ECHL Florida Everblades

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March 26, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release


ESTERO, FL - The Florida Everblades finished off this past week by going 2-0-0. The Everblades head into this week's action with a record of 40-20-6 (86 pts, 1st South Div.).

THIS WEEK (All Times Eastern)

Friday & Saturday, March 30 & 31 at Texas Wildcatters 8:35 p.m. (FRI) & 8:05 p.m. (SAT)

GAME NOTES: The Everblades renew their rivalry with Texas this weekend from Beaumont. The two teams haven't skated against each other since the last week of December. The two games are the ninth and tenth between the top two teams in the South Division. Overall this year the Everblades are 3-5-0 vs. Texas. The last time the teams met the Wildcatters took two of three in Beaumont December 28-30. The Wildcatters enter this week's action with a record of 38-20-9 (85 pts., 2nd, South Division). The Everblades hold an all-time record of 6-6-0 vs. Texas and are 3-2-0 all-time on the road vs. the Wildcatters.

Sunday, April 1 at Pensacola Ice Pilots 6:05 p.m.

GAME NOTES: The Everblades head to Pensacola to skate against the Ice Pilots on Sunday evening. The game is the 10th of 11 between the teams this year and the fourth of five at the Pensacola Civic Center. The Ice Pilots won the most recent meeting 5-2 on Mar. 10 at Germain Arena. Overall this year the Everblades are 6-2-1 vs. the Ice Pilots and are 2-0-1 at Pensacola. The Ice Pilots enter this week's action with a record of 19-41-6 (44 pts., 8th, South Division). The Everblades hold an all-time record of 43-13-10 vs. Pensacola and are 19-7-4 all-time on the road vs. the Ice Pilots.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

Friday, March 23 vs. Columbia Inferno 1-0 W

The Everblades saw Craig Kowalski turn away all 24 shots from the Columbia Inferno helping them to a 1-0 victory on Friday night at Germain Arena. A spirited game between South Division rivals saw the only goal of the contest come 70 seconds into the game. Reggie Berg got the 'Blades on the board by batting a rebound from Inferno net minder Todd Ford past him for his 24th goal of the season. Florida special teams: PP: 0-for-3, PK: 3-for-3.

Saturday, March 24 vs. Columbia Inferno 7-3 W

The Everblades finished up their four-game home stand with an impressive 7-3 win over the Inferno on Saturday night. Ernie Hartlieb and Vince Bellissimo each chipped in two goals as the Everblades matched an all-time club record with five goals in the third period. The teams were tied 2-2 after two periods when the Everblades began their barrage. Dustin Johner, Jon Lehun and Reggie Berg added the other Everblade goals, and goaltender Craig Kowalski turned in another solid effort stopping 30 of 33 shots to collect the win. The game marked the end of the season series against Columbia as the Everblades finished 7-1-1 vs. the Inferno. Florida special teams: PP: 1-for-6, PK: 3-for-4.

EVERBLADES ITINERARY:

Monday, Mar. 26: OFF DAY

Tuesday, Mar. 27: Practice, 10:00 a.m. @ Germain Arena

Wednesday, Mar. 28: Practice, 10:00 a.m. @ Germain Arena

Thursday, Mar. 29: Travel Day to Texas

Friday, Mar. 30: GAME vs. Texas Wildcatters, 8:35 p.m. @ Ford Arena

Saturday, Mar. 31: GAME vs. Texas Wildcatters, 8:05 p.m. @ Ford Arena

Sunday, Apr 1: GAME vs. Pensacola Ice Pilots, 6:05 p.m. @ Pensacola Civic Center

2006-07 EVERBLADES REGULAR SEASON NUMBERSQuick Stats

Overall Record 40-20-6

Home Record 21-11-2

Road Record 19-9-4

Overtime Record 2-4

Shootout Record 5-2

Power Play 73-469 (17th)

Penalty Kill 364-434 (10th)

Leading Scorers

Vince Bellissimo 26-39-65

Dustin Johner 27-31-58

Reggie Berg 25-30-55

Adam Taylor 21-31-52

Jonathan Lehun 21-25-46

Brad Zancanaro 18-24-42

Leading Goaltenders

Craig Kowalski 2.63 GAA, 26-11-4

David Shantz 2.96 GAA, 13-7-1

Jamie Holden 3.69 GAA, 1-2-0

Justin Peters 5.54 GAA, 0-0-1

Plus/Minus Leaders

Brett Peterson +23

Steve Czech +21

Ryan Brindley +19

Jon Lehun +17

Player of the Week Nominee: This week's player of the week nominee from the Everblades is forward Vince Bellissimo who picked up four points (2g, 2a) in last week's action. The Everblades goaltender of the week nominee is Craig Kowalski who was 2-0-0 with a shutout last week.

