ECHL Florida Everblades

'Blades win 6th straight with 5-2 win over Gwinnett

December 7, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release


DULUTH, GA – The Florida Everblades (12-9-0) used 45 saves from goaltender Craig Kowalski and a pair of goals from Matt Hendricks to push their season-high winning streak to six games with a 5-2 win over the Gwinnett Gladiators (11-4-4) on Tuesday night in Gwinnett.

The Everblades opened the scoring with a pair of goals in the first period. Hendricks collected both goals, scoring just 1:59 into the game slipping a backhander past Gladiators net-minder T.J. Aceti for the 1-0 lead. Hendricks earned his fifth goal in the last five games when he slapped home a rebound at 8:40 of the opening period for the 2-0 Florida advantage.

The ‘Blades extended their lead to 3-0 six minutes into the second period when Brad Church converted on the power play for his seventh goal of the season. After the Gladiators cut Florida's lead to two on Mike Vigilante's 10th goal of the year at 7:47, Keith Anderson took a lead pass from Hendricks and sped in on a breakaway beating Aceti between the pads for the 4-1 lead with 8:30 remaining in the second period.

The Gladiators cut the Everblades lead in half midway through the third period when Jeff Campbell converted on a 5-on-3 power play at 10:24. The Everblades fought off strong pressure by the Gladiators over the second half of the third period, but eventually sealed with the win with an empty net goal by Kris Vernarsky with 27 seconds remaining in the game.

Kowalski won his fifth straight game by turning away 45 of 47 Gwinnett shots, bringing his record to 8-4-0. Aceti suffered the loss for Gwinnett allowing four goals on 29 Florida shots which brought his record to 9-4-1. Florida finished the night 1-for-6 on the power play, while the Gladiators finished 1-for-5 on the man advantage.

The Everblades return to Germain Arena for a pair of game against the South Carolina Stingrays on Friday and Saturday night's at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night is the Everblades annual Teddy Bear Toss, which benefit less-fortunate children in the Southwest Florida area. Fans are asked to bring a plush toy to the game and toss it onto the ice after the ‘Blades score their first goal. Tickets are available for both Friday and Saturday night. Call (239) 948-7825 for more information. You can hear all of the Everblades action on SportsRadio 770 AM or via internet by visiting www.floridaeverblades.com, www.abc-7.com, and www.nbc-2.com with the "Voice of the Everblades" Kevin Reiter calling the play-by-play.

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ECHL Stories from December 7, 2004


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