ESTERO, FL – The Florida Everblades captured their second Brabham Cup with an impressive win over division rivals, the Charlotte Checkers, at Germain Arena in Estero. The Blades (45-17-2-3) defeated the Checkers (34-26-2-6) with a 6-3 victory on home ice. The Everblades received a thundering applause and a standing ovation. The team responded in kind with hockey sticks proudly waved to the fans in attendance. While the game started with the Checkers in control, they led 2-0 at the end of the first period, the Blades exploded in the third period and showed why they deserve to be the league leaders in points. Since the 1988-89 season, the Henry Brabham Cup has been awarded annually to the regular season points leaders in the ECHL. Brabham was a founding member of the ECHL, and the first owner of the Erie Panthers. His tireless work and dedication to the ECHL is honored each season when the cup is awarded in his honor. The Blades won the Brabham Cup in the 1999-00 season with 108 points, and a record of (53-15-2). They did not progress deep into the playoffs that year, losing in the conference quarterfinals to the Augusta Lynx. Prior to the game, the Blades added an experienced Assistant Coach to their roster in John Marks who has a winning track record in leading two teams to ECHL Championships: The Charlotte Checkers in 1996, and the Greenville Grrrowl in 2002. Marks started the season as Head Coach of the Lynx, but the team ceased operations in December of 2008. PLAYOFFS – The Blades definitely have the team skills to win the Kelly Cup this season. They have reached the Kelly Cup finals twice before in their 11-year history, but have never been able to win the Cup. In 2003-04 they were defeated by the Idaho Steelheads, and in 2004-05 they were defeated by the Trenton Titans. KEYS TO SUCCESS – The Blades need to remain focused on winning every game in order to remain consistent in their play. They also need to make crisp, accurate passes, get a quick starts to game, and be ready to play every night. They must stay out of the penalty box and eliminate unnecessary penalties, and they absolutely must play 60 minutes of hockey each and every game. STRENGTHS – The Blades have a number of very strong players. They are very fortunate to have the league’s top goaltender, David Leggio, who has a 24-7-3 record with a 2.32 GAA (goals against average) and a .912 save percentage. Their other goaltender, Anton Khudobin (18-10-1) is currently up with the Houston Aeros (AHL). Kyle Gajewski was recently added to the roster in Khudobin’s place on the roster. Gajewski played for the Milwaukee Admirals, also of the AHL (American Hockey League), and has seen limited playing time. The Blades are a more physical team these days. The addition of some physical defensive players such as Peter Metcalf, Brad Zanon (currently in the AHL), Luke Beaverson, A.J. Thelen, and Michael Grenzy (injured) let’s other teams know that Florida won’t be pushed around this year. The Blades average an impressive 38 SOG’s (shots on goal) per game while allowing less than 28. Their overall record on the power play is 21.9 percent (tied for first) while the penalty killin unit is at 86.7 percent (second overall). KEY PLAYERS – Veteran player Kevin Baker is the star of this years Everblades team. His current league records are very impressive: 1st in points (96), 1st in goals (53), 1st in power play goals (26), 1st in power play points (46), 1st in SOG’s (315) and 1st in game winning goals (10). Veteran defenseman Peter Metcalf is great on the power play. He is 2nd in power play assists (28) and 4th in power play points (34). PLAYER UPDATES: Mathieu Roy, Dominic D’Amour, and Patrick Bordeleau return to Florida from the Albany River Rats. Andrew Sweetland returns to Florida from the Rochester Americans. Mike Reich, a 20-year-old forward, was signed by Florida from the Western Hockey League where he played for three different teams. Zack Fenwick (defense) was signed by Florida. He was formerly with the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. Former Blade, Matt Hendricks, recently made his NHL (National Hockey League) debut with the Colorado Avalanche. Contact the author at:
sharon.weatherhead@prohockeynews.com
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