BIG SECOND AND ANOTHER SHUTOUT BY JOHNSON SEALS SERIES SWEEP

ESTERO, Fla. – Four second-period goals by four different players and another shutout by goaltender Cam Johnson was the magic formula for the Florida Everblades in a dominant 5-0 victory over the Kalamazoo Wings Saturday night at Hertz Arena. A sellout crowd of 7,375 saw the Blades close out the three-game sweep of the K-Wings, as Florida is one win away from its third four-game winning streak of the young season.

Johnson stopped all 23 shots he faced to become the first ECHL goaltender to reach eight wins this season, as he posted his third shutout in his last four starts.

After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, fortunes changed quickly and in a big way for the Everblades, as four second-period goals dispatched the K-Wings for the third-straight night. Colin Theisen opened the scoring at the 2:09 mark, while Logan Lambdin converted on the power play to put the Blades ahead 2-0 at 9:39.  Kyle Betts tacked on another tally at 12:07, while Carson Gicewicz capped off the big period with a goal for the third-straight game at 17:33, as the Blades held a 4-0 advantage heading into the third period. 

Gicewicz, who also had an assist on Lambdin’s goal, closed out the scoring with his second goal of the game at 13:16 of the third period, giving the Everblades extra insurance and a 5-0 lead. The three-point night for Gicewicz was his first as an Everblade. 

Florida outshot Kalamazoo in the game by a 34-22 margin, taking more shots than the visitors in each of the three periods. 

Next up for the Everblades will be a holiday road trip to the Hoosier State for three games in three days versus the Fort Wayne Komets. The busy stretch begins with a Thanksgiving night feast Thursday, November 28 followed by contests on Friday, November 29 and Saturday, November 30. Each of the three games in Fort Wayne will get underway at 7:30 p.m. 

Following a pair of contests in Jacksonville against the Icemen on Thursday, December 5 and Friday, December 6, the Everblades return to Hertz Arena to wrap up that three-game series on Saturday, December 7 at 7:00 p.m. That contest will feature the annual Teddy Bear Toss with a special jersey auction to benefit Bear Necessities. Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

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BLADES BITS

With two more points on Saturday, the Everblades remain in sole possession of the top spot in the ECHL overall standings with 24 points. Florida sports a 12-3-0-0 record and can move to 10 games over .500 with a win in the team’s next game.

Colin Theisen became the first Everblade to reach eight goals this season, as he opened the scoring in the second period. Theisen scored for the second straight game also made it three goals in the Blades’ last four contests. 

Two goals by Carson Gicewicz matched Theisen for a share of the team lead with eight this season, while Logan Lambdin’s power-play goal midway through the second gave him points in back-to-back contests. Both Gicewicz and Lambdin added assists to end the game with three points and two points, respectively.

Kyle Betts has three goals in the last six games, while Oliver Chau’s assist on the Betts tally made it seven points in the last six games (4 G, 3 A) for the fan favorite. Also, Kade Landry picked up a helper for the third-straight game, giving his assists in four of the Blades’ last five contests and points in five of the last six games.

The Everblades will head into the upcoming Fort Wayne series looking to extend the team’s current winning streak to four games, which would mark the third such winning streak of the relatively young season. After winning four consecutive games October 19-30 to open the 2024-25 campaign, the defending Kelly Cup Champion Blades also rattled off four straight wins November 9-16.

Saturday night’s big crowd of 7,375 was the third sellout at Hertz Arena this season.

Saturday Night’s Scoresheet

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