Tuesday, November 30, 2010

YouTube Tuesday: O Captain! My Captain!

Oh yeah, you read that right, taking a break from kitty pictures for one post so I can make a classy literary reference. Don't get used to it.


Currently, only one ECHL team can boast that their captain is in the top ten over at Hockey Fights. I guess we now know why the other guys voted for him to be captain. They were afraid of what would happen if they didn't.

I do realize that he was probably elected for being a great guy in the locker room and a real leader on the ice, but I'm skipping the kitties, so I need a little fun somewhere.

Seriously, Egener's hardcore:





Plus, his stats look like he's on track to get close to his PIM record:



It's been great to see him step up and take over for Trevor Hendrikx while he's been injured. With everyone predicting Hendrikx being out another two months, Egener definitely has a long road ahead of him.

Anyone up for O Captain! My Captain! t-shirts?

Monday, November 29, 2010

News and Notes

- Pictures from the series with the T-Devils are now up on Flickr (11/23 and 11/24)

- There are also new videos up on the blogs YouTube channel. The best video? I'm pretty sure it's this one:



- Litter Box Cats has a great interview with local boy, and Panthers draft pick R.J. Boyd. The Everblades even get a mention!

- Just for fun head over to this "official ECHL store" and count how many teams no longer exhist.

Re-Cap: Everblades vs. Jackals

411

After the Everblades big win against the Royals, a team they had struggled against during the post season, the Blades traveled to Elmira to take on the second best team in the entire league. Did I mention the coach that had been unable to lead the Everblades to victory last season was now behind the bench of one of the most dominant offenses in the ECHL? How about the three former Everblades players that have been putting up big numbers lately?

Needless to say, it didn't look good.

356

The Jackals opened up the game by applying intense pressure on the Blades. They drew first blood on the power play three minutes into the game. Scant minutes later, Alex Hutching's shot. Unfortunately, he couldn't get it pat the Jackals goaltender. A few minutes later Elgin Reid took on former Everblade Yannick Tifu in the Jackals end. This ultimately cost Reid, as he did not have his jersey secured and was thrown from the game as a result. This was a major blow to the Everblades as they had already been playing short a defenseman since the loss of Kyle Lawson to the Charlotte Checkers. That left the Blades with 4 defensemen for the rest of the game.

338

The Jackals continued the pressure but eventually the Blades seemed to find their stride and goalie Bobby Goepfert became a goal-tending machine. Around the nine minute mark Matt Pistilli notched his tenth goal of the year to even things up 1-1. Defenseman David Fischer followed that up with his first goal of the season sixteen minutes into the game. Shortly after that the Jackals thought they had the goal that would tie it up, but it was disallowed when the linesmen and referee agreed that Justin Donati had kicked it in. That lucky break gave the Blades the lead at the end of the period 2-1.

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Matt Pistilli opened up the second period right by scoring his second goal of the game two and a half minutes in. The rest of the period was spent in trade of pressure until Mike McKenzie scored his fourth goal of the year around the eleven minute mark.

471

There was a scuffle as both teams were leaving the ice. One of the Jackals players went after captain Mike Egener. This gave the Blades the power play to start the third.

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The Blades weren't ace, but another lapse in discipline, this time boarding, gave the Blades a second chance on the power play. Mike McKenzie continued his hot streak and scored a his second goal of the night. The Jackals continued to have trouble with discipline (this seems to be a hallmark of Cameron teams, huh?), and it cost them yet again when Matt Pistilli made it 6-1 and earned the hat-trick!

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(Did you really think I could go this long without a kitty?)

The Jackals responded a minute later, but it was too late. The final score when the buzzer sounded was 6-2. The Blades came away with a well-deserved win. They have extended their win streak to three games, moved up into 5th in the conference and are 2-0 so far on this road trip. All in all, the Everblades are playing great and being rewarded for it. Hopefully, they can keep this up.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

FGCU vs CANADA (FIVE GAME HOCKEY WEEKEND)

FGCU vs CANADA (FIVE GAME HOCKEY WEEKEND)



Hoping you all had a very happy & safe Thanksgiving, THE EAGLES ARE BACK! Your D3 & D2 Eagles take on the ICE WARRIORS, formally known as the Mississauga Hornets. We WELCOME the Hornets all the way from CANADA. They hold some of the best talent in the country, many of their players who are on our team TODAY.

