ESTERO, FL – Stephen MacAulay scored twice while Callum Booth made 35 saves to propel the Florida Everblades (44-13-2-4, 94 points) to a 7-2 victory over the Norfolk Admirals Wednesday night at Germain Arena.
The Everblades were buzzing in the Admirals end early were able to get on the board early just 3:15 into the game. Scoring the goal for the Everblades was Justin Kea off of a rebound of a Matt Berry shot that Ty Reichenbach was unable to find. However, Kea was able to locate the puck as he curled and wristed it into the corner of the net past the glove of Reichenbach.
The Admirals answered with a goal of their own at 13:33 while shorthanded. Patrick D’Amico got the puck on net and a rebound bounced off lightly off of Booth’s pads to Domenic Alberga who was able to get to the crease to put home the rebound.
The Everblades regained their lead late in the period with a skillful showing of passing as they entered the Admirals end. Joe Cox sent a pass on the backhand to Mitchell Heard at the top of the circle who quickly sent a no look backhanded pass through two Norfolk defender’s legs to connect with MacAulay. MacAulay labeled a shot for the left side above the blocker of Reichenbach to give Florida the 2-1 lead at the first intermission.
Derek Sheppard extended the Everblades lead at 2:55 into the period while on the power play with a shot along the ice that found its way through traffic and thumped into the back of the net. For Sheppard it was his first professional goal, coming just four games in his young career.
The Everblades continued to pile it on scoring 1:08 later, as Mitchell Heard dangled out his man and dropped a pass to Stephen MacAulay for his second of the night with a wrist shot that beat Reichenbach to put the score at 4-1.
The Everblades were not done as Heard buried another to make it 5-1 Florida while the two teams were playing four aside at 7:14 of the middle period. That goal drew the end of the night for Ty Reichenbach as he allowed five goals on 20 shots. Jamie Murray came in taking Reichenbach’s place between the pipes.
Moments later, Sheppard added to his stellar performance for the Everblades as Booth was run over by Darik Angeli, causing a scrum in the Everblades end of the ice. Right as things seemed to be calming down Zane Schartz dropped the gloves with Sheppard. Sheppard made quick work of Schartz with a few quick rights that sent him off the ice for repairs.
The Admirals climbed back within three at 13:54 of the second as the Everblades had a defensive lapse behind their net. Florida turned the puck over to Sam Ftorek who slid it to Grant Besse. Beese curled at the slot and whipped a shot by Booth’s glove for the goal.
Florida reclaimed a four-goal lead once again at 14:36 of the second when the Admirals had a defensive lapse of their own as they turned it over at the point to John McCarron. McCarron sent a pass down low to Kea who gave the puck to Berry all alone in the slot and then took the puck down low and went to his backhand elevating it over Murray to make it 6-2.
The Everblades continued their shooting gallery in the third, scoring again in the first three minutes of the period when Michael Kirkpatrick found Matt Mackenzie streaking into the slot. Mackenzie took the puck on his backhand a nonchalantly threw it on net clinking it off the post to the back of the net to make it a 7-2 Everblades lead.
The Everblades and Admirals will meet again on Friday at Germain Arena beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Game Notes and Roster Moves: Mitchell Heard extended his team best ten-game point streak adding another three points (1 goal, 2 assists). Heard now has 20 points during this ten-game stretch… Callum Booth in his return from AHL Charlotte, picked up his 17th win of the season as he brick walled 35 of the 37 shots fired his way in a stellar athletic performance for the rookie goaltender… Michael Kirkpatrick returned to the Everblades on Wednesday on loan from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters… In an additional move, defenseman Zack Kamrass was loaned to the Charlotte of the AHL.
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