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Red-hot Everblades maintain division lead

December 22, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


After missing the playoffs for the first time in team history last season, the Florida Everblades are determined to not have history repeat itself in 2014-15. The Everblades enter the week with a league-leading .848 winning percentage, and their 19-3-1 record for 39 points has them in first place of the East Division, two points ahead of Greenville.

Florida has won seven straight games, and is 13-1-0 in its last 14 games, recorded a pair of home wins against Gwinnett last week.

In the first game of the two-game series on Wednesday, Florida erased an early 2-0 deficit with five straight goals, and then held on for a 5-4 victory. Alex Lavoie led the way offensively with three points (1g-2a) and Daniel Altshuller picked up the win in net with 27 saves.

The Everblades again faced a 2-0 first-period deficit on Friday before reeling off four consecutive goals on their way to a 5-3 win. Mitch Wahl (1g-1a), Artem Sergeev (1g-1a) and Alex Aleardi (2a) all had two points in the victory while Andy Iles earned the win, stopping 23 shots.

Adam Brace leads Florida this season with 12 goals and 24 points, and he is one of 13 players who are in double digits in points. The Everblades have received a jolt of offense from the blue line as both Mike Little (2g-16a) and Matt Mangene (4g-13a) rank among the top 7 in defensemen scoring in the ECHL. Cameron Burt is tied for second among defensemen, and tied for fourth overall in the league, with a +19 plus-minus rating.

The Everblades also feature one of the top goaltenders in the league in Allen York, who just returned to the club after spending nearly a week with Syracuse of the American Hockey League. York, who is 12-1-0 in his last 13 starts, is tied for fifth in the league with a 2.23 goals-against average and he is tied for fourth with 12 wins.

Florida visits Orlando for a pair of games on Saturday and Sunday in the first two games of a six-game road trip. The road has been kind to the Everblades this season as they have posted a 10-2-0 record away from Germain Arena.

Toledo hosts first outdoor game in ECHL history on Saturday

Preparations are well underway at Fifth Third Field in Toledo as Winterfest is just five days away. The Toledo Walleye will host the Kalamazoo Wings on Saturday, Dec. 27 and the Fort Wayne Komets on Saturday, Jan. 3 in the first outdoor games in ECHL history.

Follow along as crews prepare the stadium with additional photos and blog updates on the Walleye's Winterfest page . Fans can also check out the progress in real time by watching live-stream video of the rink build.

A limited number of tickets remain for the games. For additional information, click here .

A look ahead

Games to watch in the ECHL during the week ahead. Watch ECHL games live on ECHL.TV.

Eastern Conference

Kalamazoo at Toledo (Saturday)

Winterfest comes to Toledo as the Walleye host the first outdoor game in ECHL history at Fifth Third Field. The Walleye enter the week with 41 points, just two points behind Fort Wayne for first place in the North Division while the K-Wings are in fifth place, just four points out of a playoff spot.

Western Conference

Ontario at Idaho

The top two teams in the Pacific Division meet for a pair of games in Boise. Idaho has a three-point lead over Ontario for the first spot in the division and has won three of the five head-to-head meetings this season.

Divisions

North Division

- Josh Shalla leads Cincinnati with 12 goals.

- The Cyclones have outscored their opponents 31-13 in the second period.

- Cincinnati is at Indy on Friday and Saturday.

- Kale Kerbashian leads the IceMen with 19 points (7g-12a).

- Evansville is 8-2-3 when allowing three goals or less.

- The IceMen host Fort Wayne on Friday and visit the Komets on Saturday.

- Pat Nagle is 7-0-1 in his last eight starts.

- The Komets are 15-1-1 when outshooting their opponent.

- Fort Wayne is at Evansville on Friday and hosts the IceMen on Saturday.

- Patrick Cullen and Matt S. White are tied for the ECHL rookie lead in shorthanded points (2).

- Indy is third on the power play at 22.2 percent (22-for-99).

- The Fuel host Cincinnati on Friday and Saturday.

- Curtis Valk is on a four-game goal streak (4g).

- The K-Wings are fifth on the penalty kill at 87.1 percent (87-for-101).

- Kalamazoo is at Toledo on Saturday for the first outdoor game in ECHL history.

- Tyler Barnes leads rookies with 33 points (13g-20a).

- Toledo is 11-2-0 on the road.

- The Walleye host Kalamazoo on Saturday in the first of two outdoor games as part of Winterfest

- Four of Tyler Murovich 's six points this season have come shorthanded (2g-2a).

