ECHL Florida Everblades

Everblades Weekly

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


ESTERO, FL - The Florida Everblades began a six-game homestand this week with three games against Pensacola. The Everblades completed the week with a 2-1-0 record. The Everblades enter this week's action with a record of 10-6-0 (20 pts., 3rd, South Division.)

UPCOMING GAMES (All times Eastern)

Wednesday, Friday & Saturday, November 28, 30 & December 1 vs. Alaska Aces

Game Times: 7:30 p.m. All Games

The Everblades complete a six-game home stand this week when they host the Alaska Aces for three games at Germain Arena. As the Everblades did earlier this month, the Aces now make the historic 4,926 mile trip from Anchorage to Estero. In a three-game set between the teams Nov. 2-4, the Aces won two of three games. Florida's one win at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage was a 2-0 decision. The games once again feature the furthest distance between two opponents in North American hockey history. The Everblades hold an all-time record of 1-2-0 vs. Alaska and hosting the Aces for the first time in team history. Alaska enters this week's action with a record of 10-5-1 (21 pts, 2nd, West Division).

LAST WEEK'S GAMES

Wednesday, November 21 vs. Pensacola Ice Pilots 4-2 Win

The Everblades opened their six-game home stand with a 4-2 win over Pensacola on Wednesday night at Germain Arena. The game was the first of 11 to be played between the South Division rivals this season. A back-and-forth game saw the Everblades grab a 3-1 lead by the mid point of the second period on goals by David Cornacchia, Kyle McAllister and Brad Zancanaro. After the Ice Pilots trimmed the lead to 3-2 late in the second period, the Everblades sealed the victory with an empty-net goal by Mathieu Melanson. In goal Justin Peters collected the win stopping 26 of 28 shots. Florida Special Teams: PP: 0-for-3; PK 7-for-8.

Friday, November 23 vs. Pensacola Ice Pilots 4-2 Win

The Everblades exploded out of the gates scoring all four of their goals in the first 10 minutes of the game. Brad Zancanaro opened the barrage just 52 seconds into the contest, then David Cornacchia notched his second goal of the season at 2:49 to open the 2-0 lead. Mathieu Melanson and Brandon Roach added power play goals at 8:20 and 10:15 respectively to finish the onslaught. Pensacola battled back with a late first period and late second period goal, but Everblades goaltender Tyler Plate held the fort to earn the win by stopping 33 of 35 shots. Florida Special Teams: PP: 2-for-9; PK: 3-for-3.

Saturday, November 24 vs. Pensacola Ice Pilots 3-1 Loss

The Everblades suffered their first loss on home ice in 2007-08 after falling to the Ice Pilots 3-1 on Saturday night at Germain Arena. The game began well for the Everblades with Brad Zancanaro scoring just 4:24 into the game. Pensacola however tied the game 30 seconds later, then added a short-handed goal early in the second period to take the lead for good. The Ice Pilots sealed the win late in the third period. In goal Tyler Plante stood strong, but suffered the tough-luck loss after stopping 34 of 37 Pensacola shots. Florida Special Teams: PP: 0-for-9; PK: 6-for-6.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE:

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

Wednesday, November 28 Pre-Game Skate, 10:00 a.m. @ Germain Arena

GAME vs. Alaska Aces, 7:30 p.m. @ Germain Arena

Thursday, November 29 Practice, 10:00 a.m. @ Germain Arena

Friday, November 30 Pre-Game Skate, 10:00 a.m. @ Germain Arena

GAME vs. Alaska Aces, 7:30 p.m. @ Germain Arena

Saturday, December 1 Pre-Game Skate, 10:00 a.m. Germain Arena

GAME vs. Alaska Aces, 7:30 p.m. @ Germain Arena

Sunday, December 2 OFF DAY

2007-08 EVERBLADES REGULAR SEASON NUMBERSQuick Stats

Overall Record 10-6-0

Home Record 6-1-0

Road Record 4-5-0

Overtime Record 1-0

Shootout Record 2-0

Power Play 19-95 (8th)

Penalty Kill 85-95 (2nd)

