Blades Clinch Playoff Berth With 2-1 OT Loss
March 7, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release
ESTERO, FL - The Florida Everblades (32-18-11) were upended by the Augusta Lynx (22-33-5) 2-1 in overtime in front of 6,103 at TECO Arena on Friday night. Augusta forward Ryan Lauzon notched the game winning short handed goal in overtime to give the Lynx the win. After earning the extra point for the regulation tie, the Everblades clinched a spot in the 2003 Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Everblades have now made the playoffs in each of their five seasons in Southwest Florida.
The Lynx got on the board first and made it 1-0 in the third period after two scoreless periods on a goal off the stick of forward Chris Thompson at the 5:31 mark of the third period. The Blades then tied the game on the power play after forward Kevin Brown picked up his own rebound and slipped it past Augusta netminder Curtis Cruickshank at the 9:57 mark of the period. Forward Tom Buckley picked up his team leading 36th assist on Brown's 21st goal of the season.
In overtime, Augusta forward Ryan Lauzon broke free on a breakaway from the opposite blue line and beat Florida goaltender Brian Leitza between the legs at the 1:23 mark to give the Lynx the win.
Florida goaltender Brian Leitza (0-1-1) stopped 32 of 34 shots he faced while Augusta netminder Curtis Cruickshank (6-3-1) stopped 31 of 32 shots he faced. The Everblades were 1 for 5 on the power play while the Lynx were 0 for 3.
The Blades take on the Augusta Lynx at TECO Arena on Saturday night at 7:30 PM. Each fan will receive a 2002-03 Everblades team poster card courtesy of Direct Impressions. 2003 Kelly Cup playoff ticket deposits are now being taken, please call (239) 948-7825 for more information. For single game tickets call Ticketmaster at (239) 334-3309.
3 Stars:
1 - Lauzon - AUG
2 - Cruickshank - AUG
3 - Brown - FLA
• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...
ECHL Stories from March 7, 2003
- Bombers/Nutter Center to Host Dayton Jr. A Gems Before March 16 Tilt - Dayton Bombers
- Gulls Beat Fresno In Shootout - San Diego Gulls
- Falcons Outdone in Shootout - Fresno Falcons
- Bandits shutout Kingfish, 2-0 - Baton Rouge Kingfish
- Steelheads Cool Down Condors, 2-1 - Idaho Steelheads
- Sea Wolves Sink Stingrays in Overtime, 3-2 - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- Idaho beats Bakersfield 2-1 - Bakersfield Condors
- Inferno Playoff Tune-Up Continues with 5-2 Win over Grrrowl - Greenville Grrrowl
- Blades Clinch Playoff Berth With 2-1 OT Loss - Florida Everblades
- Jackals Finish Homestand 3-1-1 After Shootout Loss To Adirondack - Elmira Jackals
- Cyclones Stopped in Peoria - Cincinnati Cyclones
- RiverBlades Edge Men-O-War - Arkansas RiverBlades
- San Diego Tries for Fourth Straight Win - San Diego Gulls
- Countdown to Face-Off Kalamazoo Wings Vs Quad City Mallards - Kalamazoo Wings
- Ice Dogs Complete Trade Deal with Idaho - Long Beach Ice Dogs
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