Alumni players include Allan Penney, Matthew Maida, Justin Moore and Tyler Mackereth and current players for the Eagles include Michael Sisera and Ryan Elliott.

GAME TIMES
Thursday D3 (vs Ice Warriors) at 830 PM
Friday D2 (vs Ice Warriors) at 830 PM
Saturday D3 (vs USF) at 630 PM
Saturday D2 (vs Ice Warriors) at 9 PM
Sunday D3 (vs Ice Warriors) at 11 AM

free parking for all; free admission with student i.d
$5 non FGCU fans
FGCU HOCKEY tshirts will be sold for $5




*****PLEASE BRING AN UNWRAPPED TOY TO DONATE TO 'TOYS 4 TOTS.' YOUR EAGLES WILL BE BRINGING THESE TOYS TO THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF SWFL*****



GO EAGLES!

A Blast From the Past

HD FGCU everblades shootout (Fizz/Nykiel/Roy)


D3 Eagles Mike Fowler (Fizz), current Captain Chad Nykiel, Eric Cosma and past Coach Roy perform the shoot-out during one of the Everblades games last year. I wonder who is in goal?!

Re-Cap: Everblades vs Royals (11/27/10)

The Everblades met the Reading Royals for the first time this season. After last season's disappointing loss to Reading in the playoffs the thought of the Blades returning to Reading was a bit frightening. Although only four players in Everblades jerseys actually took part in that series, it was still an important game.

The Royals position just one spot, and two points, above the Everblades made this game an even bigger deal. Their 11-6-0 record going into the game was slightly better than the Blades 11-8-0.

Both teams came out buzzing for the first period. Most of the major offense for the Blades came from a new forward line that included Mike McKenzie, Matt Beca, and the Blades newest arrival Jared Staal. That line was eventually rewarded with a goal around the ten minute mark when McKenzie scored his second goal of the season.Unfortunately, the Royals responded a few minutes later by slipping one past goalie Jaroslav Janus on the power play. There was no further scoring in that period, and the teams left the ice tied up one apiece.

The second period started of fast paced yet again. The Royals took the lead about 3 minutes into the game. There was no further scoring in that period. The Blades went into the second intermission down 2-1.

The tables turned in the third period though. seven seconds into the game a Royal player was whistled for goaltender interference. On the ensuing power play, Elgin Reid was able to score. All of a sudden, 30 seconds into the game, the Everblades found themselves tied with the Royals. It was obvious both teams wanted to find the goal that would give them the lead, but it was Mike McKenzie's hard work that was rewarded yet again with his second goal of the night at the 12:46 mark. A few minutes after that, a Royal player was called for boarding and the Blades found themselves in the position to put the final nail in the coffin. Unfortunately, they just couldn't convert and eventually Phil Paquet was called for hook with 31 seconds left on the power play. After the 31 second 4 on 4, the Royals pulled goalie in favor of the extra attacker.

You read that right, the Blades had a 6 on 4 on their hands.

At some point there was a mad scramble and the puck slipped into the net.

Thankfully, the Blades had the hockey gods on their side and the Referee had whistled the play dead a mere half a second before the puck crossed the line.

As you can imagine the Royal fans were not very happy when they announced a no-goal after they thought they had it all tied up.

Play started up again, and the Royals kept their net empty. Unfortunately for them, they had a defensive breakdown, and Phil Paquet was able to notch the empty-netter and his second goal of the year. When the final buzzer sounded the Blades had come away with a 4-2 victory. The game sheet is here.

The Blades now travel to Elmira to take on the Jackals, and former coach Malcolm Cameron, at 4:00 in the afternoon. With less than 24 hours off it's going to be a difficult game against an offensive powerhouse. The Blades just need to keep the hard work, and they should show Elmira a repeat of the playoff disappointment they handed them last season.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Friday Links

I don't know about you, but I've just managed to crawl out of my turkey and cheap (but yummy) wine induced coma.

