The first game of the Eastern conference finals start tonight. Yet another huge game in a two month string of huge games. Here's your weekly serving of fresh links to keep you busy until 7:30.
- Looks like there are two places to watch the games tonight. You can either head to the arena to watch the game in Breakaways or head over to MacDaddy's,
- I normally post pictures of hockey themed cupcakes, but I've never posted Everblades themed baked goods before. That's all over now. How awesome are these Everblades cupcakes?! Mary has way more skill than I have, that's for sure. You can find her on twitter here.
- I've never hid my love for the Third String Goalie blog before, but now that they've posted a Gwinnett Gladiators jersey I have to rethink that. Who would waste good money on something that Danick Paquette wore? I'm kidding of course. I still adore that blog, but maybe someone needs to submit one of their Blades jerseys. Hint, hint!
- Looks like yet another Everblades player is on Twitter. This time it's Rylan Galiardi.
- Which reminds me, Tweet of the Week time!
- I'm most definitely not a Rangers fan, but this print from the 80's is amazing.
- Even the kitties are in playoff mode around here.
After pulling themselves up from the basement and climbing all the way to fifth in the East, the Blades were just one win away from knowing who they would play in the playoffs.
It's hard to say which team was the better team. Both squads played at their best. When all was said and done, the Blades walked away with the win.
After not being able to get a puck past Glads goalie Marc Chevrie on Wednesday the Blades came out on a mission. Cedric McNicoll opened up scoring at the 5:21 mark (assists to Marquardt and Salters). Brayden Irwin followed that up with a power play tally in the later half of the period tomake it 2-0 (assists to Marquardt and Murray). The period ended with that score and a 12-4 lead in SOG.
The second saw the Glads score two power play goals about two minutes apart to tie things up abot halfway though the period. Luckily, Matt Marquardt gave the Blades the lead yet again with a power play goal (assists to Raymond and Galiardi). The Blades left the ice with their 3-2 lead in place.
The Blades extended their lead about 11 minutes into the third with a weird bounce off of Chevrie to make it 4-2. About a minute after that (and the usual rough stuff the Glads like to dish out when their losing) the Glads made it 4-3 with a short handed goal. The Blades were able to make it 5-3 with an empty netter from Matt Beca (assist to McNicoll and Piché). The game ended and the Blades had wrestled a hard won victory from the Gladiators.
Three Stars:
3. Hadad
2. Marquardt
1. Irwin
Some thoughts:
- It wasn't fun to see the old rough and tumble Gladiators decide to make a reappearance. I did not miss them at all.
- Pretty classy for your captain to get a game misconduct for physical abuse of the officials. The league better hand something down for that. It was very uncool.
- The Blades did okay in the discipline department but could have done better. It was obvious Hadad was doing what he does best: being the biggest pest on Earth.
- Fun fact: since the 12th, the Blades haven't given up more than 3 goals in any game.
- Time to get ready for Greenville people.
Now that the holidays are officially over, it's time to get things rolling again here on Swamp Hockey. What better way than to use YouTube Tuesday to feature two videos from the Everblades 6 game win streak.
First, a video of Ryan Galiardi getting down to business with a Greenville player doing what Greenville players do best: Throwing boderline dirty hits on unsuspecting players.
Next up is a video I intended to watch at least once a week. The video is nothing special. What's special is what the players accomplished. A seven game unbeaten streak for the first place Gladiators snapped and Jakitis' three game shut-out streak destroyed. Oh yeah, feels so good.
Did I mention one more shut-out for Jakitis would have set a new ECHL record? It really can't get any better than ruining division rivals fun.
The Blades started their homestand against one of their most hated rivals. The Gladiators, currently 5-3-1-1 in their last ten, are sitting in second place in the division. Games with Gwinnett are always physical affairs, and every so often something controversial happens. This game was no exception.
The Blades started the game dictating the play and being physical. Unfortunately, a momentary lapse, and taking their collective foot off the pedal allowed the Glads to take a 1-0 lead around 14 minutes into the period. Despite some chances, the Blades couldn't convert and the period ended with the score still 1-0.
The Blades were able to make a statement early in the second when Mike McKenzie got a beautiful shot past the Glads goalie to tie things up at the 3:30 mark (assist to Bruess). Unfortunately, a little over three minutes later, the Glads took the lead once again. About eight minutes later, forward Leigh Salters was hit by a nasty high stick that left him cut and bleeding onto the ice. The Glads player guilty of the high sticking received a double minor because of that. Just when it looked like the blades wouldn't be able to make anything happen, David Rutherford ripped one past the Glads goalie to tie things up 2-2 (assists to Roy and Pitt). That late period tally remained the final goal of the period and the teams left the ice with the score still at 2-2.
