Brabham Cup Within Reach for Blades
June 4, 2021 - ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release
ESTERO, Fla. - The Florida Everblades (41-19-4-3) close out the regular season home schedule tonight against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (37-19-12-3) at Hertz Arena. The Everblades have secured the top seed in the Eastern Conference and will hold home-ice advantage in the first two rounds of the 2021 Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Everblades can secure the Brabham Cup as the top team in the regular season across the entire ECHL if they can win tonight.
Last Time Out: Marcus Vela put Florida on top in the first period when he picked up a rebound and buried a backhanded shot for his fifth tally of the season. Greenville evened the score at 1-1 in the second on a goal from Matt Bradley. With the Everblades skating with a four-on-three advantage in overtime, Myles Powell blasted a one-timer into the top right corner of the net to punctuate the 2-1 victory for Florida.
Scouting the Swamp Rabbits: Greenville enters tonight ranked second in the Eastern Conference. Matt Bradley (20g-25a), Samuel Jardine (3g-40a), and Garrett Thompson (17g-24a) lead a balanced attack for the Swamp Rabbits. Jardine was recently named to the All-ECHL First Team for his efforts on the Greenville blue line.The Swamp Rabbits sport a pair of rookies in Max Zimmer (18g-16a) and Ben Finklestein (11g-21a) that run eighth and ninth respectively in ECHL rookie scoring. Goaltender Ryan Bednard has helped carry the Swamp Rabbits up the conference rankings. Bednard leads the league with four shutouts and is tied for third in the ECHL with 20 wins.
McCarron and Hildebrand Named to All-ECHL First Team: John McCarron and Jake Hildebrand were both selected to the 2020-21 All-ECHL First Team per the league on Tuesday. The Everblades were the only team to be featured twice on the First Team slate.
McCarron's 30 goals paced the ECHL circuit at the time of the league announcement. The Everblades captain will finish the season on at least a point-per-game average. Up until the All-ECHL selection, the forward had posted 67 points (30g-37a) in 65 games with Florida. McCarron's goal, assist, and point totals this season are all career highs.
Hildebrand was named the top goaltender in ECHL during the regular season thanks to a 23-10-1-3 record, the league's fourth best goals-against average (2.41), and the fourth best save-percentage (.924) in the ECHL leading up to his selection. Hildebrand is the only ECHL goaltender at the time of the league announcement to rank within the top four in wins, goals-against average, and save percentage.
###
WHO: Florida Everblades vs Greenville Swamp Rabbits
WHERE: Hertz Arena - Estero, Fla.
WHEN: Friday, June 4 at 7:30 p.m.
PROMOTIONS: Its Pink in the Rink presented by Radiology Regional! The Blades will wear specialty pink jerseys during the game. 4 Words Foundation, Inc. will be the recipient of the specialty jersey proceeds from the auction. Download the DASH Auction app to view the jerseys up for auction or visit HERE. Fan Appreciation Night will also happen with various giveaways throughout the night. It's also a 239 Friday! Enjoy 2 Premium Tickets, 2 Pink Whitney cocktails AND 2 autographed programs for only $39! In addition, all frontline/essential workers receive a buy one, get one free ticket offer for all remaining Friday regular season home games. Find the Frontline Friday ticket offer HERE.
BROADCAST: Watch every Florida Everblades game on FloHockey.TV. Listen to the exciting game action on ESPN Southwest Florida on 770 AM, 101.5 FM, 104.3 FM and online at https://espnswfl.com.
ECHL Stories from June 4, 2021
- Americans Offense Too Much for Rapid City - Allen Americans
- Rabbits Conclude Regular Season with Thrilling Overtime Win - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- Icemen End Orlando's Playoff Hopes with 5-1 Win - Jacksonville Icemen
- Oilers Fall in Final Game of Season - Tulsa Oilers
- Solar Bears eliminated from playoff contention in 5-1 loss to Icemen - Orlando Solar Bears
- Allen Opens Weekend with a Win over Rush - Rapid City Rush
- Mavericks Take Down Tulsa Friday Night, 4-3 - Kansas City Mavericks
- Thunder Announces Dates for First Round of 2021 Kelly Cup Playoffs - Wichita Thunder
- Rabbits Edge Blades 2-1 in Overtime - Florida Everblades
- Stingrays Clinch Kelly Cup Playoff Berth - South Carolina Stingrays
- Indy Emerges Victorious in Defensive Tussle - Wheeling Nailers
- Fuel Sets Franchise Record for Wins with Victory over Wheeling - Indy Fuel
- Mavericks Weekend Preview June 4 and 5 - Kansas City Mavericks
- Komets Sign Goaltender Justin Kapelmaster - Fort Wayne Komets
- ECHL Transactions - June 4 - ECHL
- Game Preview: Solar Bears at Icemen, June 4, 2021 - Jacksonville Icemen
- Game Preview: Swamp Rabbits at Everblades, 7:30 PM - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- Aaron Luchuk Receives 2020-21 ECHL Sportsmanship Award - Orlando Solar Bears
- Orlando's Luchuk Receives 2020-21 ECHL Sportsmanship Award - ECHL
- Grizzlies Preview: Fort Wayne at Utah on June 4, 2021 - Utah Grizzlies
- Rapid City Wins 2020-21 Best Ice Award - Rapid City Rush
- Peter Quenneville and Tyler Coulter Named to All-ECHL 2nd Team - Rapid City Rush
- Game Day Preview: Americans Host Rapid City, 7:05 PM - Allen Americans
- Rapid City Wins 2020-21 Best Ice Award - ECHL
- Brabham Cup Within Reach for Blades - Florida Everblades
- Greenville and Indy Set to Dance in Round 1 of 2021 Kelly Cup Playoffs - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- Nailers Name Derek Army Head Coach, Remove Interim Tag - Wheeling Nailers
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.
