BLADES D DOMINATES AND SEALS PERFECT ROAD TRIP

SAVANNAH, Ga. –   After falling behind 2-0 in the opening 2:04 of play, the Florida Everblades took complete control of the game on both ends of the ice and secured a 3-2 victory over Savannah Ghost Pirates Friday night at Enmarket Arena. Carson Gicewicz scored two goals to lead the Everblades’ offensive attack, while Alex Kile also had a two-point night with a goal and an assist. 

The story of the game, however, was the Blades’ dominant defensive performance. The Everblades completely stifled Savannah after allowing the two early goals, outshooting the Ghost Pirates 22-3 over the game’s final two periods. Florida claimed a 32-13 edge in shots on goal over 60 minutes.

The victory sealed a 4-0 road trip for the Everblades and gave the Blades a four-game winning streak for the sixth time this season. The current winning streak is the team’s longest since earning seven straight victories from February 7-21.

A busy stretch after the opening draw saw the Ghost Pirates register two quick goals from defensemen to take the early 2-0 lead. Hakon Nilsen opened the scoring just 18 seconds into the contest, while Mackenzie Dwyer doubled the home team’s lead just past the two-minute mark. 

The Everblades responded quickly, cutting the deficit to 2-1 on Gicewicz’s team-leading 26^th goal of the season at the 5:47 mark. Gicewicz struck from the doorstep, banging home a feed by Colin Theisen from behind the net for his team-high 26^th marker of the year. The goal extended Gicewicz’s point streak to eight games, longest by a Blade this season. Tarun Fizer also notched a helper.

Florida dominated the second period on both ends of the ice, taking its first lead of the game on a pair of goals, while also holding Savannah without a shot of goal in the middle 20 minutes. Kile evened the score 2-2 at the 2:37 mark, stuffing home his 15^th goal of the season from the goal line as Kurtis Henry picked up his first professional assist.

The red-hot Gicewicz scored for the second straight period, potting a power-play goal at 15:50 of the middle stanza. He deflected a blast from Kile, with Tarun Fizer also logging an assist, for his 27^th goal of the year and a 3-2 Everblades’ lead.

In the third period, the Everblades were unable to find a much-needed insurance goal, but outshot the Ghost Pirates 16-3.

Goaltender Cam Johnson (33-4-3-1) was a winner for the sixth straight game, recording 11 saves en route to his league-leading 33^rd victory of the season, matching his uniform number.

The Everblades will return to Hertz Arena to launch a critical three-game homestand on Wednesday, March 26 with a 7:30 p.m. contest versus the Jacksonville Icemen. Fans can take advantage of a special Hump Day Deal and enjoy $3.00 hit dogs, Bud Lights and Labatt Blues all night long. Following Wednesday’s single game with Jacksonville, the Blades will welcome the Central Division leading Toledo Walleye to The Swamp for a pair of games on Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29. Friday’s 7:30 p.m. game will be Marvel Super Hero Night, while Saturday’s 7:00 p.m. tilt will be Blackout Night, presented by The Passion Foundation. Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information and to purchase tickets

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BLADES BITS

The Everblades have won four or more games six times this season. In addition to the current four-game winning streak, the Blades posted four-straight victories October 19-30, November 9-16, November 20-28 and December 27-January 3, while also rattling off seven consecutive W’s February 7-21.

Carson Gicewicz wasted little time stretching his point streak to eight games, picking up his team-high 26^th goal of the season just under six minutes into the game. With a two-goal performance in Friday’s win, Gicewicz has 10 points on seven goals – all in the last six games – and three assists. Gicewicz, who has found the net five times in three games, moved past Colin Theisen and Alex Kile, both of whom logged seven-game point streaks earlier this season.

Kurtis Henry notched his first professional point, setting up veteran Alex Kile’s 15^th goal of the season early in the second period. In his sixth game with the Everblades, the rookie blueliner’s assist knotted the game at 2-2. Henry, a native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, made his first appearance with the Blades on February 26 versus South Carolina after a standout four-year collegiate career at the University of Prince Edward Island.

The Everblades held Savannah without a shot on goal in the second period, just the second time this season that an ECHL team did not surrender a single shot on goal in one period. The Bloomington Bison held the Iowa Heartlanders to zero shots in the first period back on November 17, but needed overtime to win that game.

Friday’s victory kept the Everblades (43-13-7-1) in first place in the ECHL South Division with 94 points. Second-place South Carolina (44-14-3-2) was a 5-1 winner over visiting Greenville and now has 93 points on the year, second to only the Blades. The top two teams in the South Division are the only ECHL squads with more than 90 points under their belts. Third-place Jacksonville was idle on Friday and stands nine points behind the Stingrays and eight points ahead of fourth-place Orlando.

Friday Night’s Scoresheet 

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