'Blades stay perfect on season wth 2-1 shootout win over Texas
Published on October 27, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release
BEAUMONT, TX - The Florida Everblades (3-0-0) remained perfect on the season in an entertaining 2-1 shootout win over the Texas Wildcatters (1-1-1) on Saturday night at Ford Arena in front of a crowd of 2,197. The goaltenders ruled the night as Everblades net-minder Justin Peters stopped 48 of 49 shots and Texas goalie Anton Khudobin stopped 27 of 28 shots he faced to provide a goaltenders duel between the South Division rivals.
After a scoreless first period that saw the Wildcatters out-shoot the Everblades 19-7, the Everblades broke through first tallying on the power play at 6:04 of the second period. Jon Lehun notched his first goal of the season after taking a centering pass from Matt Melanson in the slot and slamming it into the net. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ice Everblades goaltender Justin Peters was keeping the Wildcatters off the board by turning away all 28 shots he faced in the first two periods.
Texas came out firing in the third period, out-shooting the Everblades 10-1 over the first eight minutes, but Peters held strong. However the Wildcatters finally broke through midway through the third period when Brandon Benedict deflected a point shot by Jonathan Paiement past Peters at 9:35 to tie the game at one.
Texas kept the pressure on as the third period continued, but Peters again made big saves, including stopping a Wildcatter penalty shot by Troy Riddle with 6:09 remaining in regulation. The game remained tied through 60 minutes and moved into overtime where each team had power play time. Neither team was able to convert in overtime sending the game to a shootout tied at one, and the Wildcatters holding a 49-28 shot advantage.
In the five-round shootout, the Everblades converted on their first two chances by Derek Damon and Melanson. Texas notched a goal on their second opportunity, then tied the shootout in the fourth round. In round five Lehun snuck his shot between the pads of Khudobin giving Florida a 3-2 advantage. When Riddle missed the net on the Wildcatters' fifth shot it sealed the win for Florida.
Peters improved his record to 3-0-0 after the 48 save performance, while Khudobin earned a tie in the game to move his record to 1-0-1.
On the power play, the Everblades closed out night 1-for-9, while the Everblades remained perfect on the penalty kill for the season after killing off all 10 power play chances for the Wildcatters.
Experience the excitement of the Everblades 10th Anniversary season! The Everblades return to action on Sunday, October 28 when they travel to Texas to take on the Wildcatters at 5:05 p.m. from Ford 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.
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