Rays double-up Blades, 6-3 Florida drops opening game of round two

Stingrays defenseman Drew MacKenzie opened the scoring 9:33 into the first period lifting a shot over Everblades netminder Daniel Altshuller (L, 10 saves on 15 shots) following a skirmish on top of the goal crease. Forwards Andrew Rowe and Wayne Simpson added assists.

 

In the middle frame, six goals hit the back of the net with the Stingrays taking a 5-2 lead into the intermission. Forward Rob Bellamy gave the Stingrays a 2-0 lead 45 seconds into the stanza ripping a shot over the glove of Altshuller from forward Sean Dolan. The Everblades jumped on the scoreboard at 6:35 as forward Matt Marquardt settled a bouncing puck to bet Stingrays goaltender Jeff Jakaitis (W, 21 saves on 24 shots) over the glove. Two minutes later, defenseman Marcus Perrier reclaimed a two-goal lead for the Stingrays rifling in his second goal of the postseason with help from Rowe and forward Derek DeBlois. Simpson capitalized on the power play moments later to take a 4-1 advantage at the 9:39 mark from forward Joe Devin and defenseman Michal Cajkovsky. Following the faceoff, Everblades forward Mitch Wahl knocked in a rebound to shift the momentum at 9:51. Perrier halted the Everblades attack with his second goal of the game at 18:45 beating Altshuller from the left-wing point. Forwards Caleb Herbert and Patrick Gaul chipped in assists.

Looking for a spark, the Everblades pressured the Stingrays in the third period, pulled Altshuller for former Stingrays goalie Brad Barone (5 saves on 5 shots), fired 10 shots on goal and lit the lamp on the power play off the stick of Adam Brace at 11:36. The Stingrays sealed the victory with 28 seconds to play as forward Joe Devin hit the empty net for his team-leading seventh goal of the playoffs from Bellamy. The Stingrays finished the game 1-for-1 on the power play while the Everblades went 1-for-4.