Special Teams Breakdown: Here's a look at the special teams of the Everblades and how it breaks down home and away: Power play: 73-for-469 (15.6%) which ranks the Everblades 17th in the ECHL. At home the Everblades are 38-for-238 (16.0%) which ranks 16th. On the road the Everblades are 35-for-231 (15.2%) which ranks 17th. Penalty Kill: 364-for-434 (83.9%) which ranks the Everblades 10th in the ECHL. At home the 'Blades are 188-for-227 (82.8%) which is 15th in the league. On the road, Florida is 176-for-207 (85.0%) which is 7th best in the league.

Roster Moves: The Everblades signed forward Dan Baum to a contract Friday. Baum had been originally acquired by the Everblades in a trade with the Phoenix Roadrunners on December 21, but did not report. The 23-year-old native of Biggar, Sask. began the season in Dayton with the Bombers where he skated in seven games scoring three points (2g, 1a) before getting traded to Phoenix on November 20. With the Roadrunners Baum collected two assists in 11 games. Overall in his fourth pro season, the former Edmonton Oilers draft pick in 2001 has 28 points (10g, 18a) and 523 penalty minutes in 130 games.

Who's Hot: Here's a look at who's been hot for the Everblades: F Vince Bellissimo has points in seven straight games (4g, 6a) and has points in 19 of the last 22 games he's played in (14g, 20a)...F Dustin Johner has picked up points in seven of the last 11 games (5g, 5a)...F Adam Taylor has points in 17 of the last 20 games (15g, 14a)... F Brad Zancanaro has picked up a point in eight of the last ten games (5g, 8a)...F Jarret Lukin has points in eight of the last ten (3g, 8a)...G Craig Kowalski is 11-4-3 in his last 18 starts.

One to Go!: Reggie Berg tied former Everblades forward Tom Buckley as the all-time leading scorer in team history on Saturday night vs. Columbia. Berg chipped in a goal and an assist in Florida's 7-3 win over the Inferno, and it was his goal that tied the mark of 310 career points in an Everblades uniform.

Milestone Night: Everblades forward Reggie Berg reached another milestone in his seven-year career. The 30-year-old scored his 150th career goal on Friday night vs. Columbia in his 337th career game. The goal was his 24th of the season and his 140th as a Florida Everblade.

Upcoming Milestones: Here are some milestones that Everblades players are approaching in their professional careers: F Brad Parsons is three goals away from his 50th ...F Brent McDonald is only four goals away from reaching the 100 mark...D Ryan Brindley is only three games away from playing in his 500th pro game.

All-Time 'Blades Records: Midway through the season three Everblades all-time marks have been broken and several others are being approached. Brent McDonald became the all-time games played leader on Dec. 8 when he took the ice at Pensacola. His 289th game broke the previous all-time number of 288 held by Tom Buckley. In addition, Reggie Berg became the organization's all-time leader in shots on goal on December 23rd vs. South Carolina when he took his 998th shot on goal, surpassing Buckley. Berg also became the team's all-time leader in power play goals when he tallied his 31st all-time on the man advantage on Jan. 26 vs. Gwinnett, breaking Matt Demarski's previous high-water mark of 30.

JERSEY SALE!!: The Everblades Pro Shop is having a sale!! All remaining Everblades adult jerseys (white,navy, green) are on sale! Normally the jerseys are $95, but they are now only $65 while they last. For more information call the Everblades Pro Shop at 239-948-7825 ext. 1350.

Ticket Information: The Everblades are taking deposits on 2007-08 season tickets! Fans can reserve their seat at Germain Arena for next season by contacting the Everblades at 239-948-7825. The Everblades are also selling 2007 Kelly Cup Playoff ticket packages at this time. Fans can purchase the 12-game playoff package at the Germain Arena box office or by stopping by the Everblades offices located at Germain Arena.

Coach's Show: The Everblades coach's show, "Blades Talk" returns tonight, Monday, March 26 at 7 p.m. live from Stevie Tomato's SportsPage in Ft. Myers. Fans can join the voice of the Everblades Kevin Reiter along with Associate Coach Jason Nobili to discuss all the Everblades happenings from the past week. The show can also be heard live on SportsRadio 770 AM and via the internet by going to www.floridaeverblades.com.

Check out the Florida Everblades Statistics



ECHL Stories from March 26, 2007


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