Unfortunately, the third period was far from pretty or ideal. The Glads were able to take the 3-2 lead early in the period while on the power play. They made it 4-2 about three minutes later. Things were starting to get pretty chippy, and it was obvious the good old nasty Glads were back. To prove that point, Joey Hadad, a player any Blades fan who had been watching for any decent length of time hates with a passion, delivered an elbow to the head of Kyle Lawson. He was thrown out of the game for that hit and, hockey gods willing, will be getting a nice big suspension and fine from the league for that. The Blades couldn't convert on the penalty. In fact, with goalie Pat Nagle pulled, the Blades gave up an empty net goal to make it 5-2. Shortly after that goal, Everyone's second most hated Glad, Chris Clackson attacked David Rutherford while his back was turned.
He was given a misconduct and thrown out of the game. Donald, Roy, and salter received penalties as well. I guess you shouldn't stick up for your teammate when he's unable to defend himself? I have no idea. The Blades were able to score on that power play to make it 5-3, but the Glads got another empty netter seconds later to make it 6-2.
Some thoughts:
- It's a shame the Blades couldn't keep up their play from early in the game. They looked great.
- The Blades passing in that game was as rough looking as it was early in the season.
- If the ECHL wants any respect from me they'll hand down a stiff penalty to Hadad. He's been a very dangerous player for as long as I can remeber, and I'm not talking about scoring.
- I'm really hoping Kyle Lawson is OK. The dude just recently came back from injury.
Worth noting- Looks like Robby Dee was traded to the Bakersfield Condors.
Neither team has announced anything officially. No telling if this was a one sided trade for future considerations or we're getting a much needed defenceman.
This puppy sums up my Blades related feeling perfectly. His smooshy face helps as well.
The Blades rolled into Gwinnett in a pretty bad place. They've slid into last place in the South Division. Luckily, for both them and us, they're not last in the conference. Of course, third to last isn't too much better than last.
Needless to say, a win was sorely needed.
A rather uneventful first included delays due to on-ice officials having a skate malfunction and being unable to convert on back-to-back penalties. Both teams left the ice with the score tied 0-0.
The second period saw former Everblade Tyler Helfrich open up the scoring for the Gladiators a little over eight minutes into the period. A little over a minute later, Philip-Michael Devos was able to score on the power play. Assists went to Murray and Fischer. In the closing minutes of the second period, Alex Hutchings was able to give the Blades the 2-1 lead. Assists on that goal went to Pitt and Van Dyk.
That lead would be short lived however. About four minutes into the third the Gladiators were able to tie it up with a flukey goal.
Oh, hey, look at this, highlights of the game. Including the flukey goal that tied the game.
With about eight minutes left in the period, the Glads took the lead and, as it's been lately, the Blades just couldn't get it back. They ended up losing 3-2.
I'm not ready to push the panic button yet. I'm very willing to give them a when they're in the middle of a nine game road trip. Obviously, it would be nice if they could pull of a win in the next two games. My concern is how well they fare against Wheeling and Greenville in the home games that start next week. Until I see them in person, rather than a blurry image on B2, I'm not ready to make any call.
A lot is going down in Everblades land, but I of course have appointments and errands that can't be put off. For now, enjoy some other views from the line brawl and goalie fight against the Gladiators back in December.
It really is fun to gloat when you've swept a divisional rival, come out on top in the season series, and basically ruined their playoff hopes for a second season in a row. So much fun.
I'll have an update later today with all the news and maybe even a re-cap of the two games I forgot to write a re-cap for. Until then people.
With the Blades playoff resting on their performance in the next three games calling this series the most important of the entire season. The Blades sit in seventh in the Eastern conference. The Gladiators? Ninth.
Eight teams make the Eastern conference playoffs.
Neither team can afford to lose a game. Obviously, things are going to get very interesting.
I bet you want to hear about the amazing period the Blades had. With them dictating the play and scoring on the power play.
Well... you got your hopes too high didn't you?
The Gladiators dominated the first, the Everblades just never got it together. They were unable to convert on the power play. The Glads were able to get two past Bobby Goepfert withing 20 seconds of each other in the closing minutes of the period.
Basically, the Blades sucked in a game they have no option to suck in.