- Your Wikipedia hockey page for today- "Asia League Ice Hockey"

- Greatest Hockey Legends has a look at hockey's most important players.

- I've already decided on my next hockey book. " Tropic of Hockey: My search for the Game in Unlikely Places looks really interesting.

- Got two minutes? Try your hand at naming Canada's 10 provinces and 3 territories.

- These vintage Soviet hockey pads are so cool!

- The News-Press has a great story on Jared Staal. It's a must read.

- Regular readers now this, but our new friends might not, I may have a teeny tiny obsession with Zambonis. Because of that, this video of people cutting a Zamboni in half made we want to cry.

- Kitty time!

funny pictures-um... meow?
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Thursday, November 25, 2010

Re-Cap: Everblades vs. T-Devils (11/23 & 11/24)

I have to apologize for not posting the re-cap sooner. I may or may not have completely forgotten that neither night was done.

I have to say, I wasn't completely surprised by how Tuesday went. Every time the T-Devils have come to town it's been a boring affair. The Blades were dominant for much of the first period. Mitch Fadden notched the first goal on the power play. It was the lone goal of the period.

Owly Images

Unfortunately, the Everblades continued their flat play in the second, and this time it cost them. The Devils notched a short handed goal and the flood gate opened. When the buzzer sounded at the end of the period the T-Devils had scored three goals in a seven minute time frame.

Owly Images

The Everblades did wake up a little in the third. They even managed to score thanks to Alex Imbeault (someone tell me why he doesn't have an AHL contract) to make it a one goal game. As you may expect, the T-Devils shut it down. They clogged up the neutral zone and the Blades couldn't get through. When the final buzzer the score was 3-2. The final game sheet is here.

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The following day there was a lovely post on the Blades' Blog with some terribly juicy quotes from President and GM Craig Brush.

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Now, I have to admit that I seriously considered not going to Thursday's game. Thank goodness I decided to go. I think Ross Carlson is happy I went too.

Owly Images

The Blades looked much more dominant in the first period. They were rewarded about a quarter of the way through the period when Matt Pistilli notched his ninth goal of the year. The Blades ended the period with the same tenuous lead they had in Tuesday's game. I was definitely not getting my hopes up.

Then, the second period, and Jared Staal came along. At the 3:44 mark Staal collected a pass from David Fischer and drove to the net with Francis Lemieux.

Owly Images

It was his first of the year and you could tell it was a relief. You could also see a little flicker of swagger developing...

Owly Images

Six minutes later, Elgin Reid scored a beauty to make it 3-0.



The Everblades held off some strong surges from the Devils and goalie Bobby Goepfert stood on his head whenever they slipped. In the end there was nothing the Devils could do to solve Goepfert or overcome the Everblades solid play. The game sheet is here.

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Both games were about as opposite from each other as you can get. Tuesday's was flat and boring and Wednesday's was dominant and aggressive. If the Everblades can keep up Wednesdays dominant play, and with the talent they have there is no reason not to, they should do pretty well as they head out for a week long road trip that includes stops in Reading, Elmira, Kalamazoo, and Cincinnati.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

YouTube Tuesday

You may remember a YouTube Tuesday a few months ago that featured ECHL goalie fights. Well, I found a new one...



That's Tyson Sexsmith of the Stockton Thunder taking on Josh Tordjman of the Bakersfiel Condors. Here's another angle from the stands...



That was a pretty good fight. I'm still holding out hope that I'll see one in person.

Monday, November 22, 2010

News and Notes

Here's a bunch of bits and pieces to make Monday a little easier.

- The Blades ended up losing Saturday night 3-1. I missed most of the game, but what I did see was not impressive. You can read re-caps from Woody here.

- This great story from Woody on Alex Imbeault made the front page of  the ECHL website.

- I have all the pictures (10/17 & 10/19), and videos up. It's going to take me a while to get all the pictures tagged with the players, but it will be done eventually.

