Everblades’ offense erupts in 6-1 win over Norfolk

ESTERO, Fla. — Steven Lorentz posted a career-high five-point game, Joe Cox tallied a pair of goals, and Jamie Phillips made 25 saves to lead the Florida Everblades to a 6-1 victory over the Norfolk Admirals on Saturday night at Hertz Arena.On the heels of a 1-0 loss on Friday, Florida (2-2-0-0, 4 PTS) bounced back in a big way in the series finale as five different players registered a goal to earn the series split with Norfolk (2-1-0-0, 4 PTS). The line of Cox, Lorentz, and John McCarron was huge for the 'Blades in the victory, accounting for four of the six goals. Cox and Lorentz were particularly strong for Florida, combing for eight points on three goals and five assists. Florida struck for its first home goal of the season on an odd-man rush. Entering the zone with a 3-on-1, John McCarron sent a pass to the slot to Steven Lorentz who then sent it to the opposite wing to Joe Cox before he whipped it back to McCarron on the doorstep for the easy tap-in at the 7:50 mark of the first period. Nathan Perkovich doubled the 'Blades' lead with 38 seconds to play in the first period, his first goal with Florida and the eventual game-winning score. Perkovich received a behind-the-back pass from Logan Roe before shifting to the top of the blue line and shooting through a sea of players straight past Norfolk goaltender Ty Reichenbach.Florida scored three more times in the second period to stretch its lead to 5-1. Kyle Platzer made the lead 3-0 with four minutes, 19 seconds gone in the second. From the right corner of the offensive zone, Justin Auger sent a perfect backhand pass to the slot to Platzer. He delayed for a second before firing it through Reichenbach’s five-hole. The Admirals trimmed the lead to two on a power-play goal by Ben Duffy at 6:19 of the middle period, but that was as close as they got the rest of the way. Following a successful penalty kill halfway through the second frame, Cox escaped on a breakaway as the ‘Blades came back to full strength. He tucked a forehand shot five-hole on Reichenbach on the ensuing breakaway to boost the lead to 4-1. Lorentz then made it a 5-1 lead only 1:35 later, wiring a wrist shot from the left circle above the glove hand of Reichenbach. Cox redirected Derek Sheppard’s initial shot three minutes, 55 seconds into the third period for his second of the night for the final margin of victory. Reichenbach finished with 26 saves in the loss, while Phillips backstopped the ‘Blades in their stingiest defensive effort of the season. Florida plays a home-and-home series next weekend against the Orlando Solar Bears, traveling to Orlando for a 7 p.m. matchup on Friday before returning home on Saturday for a 7 p.m. tilt at Hertz Arena. —Individual game tickets for all regular season games are on sale now!Ticket packages for the 2018-19 season are on sale now! Become part of the Everblades Family with a Full Season, Partial Season or a Flexible Voucher Package that fits your schedule and budget! All Ticket & Voucher Packages provide savings and special benefits! To view the Ticket & Voucher Package options CLICK HERE. Ask about the payment plan options too!SPECIAL OFFER! Purchase a new ticket package for the 2018-19 season and receive a $20 gift card to Ford’s Garage and an Everblades T-Shirt!Private Arena Tours are also available to select your 2018-19 season seats! Call the Everblades office at 239-948-7825 to schedule your tour today!

The Everblades are the proud ECHL affiliateof the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes