Blaznek Lifts Blades to 6-5 Win
February 18, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release
ESTERO, FL - The Florida Everblades (29-15-10) defeated the Mississippi Sea Wolves (32-19-4) 6-5 in front of 5,706 at TECO Arena on Tuesday night. Florida forward Joe Blaznek netted the game winning goal with just :47 seconds remaining in the game.
The Everblades got on the board first while they were shorthanded after forward Laurent Meunier took advantage of an errant clearing pass by Mississippi goaltender Sean Matile and shot the puck into the empty net to give the Blades a 1-0 lead. The Sea Wolves came right back and tied the game at 1-1 on a goal off the stick of forward Sergei Kuznetsov at the 10:03 mark of the first period.
The Everblades then took a 2-1 lead in the second period on a rebound power play goal from forward George Awada. Everblades forward Tom Nelson then made it 3-1 on the power play at the 2:54 mark of the period. Keith Anderson then broke in on the right wing and wrested a shot into the net at the 4:16 mark to give Florida a commanding 4-1 lead. However, the Sea Wolves stormed back with two goals from forwards Sergei Kuznetsov and Darryl Campbell to make it 4-3. The Blades then made it 5-3 on a goal off the stick of forward Tom Buckley. The Sea Wolves then inched closer and made it 5-4 at the end of the second period on a goal from forward Mike Scott.
In the third period, the Sea Wolves tied the game at 5-5 after left wing Jeff Hutchins notched his 8th goal of the season. However, with just :47 seconds remaining in the game Everblades forward Joe Blaznek slipped around a Mississippi defender and beat netminder Sean Matile on the stick side to give Florida the victory.
Florida goaltender Cam McCormick (9-2-2) stopped 24 of 29 shots he faced while Mississippi netminder Sean Matile (9-6-0) stopped 27 of 33 shots. The Everblades were 2 for 6 on the power play while the Sea Wolves were 1 for 5.
The Blades take on the Cottonmouths on Friday and Saturday at TECO Arena. The puck drops at 7:30 PM for both contests. All 72 regular season games can be heard on Sportsradio 770 AM and on the web at www.floridaeverblades.com.. For group or season tickets call (239) 948-7825, for single game tickets call Ticketmaster at (239) 334-3309.
3 Stars:
1 - Blaznek - FLA
2 - Buckley - FLA
3 - Anderson - FLA
• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...
ECHL Stories from February 18, 2003
- RiverBlades Shutdown Fish, 5-4 - Baton Rouge Kingfish
- Blaznek Lifts Blades to 6-5 Win - Florida Everblades
- Zepp Recalled to Lowell, Petruk Reassigned - Florida Everblades
- Blades Win, Snap Losing Streak - Arkansas RiverBlades
- Everblades Edge Sea Wolves, 6-5 - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- Jackman Activated from IR - Bakersfield Condors
- Pederson and Classen Get Weekly Awards - San Diego Gulls
- Blades to Coach Youth Recreational Hockey Teams - Florida Everblades
- Colorado Eagles Reach 3,000 Season Ticket Mark - Colorado Eagles
- 1,000th Game Season Ticket Special Announced - Johnstown Chiefs
- Déjà vu All Over Again - Alaska Aces
- Terms of Trade Change - Fresno Falcons
- Joe Mullen to be in Wheeling - Wheeling Nailers
- Chiefs Weekly Report - Johnstown Chiefs
- Bullies Earn Three Points this Weekend - Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies
- Emond To Back Up For Baby Ducks Tonight - Elmira Jackals
- Power Play Stands Out over Weekend as Jackals Go 2-1-1 - Elmira Jackals
- Jackals Grab Five Out Of Six Points On The Weekend - Elmira Jackals
- Grrrowl Win OT Thriller on Education Day - Greenville Grrrowl
- K-Wings Week in Review - Kalamazoo Wings
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