- Now that I've built up some pictures I'm going to try to tweet a picture of the day every day at 11:00. If you're still not willing to join twitter you can see it in the box on the lower left side of the blog or you can just peek at my Twitter profile.

- Former Eveblades goalie Barry Brust was featured in a post on Puck Daddy! I know Blades fans aren't suprised by Brusty being awesome, we saw all that last season, but it is nice to see the rest of the hockey world realize what we already know.

- The Jr. Blades have put up another hilarious video. It was too good for me to put off until tomorrow. (You probably shouldn't click play if you're at work though)

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Re-Cap: Everblades vs. Walleye (11/19/10)

Normally, I would start a post with something about the Everblades needing to work hard for the win or some cliche like that. I'm too pumped to even go there.

It was a complete curbstomping. There were so many fights I lost count (check out the game sheet, it takes a lot of scrolling to get through all the penalties).

Frankly, it was nuts.

The way the first period started out, it looked like it wasn't going to be anything like the last game. The Walleye really came out strong and put on a lot of pressure. It was apparent that the rough stuff from the end of last game was going to continue. Mike McKenzie ended the stalemate, and his scoring drought, by notching his first goal of the season. A few minutes after that, one of the Walleye decided to pick a fight with captain Mike Egener. It took the linesman a long time to break them up. When they finally did, the Blades captain was sent off the ice with about two minutes left in the period. The teams left the ice with the Blades up 1-0, the SOG were 18-6 in Toledo's favor.

Owly Images

I have no idea what coach Poss said to the players during the first intermission, but I know he needs to say it more often. The Blades ripped into the Walleye and notched 4 goals, three of which were scored in a three minute time-span. Matt Pistilli opened it up with a power play tally, Ross Carlson scored his first of the year a minute later, and Alex Hutchings dealt the back-breaker about a minute after that. Later, Francis Lemieux added a short-handed goal and it was obvious the Walleye needed a miracle. The period ended with the Blades up 5-0 on the Walleye, the SOG for the period  was 13-8 in the Everblades favor.

It was pretty obvious at that point that there was no way the Walleye were going to be able to come back.Alex Imbeault drove that point home by scoring a power play goal  about three minutes into the third.period. The Blades were on the power play because the player who had fought Mike Egener in the first went after him again. They both received game misconducts for continuing a fight, and had to leave. A few minutes after that, a Walleye player went after David Fischer (I was a little confused as to why you'd go after him of all the guys on the ice, but whatever). A few minutes after that, yet another fight was started by a Walleye player, this time it was with Drew Larman. The game calmed down (at least for the moment) and Mathieu Roy was able to get his sixth goal of the season a few minutes later. Three minutes later, the Walleye ruined goalie Jaroslav Janus' shut-out and scored their first goal of the night. From that point on, everything went even more South than it already was.

There were some scuffles, a player was ejected, and next thing you know water bottles were thrown to the ice from the Walleye bench. Needless to say, the ref was not happy about that and the offender, the Walleye's coach, was ejected from the game.

That put the Everblades on a power play. The Blades took advantage and Ross Carlson scored 41 seconds later to make it 8-1. There wasn't much action in the last few minutes, and the Walleye had no way of coming back.
Obviously, it was a great game. A lot of players made the scoresheet. A quick summary:
  • Mike McKenzie- 1G, 3A
  • Francis Lemieux- 1G, 2A
  • Alex Hutchings- 1G, 1A
  • Ross Carlson- 2G
  • Matt Pistilli- 1G
  • Mathieu Roy- 1G
  • Mitch Fadden- 3A
  • Bobby Raymond- 2A
  • Phil Paquet- 1A
One of the best performers of the night  was goalie Jaroslav Janus who made 40 saves on 41 shots.

That bears repeating. 40 saves on 41 shots.

Unbelievably, the local media decided that wasn't enough to earn him one of the three stars of the night. Of course later, they seemed to realize how dumb they were, and they've made him the second star.

The Everblades have one more game Saturday night, to close out the series with the Walleye. I think the chances of it being a wild one are pretty good. Too bad Trevor Hendrikx is still injured...

