BLADES AND ICEMEN FACEOFF IN SERIES DECIDER IN THE SWAMP

ESTERO, Fla. – After a three-goal second period by the Jacksonville Icemen handed the Florida Everblades a 4-2 loss Friday night, the two teams are set to face off tonight, Saturday, December 7 at 7 p.m. in the decisive contest of their three-game series in The Swamp.

The first period showed glimpses of Thursday night’s back-and-forth efforts, with Icemen forward Brendan Harris opening the scoring late in the first period at the 15:53 mark. Just minutes later, Colton Hargrove capitalized on a 2-on-1 rush to bury a wrist shot over Icemen goaltender Justen Closes’ right shoulder with two seconds to spare in the opening frame. 

The game saw its first intermission with a leveled scoreboard and the Blades trailing in shots 9-7. 

The Icemen saw a dominating second period, starting with Jonathan Hampton who took advantage of a turnover in front of the Blades’ net to break the 1-1 tie just over three minutes into the period. Jacksonville extended their lead midway through the period, netting two more consecutive goals past Will Cranley,   including a shorthanded tally to finalize all scoring before the next intermission and take control. 

The three unanswered goals left the Blades chasing a 4-1 deficit at the second intermission, facing an uphill battle.

The Blades pushed back in the final period, utilizing Hargrove’s earlier momentum to notch another goal and generate shot attempts, but by 60 minutes, they couldn’t bridge the gap.

Both teams recorded 24 shots on goal during the game, with Florida outshooting Jacksonville 10-6 in the third period. Cranley made 20 saves but took the loss for the Blades, while Justen Close turned aside 22 shots to secure the win for the Icemen.

With the series tied 1-1, tonight’s game will determine the winner between the in-state rivals as the Blades return to The Swamp for their annual Teddy Bear Toss and aim to gain the upper hand in a 7 p.m. puck drop. 

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