ESTERO, FL – The Florida Everblades split a pair of games against the Reading Royals in Reading, Pennsylvania this week. Both games ended with a 4-3 score. The Blades won in overtime on Tuesday the 28th and lost in regulation on Thursday the 30th. Therefore, the Royals ended up ahead with three points; the Blades earned two.
Tuesday 12/28/2010: FLORIDA EVERBLADES: 4 / READING ROYALS : 3 (Overtime)
Florida played behind all evening on Tuesday. The Royals scored twice in the first period, digging a hole for the Everblades early. Just 2:30 into the period, Robert Slaney found a loose puck in the neutral zone and sent it into the Blades net. At 16:45, Ben Gordon gave the Royals a two-goal lead going into the locker room at the end of one.
Florida tried to make a comeback in the middle period. Francis Lemieux scored a short-handed goal, the seventh scored by the Everblades this season. It was the fourth allowed by the Royals. At the end of two, Reading was leading 2-1.
The third period looked grim for the Blades as the Royals tried to close the door on them. At 6:54 Yannick Riendeau after converting on a breakaway, giving Reading a 3-1 lead. With just over four minutes left in the period, Florida came alive. At 16:17 Mitch Fadden shot one over the glove of Royal’s goalie, Matt Dalton. Mike McKenize added the tying goal at 17:33 on a power play. At the end of regulation, the score was 3-3.
At 3:47 Matt Pistilli deflected a shot from teammate Ethan Graham and earned the win in overtime for the Blades. Florida wins in overtime 4-3.
WIN: Bobby Goepfert (G) 30/33; LOSS: Matt Dalton (G) 37/41
POWER PLAY: Florida 2-for-6; Reading 0-for-5
Thursday 12/30/2010: READING ROYALS: 4 / FLORIDA EVERBLADES: 3
Florida almost won another nail-bitter late in the third period, but Reading wanted none of that. The Royals once again opened the scoring. Captain Ryan Cruthers scored first at 7:05 of the opening period. They finished the first twenty with Reading leading 1-0.
Florida evened the score in the second just after an expiring power-play opportunity. Cedric McNicoll tied the score at 2:36. The Royal took back their lead at 8:05 when a slap shot by Ben Gordon got past Bobby Goepfert’s glove. With a 5-on-3 power play, the Royals added another. The puck took an odd bounce and Casey Haines poked the puck into the Florida net for a 3-1 lead at 11:14 of the third.
Florida geared up again in the third, but it was too little, too late. A pair of third period power-play goals by Alex Imbeault (2:05) and Cedric McNicoll (his second of the night at 16:21) was enough to tie, but not enough to win. Captain Ryan Cruthers also scored his second goal of the night. That was the winner that ended the game at 17:14 of the third. Reading wins in regulation 4-3.
WIN: Michael Hutchinson (G) 35/38; LOSS: Bobby Goepfert (G) 25/29
POWER PLAY: Reading 1-for-5; Florida 2-for-4
BLADE NOTES:
The ECHL announced that Everblades forward, Matt Beca, has been named the Sher-Wood Hockey ECHL Player of the Week for December 20-26. He finished the week with 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) with a plus-4 rating……Everblades forward Mitch Fadden has been selected as a starter for the 2011 ECHL All-Star Classic, presented by CCM, to be played on January 26th in Bakersfield, California. Fadden leads the ECHL in scoring with 47 points (15 goals, 32 assists)……..On December 30th, Ethan Graham and Matthew Pistilli have been recalled to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL (American Hockey League).
Contact the writer at: sharon.weatherhead@prohockeynews.com <:u1:p>
You must be logged in to post a comment.