Friday, November 19, 2010

'SOUTHERN SLAM' TONIGHT




BE LOUD, BE PROUD & GO EAGLES!

Friday Links

It's Friday, the Everblades play tonight, and it's Swampee's birthday. Can it get much better?

- I hope the team gives Swampee an awesome hockey themed cake like this one.

- If I had thought ahead I could have ordered this awesome crocodile scarf for tonight.

- Your Wikipedia hockey page for today- "Tropical Hockey League." I bet you didn't know Florida had hockey back in the 30's.

- This collection of photos of old school hockey arenas is awesome and sad at the same time.

- I love the newest feature on Elite prospects-" Where are they now?" It's great to see that a lot of former Everblades are succeeding.

- Greatest Hockey Legends had a really interesting post recently, it's definitely worth a read- "War and Hockey History."

- Looking for an Everblades jersey? This one is pretty decently priced.

- A lot of you may have already read this story on a set of triplets playing hockey together, but for those of you who haven't, it's worth a read.

- I think it's time to take  a break from the kitties:

John Zeiler and Daniel Carcillo
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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Re-Cap: Everblades vs. Walleye (11/17/10)

After an very unsuccessful week the Everblades were probably very happy to see one of the worst teams in the ECHL come to town. Thankfully, the Walleye were kind enough to oblige the Everblades with some pretty disorganized hockey.

The first period opened with a bang thanks to Alex Imbeault who less than a minute into the game on a power play provided by former Everblade Dominic Osman. Mitch Fadden followed that goal up with one of his own around the five minute mark to make it 2-0. It was pretty amazing, and I wish I had managed to record it. He skated from one end to the other, and slipped it pretty-as-you-please right past the Walleye goaltender. It was a thing of beauty. The Blades maintained most of the control throughout the period. The Walleye, on the other hand, looked really sloppy. Their goalie really didn't do them any favors either. The Everblades SOG for the period was 4. He let two of those four shots in. I don't think it's a stretch to say that was less than stellar goaltending.

Owly Images
(This has got to be one of the coolest photos I've taken)

The second period appeared much more evenly matched. The Walleye were even able to notch one and narrow the Blades lead to only one goal. Two minutes after that goal, Matt Pistilli gave the Everblades the two goal lead once again. There was no more scoring in that period, but I did start to notice things getting more physical. The teams left the ice with the score at 3-1.

The third period saw the Walleye really lay on the pressure. Thankfully, the defense really played well. Whenever they let something slip by, goalie Bobby Goepfert was there to slam the door on the Walleye. Yet another goal by the red-hot Mitch Fadden gave the Everblades a comfortable 4-1 lead. Goepfert continued to make great saves throught the period, although, one was a little too close for my sanity.

Owly Images

What appeared to be a routine stop saw the puck trickle through his pads and nearly cross the goal line (which I have a picture of and will be putting up soon). There was also a scary moment for him when he lost his catching glove.

Owly Images

Now, you would think this would lead to the play being stopped, who would want a goalie trying to stop a puck traveling over 90 mph with his bare hand. Well, the lovely ECHL refs didn't see anything wrong with that, no matter how loud the bench was or how many players on the ice pointed that out to them. It was very scary, but he still played on and even had his hand ready to catch the puck if he had to. It was little heartbreaking to see the Walleye get yet another past him in the closing minutes of the third to make it 4-2.

Overall, the Everblades outplayed the Walleye and Bobby Goepfert showed up when he was most needed. The gamesheet is here. The three stars: 3. Matt Pistilli, 2. Mitch Fadden, and 1. Bobby Goepfert

I'm going to borrow something from one of my favorite bloggers because this song is perfect for Bobby Goepfert.



The Everblades take on the Walleye once again on Friday. It's Swampee's birthday, so remember to bring a card. If you do, you get some kind of voucher for a later game.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

YouTube Tuesday

I found some pure YouTube gold for you guys!



From what I can tell, this is from the 98-99 season, the Everblades first season in the ECHL. How old school is that? I only wish I could figure out who the other team is...

