BLADES EARN POINT IN SHOOTOUT IN SC

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Florida Everblades scored a pair of second-period goals to take a 2-1 lead, but ultimately had to settle for just one point in the league standings, falling 3-2 in a shootout to the South Carolina Stingrays Friday Afternoon at North Charleston Coliseum.

South Carolina opened the scoring at the 15:03 mark of the first period with a power-play goal by Micah Miller that staked the home team to a 1-0 lead that would carry into the second period. The Everblades had a relatively quiet opening frame on the offensive end, as the visitors were outshot by a 14-5 count.

Despite that slow start, the Everblades would take the lead with a pair of goals in the second period. Craig Needham struck first with a shorthanded goal, his fifth tally of the season, at the 6:57 mark, while Colin Theisen followed with his 12^th of the year at 12:55 of the middle frame.

Florida’s 2-1 lead would last for just over a minute, as the Stingrays’ Justin Nachbaur knotted the game at 2-2 at 13:58, closing out the second period scoring.

After a busy second period, neither team was able to break through in the third period, even with Florida enjoying a late power-play shift – the Blades’ fourth of the contest – that ultimately expired with 37 seconds left in regulation.

During the three-on-three overtime session, both teams enjoyed several strong opportunities, but neither team could find the net. The Everblades foiled a last-ditch power-play opportunity by South Carolina that ran out with 23 seconds left on the clock, sending the game to a shootout, the first of the year for the Everblades.

In the shootout, Everblades goaltender Cam Johnson stopped three of five South Carolina shots, allowing goals by Alexander Suzdalev and Austin Magera in the second and fifth rounds, while only Alex Kile connected for the Blades in round two.

Over 60 minutes of regulation, South Carolina claimed a 39-23 advantage in shots on goal, leading to a big game for Johnson. The recently-named ECHL All-Star registered a season-high 37 saves in goal, including five in the seven-minute overtime session for the Everblades.

With the single game in Palmetto State in the book, the Blades will head south for a pair of contests in the Peachtree State against the Savannah Ghost Pirates on Saturday, January 25 and Sunday, January 26 at 4:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., respectively.

The Everblades will return to The Swamp on Friday, January 31 for a meeting with the Orlando Solar Bears at 7:30 p.m., the first of a three-game set between the clubs that moves to Orlando for games on Saturday, February 1 and Sunday, February 2.  Friday’s game will be Affiliation Night as the Blades pay tribute to our new NHL affiliate, the St. Louis Blues. The Everblades will don specialty uniforms that will be made available by auction. Fans can take advantage of a special 239 Friday deal and pickup up two tickets, a souvenir program and two pretzels for the special price of $39. Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

---

BLADES BITS

The 37-save performance by ECHL All-Star goaltender Cam Johnson was a season-high, topping the 33-save outing he assembled in a 5-4 overtime win at Fort Wayne on November 28. This was Johnson’s fifth 30-plus save effort in 25 games this season.

 

Craig Needham’s shorthanded goal snapped his three-game scoreless streak and was the Everblades’ sixth shorty of the 2024-25 campaign. Needham has a pair of shorthanded goals this season, matching captain Oliver Chau for the team lead. The Blades are tied for fifth in the ECHL in scoring when down a man.

Needham’s shorthanded goal was his first since scoring one of the Everblades’ three shorties in an 8-0 whitewash of Greenville on November 17. Oliver Chau had the other two in that one-sided tilt. The Blades’ last shorthanded goal came off the stick of ECHL All-Star Carson Gicewicz in a 4-1 victory at Orlando on December 13.

Colin Theisen scored for the third straight game, giving the Everblades a short-lived 2-1 lead in the second period. Theisen has four points in that three-game span which started a two-point effort a week ago in Florida’s 5-2 win over Savannah.

With the shootout setback, Florida dropped to 2-2-0-1 in the season series with the Stingrays. The bitter South Division rivals will meet three more times in the regular season with all contests slated for Hertz Arena February 26, February 28 and March 1.

Friday Afternoon’s Scoresheet

---

Season ticket plans for the 2024-25 campaign are on sale now! Become a Blades 365 Member for the 2024-25 season and enjoy incredible savings and benefits! To view the Blades 365 Membership savings, benefits, and options click HERE. 

Group Packages are available for a group of 10 or more! Everblades put FUN in FUNdraising! There is no handling of money or tickets and no limit to the amount of money your group can make with the Everblades' easy-to-run online Fundraiser! For more information, or to reserve a Fundraiser Night at an Everblades regular-season home game, call or text (239) 948-7825.

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. 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.