'Blades gain point, but fall in OT 3-2
January 25, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release
ESTERO, FL - The Florida Everblades (23-14-4) earned a point in the standings after coming from down two goals to force overtime, but the South Carolina Stingrays (26-12-2) won their fifth straight game by scoring in the extra period to win 3-2 on Friday night at Germain Arena front of a crowd of 5,969.
The Stingrays opened the contest with a pair of first period goals to carry a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. After a sluggish first five minutes of play, the Stingrays found the back of the net at 8:05 of the frame while on the power play. Matt W. Reid tallied his 14th goal of the season by slipping a shot from the slot between the pads of Everblades goaltender David Shantz.
The one-goal lead held for South Carolina until the late stages of the opening period when Patrick McNeill cashed in on an odd-man rush. McNeill notched his fourth goal of the year as the trailing player of a 3-on-1 rush. Marty Guerin fed a pass into the low slot where McNeill chipped the puck into to upper right corner of the net with 2:39 remaining in the period.
As the second period began, the Everblades came out strong and picked up an early goal. While on the power play, Preston Callander registered his eighth goal of the season when his wrist shot from the top of the left circle found its way over the blocker of South Carolina goaltender Davis Parley and into the net just 1:15 in. Derek Damon assisted on the goal after starting the play into the offensive zone and dishing the puck to Callander.
The intensity of the game picked up after the tally, but neither team could add to its goal total over the remaining 18:45 of the second period. With the Stingrays maintaining their one-goal lead entering the third period, the Everblades again came out strong and managed to tie the score at two 5:24 into the final period. Ryan Van Buskirk notched the game-tying tally after getting a quick pass from Brad Herauf and wristing a shot that ricocheted off the arm of Parley and into the net. Steve Ward collected the second assist on Van Buskirk's third goal of the season.
From that point on, the game had a playoff type feel to it, with both teams going end-to-end and the hitting picking up on both sides. The goaltending however came up strong on both sides with Shantz and Parley matching each other save for save over the final 14:36.
With the score tied 2-2 the contest moved into the five-minute overtime period. The Stingrays made quick work of the extra session scoring just 35 seconds into the frame when Pierre-Luc O'Brien's shot from the top of the left circle sailed over the glove of Shantz and into the net. The goal came off a scramble at center ice and South Carolina defenseman Scott Romfo slid the puck free for O'Brien who tallied his seventh goal of the season to end the game.
The Everblades dropped to 1-4 in overtime games this year, while the Stingrays improved to 3-1 in games decided in overtime.
In goal Shantz gets credit for a tie and sees his record go to 3-1-1 after stopping 28 of 31 shots. Parley improved his record to 11-4-1 after turning away 27 or 29 shots.
On the power play, the Everblades closed out night 1-for-5, while the Stingrays finished 1-for-4.
Experience the excitement of the Everblades 10th Anniversary season! The Everblades return to action Saturday, January 26 when they host the South Carolina Stingrays at 7:30 p.m. from Germain Arena. Individual tickets to all Everblades home games are on sale now! Stop by the Germain Arena box office to reserve your seat for all the exciting action! Visit www.floridaeverblades.com and www.germainarena.com for more information on ticket packages, pricing and upcoming Germain Arena events.
Three Stars:
1) Pierre-Luc O'Brien - SC
2) Ryan Van Buskirk - FLA
3) Marty Guerin - SC
ECHL Stories from January 25, 2008
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