Blades Douse Inferno 3-1
March 28, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release
ESTERO, FL - The Florida Everblades (35-23-13) defeated the Columbia Inferno (46-23-2) 3-1 in front of a raucous crowd of 6,002 at TECO Arena on Friday night. Florida forward Keith Anderson notched the game winning goal in the Everblades victory. The Everblades will be the #4 seed for the Southeast Divisional Wild Card Game at TECO Arena on Tuesday, April 1st at 7:30 PM. Florida's opponent has yet to be determined.
After a scoreless first period, the Inferno struck first and made it 1-0 after forward Robin Carruthers zipped a one time shot into the net at the 1:08 mark of the second period. The Everblades knotted the game at 1-1 late in the second period after forward Keith Anderson blocked an Inferno shot , skated the length of the ice on a breakaway and tucked the puck just inside the post at the 17:48 mark of the period.
In the third period, Florida grabbed a 2-1 lead after an errant turnover by the Inferno in their own end sent forward Ryan Murphy in alone on goaltender Patrick Couture. Murphy waited for Couture to commit then roofed the puck for his 27th goal of the season. The Blades then added an insurance goal on the power play off of a heavy point shot off the stick of forward Joe Blaznek. Forward Kevin Brown and defenseman Duane Harmer picked up the assists on Blaznek's team leading 33rd goal of the season.
Florida goaltender Brian Leitza (3-4-3) stopped 24 of 25 shots he faced while Columbia netminder Patrick Couture (27-11-0) stopped 26 of 29 shots he faced. The Everblades were 1 for 4 on the power play while the Inferno were 0 for 9.
The Blades battle the Columbia Inferno on Saturday night. The puck drops at 7:38 PM due to the sixth and final telecast on UPN-8. It is Fan Appreciation Night at TECO Arena. All 72 games can be heard on Sportsradio 770 AM and on the web at www.floridaeverblades.com.. 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 - Anderson - FLA
2 - Blaznek - FLA
3 - Leitza- FLA
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