A Grand Occasion as Everblades Clinch Playoff Spot in 1000th Game
Published on March 24, 2012 under ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release
ESTERO, FL- Cedric McNicoll scored two goals and added an assist to help carry the Everblades to a 4-2 victory over the South Carolina Stingrays in front of an announced crowd of 6,816 at Germain Arena Saturday night. With the win, the Blades clinch a spot in the playoffs.
The first period saw a lot of back and forth action and it would take 11 minutes before South Carolina was able to breakthrough with a goal. The powerplay goal was scored after the Stingrays worked the puck very well in the in Everblades zone and Shea Walters sent a pass to Matt Scherer who easily tapped the puck past John Muse giving the Stingrays a 1-0 lead.
The defenses would battle it out for the remainder of the period and the South Carolina lead would hold through the rest of the period to lead 1-0 after the first.
The Everblades tried to mimic Friday night's five goal second period but came up short with only four, two of which came on via the powerplay, an area that South Carolina has struggled to defend against in recent nights.
The Everblades began there scoring streak by putting in three goals in a little over 90 seconds. The first goal came from Matt Beca after he forced a turnover in the South Carolina zone and took the puck to net and scored the unassisted goal off a wrist shot beating Rays netminder Billy Sauer.
Florida pulled ahead when Cedric McNicoll passed the puck to Sebastian Piche at the top of the right side circle. Piche fired a wrist shot that was get redirected by McNicoll into the net past Sauer for the second time in 40 seconds giving the Blades a 2-1 lead.
McNicoll's number was called again scoring the third Everblades goal when Scott Pitt found him in stride with a perfectly placed pass in front of the crease which McNicoll directed into the goal.
Later in the period, Piche fired a shot from the point which Sauer for the goal to give the Blades a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes played.
In the third, the Stingrays were able to add one more goal in the third period from Michael Doerr to pull within two, but the Florida defense kept everything else out and helped carried the Everblades to the 4-2 victory. Muse earns the win stopping 28 of 30 shots on goal while former Everblade Billy Sauer takes the loss allowing 4 goals on 33 shots.
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