ECHL Florida Everblades

Everblades Take Win Over Orlando On First Responders Night

Published on January 7, 2023 under ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release


ESTERO, Fla. - The Florida Everblades scored four unanswered goals to grab a 4-1 win over the Orlando Solar Bears in front of the fifth sold-out crowd of the season with 7,299 fans at Hertz Arena on First Responders Night.

All four goals in the game came in the third period. Orlando opened the scoring 14 seconds into the period on the power play, but the Everblades got goals from Jake Smith, Kobe Roth, and two from Levko Koper to grab the win.

Everblades All Star Cam Johnson, in his 11th consecutive start, stopped 34 of 35 shots for the win. He saved 75 of 78 shots he has faced in his last two games.

Florida has now won five straight games against Orlando. The teams next meet in Orlando on Sunday, January 22 for a matinee meeting.

This is the Everblades first home win of 2023. The Everblades next go on a season long four-game road trip starting Wednesday, January 11 against the Jacksonville Icemen.

BOX SCOREHIGHLIGHTS

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period

No Scoring

2nd Period

No Scoring

3rd Period

0:14 Orlando H. Fejes 3 PP (L. McInnis)

3:53 Florida J. Smith 12 PP (J. Pendenza, L. Kälble)

6:17 Florida K. Roth 9 (J. Pendenza)

12:31 Florida L. Koper 5 (K. Roth)

19:46 Florida L. Koper 6 EN (Unassisted)

GOALTENDERS

Orlando - Jimmy Poreda, 26 Saves

Florida - Cam Johnson, 34 Saves

TEAM STATISTICS

Shots on Goal - Orlando 35, Florida 30

Power Plays - Orlando 1-4, Florida 1-3

Shorthanded Goals - Orlando 0, Florida 0

Penalties (Minutes) - Orlando 5 (16), Florida 6 (18)

NEWS AND NOTES

Cam Johnson now has a six-game unbeaten streak, as he sports a 4-0-1-0 mark with one no-decision in his last six starts. With 34 saves in the victory, the ECHL All-Star logged his seventh 30-plus save performance of the year.

The Everblades claimed their sixth win over the Solar Bears, most over any one opponent this season. Florida has won five straight games against Orlando, by a combined score of 26-13. On the year, head coach Brad Ralph's squad holds a 6-2-1-0 advantage over the Solar Bears, including a 2-1-1-0 mark at Amway Center and a 4-1-0-0 tally at Hertz Arena.

With a pair of assists, Joe Pendenza sports a five-game point streak and a three-game assist streak, as he has registered seven points (2 G, 5 A) in his last five contests, despite sitting out the December 30 game versus Orlando. In 14 games dating back to November 30, Pendenza has picked up at least one point in 12 contests (2 G, 12 A), good for 14 total points.

Jake Smith extended his point streak to five games with his third-period goal. In the Blades' last five games, Smith has two goals and three assists.

Kobe Roth got back in the goal-scoring column with his ninth goal of the season and the first marker of the 2023 calendar year. Roth also picked up an assist for the first time in eight games, as he notched his third multi-point game of the year.

Levko Koper scored a goal in back-to-back games for the first time this season and tallied his first two-goal game of the year, while Lukas Kälble registered his third assist in the last three contests, giving him five points over the past five games.

Orlando's power-play goal in the third period snapped a string of 10 consecutive penalty kills registered by the Everblades.

The crowd of 7,299 tied for the fifth largest attendance for an Everblades game at Hertz Arena this season, matching the number in the building for a 6-3 win over Orlando on December 30.

NEXT GAMES

With the home-and-home series against Orlando in the books, the Everblades will pack up and hit the road for a four-game road trip to three different South Division cities.

First up, the Blades will be in Jacksonville for a 7:00 p.m. tilt against the Icemen on Wednesday, January 11, before heading to Greenville to face the Swamp Rabbits on Friday, January 13 at 7:05 p.m. The road trip will conclude with a pair against the South Carolina Stingrays in North Charleston on Saturday, January 14 and Sunday, January 15 at 6:05 p.m. and 3:05 p.m., respectively.

The Everblades will return to Hertz Arena on Friday, January 20 and Saturday, January 21 for back-to-back games against the Savannah Ghost Pirates at 7:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m, respectively.

On Friday night, Blades fans can take advantage of the popular 239 Friday Deals and pick up two tickets, two programs and two slices of pizza for the extra special price of $39! In addition, kids 12 and under can eat free at Breakaway Sports Pub.

Saturday's game will be preceded by our Saturday tailgate, which features live music from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Check out the Florida Everblades Statistics

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