- The Nailers lead the league with seven shorthanded goals.

- Wheeling is at South Carolina on Saturday and Sunday.

East Division

- Steven Shamanski leads rookie defensemen with six goals and 19 points.

- Elmira is 15-0-1 when scoring three or more goals.

- The Jackals host Reading on Friday and visit the Royals on Saturday.

- Matt Mangene is tied for second among defensemen with 10 power-play points (3g-7a).

- The Everblades are third with 4.04 goals per game.

- Florida is at Orlando on Saturday and Sunday.

- Jason Missiaen is 5-0-1 in his last six starts, with two shutouts, a 1.14 goals-against average and a .965 save percentage.

- Greenville is 8-0-1 in its last nine games.

- The Road Warriors host Gwinnett on Friday and Saturday.

- J.P. Labardo is fifth among rookies with a 22.2 percent shooting percentage (6-for-27).

- The Gladiators are 7-2-1 when leading after two periods.

- Gwinnett is at Greenville on Friday and Saturday.

- Brett Findlay scored the Solar Bears' first overtime goal of the season on Friday at South Carolina.

- Orlando is the league's fourth-least penalized team with 12.41 penalty minutes per game.

- The Solar Bears host Florida on Saturday and Sunday.

- Pat Mullane has 17 points (5g-12a) in his last 15 games.

- The Royals are 6-1-0 in their last seven games.

- Reading is at Elmira on Friday and hosts the Jackals on Saturday.

- Jeff Jakaitis is third with a 2.18 goals-against average.

- South Carolina is 9-1-1 in its last 11 games.

- The Stingrays host Wheeling on Friday and Saturday.

Central Division

- Jack Combs leads the league with 42 points (17g-25a).

- The Americans lead the league in goals per game (4.46) and shots per game (34.50).

- Allen hosts Tulsa on Friday and visits Wichita on Saturday and Tulsa on Sunday.

- Trevor Cann is tied for third with 519 saves.

- Brampton is 5-0-1 in one-goal games.

- The Beast are at Quad City on Saturday and Sunday.

- Andrew Courtney has nine points (5g-4a) in his last seven games.

- The Mavericks are eighth with 27.96 shots-against per game.

- Missouri hosts Quad City on Monday and is at Rapid City on Friday and Saturday.

- Parker Milner is on a four game winning streak during which he has allowed just five goals.

- Quad City is 5-1-1 in its last seven home games.

- The Mallards are at Missouri on Monday and host Brampton on Saturday and Sunday.

- Jesse Schultz leads Rapid City with 22 points (8g-14a).

- The Rush are third on the penalty kill at 88.1 percent (89-for-101).

- Rapid City hosts Missouri on Friday and Saturday.

- Adam Pleskach is tied for second in the league with 17 goals.

- Tulsa is tied for seventh with 3.38 goals per game.

- The Oilers are at Allen on Friday and host the Americans on Sunday.

- Kenton Miller has eight points (2g-6a) in the last six games.

- The Thunder have killed 22 consecutive penalties.

- Wichita hosts Allen on Saturday.

Pacific Division

- Chris Francis is tied for second in the league with two shorthanded goals.

- Alaska is 7-0-1 in its last eight home games.

- The Aces are idle until hosting Utah on Dec. 31.

- Chase Schaber is tied for the league lead with six power-play goals.

- The Condors are 10-0-0 when leading after two periods.

- Bakersfield hosts Stockton on Friday and Saturday.

- Brock Nixon is on an eight-game point streak (10g-4a).

- Colorado is second with 26.23 shots-against per game.

- The Eagles host Utah on Friday and visit the Grizzlies on Saturday.

- Jason Bast is tied for the league lead with five game-winning goals.

- The Steelheads are 15-0-1 when scoring three or more goals.

- Idaho hosts Ontario on Friday and Saturday.

- Jussi Olkinuora is second in the league with 552 saves.

- Ontario is 11-1-1 when leading after one period.

- The Reign are at Idaho on Friday and Saturday.

- Tyler Maxwell is on a six-game point streak (6g-6a).

- The Thunder are 8-0-0 when leading after two periods.

- Stockton visits Bakersfield on Friday and Saturday.

- Jacob Johnston is second among defensemen with 74 shots on goal.

- Utah has played a league high 17 one-goal games (9-4-4).

- The Grizzlies are at Colorado on Friday and host the Eagles on Saturday.

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