The period ended with the Gladiators holding their 2-0 lead and leading the SOG 13-7.
-------------------------------------------
The second period could not have been any different from the first. It was Almost as if the Everblades realized how important the game they were playing is. After killing off a 5 on 3, the Blades started to take over. After a long bout of stained pressure the Blades were able to score their first goal of the night thanks to Bobby Raymond.
That goal, on the power play, seemed to wake the guys up. Alex Imbeault tied it up a minute and a half later with a goal of his own to make it 2-2. The Blades were able to stave off any goals from the Glads and the period ended with it tied 2-2. The SOG were tied 16-16 for the period.
----------------------------------------------
The third period was pretty even. The score remained tied until late in the period, when a fluky play saw Alex Imbeault score his second goal of the game at the 15:47 mark. Despite the Glads best efforts, a pulled goalie, some intense pressure, and a few too many close calls, the Blades were able to hold them off for the win. The Glads led the SOG 18-4, and the final score was 3-2. The game sheet is here.
Three stars: 3. Francis (Gwinnett), 2. Goepfert, 1. Imbeault
----------------------------------------------
Some thoughts:
- I would love to never hear or see the Blades play like they did in the first ever again.
- On the other hand, nothing would make me happier than a repeat of that second period for the rest of the season.
- Bobby Goepfert stopped 45 of 47 shots. Total beast.
- Nice of Imbeault to show up, huh?
- The only constant throughout this season is the penalty kill. At least we're good on that.
On another note, the Blades picked up goalie Mike Zacarias off of the waiver wire. His stats:
It was a pretty full house that watched the second game in the Everblades series with the Gladiators. For much of the game it looked like the Glads were going to walk away victorious, but the Blades never gave up.
--------------------------------------
The boys did look a bit sluggish during the first period. That sluggish play allowed Gwinnett to score first around the 13 minute mark. About a minute and a half later Drew Larman made it a 1-1 game. Unfortunately the Glads tallied another about three minutes later after a mad scramble around goalie Jaroslav Janus to take the lead yet again. With neiiter team scoring in the remaining time the score at the end of the period remained 2-1.
--------------------------------------
When the Blades scored three minutes into the second there was a feeling that maybe the momentum was shifting. It certainly seemed like the Blades were going to start taking over. The goal, a nearly carbon-copy repeat of his Stamkos-esque goal Friday night, evened it up 2-2.
You could see that Gwinnett was starting to fall back into their usual thuggish style of play when one of their players basically took a run at Janus. Bobby Raymond mixed up with the scumbag Glads player while Janus struggled on the ice in obvious pain. It looked as though emergency back-up Brian Markowicz would finally get his chance, but Janus was able to stay in the game. Amazingly, there was no call made on the obvious intent to injure Janus. Instead mutual roughing calls were made.
It remained tied up for most of the second until Gwinnett was able to take the lead for the third time while on the four on four. Luckily, the Gladiators just couldn't help themselves and took two idiotic penalties in a row to give the Blades a 5 on 3 power play. The Blades took advantage of their misstep and evened it up 3-3 thanks to a goal from Mathieu Roy at the 19:20 mark. The period ended with that score, and you could tell that the momentum had really shifted towards the Blades.
-------------------------------------
The third period was a pretty exciting one. Francis Lemieux opened the scoring about four minutes into the period and gave the Blades their first lead of the night.
Not to be outdone by his linemate, Alex Imbeault scored his first of the night around two minutes later while on the power play to make it 5-3. Two and a half minutes after that, Tony Mosey scored his third of the year to make it 6-3. A few minutes later, Raymond mixed it up yet again with one of the Glads, earning a fighting major for his efforts.
Things were pretty back and forth until Imbeault decided to twist the proverbial knife with another goal to make it 7-3. Things got a little rough after that and Evgeny Timkin mixed it up with one of the Glads. The period ended with the Blades earning a hard-fought 7-3 victory. Of course the final buzzer sounding was not without its drama. One of the Glads did something to David Fischer (the fact that it happened in front of me and I really wasn't paying attention is embarrassing). Timkin decided to take on the Gladiator he had mixed it up with earlier as a result. The Blades trailed the final SOG 43-51. The score-sheet is here.
The three stars: Janus, Lemieux, Imbeault
---------------------------------------
Some thoughts:
- As I said last re-cap, if you don't believe Bobby Raymond is one of the best players on the team you suck.
