BLADES AND STEELHEADS GEAR UP FOR FIRST CONTEST OF THE SEASON

WHO: Everblades vs. Idaho Steelheads

WHERE: Idaho Central Arena (Boise, ID)

WHEN: Saturday, December 11 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://espn swfl.com. 

ESTERO, Fla. – After a 2-1 overtime loss to the Orlando Solar Bears that snapped their four-game win streak, the Florida Everblades look to regain dominance as they face the Idaho Steelheads for the first time this season in a three-game road series, starting tonight, Wednesday, at 9:10 p.m. EST and 7:30 p.m. MST. 

The Other Side: The Idaho Steelheads, ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Dallas Stars and the AHL's Texas Stars, currently rank 13th in the league standings with a record of 17-12-3-0. Hank Crone leads the team with 37 points from 10 goals and 27 assists, while Ty Pelton-Byce follows closely behind with 34 points from 17 goals and 17 assists. The Steelheads have 105 goals against, earned four overtime wins, suffered three overtime losses and carry a 53.10% win percentage.

Last Time Out: Last Saturday, the Blades fell short in Solar Bear territory, losing 2-1 in overtime, which ended their four-game winning streak. Despite Alex Kile giving Florida the advantage in the second period with assists from Colin Theisen and Connor Doherty, Orlando responded early in the third with a Jack Adams goal to force extra time. Kicking off the Blades' road trip with a tough loss. The Blades earned a point from the game, extending their streak to five, while Kile extended his point streak to three games and Theisen pushed his to five with an assist.

Blades Road Recap: The Blades have played 16 road games this season, securing 10 wins and suffering 6 losses. Those 6 setbacks came against the South Carolina Stingrays, Greenville Swamp Rabbits, Fort Wayne Komets, Jacksonville Icemen, and Orlando Solar Bears. Notably, Florida remains undefeated on the road against the Atlanta Gladiators, and three of the Blades' last four road losses were decided by just one goal.

Blue Line and The Crease: Cam Johnson, the ECHL's Goalie of the Month for November 2024, currently leads the league with 17 wins and a stellar 1.68 goals-against average. In contrast, Steelheads netminder Ben Kraws has posted nine wins with a 3.23 goals-against average. The Blades also lead the league in defensive strength, allowing the fewest goals this season, with just 61 tallies against.

Returning Kelly Cup Finals Players: As the Blades went on to claim their third consecutive Kelly Cup for the 2023-24 season, the Steelheads faced a second-round exit by the Kansas City Mavericks after winning just one game in the Mountain Division Finals. Both teams have players who are still on the roster form each of their playoff runs: 

Blades: Cam Johnson, Oliver Chau, Kyle Neuber, Logan Lambdin and Andrew Fyten.

Steelheads: Ty Pelton-Byce, A.J. White, Matt Register, Jade Miller, Patrick Kudla, Nick Canade and Demetrios Koumontzis

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