
Everblades Weekly
March 30, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release
ESTERO, FL - The Florida Everblades collected a win in their lone game of the week, wrapping up the Brabham Cup Championship in the process. Overall the Everblades still enter this week with the league's best record at 45-17-5 (95 pts., 1st South Division).
THIS WEEK (All Times Eastern)
Tuesday & Wednesday, March 31 & April 1 vs. Gwinnett Gladiators Both Games: 7:30 p.m.
GAME NOTES: The Everblades finish up their season series with Gwinnett this week. The games are the 13th & 14th between the South Division rivals and the fifth and sixth at Germain Arena. The Everblades hold and overall record of 8-4-0 vs. Gwinnett this season and are 3-1-0 at home vs. the Gladiators. The last time the teams met the Gladiators picked up a 6-3 win on Mar. 15 in Gwinnett. The Everblades hold an all-time record of 22-23-6 vs. Gwinnett and are 11-8-5 all-time at home vs. the Gladiators. Gwinnett enters this week with an overall record of 30-32-6 (66 pts., 4th, South Division).
Friday & Saturday, April 3 & 4 vs. Mississippi Sea Wolves Both Games: 7:30 p.m.
GAME NOTES: The Everblades wrap up the regular season with a pair of games against Mississippi on Friday and Saturday. The games are the 11th & 12th between the two clubs and are the seventh and eighth at Germain Arena. The last time the teams met the Everblades collected a 3-2 win at Mississippi on March 14. Overall this season the Everblades are 9-0-1 vs. Mississippi and are a perfect 6-0-0 at home vs. the Sea Wolves. The Everblades hold an all-time record of 31-7-2 vs. Mississippi and are 21-2-1 at home all-time vs. the Sea Wolves. Mississippi enters this week's action with a record of 27-33-8 (62 pts,. 5th, South Division).
UPCOMING PROMOTIONS!:
Tuesday, March 31: Everblades Set #2 Player Card Giveaway: The Everblades will be giving away the second set of Everblades trading cards to the first 3,000 fans when they enter the arena.
Wednesday, April 1: Everblades Team Photo Giveaway: The Everblades will be handing out the 2008-09 Team Photo to the first 5,000 fans who enter the arena thanks to Direct Impressions!
Friday, April 3: NASCAR Night & Brad Herauf Bobblehead Giveaway!! Come on out to our annual NASCAR Night and check out Germain Racing's Truck Series rides! Also, it's our annual Bobblehead Giveaway! This year get your hands on this collectable featuring the likeness of Everblades forward Brad Herauf! The first 2,500 fans that enter the building will get one! Doors open at 6:30 p.m.!
Saturday, April 4: Fan Appreciation Night & Jersey Off Their Back Lottery! The Everblades thank their fans with a night for them! Fan Appreciation Night will feature a chance for fans to win cool prizes! Plus for all season ticket holders in attendance that night the Everblades will be holding a lottery for a chance to win the Everblades' Green game jerseys following the game! You must be in attendance to be eligible!
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
Saturday, March 28 vs. Charlotte Checkers 6-3 Win
The Everblades closed out their season series with the Checkers with a 6-3 win at home on Saturday night. The win not only assured the Everblades of the Brabham Cup, but also allowed the Everblades to win the season series 9-6-2. The win was Florida's fourth straight over their South Division rival. Six different players chipped in to score goals and David Leggio stopped 27 of 30 shots to pick up the win. Colin Nicholson tallied a short-handed goal, while Peter Metcalf, Milan Gajic, and Mark Lee all added power play markers. Mike Reich and Ernie Hartlieb scored the other two Everblade goals. Florida Special Teams: PP: 3-of-9; PK: 10-of-11.
