ECHL Florida Everblades

Everblades Weekly

March 2, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release


ESTERO, FL - The Florida Everblades completed this past week with a 1-0-2 record. The Everblades enter this week's action with a record of 32-20-7 (71 pts., 4th, South Division.)

UPCOMING GAMES (All times Eastern)

Friday & Saturday, March 7 & 8 vs. Mississippi Sea Wolves

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

The Everblades return home for a brief three-game home stand on Friday night. All three games come against Mississippi with the first two this weekend. The games are the seventh and eighth of nine between the South Division rivals this season, and the third and fourth of five between the clubs at Germain Arena. The Everblades hold a 4-2-0 record vs. the Sea Wolves this season. The last meeting between the two came on January 20 at Mississippi and resulted in a 3-1 win for the Everblades. Mississippi enters this week with a record of 24-33-3 (51 pts., 8th, South Division).

LAST WEEK'S GAMES

Friday, February 29 at Pensacola Ice Pilots 5-4 Shootout Loss

The Everblades continued their season-long seven-game road trip on Friday night in Pensacola. A back-and-forth game saw each team cough up a two-goal lead before getting settled in a shootout. The Ice Pilots opened the game with two goals in the first three minutes of the game, but the Everblades rebounded with the game's next four goals to open a 4-2 lead midway through the second period. Ernie Hartlieb, Derek Damon, Brad Herauf and Mike McLean tallied the goals for the Everblades. After Pensacola battled back to tie the game, the Ice Pilots picked up the win in the seventh round of the shootout. In goal David Shantz picked up a tie after stopping 33 of 37 shots. Florida Special Teams: PP: 0-for-6; PK: 6-for-7.

Saturday, March 1 at Pensacola Ice Pilots 3-2 Shootout Loss

The Everblades fell in a shootout for the fourth straight game after dropping a 3-2 loss in Pensacola on Saturday night. The Everblades opened the scoring with the game's first two goals off the sticks of Ernie Hartlieb and Kirk MacDonald. The Ice Pilots again responded with a two goals to tie the score and send it to overtime. In the shootout the Ice Pilots won it in the final round. In goal Kevin Nastiuk played well, but had to settle for a tie, stopping 32 of 34 shots. Florida Special Teams: PP: 1-for-4; PK: 5-for-5.

Sunday, March 2 at Pensacola Ice Pilots 3-0 Win

The Everblades finished off their seven-goal road trip with a 3-0 shutout over the Ice Pilots. Goaltender Kevin Nastiuk registered his first shutout of the season by stopping all 25 shots he faced. Offensively Preston Callander, Ernie Hartlieb and Brad Zancanaro scored for the Everblades. Florida Special Teams: PP: 1-for-6; PK: 7-for-7`.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE:

Monday, March 3 OFF DAY

Tuesday, March 4 Off-Ice Workout, 12:00 p.m. `@ Germain Arena

Wednesday, March 5 Practice, 10:00 a.m. @ Germain Arena

Thursday, March 6 Practice, 10:00 a.m. @ Germain Arena

Friday, March 7 Pre-Game Skate, 10:00 a.m. @ Germain Arena

GAME vs. Mississippi Sea Wolves, 7:30 p.m. @ Germain Arena

Saturday, March 8 Pre-Game Skate, 10:00 a.m. @ Germain Arena

GAME vs. Mississippi Sea Wolves, 7:30 p.m. @ Germain Arena

Sunday, March 9 OFF DAY

2007-08 EVERBLADES REGULAR SEASON NUMBERS

Quick Stats

Overall Record 32-20-7

Home Record 19-5-3

Road Record 13-15-4

Overtime Record 1-4

Shootout Record 4-3

Power Play 59-328 (9th)

Penalty Kill 309-359 (4th)

Leading Scorers

Derek Damon 20-35-55

Mathieu Melanson 25-28-53

Ernie Hartlieb 21-32-53

Preston Callander 14-25-39

David Cornacchia 8-28-36

Leading Goaltenders

Kevin Nastiuk 2.24 GAA, 3-2-2

Justin Peters 2.57 GAA, 18-10-2

Tyler Plante 2.81 GAA, 4-5-1

David Shantz 2.90 GAA, 7-3-2`

Plus/Minus Leaders

Kirk MacDonald +23

Ernie Hartlieb +18

Preston Callander +13

Brandon Roach +12

Player of the Week Nominee: This week's Everblades Player of the Week nominee is forward Ernie Hartlieb who had four points (3g, 1a) in the three games this past week. Goaltender of the Week nominee is Kevin Nastiuk who was 1-0-1 with a shutout and a 0.96 GAA and a .966 save percentage in the two games he appeared in. `

Special Teams Breakdown: Here's a look at the special teams of the Everblades and how it breaks down overall, home and away: Power play: 59-for-328 (18.0%) which ranks the Everblades 9th in the ECHL. At home the Everblades are 34-for-154 (22.1%) which ranks 4th, and on the road the Everblades are 25-for-174 (14.4%) which ranks 17th. Penalty Kill: 309-for-359 (86.1%) which ranks the Everblades 4th in the ECHL. At home the 'Blades are 145-for-163 (89.0%) which is 2nd in the league and on the road the Everblades have killed off 164 of 196 (83.7%) chances against them which ranks 7th.

Who's Hot!: Here's a look at who's hot for the Blades entering this week: G David Shantz is 4-0-1 in his last five starts...G Kevin Nastiuk has only allowed five goals in his last three starts with one shutout and a record of 1-0-2...F Derek Damon has points in five straight games (3g, 5a) and has points in 14 of his last 16 games (6g, 15a)...F Mathieu Melanson has points in eight of the last 11 games (5g, 8a)...F Ernie Hartlieb has picked up points in six straight games (4g, 3a) and in 11 of the last 12 games (6g, 9a)...F Preston Callander has notched a point in four straight games (1g, 4a) and in 11 of 13 games (6g, 11a).

Milestone Weekend: Everblades forward Ernie Hartlieb had a milestone weekend during Florida's three-game series with Pensacola. The veteran and former ECHL all-star picked up his 100th career goal, 200th career assist and 300th career point all during the weekend. Hartlieb scored his 100th career goal in Friday night's 5-4 shootout loss to the Ice Pilots, then recorded his 300th career point with a goal in Saturday night's 3-2 shootout loss. The 28-year-old then registered his 200th career assist in Sunday's 3-0 win. Overall now the Warren, Michigan native has 302 career points in 447 games during a career that began in 2000-01.

Punching the Playoff Ticket: With their 3-0 win over Pensacola on Sunday night, the Everblades officially clinched a spot in the 2008 Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Everblades became the fourth team to clinch in the South Division joining Texas, South Carolina and Gwinnett. The post-season berth keeps the Everblades string of consecutive appearances in the playoffs alive as well. The Everblades hold the ECHL's longest current consecutive streak with 10 straight appearances.

Everblades Coach's Show: The Everblades coach's show "Blades Talk!" returns on Tuesday, February 26 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. This week's special guest will be Everblades defenseman Brad Brown. 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.

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.

Check out the Florida Everblades Statistics



ECHL Stories from March 2, 2008


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