Monday, November 15, 2010

#1 IN THE SOUTH

American Collegiate Hockey Association Hockey Website Software By GOALLINE.ca

American Collegiate Hockey Association Hockey Website Software By GOALLINE.ca

The Florida Gulf Coast University Division III Eagles are ranked #1 in the SOUTH. Don't miss their games this weekend against the #2 ranked UCF Knights. Its the 'SOUTHERN SLAM' at Germain Arena. Game times are Friday November 19th at 6 PM and Saturday November 20th at 6 PM. The Division II Eagles take on Missouri at 830 PM BOTH evenings.

Admission=FREE for FGCU students, $5 regular
Parking=FREE FOR ALL

*FGCU Ice Hockey tshirts will be on sale for $5 for FGCU students, $10 regular*

COME SUPPORT YOUR BOYS. . .BE LOUD, BE PROUD & GO EAGLES!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Friday Links

Happy Friday everybody! I know it's a little late, but I think these awesome links will make it up to you.

First, some business...

- The Blades almost had another comeback win last night. Unfortunately, Greenville actually has a functioning defense.

- We may have lost Tarnasky, but we went ahead and brought on another player with NHL experience.

- In Alumni news, Jacob MicFlickier (I guess we still can't collectively agree on how to spell that) had the first hat-trick in Charlotte Checkers history!


Now, time for fun!

- I have two books that I just finished (and have mentioned before), and another that I'm about to begin. Zamboni Rodeo was amazing (to be fair I love anything minor league hockey), The Rebel League gave a lot of insight into how much of an impact the WHA had on professional hockey in North America, and I'm really excited to begin The Code.

- I would be silly not to make your Wikipedia hockey page for today "The World Hockey Association"

- Love hockey and art? This might just be the sculpture you need on your mantel.

- I think I'm going to use most of this stuff for my birthday party.

- Kitty time!

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Thursday, November 11, 2010

Fun With Numbers

I have no problem admitting that one of my favorite ways to waste time is checking out the stats pages over at the ECHL's website. It's really fascinating to see a very cut and dry version of how well a player is (or is not) playing. Here's how the players on the Everblades are shaping up...

Goals
- Alex Imbeault leads the team with 9 goals in 11 games.

Assistst
- Mitch Fadden leads in assists with 10 assists in 10 games.

Plus Minus
- Matthew Pistilli has the best with a +6.
- Francis Lemieux has the worst with a -10.

PIM
- Mike Egener has the most penalties in minutes with 31.
- Nick Tanasky is the only player (aside from our goalies) on the roster that is at 0. Of course, he's only played three games so far.

PPG
- Alex Imbeault also leads with 5 power play goals.

SHG
- Matthew Pistilli leads the team with 2 shorthanded goals, worth mentioning is Alex Hutching's 1 shortie.

A lot of these stats reveal things we already know Imbeault and Fadden are producing. A lot. Other stats, like the plus minus tell you something more. That stat is a measure of how a player contributes defensively. Sadly, Francis Lemieux has one of the worst =/- stats in the entire conference, if not the entire league (I'm too lazy to check that).

The Blades are in Greenville, finishing up the second week of their road trip. I won't be tweeting the game like I usually do, and I know I'm not going to re-cap it either. Now, if someone were to send me their re-cap I would have no problem posting it...

Also, it's been too many post since the last kitty:

funny pictures-why you put plantz on pizza? Ruin good fud.
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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

ECHL Announces All-Decade Team

The ECHL announced the players for the All-Decade team, and some former Everblades actually made the list! Defensemen Darrell Hay (00-01), Peter Metcalf (08-10), and goalie Marc Magliarditi (00-01), all made the list. If your interested in the full list you can find it here, that link will also explain the qualifications for making the list.

Some lovely quotes from the ECHL's list on the three former Blades:

"Darrell Hay scored 224 points (50g-174a) in 387 games during the decade with Florida, Columbia and Idaho. He was a part of Idaho’s Kelly Cup championship teams in 2004 and 2007 and was named All-ECHL First Team in 2007-08. Hay was named to the starting line-up for the 2007 ECHL All-Star Game and was selected to serve as an alternate captain at the 2008 ECHL All-Star Game."

