Friday Road Test at Greenville: The Florida Everblades (4-0-0-0) took down the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (1-3-0-0) 6-3 in upstate South Carolina on Friday behind four third period goals.
Patrick Harper scored first for Florida on a power play goal at 4:51 in the first period. Greenville responded with two goals of their own in the second frame to take a 2-1 lead. The Swamp Rabbits goal from Greg Meireles at the 9:21 in the second period marked the first time all season that the Everblades had trailed in a game. Florida only trailed for about eight and half minutes, and then it was forward Cameron Hebig who tied the game at 2-2 late in the second.
The Blades leapt forward in the third period with Cole Smith’s first professional goal, a Michael Huntebrinker power-play goal, Tanner Jeannot’s first tally of the season, and Patrick Harper’s second goal of the evening. Cam Johnson minded the net for Florida and stopped 31 of 34 Greenville shots.
Saturday Victory over Swamp Rabbits: The Florida Everblades got their second win of the road trip after Saturday’s 5-1 victory over the Swamp Rabbits at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Florida’s rookie goaltender Devin Cooley stole the show by making 39 saves on 40 shots to earn his second professional victory. For the second consecutive night, the Everblades took over in the third period and scored four times.
Forward Alex Kile struck first to put the Blades up 1-0 in the second period. After Greenville tied the game at 1-1 late in the second, Tommy Novak opened the third period by scoring his first goal of the season for Florida. After taking a 2-1 lead on Novak’s tally, the Everblades never looked back. Patrick Harper, John McCarron, and Blake Winiecki all published a goal and an assist on Saturday.
Red Hot Harper: Rookie forward Patrick Harper has now scored a goal in each of his first four professional contests. His five goals and six points both lead the entire ECHL. No other player in the league has more than two goals.
Extra Special Teams: After holding Greenville scoreless on seven power play opportunities over the weekend, Florida maintains a spotless penalty-kill record. The Everblades are a perfect 20 for 20 on the kill this season. Florida’s power-play unit posted four goals in nine chances throughout the games on Friday and Saturday. The Blades’ specialty group leads the league with a 27.3% success rate on the man-advantage.
Hebig and Winiecki Producing: Forwards Cameron Hebig and Blake Winiecki are both tied for second for points in the ECHL with five. Hebig recorded a goal and three assists on the road trip to Greenville, while Winiecki added a goal and two assists against the Swamp Rabbits.
Looking Ahead: The Everblades return to Hertz Arena to face the Jacksonville Icemen (1-3-0-0) on Saturday, December 26th. The Everblades and Icemen meet again next Monday, December 28th in Jacksonville. The Icemen fell twice this past weekend to the South Carolina Stingrays (2-0-1-0).
