JACKSONVILLE, FLA – The Jacksonville Icemen finally figured out south division-rival Florida Everblades on Wednesday, February 20th at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, but that wasn’t the only reason celebration was in order as Icemen Head Coach Jason Christie’s 600th career ECHL win as Jacksonville truimphed by a final of 3-2.
Florida forward Tommy Thompson drew first blood, sliding home a rebound past goaltender Tanner Jaillet, giving the visitors an early 1-0 lead just five minutes into the first period. The Icemen wouldn’t back down, as veteran forward David Broll answered just two minutes later, tapping home a loose puck in front of the Florida net, and tying the game at one. Florida would add another tally by Cliff Pu late in the period, giving the Everblades a slight edge going into the first break.
The second period would prove to take a physical turn, and the Icemen used that to rally. After plenty of pushing and shoving after the whistles, goals from Icemen forward Cody Fowlie and defenseman Dajon Mingo gave the Icemen momentum and their first lead going into the second intermission.
The Icemen buckled down in the third period, allowing just four shots on net, while blocking many additional attempts at the net. Jaillet made a couple of key stops, including a beautiful split-save on an Everblades two-on-zero breakaway, and the Icemen would be victorious against the first-place Everblades.
Text courtesy of Jacksonville Icemen
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