EVERBLADES ITINERARY: (all times eastern)
Monday, Mar. 30: Practice, 10:00 a.m. @ Germain Arena
Tuesday, Mar 31: Pre-Game skate, 10:00 a.m. @ Germain Arena
GAME vs. Gwinnett Gladiators, 7:30 p.m. @ Germain Arena
Wednesday, Apr. 1: Pre-Game skate, 10:00 a.m. @ Germain Arena
GAME vs. Gwinnett Gladiators, 7:30 p.m. @ Germain Arena
Thursday, Apr. 2: TBA
Friday, Apr. 3: Pre-Game skate, 10:00 a.m. @ Germain Arena
GAME vs. Mississippi Sea Wolves @ Germain Arena
Saturday, Apr. 4: Pre-Game Skate, 10:00 a.m. @ Germain Arena
GAME vs. Mississippi Sea Wolves, 7:30 p.m. @ Germain Arena
Sunday, Apr. 5: OFF DAY
2008-09 EVERBLADES REGULAR SEASON NUMBERSQuick Stats
Overall Record 45-17-5
Home Record 24-7-1
Road Record 21-10-4
Overtime Record 2-2
Shootout Record 3-3
Power Play 97-438 (1st)
Penalty Kill 388-447 (2nd)
Leading Scorers
Kevin Baker 53-43-96
Peter Metcalf 9-47-56
Ernie Hartlieb 19-33-52
Mathieu Roy 22-22-44
Mark Lee 12-31-43
Ryan Lang 16-26-42
Leading Goaltenders
David Leggio 2.34 GAA, 24-7-3
Anton Khudobin 2.71 GAA, 18-10-1
Kyle Gajewski 3.62 GAA, 11-11-2
Chris Beckford-Tseu 4.62 GAA, 0-0-1
Plus/Minus Leaders
Colin Nicholson +20
Ernie Hartlieb +14
Ryan McGinnis +13
Doug O'Brien +13
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: 99-of-438 (22.1%) which ranks the Everblades 1st in the ECHL. At home the Everblades are 41-of-208 (19.7%) which ranks 5th. On the road the Everblades are 56-of-230 (24.3%) which ranks 1st in the league. Penalty Kill: 388-of-447 (86.8%) which ranks the Everblades 2nd in the ECHL. At home the 'Blades are 195-of-227 (85.9%) which is 5th. On the road the Everblades have killed off 193-of-220 (87.7%) which ranks 1st in the league.
Brabham Cup Champs!: For just the second time in their history, the Everblades won the Brabham Cup which is awarded each season to the team that finishes with the best regular season record! With their 6-3 win over Charlotte on March 28 the Everblades locked up the top spot in the league and assured themselves of home-ice advantage for all four rounds of the Kelly Cup Playoffs! The only other time the Everblades have captured the Brabham Cup was after the 1999-00 season when they finished with 53 wins and 108 points.
Playoff Home Games: Tickets for the Everblades' first two home playoff games are on sale now! Games "A" & "B" which will take place on Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11 at Germain Arena can be purchased at the arena Box Office or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Both games will start at 7:30 p.m.
Roster Changes: The Everblades' saw a couple more changes to their roster following their game on Saturday night. Rookie defenseman Zack Fenwick was released by the team from his Amateur Tryout Contract. The 19-year-old Fenwick had played in three games with the Everblades and logged two penalty minutes. The Everblades also received defenseman Brad Zanon back from the American Hockey League's Milwaukee Admirals, where he saw action in three games.
Home Cookin!: As the regular season winds down, the Everblades have been playing some solid hockey on home ice of late. The Everblades are unbeaten in regulation in their last nine home games (8-0-1) and overall have picked up a point in 17 of their last 19 contests at Germain Arena. The Everblades finish off the regular season by playing their final four games in SW Florida.
Chasing Another Record: Everblades captain Kevin Baker has already has a monumental season setting both ECHL and Everblades single-season records and becoming the first player to score 50 goals in the ECHL in seven years. The 29-year-old is now approaching yet another single-season record. Baker enters tonight's game with 26 power play goals which is one off tying the ECHL single-season mark of 27 that had been held by Colin Ward of Nashville since the 1995-96 season!
Milestones Reached: Over the past week and a half a couple players have reached milestones in their careers. D Peter Metcalf recorded his 250th career assist in Florida's last home game on Mar. 18 vs. Charlotte...F Milan Gajic tallied his 200th career point with an assist on Mar. 22 at Charlotte...F Mark Lee played in his 300th career game on Mar. 17 vs. Charlotte...D Dominic D'Amour skated in his 200th career game while in the AHL with Albany on Mar. 20.
Individual League Leaders: The Everblades' players and team find themselves at or near the top of the ECHL in several statistical categories. Kevin Baker is leading the league in several categories, beginning with his 96 points, he's also leading the league in goals scored with 53, power play goals scored with 26, power play points with 46 and game winning goals with 10...defensively Peter Metcalf is second in scoring among all blue liners with 56 points and is second among all d-men with 46 assists. He is also second in power play assists and points with 28 and 35 respectively...goaltending wise, both Anton Khudobin and David Leggio are among the top 10 goalies. Leggio ranks first with his 2.34 GAA and Khudobin is ranked ninth with his 2.71 GAA. Both are also third in the league with four shutouts.
Ticket Information: Everblades 2008-09 group tickets and individual game tickets are on sale now! Fans can purchase tickets at the Germain Arena box office, which is open from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets can also be purchased over the phone by calling TicketMaster at (239) 334-3309, or online at www.ticketmaster.com. For additional information, contact the Everblades office at (239) 948-7825.
On the Air: Everblades games, home and away, can be heard on 770 ESPN Radio and via the internet courtesy of Waterman Broadcasting by logging on to www.floridaeverblades.com or 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.
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