BLADES AND GHOST PIRATES BATTLE ONCE AGAIN

WHO: Everblades vs. Savannah Ghost Pirates 

WHERE: Hertz Arena (Estero, FL)

WHEN: Friday, January 17 at 7:30 p.m. 

BROADCAST: Watch every Florida Everblades game on FloHockey.TV. Listen to the exciting game action on ESPN Southwest Florida on 770 AM, 98.1 FM, 104.3 FM and online at https://espnswfl.com. 

ESTERO, Fla. – A scoreless first period and two consecutive goals from the Savannah Ghost Pirates ultimately sealed the win, as the Florida Everblades fell 2-1 in their first game back on home ice. The puck drops for a rematch between the two tonight, Friday, January 17, at 7:30 p.m. in The Swamp for Hertz Night.

The Other Side: The Savannah Ghost Pirates, ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Florida Panthers and the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, currently rank 15th in the league standings with a record of 19-14-2-0 following their victory in The Swamp. Former Everblade, Dennis Cesana still leads Savannah with 35 points from 11 goals and 24 assists, while Reece Vitelli trails by just three points, currently sitting at 32 with 8 goals and 24 assists, after adding another assist on Wednesday night. The Ghost Pirates have 113 goals against, earned two overtime wins, suffered two overtime losses and carry a 52.90 win percentage.

Last Time Out: Both the Blades and the Pirates got off to a slow start Wednesay night, with the first period remaining scoreless. The pace stayed steady until 16:29 of the second when Savannah defenseman Will Riedell capitalized on the man advantage to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. Heading into the third, the Blades were outshot by a single attempt, 15-14, and shortly after, Liam Walsh extended the Pirates' lead with a goal off a series of well-timed passes. The Blades responded nearly seven minutes later when Jesse Lansdell found a loose puck in the crease, sliding it past Savannah goalie Evan Cormier after a blocked one-timer from Jordan Sambrook. Despite the late powerplay push that brought them within a goal of leveling the playing field, the Blades ended the night down one on both the game and the series. 

Triple Threat: Three Everblades earned points in Wednesday night’s matchup, and all three are currently riding the same point streak. Gary Haden and Cole Moberg, both returning from injured reserve, each recorded an assist on Jesse Lansdell’s lone goal of the night. This marked the second consecutive game with a point for all three players—Moberg scoring a goal, Haden assisting on it and Lansdell picking up an assist on a different goal from the final game of the Idaho Steelheads series. As they head into tonight’s rematch, all three players carry a point streak with them.

Everblade Familiar Faces: Carson Gicewicz currently leads Florida’s offensive charge with 29 points, closely trailed by Logan Lambdin with 26. On the blue line, Jordan Sambrook stands at the forefront with 18 points, while Kade Landry follows with 13. Meanwhile, five former Everblades are part of the Ghost Pirates roster:

-Evan Cormier (Goaltender): 

2023-24 regular season: 22 games, 10 wins

-Nathan Staios (Defensemen): 

2023-24 regular season: 45 games, 9 goals, 12 assists (21 points)

-Zach Uens (Defensemen):

2022-23 Regular season

2023 Kelly Cup Champion

2023-24 Regular season

2024 Kelly Cup Champion

Total: 140 games, 7 goals, 23 assists (30 points)

-Dennis Cesana (Defensemen):

2023-24 Regular season: 10 games, 1 goal, 6 assists (7 points)

-Kai Schwindt (Forward):

2023-24 regular season: 6 games, 1 assist (1 point)

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Grab the newest and hottest Everblades merchandise by checking out the entire collection that is available online by visiting shop.floridaeverblades.com or at the Hertz Arena Pro Shop! 

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Watch every Florida Everblades game on FloHockey.TV. Listen to the exciting game action on ESPN Southwest Florida on 770 AM, 98.1 FM, 104.3 FM, or online at espnswfl.com or everblades.mixlr.com. Stay up to date by following the Blades on social media with all the latest news, scores, and promotions on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and Twitter.