman in front. Smallman’s took a quick shot that hit the stick of McCarron on its way into the back of the Adirondack net to pull the Everblades back in front 3-2.
The Everblades kept the Thunder in-check for the remainder of the period, with good pressure in the offensive zone, and limiting Adirondack to just five third period shots to secure the 3-2 win.
Martin Ouellette earned the win stopping 29 of 31 shots, while Fielding takes the loss allowing three goals on 26 shots faced.
The two teams will meet again on Friday for Game 4 at the Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
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