ECHL Florida Everblades

'Blades to host CHL's RiverKings in Pre-season

July 19, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release


ESTERO, FL - Florida Everblades President and General Manager Craig Brush announced today the organization will play a pair of preseason games at Germain Arena against the Mississippi RiverKings of the Central Hockey League in preparation for the 2007-08 regular season campaign.

Marking the first time the Everblades have played games outside the ECHL, the teams will play the pair of pre-season contests on Thursday, October 11 and Friday, October 12. Both games will begin at 7:30 p.m. The Everblades are coming off their third trip to the Conference Finals in their history after posting a 44-22-6 record, which gave the 'Blades a first-place finish in the South Division. The RiverKings, which up until two weeks ago were known as the Memphis RiverKings, finished second in the Northeast Division last season with a record of 39-19-6 and advanced to the Conference Finals in the 2007 President Cup Playoffs.

"We are thrilled to be playing the RiverKings in the pre-season this year." Brush said. "We really think this is a unique opportunity for the two organizations, and we also are excited to give our fans a chance to see hockey from another league at Germain Arena. The RiverKings, like the Everblades, have a proven track record of success and it should be fun to see these two teams face-off."

The RiverKings have qualified for the playoffs in 9 of their 15 seasons, and won the CHL Championship in back-to-back seasons in 2001-02 and 2002-03. The RiverKings organization began play in the CHL in 1992-93, and have complied an overall record of 468-436-76 in their history.

"The games with the Everblades will be good tools to evaluate the players that we will have in camp." RiverKings head coach & director of hockey operations Kevin McClellan added. "I know that their organization has a tradition of playing good hockey just like ours, so it should be a good measuring stick. For our guys that have been here for a few years, it will also be a good experience to play against a team from another league in a totally different city and arena."

Following the two warm-up games, the Everblades will open the 2007-08 regular season at home, when they host the Mississippi Sea Wolves for a pair of games on Friday, October 19 and Saturday, October 20.

Opening Day for the ECHL's 20th Anniversary Season will be Oct. 18 when the Johnstown Chiefs host the Wheeling Nailers at Cambria County War Memorial in a rematch of Game 7 from the first-ever ECHL Finals.

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary as the Premier 'AA' Hockey League in 2007-08, the ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in three states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league that will have 25 teams in 17 states and British Columbia in 2007-08. The 25 teams includes the Mississippi (Biloxi) Sea Wolves, who return after missing two seasons in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the expansion Elmira (N.Y.) Jackals.

Be a part of the Everblades 10th Anniversary season! Deposits are being taken now for 2007-08 Florida Everblades season tickets! For just $50 per/seat you can reserve your piece of the action for next season! Visit www.floridaeverblades.com and www.germainarena.com for more information on ticket packages, pricing and upcoming Germain Arena events.

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ECHL Stories from July 19, 2007


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