ECHL Florida Everblades

Blades Clipped By Wings, Fall 4-1 In Game 2

April 6, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release


ESTERO, FL - The Florida Everblades saw the Kalamazoo Wings cash in three first period goals en-route to a 4-1 victory in game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals on Wednesday night at Germain Arena to even the best-of-five series at one.

Kalamazoo came out strong, blitzing the Everblades from the drop of the puck and tallying the game's first goal just 2:23 into the contest when Brian McGuirk flipped home a shot from the slot past Everblades goaltender Bobby Goepfert.

Following the tally the Everblades stabilized and began to bring pressure of their own, but Wings net-minder Ryan Nie showed his strength, turning away two good chances midway through the period. Kalamazoo then added to their lead at 16:36 when Brandon Svendsen tipped home a point shot from Sam Ftorek.

Late in the opening period the K-Wings grabbed a 3-0 lead with their lone power play goal of the night with just 26 seconds remaining the frame. Former Everblade A.J. Thelen's shot from the middle of the ice at the blue line found its way through traffic and into the net.

The second period saw the teams trade chances with each club firing 11 shots on goal, but Kalamazoo notched the period's only tally when they would convert a short-handed marker at 11:12 when Kory Karlander collected a rebound and slipped it between the pads of Goepfert to open a 4-0 lead. Following the goal the Everblades lifted Goepfert for back-up Mike Zacharias.

Zacharias closed out the game by stopping all 10 shots he faced in the game's final 28:48 and in the third period the Everblades notched their only goal when rookie defenseman Eric Olimb fired a shot from the slot off the left post and in at the 3:56 mark of the third period. The goal was assisted by Brad Snetsinger.

Goepfert took the loss in the game allowing four goals on 25 shots, while Nie recorded the win stopping 34 of 35 shots.

On the power play, the Everblades closed out the game 0-of-4, while Kalamazoo closed out the night 1-of-6 on the man-advantage.

The Everblades return to action on Friday, April 8 when they travel to Kalamazoo to take on the Wings in Game 3 of the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs at 7:30 p.m. from Wings Stadium. Visit www.floridaeverblades.com and www.germainarena.com for more information on ticket packages, pricing and upcoming Germain Arena events.

Individual tickets to all 2010-11 Florida Everblades home games are on sale now! Tickets are available at the TIB Bank Box Office Monday - Friday from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. - 2 p.m. Fans can also purchase tickets through TicketMaster by logging onto www.ticketmaster.com or calling 800-745-3000.

Check out the Florida Everblades Statistics



ECHL Stories from April 6, 2011


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.

OurSports Central