BLADES SLAY MONSTERS FOR 7th STRAIGHT WIN

ESTERO, Fla. –  The ECHL-leading Florida Everblades remained red hot, riding goals from four different players to defeat the Tahoe Knight Monsters 4-1 in front of 7,307 fans Friday night inside a sold-out Hertz Arena. On the ice, the victory extended the Everblades’ winning streak to a season-high seven games, while at the box office, the packed house was the 12^th of the year in 24 openings at The Swamp.

A relatively quiet opening frame saw the Everblades jump out to a 1-0 lead as Dillon Hamaliuk struck from the doorstep at the 14:32 mark for the period’s only goal. Hamaliuk’s second goal of the season highlighted an opening frame in which both teams took eight shots on goal.

The good guys doubled the lead to 2-0 on Isaac Nurse’s shorthanded goal just 5:11 into the second period. Nurse stole the puck behind the Tahoe net and connected on the wraparound for his sixth goal of the campaign. The unassisted tally was Nurse’s first shorty and marked the Everblades’ eighth shorthanded marker of the year, just one off the league lead. Not content with the two-goal lead, Alex Kile swatted home a rebound with one second left on the clock to open the lead 3-0 lead after 40 minutes. Florida outshot Tahoe 14-8 in the middle stanza.

In the third period, Tahoe’s Jake Johnson scored with 1:53 to play, spoiling Cam Johnson’s bid for an ECHL-best sixth shutout of the year. The Blades closed out the scoring 35 seconds later with an empty-net goal by Oliver Chau, who stretched his point streak to seven games. Florida’s Johnson logged 19 saves en route to the victory.

The Everblades outshot Tahoe 15-4 in the final period and finished the game with a 37-20 advantage in shots on goal.

Kyle Betts and Carson Gicewicz both registered two assists for the Everblades.

The Everblades and Knight Monsters will put the wraps on their first-ever series Saturday night at Hertz Arena as the Blades host First Responders Night, presented by IAFF Local 3444, 1826 and 2424, and honor the heroes who keep our community safe. First Responders will receive special ticket offers and be recognized for their dedication and service. Specialty jerseys will be auctioned off on the Dash app, with proceeds benefitting MDA. The Everblades will also host a special pregame tailgate with live music. Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

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BLADES BITS

The Everblades’ seven-game winning streak is the team’s longest in the regular season since the Blades rattled off nine straight victories from February 6-27, 2021. During that calendar month, Florida earned points in each of their 11 games, posting a 9-0-0-2 record. Of course, the Everblades won eight straight games in the 2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs and also turned in six-game winning streaks in the 2023 and 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs, taking home the ECHL title three straight seasons.

Cam Johnson’s league-best 27 wins matches his career-best regular-season total with the Everblades, equaling his win tally from a year ago. Johnson also posted 27 victories in 2023-24, winning 26 games with the Blades and adding one with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.

On Dillon Hamaliuk’s first-period goal, both Hamaliuk and Kyle Betts extended their respective point streaks to four games. Dating back to the Everblades’ February 14 win at Indy, Hamaliuk and Betts have registered two goals and two assists apiece over the last four games

Issac Nurse’s second-period shorthanded goal gave him goals in back-to-back games for the first time this season, while Alex Kile’s last-second tally in the middle frame was his third time scoring goals in consecutive contests.

Oliver Chau’s empty-net goal gave him a seven-game point streak (3G, 5A), while his assist streak was snapped at five contests. 

Friday Night’s Scoresheet 

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