"Peter Metcalf led all ECHL defensemen during the decade with 245 assists and 297 points and was tied for fifth with 52 goals. Metcalf was named ECHL Defenseman of the Year in 2007-08 and was the Plus Performer of the Year in 2005-06. He was named All-ECHL First Team in 2006-07 and 2007-08 and All-ECHL Second Team in 2005-06 and 2008-09. Metcalf won two Kelly Cup championships during the decade, winning with Atlantic City in 2003 and Alaska in 2006."


"Marc Magliarditi was 150-77-22 in 258 appearances during the decade with Florida, Louisiana, Richmond and Las Vegas. He was named All-ECHL Second Team in 2005-06 when he went a career-best 34-11-5 in 51 games with Las Vegas. Magliarditi is first in ECHL history with 25 shutouts, second with 217 wins and tied for 12th with a 2.55 goals-against average."
Sadly, standout like Reggie Berg and Tom Buckly didn't make the list. Neither did one of the most beloved players to ever don an Everblades jersey, Ernie Hartlieb. It is pretty exciting that the Everblades tied for second most players, and blew our divisional rivals out of the water. Gwinette and South Carolina didn't have a single player named to the list."

All in all, I'm proud of the guys that made the list. Although I still want Peter Metcalf to come back, and I really wish they had switched sides during the Alumni game so I could post awesome photos of Maglarditi from that game, but oh well. You can't win them all.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

YouTube Tuesday

I'm very ready for Trevor Hendrikx to come of the IR list. Why?



I've watched the video a few times and I'm convinced that the Road Warriors player wasn't able to land a single punch. Seriously Hendrikx, get well soon.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Re-Cap: Blades vs. Stingrays (11/7/10)

The Blades took on the Stingrays for the final game of their three game series in an early afternoon game in South Carolina.

So far, the Blades have split the series with a team that is, as of yesterday, the worst team in the conference and the second worst in the ECHL. Needless to say, winning is not really an option.

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The first period was flat yet again, both teams had opportunities, but neither could convert. The period ended 0-0.

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The Stingrays came storming back with a goal 18 seconds into the period. Another goal less than a minute later dug the Blades hole just a little bit deeper. The Everblades continued the uninspired play for the rest of the period. End of the period 2-0.

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The beginning of the third period saw more flat play from the Everblades. The Stingrays made it 3-0 around the 12:00 mark.

Then something happened.

A scant 2 minutes later, Matt Pistilli got one past the Stingrays goalie to make the score 3-1. Alex Imbeault added another goal four minutes later to make it 3-2. Shortly after that, a shoving match between the benches led to a Hutchings and a Stingray player heading to the penalty box for mutual roughing penalties. Mere seconds after that a Stingrays player was called for high-sticking.

Poss called a time-out, and when it was over Bobby Goepfert stayed on the bench.

Poss pulled him for the extra attacker on a power play.

Lucky for Poss the wild gamble actually paid off. The newest Everblade, Nick Tarnasky, was able to score with 1.8 seconds remaining on the clock! That tied the game up 3-3, and obviously no one was able to score in the remaining time. The game was headed to overtime!

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After scoring three goals in about 5 minutes it was pretty obvious the Everblades had finally woken up and decided to play some hockey. It was also obvious that the Stingrays had lost the dominance they had for most of the game.

The Stingrays proved this when one of their players was called for boarding 45 seconds into the third period. He tried to argue, but sending a guy headfirst into the boards right in front of the Ref isn't easily explained off.

The Everblades put on major pressure, and it all paid off when Mitch Fadden's slapper found the back of the net. The Everblades have struggled the last few games to convert on the power play. Thankfully, when they needed it the most, they actually succeeded.

The final score was 4-3, you can see the score sheet here.

Cue the celebratory cuteness:

Funny Pictures and Gifs - Cat and Baby
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It was a hard-won game, and after playing three road games in a row the guys really deserved that win. They will now come home for a short break before heading on the road late next week for a series with Greenville.

Need a Giggle?


