ECHL Florida Everblades

'Blades send three to All-Star Game

Published on December 30, 2005 under ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release


ESTERO, FL - The Florida Everblades announced today that three of their players will represent the American Conference in the 2006 ECHL All-Star Game. The Everblades will be represented by forwards Ernie Hartlieb and Dan Sisca, along with defenseman Chris Lee.

Hartlieb, who has been voted as a starter for the American Confernce squad, will appear in his first ECHL All-Star Game. By starting the game for the American Conference squad, it marks the seventh consecutive season the Everblades have had a representative voted as a starter in the All-Star Game.

Hartlieb, 26, is currently in his sixth professional season and leads the Everblades in goals with 15 and is second with his 30 points. In his second season as an Everblade, the native of Warren, Michigan has currently picked up points nine of Florida's last 10 games notching 15 points in that span.

Hartlieb spent the 2004-05 with three teams in the ECHL and AHL. In 15 games with the Everblades last year he collected 12 points (3g, 9a) and added 29 penalty minutes. Hartlieb spent the majority of the season in the American Hockey League with Lowell and Grand Rapids, picking up nine points in 46 total games. In addition to skating with the Everblades during his pro career, Hartlieb has also played in the ECHL with the Dayton Bombers and the Arkansas RiverBlades along with spending parts of two seasons in the AHL with the Worcester Ice Cats (2002-04). Overall in his professional career, Hartlieb has collected 191 points (70g, 122a) in 298 games.

Sisca makes his first ECHL All-Star appearance after posting a team-leading 35 points (9g, 26a) in Florida's 27 games. The 22-year-old rookie's point total currently ranks fifth in overall scoring and is third among all ECHL rookies. Sisca's 26 assists leads all players, while his plus-20 rating is first among all rookies. At time of the announcement the native of Woodbridge, Ontario holds a 10-game point scoring streak notching 19 points in that span. Last season Sisca skated in Italy with Varese, where he collected 35 points in 36 games. Prior to turning pro, Sisca spent five seasons at the junior level in the Ontario Hockey League with Owen Sound, Mississauga and Sarnia, and compiled 332 points (140g, 192a) in 314 OHL games.

Lee also makes his first All-Star appearance after posting 20 points in 25 games. The 25-year-old defenseman is in his second season with the Everblades and has picked up at least one point in 12 of his last 14 games played, collecting 16 points in that time. The MacTier, Ontario native made his professional debut with the Everblades last season, notching 27 points in 68 regular season games and posting 11 points in 15 playoff games. Prior to turning pro, Lee spent four seasons at the collegiate level with SUNY-Potsdam, where he collected 115 points in 110 games.

The starting lineups were determined in voting by American Conference coaches, team captains, media directors, broadcasters and newspaper writers. Coaches also submitted the top prospects from within their conference to determine the final roster with each of the 14 teams in the American Conference having a representative.

The starting lineup and roster for the National Conference will be announced at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday.

American Conference Starters

G - Cody Rudkowsky, Reading (11 gp, 10-2-1, 1 shutout, 2.46 GAA, .918 save pct.)

D - Troy Milam, Gwinnett (26 gp, 2g, 18a, 20 pts)

D - Rory Rawlyk, Charlotte (28 gp, 9g, 15a, 24 pts)

F - Kurtis McLean, Wheeling (28 gp, 21g, 17a, 38 pts)

F - Scott Bertoli, Trenton (28 gp, 9g, 17a, 26 pts)

F - Ernie Hartlieb, Florida (27 gp, 15g, 15a, 30 pts)

The 2006 All-Star break begins on Tuesday, January 24 with the All-Star Skills Competition at 10:00 p.m. eastern time. The 2006 Bud Light All-Star Game will take place on Wednesday, January 25 at 10:00 p.m. eastern time. Both events will take place at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California, home of the ECHL's Fresno Falcons.

The Everblades return to action on Saturday, December 31 when they take host the Gwinnett Gladiators at 7:30 p.m. from Germain Arena. The first 2,000 fans will receive a 2005-06 Everblades team calendar.

Everblades half season, group tickets, and individual game tickets are on sale now! Fans can purchase tickets at the Germain Arena box office, which is open from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets can also be purchased over the phone by calling TicketMaster at (239) 334-3309, or online at www.ticketmaster.com. For additional information, contact the Everblades office at (239) 948-7825.

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ECHL Stories from December 30, 2005


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