Leading Scorers

Derek Damon 9-11-20

Mathieu Melanson 9-10-19

Ernie Hartlieb 7-9-16

Brad Zancanaro 6-7-13

David Cornacchia 2-10-12

Leading Goaltenders

Justin Peters 2.17 GAA, 6-3-0

Tyler Plante 2.58 GAA, 4-3-0

Plus/Minus Leaders

Ernie Hartlieb +12

J.D. Forrest +8

Derek Damon +7

Mathieu Melanson +6

Player of the Week Nominee: This week's Everblades Player of the Week nominee is Mathieu Melanson who extended his point scoring streak to nine games with five points in the three games this past week. Melanson tallied two goals and added three assists while finishing plus-4.

Special Teams Breakdown: Here's a look at the special teams of the Everblades and how it breaks down home and away: Power play: 19-for-95 (20.0%) which ranks the Everblades 8th in the ECHL. At home the Everblades are 11-for-47 (23.4%) which ranks 8th, and on the road the Everblades are 8-for-48 (16.7%) which ranks 16th. Penalty Kill: 85-for-95 (89.5%) which ranks the Everblades 2nd in the ECHL. At home the 'Blades are 38-for-39 (97.4%) which is 1st in the league and on the road the Everblades have killed off 47 of 56 (83.9%) chances against them which ranks 11th.

Milestones: Here's a look at upcoming milestones for Everblades players: Defenseman Steve Czech is five games away from playing in the 100th game of his career...forward J.B. Bittner is 22 goals away from 50 in his career...forward Brad Zancanaro is four games away from playing in his 100th career game...forward Brad Herauf's is 79 penalty minutes away from 1,000 in his career...forward Derek Damon is 28 games shy from skating in his 100th of his career... forward Jon Lehun needs 10 more points to reach 100 in his career and is 10 goals away from 50 in his career... defenseman Ryan Van Buskirk is 16 points shy of 100 for his career...head coach Gerry Fleming is 10 wins away from 300 career wins as a head coach

Who's Hot!: Here's a look at who's hot for the Blades entering this week: F Derek Damon has points in five straight games (8g, 6a) and in seven of his last nine games (8g, 8a)...F Mathieu Melanson is currently riding a team-high nine-game point scoring streak (5g, 9a)...F Ernie Hartlieb has picked up points in six of the last nine games (6g, 7a)...D J.D. Forrest has registered a point in five of the last six games (1g, 5a)...D David Cornacchia has picked up a point in seven of the last nine games (2g, 8a) and in nine of the 12 games he's played with the Blades this season...F Brad Herauf has five points (2g, 3a) in the last six games...G Tyler Plante has won four of his last six starts (2.34 GAA).

Ticket Information: Experience the excitement of the Everblades 10th Anniversary season! Individual tickets to all Everblades home games are on sale now! Stop by the Germain Arena box office to reserve your seat for all the exciting action! Visit www.floridaeverblades.com and www.germainarena.com for more information on ticket packages, pricing and upcoming Germain Arena events.

On the Air: Everblades games, home and away, can be heard on SportsRadio 770 ESPN and via the internet courtesy of Waterman Broadcasting by logging on to www.abc-7.com/sports. In addition, Everblades games can be viewed via the internet thanks to B2 Networks by logging on to www.b2live.com. Join the voice of the Everblades Kevin Reiter as he calls all the action! The Everblades pre-game show begins 20 minutes prior to game time.

Everblades Coach's Show!: The Everblades coach's show "Blades Talk!" returns on Tuesday, November 27 from 7 - 8 p.m. at Don Haney's Smokehouse in Ft. Myers! Fans are encouraged to join Everblades head coach Gerry Fleming and the voice of the Everblades Kevin Reiter live in person at the Don Haney's Smokehouse located on Daniels Rd. in Ft. Myers. The show can also be heard live on SportsRadio 770 ESPN from 7 - 8 p.m. or can be heard via the internet by visiting the Everblades website at www.floridaeverblades.com.

Check out the Florida Everblades Statistics



ECHL Stories from November 26, 2007


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