BLADES ERUPT EARLY AND SLAY BEARS 4-2

ESTERO, Fla. – Led by the first career two-point performances by Isaac Nurse and Ben Brar – and another strong outing by goaltender Cam Johnson – the Florida Everblades scored the first three goals of the contest and never looked back, defeating the Orlando Solar Bears for the second-straight night, rolling to a 4-2 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 7,233 fans Saturday night at Hertz Arena.

Saturday night’s party got off to a fast start, as Craig Needham won the opening faceoff and scored just 11 seconds later to give the Everblades a quick 1-0 lead. Just activated for his home debut, Gary Haden fed a wide-open Needham from behind the Orlando goal line and Needham cashed in from the doorstep. Nurse also earned an assist on Needham’s third goal of the season.

With Florida on its second power-play shift of the contest, Colin Theisen finished off a crisp series of passes from Colton Hargrove and Tyler Kobryn for his ninth goal of the season as the Blades pulled ahead 2-0 with

2:40 left before the first intermission.

The Everblades’ hot start continued into the second period as Nurse took a feed from Brar, slipped past the Orlando defense and potted his third goal of the season at the 3:39 mark to give Florida a 3-0 lead. With a goal and an assist, Nurse registered the first two-point game of his professional career.

At 15:02 of the middle frame, Aaron Luchuk got the Solar Bears on the board with a power-play goal, his second score in as many games for Orlando, which cut the Everblades’ lead to 3-1.

Brar would also record a two-point night for the Everblades, adding an empty-net goal with 1:56 to play, while Jack Adams struck on the power play for the Solar Bears with 36 seconds to play, ending the contest with Florida on top 4-2.

The victorious Johnson (16-2-1-0) stopped 22 of 24 Orlando shots in the victory. Ryan Fanti (3-9-1-0) made 29 saves and suffered the loss for the visiting Solar Bears. The Everblades outshot Orlando in all three periods and held a 33-24 advantage in shots on goal for the night.

The Everblades and Solar Bears will take a break on Sunday before meeting in the finale of the current three-game series Monday night at Hertz Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The New Year’s Eve Eve contest will give fans a chance to ring in the new year a little early with the Everblades. This exclusive offer includes a premium level ticket and either a glass of champagne or an ice cream for the special price of $20.25. Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

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BLADES BITS

With back-to-back wins over the visiting Solar Bears, the Everblades won consecutive games for the first time since knocking off host Fort Wayne 3-1 on November 30 and winning 3-2 in Jacksonville on December 5. Those two victories closed out a seven-game point streak in which the Blades earned 13 of a possible 14 points, going 6-0-1-0 over the stretch.

Craig Needham’s lightning-quick goal just 11 seconds after he won the opening faceoff was the Everblades’ fastest goal of the season. The goal was Needham’s second tally in the last four games.

Colin Theisen registered a point for the second straight game, as he teamed with Jordan Sambrook for the helpers on Anton Malmström’s goal Friday night. Theisen scored for the first time since November 23. During the 11-game stretch since his last goal, Theisen showed off his playmaking skills, collecting five assists during that run.
 

With Saturday’s win, the Everblades improved to 5-2 versus Orlando this season, and ran their record at Hertz Arena to 10-3. In five starts against the Solar Bears this season, Cam Johnson remains a perfect 5-0-0.

Saturday night’s crowd of 7,233 marked the sixth sellout crowd in 13 openings this season for the Everblades at Hertz Arena.
 

Saturday Night’s Scoresheet

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