'Blades strike first in three-game set with Aces; Win 4-1
November 28, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release
ESTERO, FL - The Florida Everblades (11-6-0) shook off their loss to Pensacola on Saturday night to earn two big points in the standings with a solid 4-1 victory over the Alaska Aces (10-6-1) on Wednesday night at Germain Arena in front of a crowd of 5,456. The win improved Florida's home record to 7-1-0 this season, while the loss was the third straight by the Aces.
Everblades goaltender Justin Peters proved to be the difference in this game as the second-year pro made 34 saves, many in spectacular fashion, backstopping the Everblades to the win. Offensively Mathieu Melanson chipped in two power play goals and David Cornacchia helped out with three assists.
The Everblades opened the scoring late in the first period on Melanson's first of the night. The rookie forward saw his point-scoring streak extend to 10 straight games when his shot from the top of the right circle sailed past Alaska net-minder Derek Gustafson and under the cross bar at 16:14. Cornacchia and Brad Zancanaro picked up the assists on the goal which was Melanson's 10th of the season.
The Everblades carried that 1-0 lead into the second period and then added to it with Melanson's second tally of the night. With the Everblades on the power play a nice passing play that started with Cornacchia sliding the puck from the right point to Frank MacDonald at the left point. MacDonald then fed Melanson at the bottom of the right circle, where he quickly snapped off a shot that beat a scrambling Gustafson to open a 2-0 lead at 10:29. The Aces answered back however when Josh Soares, from the slot, wristed a pass by Cam Keith low on the stick side of Peters and into the net at 14:44 to trim the Everblades lead to 2-1.
The Everblades weren't done in the second period as Jarret Lukin picked up his first goal of the season with 31 seconds left in the frame. Lukin dug the puck free from behind the Alaska net and stepped out in front where he slipped a shot between the pads of Gustafson to re-gain the two-goal advantage.
In the third period, both teams came out strong, but the goaltending of Peters shined the brightest. Peters turned away all 15 shots he faced in the final period and the Everblades penalty killers stymied all three chances for the Aces in the frame. Late in the period, the Everblades salted the game away when the two newest members on the club teamed up to open a 4-1 lead. On a 2-on-1 rush into the offensive zone, Paul Caponigri fed a perfect pass to Chris Rebernik who fired a wrist shot past Gustafson with 4:12 remaining in regulation.
Peters improved to 7-3-0 on the season with his effort, while Gustafson fell to 3-4-1 after allowing the four Florida goals on 25 shots.
On the power play, the Everblades closed out night 2-for-5, while the Aces finished 0-for-8.
Experience the excitement of the Everblades 10th Anniversary season! The Everblades return to action on Friday, November 30 when they host the Alaska Aces 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) Justin Peters - FLA
2) Mathieu Melanson - FLA
3) David Cornacchia - FLA
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