Inside the Swamp: March 10-16
ECHL Florida Everblades

Inside the Swamp: March 10-16

Published on March 17, 2026 under ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release


Florida Everblades react after a goal
Florida Everblades react after a goal
(Florida Everblades)

ESTERO, Fla. - The Florida Everblades collected four of a possible eight points through the first four games of their road trip, splitting series against Atlanta and Jacksonville. Florida's victory over the Icemen Saturday night clinched a berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs and kept the Everblades atop both the South Division and Eastern Conference with 86 points and 12 games remaining.

Nurse Finding Offensive Rhythm

Forward Isaac Nurse helped drive Florida's offense during the Everblades' midweek series against Atlanta, finishing the week with four points while recording a point in both contests against the Gladiators.

Nurse scored Florida's lone goal in Wednesday afternoon's matchup before delivering his most productive performance of the season in Thursday's 5-1 victory, registering a season-best three points. Skating alongside Sam Stange and Tarun Fizer, the trio played a pivotal role in the win with each member of the line recording a multi-point effort.

Stange, who recently rejoined the Everblades after spending the majority of the season with Springfield in the American Hockey League, also recorded three points in the contest while Fizer added a multi-point performance of his own. The line accounted for three of Florida's five goals in the victory.

The recent surge has pushed Nurse to nine points over his last seven games as the Everblades continue their push toward the postseason.

Everblades Extend Playoff Streak to 11 Seasons

The Florida Everblades secured their place in the Kelly Cup Playoffs with Saturday night's victory over Jacksonville, marking the 11th consecutive season the club has qualified for the postseason.

Florida continues to lead both the South Division and Eastern Conference standings with 86 points and 12 games remaining in the regular season. The Blades have remained one of the ECHL's most consistent organizations under Head Coach and General Manager Brad Ralph.

Ralph has led the Everblades to postseason hockey in each of his 10 seasons behind the bench and enters this postseason with 105 career playoff victories, the most by a head coach in ECHL history.

The Richmond, Ontario native's tenure has also included a dynastic run that saw Florida captured three consecutive Kelly Cup championships from 2022-2024. This season's roster features five players who were members of all three championship teams, providing veteran leadership as the Everblades prepare for another playoff run.

Standout Performers

Anthony Romano - Powered Florida's offense Saturday in Jacksonville recording his third three-point night of the season scoring a goal and two assists earning a promotion to the AHL's Springfield Thunderbirds following his performance. His 53 points lead the Blades and are tied for eighth in the ECHL.

Oliver Chau - The Everblades captain scored a pair of goals in the win Saturday including the game-winning goal on the power play. His multi-goal performance was his first of the season and is now tied for fourth on the team in scoring with 14 goals.

Kyle McClellan - Earned the victory in his Everblades debut Saturday over Jacksonville making 19 saves on 21 shots helping Florida clinch a playoff spot.

Jordan Sambrook - Continued his career season notching three points (2g-1a) over his last four games. Sambrook leads all Florida blue liners with 38 points while his seven goals are a new career high. He ranks 11th in the ECHL in scoring among defensemen and his +44 rating is second best in the league.

By the Numbers

Florida became the second fastest team in the ECHL to clinch a playoff spot accomplishing the feat in 59 games with 86 points.

The Everblades 21 road wins are second most in the ECHL tied with Kansas City while their eight regulation road losses are third fewest.

Florida is 28-3-4 when scoring first and won both of their games this past week when scoring the game's first goal. The Blades 28 wins when doing so are second most in the ECHL.

Brad Ralph's group features the league's third best third period offense outscoring opponents 73-39 and feature the second-best score differential in final frames this season with a +34.

The Blades are 23-0-1 when scoring four goals or more in a game and picked up both their wins last week scoring at least four goals in each contest.

