Blades Make it Six Striaght with 4-2 Win
January 14, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release
DULUTH, GA - The Florida Everblades (25-8-2) pushed their winning streak to six straight with a 4-2 come-from-behind win over the Gwinnett Gladiators (15-16-4) at Wednesday night at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. Everblades goaltender Anton Khudobin came up big in the winning effort making 32 saves allowing Florida to come from behind.
The opening 20 minutes saw the team's remain scoreless as the goaltenders were the story. Khudobin stood out making 14 saves, several of them in acrobatic fashion to keep Gwinnett off the board, while at the other end of the ice Gladiators goaltender Joe Fallon turned away eight Florida shots.
After the scoreless first period, the teams combined to score five second period goals as the Everblades out-blasted Gwinnett 3-2. The Gladiators were the first to ring the bell coming up with a 4-on-3 power play goal by Matt Siddall after his one-time slap shot from the left circle found its way through traffic and into the net at 7:29.
The Everblades then responded with a pair of goals in a span of 29 seconds midway through the period. The first of those goals to tie the game at one came on the power play when Ryan Lang slammed home the puck from the right post after taking a nice pass by Ernie Hartlieb from the left circle at 10:06. Kevin Baker recorded an assist as well on Lang's 11th goal of the year.
The next shift the Everblades took their first lead of the night when the Gladiators failed to clear the puck out of their zone. Matt Auffrey kept the puck in at the right point then found a wide open Steve McJannet at the front of the Gwinnett goal. After Auffrey's shot was stopped by Fallon, McJannet collected the rebound and lifted it over the sprawling net-minder for his second goal of the year at 10:35.
The jubilation of the goal however was short-lived as the Gladiators answered with the tying goal off the next face-off when Siddall completed a 2-on-1 rush by wristing a shot past Khudobin from the slot at 10:53. Florida however responded late in the period to carry the one-goal lead into the second intermission.
Baker tallied his team-leading 29th goal of the year with 1:58 remaining in the second period. After a couple good offensive chances for Mark Lee, the puck found its way to Baker in the right circle where his wrist shot sailed through traffic and under the cross bar for the 3-2 lead. Aaron Brocklehurst also notched an assist on the tally.
Just as the Everblades picked up a late second period goal, they also notched an early third period goal to open a two-goal lead. Just 1:33 into the final period Ernie Hartlieb broke his goal-scoring drought with his 12th goal of the year after collecting a rolling puck at the inside of the left circle and firing a shot over top of a sprawling Fallon. Lang and Luke Beaverson notched the assists on the tally.
From that point on the Everblades defensively choked off the Gladiators offense limiting Gwinnett to just six shots in the final period to preserve the lead and collected their fifth win in six games vs. Gwinnett this season.
In goal Khudobin tallied his second straight win and improving his record to 13-5-1. Fallon took the loss allowing the four goals on 27 shots which dropped his record to 10-5-1.
On the power play, the Everblades finished the night 1-of-4, while Gladiators closed out the game 1-of-8.
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