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ECHL Florida Everblades

Everblades to Host Gladiators for South Division Showdown

April 15, 2022 - ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release


ESTERO, Fla. - The penultimate regular-season game is here and promises to be one of the biggest games of the season. The Florida Everblades will host the Atlanta Gladiators on Friday, April 15 with the ECHL South Division championship and the top seed in the upcoming Kelly Cup Playoffs in the balance. The Blades (40-20-6-4) and Glads (43-23-3-1) are tied for the top spot in the south with 90 points and .643 points percentages with two regular-season games left to play. The teams will take to the ice again in Saturday's regular-season finale.

THE OPPONENT: The Atlanta Gladiators skate into Hertz Arena for the final two games of the regular season Friday and Saturday. Both the Everblades and Gladiators have exactly 90 points and are tied for first place in the South Division with identical .643 points percentages, the metric used to determine seeding for the upcoming ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs. In their last game on Saturday, April 9, the Glads picked up a 5-3 win over the Jacksonville Icemen, snapping a two-game winning streak in which the Everblades and Icemen combined to outscore Atlanta 11-2. Over the past 10 games, the Gladiators have compiled a 6-4 record.

THE SERIES: The Everblades hold a 6-3-2-0 in 11 meetings this season, winning three of five games in Hertz Arena and posting a 3-1-2 record in games played in Duluth, Georgia. Florida has won the last two matchups, claiming a 3-2 home victory on January 22 and earning a 7-1 road win last Wednesday. Over those 11 meetings, the Blades have outscored Atlanta 36-24. Blake Winiecki (2 G, 9 A) tops the Blades with 11 points, while Alex Aleardi has a team-high five goals. John McCarron (3 G, 7 A) and Jake Jaremko (3 G, 7 A) have both compiled 10 points. In goal, Parker Gahagen is 2-1-1 with a 2.00 GAA and a .921 save percentage in four games, while Tomas Vomacka is 1-1-1 with a 2.68 GAA and .920 save percentage in three outings.

LAST TIME OUT: After scoring 12 total goals over the previous two games, the Florida Everblades found the offense a bit harder to come by in their final regular-season road game of the year, dropping a 5-3 decision to the South Carolina Stingrays on Saturday, April 9 at North Charleston Coliseum. The setback halted the Blades' four-game winning streak. In the contest, John McCarron set the Everblades career record for assists, recording his 231st helper on a Blake Winiecki goal in the third period. Captain Everblade eclipsed the standard of 230 assists originally established by Tom Buckley from 1999 through 2004. McCarron now holds the Everblades franchise records for points (400), goals (169) and assists (231). Winiecki scored two goals, while Alex Aleardi added another.

PLAYOFF CRUNCH TIME: While the Everblades and Gladiators will finish in the top two spots in some order, Jacksonville (38-27-3-2, 83 points, .585 points percentage) will be the third seed, as they sport a nine-point lead over Greenville, which has three games yet to play. The Swamp Rabbits (32-27-6-4, 74, .536) has the edge over Orlando (33-29-6-1, 73, .529) for the fourth and final playoff spot in the South. The Solar Bears have two games left on the slate.

TOP-10 BLADES: John McCarron, Blake Winiecki and Darik Angeli enter the final week of the regular-season ranked among the ECHL top-10 in points. McCarron ranks sixth with 70 points, while Winiecki and Angeli are tied for eighth with 69 points. In the goals category, Winiecki is tied for third in the league with 32 markers, while Alex Aleardi is tied for seventh with 30 goals, while McCarron and Angeli round out the top-10 with 29 lamp-lighters each.

NEXT UP IN THE SWAMP: As one of the top two seeds in the South Division, the Everblades will have home-ice advantage for their opening-round, best-of-seven series in the 2022 ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs. While the Blades' opponent is yet to be determined, Florida will host game one on Friday, April 22 at 7:30 pm and game two on Saturday, April 23 at 7:00 pm. Tickets for games one and two are now available HERE.

WHO: Florida Everblades vs. Atlanta Gladiators

WHERE: Hertz Arena (Estero, FL)

WHEN: Friday, April 15 at 7:30 pm

PROMOTIONS: During each Friday home game of the 2021-22 season, fans can enjoy the action with a 239 ticket package, which pays tribute to Southwest Florida's area code and provides a great deal! You get two premium seat tickets, two autographed programs, and two Molly Moo's ice creams for just $39!

Also, as a thank you to our first responder heroes, frontline workers are eligible to receive a buy one, get one ticket offer for all remaining Friday home games while supplies last.

BROADCAST: Watch every Florida Everblades game on FloHockey.TV. Listen to the exciting game action on ESPN Southwest Florida on 770 AM, 98.1 FM, 104.3 FM and online at https://espnswfl.com.

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