Weekly Rewind (2-2-0-0)

Wednesday: Atlanta 4, Florida 1 | Game Sheet

The Atlanta Gladiators snapped Florida's nine-game winning streak with a 4-1 victory Wednesday morning at Gas South Arena. Atlanta opened the scoring late in the first period as Jack O'Brien slipped behind the defense and beat Cam Johnson, but Isaac Nurse answered moments later converting a rebound opportunity to tie the game. Florida controlled much of the opening frame, outshooting the Gladiators 11-7.

Atlanta regained the lead early in the second period as Isak Walther capitalized on a rebound opportunity before extending the advantage in the third when Chad Nychuk scored just three seconds into the Gladiators' first power play. O'Brien later added an empty-net goal to seal the victory as Atlanta held on despite Florida outshooting the hosts 27-23.

Thursday: Florida 5, Atlanta 1 | Game Sheet

The Everblades responded Thursday night with a 5-1 victory over the Gladiators to split the two-game series in Atlanta. Sam Stange opened the scoring just 28 seconds into the contest with a shot off the rush, giving Florida an early advantage. The Everblades maintained the lead through the opening period with Cam Johnson turning aside all three Atlanta power-play opportunities.

Florida extended the lead in the second period as Tarun Fizer snapped home his 17th goal of the season before Isaac Nurse buried a feed from Stange to make it 3-0. Ryan Francis cut the deficit to two on a third-period power-play goal, but the Everblades sealed the win late with goals from Jordan Sambrook and Reid Duke. Johnson finished with 28 saves in the victory.

Saturday: Florida 4, Jacksonville 2 | Game Sheet

The Everblades clinched a berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs with a 4-2 comeback victory over the Jacksonville Icemen Saturday night. Jacksonville struck first midway through the opening period on the first professional goal from Trevor Griebel while Kyle McClellan made several key stops in his Everblades debut to keep Florida within striking distance.

Florida evened the score late in the second period as Oliver Chau snapped a wrist shot into the top corner before the Icemen briefly regained the lead early in the third. The Everblades responded with three unanswered goals as Anthony Romano tied the game with under four minutes remaining before Chau scored the go-ahead power-play goal with 1:18 left in regulation. Jordan Sambrook sealed the victory with an empty-net goal as McClellan stopped 19 of 21 shots.

Sunday: Jacksonville 3, Florida 2 | Game Sheet

The Everblades closed the week with a 3-2 loss to the Jacksonville Icemen Sunday afternoon. After a scoreless opening period, Will Hillman gave the Icemen the lead early in the second before Oliver Cooper responded minutes later with a deflection off a shot from Jesse Lansdell to even the score.

Jacksonville regained the lead later in the period on a rush chance from TJ Friedmann, but Florida answered early in the third as Ross MacDougall scored his first goal as an Everblade to tie the contest. With the game appearing headed toward overtime, Adam McMaster capitalized on a late power play with 1:06 remaining in regulation to lift the Icemen to the victory.

THE ROAD AHEAD

The Everblades return to action Wednesday, March 18 for the first of two meetings this week against the Orlando Solar Bears. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Kia Center on Wednesday before the Blades return to Hertz Arena on Saturday for a 7:00 p.m. faceoff on Kids Takeover Night featuring Backyard Sports.

Florida has dominated the season series against Orlando, posting a 9-1-1 record in 11 meetings, including a perfect 5-0-0 mark at the Kia Center while outscoring the Solar Bears 26-4 in those contests.

Entering the week, Orlando sits tied for fifth in the South Division standings with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits each with 53 points, however Orlando has 12 games remaining while Greenville has 15. Orlando's 53 points is seven behind Savannah for the final playoff spot. The Solar Bears are 4-6 over their last 10 games but are coming off a critical 3-1 win over Greenville Sunday.

This week's matchups against Orlando mark the final meetings between the two clubs in the regular season.

Check out the Florida Everblades Statistics

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Florida Everblades react after a goal
Florida Everblades react after a goal
   



ECHL Stories from March 17, 2026


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