I will always love the silly faces hockey players make when they're playing. This one is one of my favorites. Doesn't it look like he's the star of an action movie and the puck is a bomb? Oh noooooooooooo!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Re-Cap: Blades vs. Stingrays (11/6/10)


The Everblades didn't have the best night against the Stingrays Friday, allowing them to storm back in an impressive come from behind victory (score sheet here ). Obviously, you never want to give up any lead, but letting the second worst team in the conference catch you slacking is about as embarrassing as it gets.

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The first period was relatively a relatively flat affair with both teams trading lukewarm chances.Aside from a short 4 on 3 there wasn't anything really exciting. The period ended with both teams even at 0-0.

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The flat play changed in the second period. Both teams actually showed some signs of life. A goal from Mathieu Roy (assisted by Kennedy and Paquet) around the 6 minute mark gave the Blades the lead. Later, Alex Hutchings gave the Blades a more comfortable lead with a power play goal (in the last second of the penalty) in the later minutes of the period. The teams left the ice with Florida up 2-0.

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Obviously, the Stingrays spent most of the second intermission being yelled at. They never really stopped pressuring the Blades, and it paid off for them in the opening minutes when they score 54 seconds into the period to make it 2-1. By some grace of the hockey gods the Everblades were able to hold the Stingrays off as they applied major pressure. The solid play from the players and Jaroslav Janus playing out of his mind didn't hurt of course. In the end, the Blades managed to hold the Stingrays off. The final score was 2-1 and the SOG were 40-19. The final score sheet can be found here.

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Some quick thoughts:


- Jaroslav Janus had a really rough start but seems to have found his groove. He stopped 39 of 40 shots tonight and sounded really solid.

- Mitch Fadden now has a 6 game assist streak.

- The loss means the Stingrays are now in last place in the conference.

The Everblades will take on the Stingrays in a final game tomorrow at 4:00. They then will travel back to town for a short break before heading back on the road for a three game series with Greenville.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Hello Roller Hockey?!



Florida Gulf University (FGCU) Ice Hockey shares the athletic spotlight with another type of Hockey that was just added to Sports Clubs at FGCU: ROLLER HOCKEY. FGCU's Eagle News Newspaper captures this club in an artilce found here: First-year roller hockey club carves niche - Eagle News

GO EAGLES!

Giving back to their community - Eagle News

A publication about FGCU Ice Hockey on their University Newspaper Website: www.eaglenews.org

Giving back to their community - Eagle News

Friday Links

Happy Friday! The Everblades start the first game of their road trip tonight against the south Carolina Stingrays.

- The Everblades finally made it official, Nick Tarnasky has agreed to play for the team. His stats:



- Defenceman Ethan Graham was called up by the Charlotte Checkers as well. That's the first call-up of the year.

- Your Wikipedia hockey page for today is all about the basics- "Ice Hockey Goaltending Equipment"

- I think I'm going to order this now for the playoffs.

- It's no secret I'm a huge fan of ECHL hockey. This story on the K-Wings Kory Karlander is amazing, and I have to admit, I got a little weepy.

- Have some extra hockey sticks laying around? Why not put them to good use?

- You may have already read this story on hockey in Kenya, for those of you haven't seen it, it's worth a read.

- Since it's not Friday without a kitty around here, enjoy.

funny pictures-Middle Management Cat   catches you on Facebook!
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Tuesday, November 2, 2010

YouTube Tuesday: Goodbye Mitch McColm

I'm absolutely devastated. I heard through the grapevine that defenceman Mitch McColm has been released. Frankly, this is the stupidest move the team has made all season. I'm not exactly surprised, McColm hasn't had a lot of ice time, but I'm still very surprised they did this.

My best guess is either someone is the rumored signing of Nick Tarnasky is coming or someone is coming of the IR list. Our current roster is at the league allowed maximum, and to bring a guy back from the IR we have to make room on the roster. My best guess is Ross Carlson is ready to come back, and if that's the case I'm happy, but I'm not happy we're losing one of my favorite Everblade players.

Look at him in action during his junior days. Why are we letting him go?







There really is only one way to describe my feelings, and that is with a kitty...

funny pictures-broken heart
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