- I don't know if it's the regular starts, finding his groove, or rising to theoccasion with Goepfert out, but Jaro Janus has been impressive lately.
- I said this last night on Twitter but it bears repeating, with a goal and an almost goal from Beca in the same spot, why didn't the Glads cover him better?
- That being said the Blades should make it a rule to pass to Beca whenever he's open and ready for the one-timer.
----------------------------------------
After the game, the Blades auctioned off the specialty jerseys. If I'm correct we raised over $16,000 for local cancer charitites! Here's what everyone earned:
- Bobby Goepfert: $500
- Ross Carlson: $700
- Trevor Hendrikx: $500
- Mike Egener: $550
- Tim Spencer: $450
- Cedric McNicoll: $400
- Alex Hutching: $400
- Swampee: $700
- Elgin Reid: $600
- Ian McDonald: $450
- Jared Staal: $1050
- Matt Beca: $700
- Tony Mosey: $500
- Mathieu Roy: $700
- Ernie Hartlieb: $1800
- Alex Imbeault: $600
- Mitch Fadden: $600
- David Fischer: $500
- Engeny Timkin: $450
- Bobby Raymond: $700
- J.F. David: $650
- Francis Lemieux: $1200
- Drew Larman: $850
- Jaroslav Janus: $900
With the end of the season approaching and the playoff looming on the horizon, every win is becoming more and more important. The Blades must stay afloat in what has to be the most competitive division in the league if they hope to even get a chance at a playoff run. Games against teams in the division become games that must not be lost. Add to the mix a team the Blades have a long standing rivalry with and it was obvious we were going to have a great game.
Did I mention it's Pink in the Rink?
(I think the Jerseys came out very nice)
-----------------------------------
The Blades were very much in control for the early part of the first period. They were quickly rewarded with a goal at the 1:07 mark from Elgin Reid to give the Blades the 1-0 lead. The Blades were able to maintain the pressure for a few minutes. Unfortunately, the Gladiators woke up from whatever funk they had been and started to respond with pressure of their own. They managed to outwork the Everblades and were able to tie it up at the 9:33 mark. Neither team was able to get the lead and they left the ice tied up 1-1.
----------------------------------
The Blades didn't start off on the best foot in the second when they gave up a goal 53 seconds in to give the Gladiators the lead. That seemed to wake the Blades up, and they started in on the Gladiators once again. Alex Imbeault tied it 2-2 with a lovely goal at the 7:37 mark. Four minutes later, Matt Beca was able to take advantage of a five on three with a very Steve Stamkos-esque one timer (Seriously, I wish I had it on film, what a stunning goal). That gave the Blades the 3-2 lead.
Jared Staal made it 4-2 seven minutes later on a beautiful breakaway (I also wish I got that one on video). The last minute or so of the period was uneventful and the period ended with the Blades up 4-2 on the Gladiators.
-----------------------------------
The Glads tried their hardest to come back, but goalie Jaroslav Janus gave his best impression of a brick wall and denied every shot that came his way. Tony Mosey tallied his second goal as an Everblade at the 5:38 mark to add to the Everblades cushion. The Gladiators kept the pressure up, but they just couldn't figure Janus out. The final score was 5-2 and the Blades led the shots on goal 35-29. The game sheet is here.
Three stars: 3. Imbeault, 2. Lemieux, 1. Beca
-----------------------------------
( I loved the Gladiators goalies mask. The Mask on his mask!)
Some thoughts:
- I'm really liking the newest Blade, J.F. David. 1 assist, a +3, and 3 shots? Awesome.
- If you don't think Bobby Raymond is one of the best players on the team you suck.
- Gwinnett was as undisciplined as they always are. They should not have given up 7 power play chances.
- Thank god the Blades were able to convert on the power play finally. Though 1 for 7 is not exactly stellar.
- Matt Beca is starting to impress me. 1 goal and 2 assists as well as a near goal quite similar to his power play tally.
- Love the Pink in the Rink Jerseys. Might have to work a little magic with my budget and bid on one tomorrow.
Happy Tuesday everyone. The Blades are back in town for a week of games against the Reading Royals. It's a big series for so many reasons. Hopefully, we can get some healthy players back. Who am I hoping for? Some kid named Jared Staal...
You may remember the 12/22 game for being the one that had the line brawl and total domination of the Gladiators. It was quite a game. Hopefully, the next three will be too. Although, I'm not in a hurry to see a line brawl and goalie fight again. That was a bit scary.
I have to take a minute to congratulate Matt Beca on being the ECHL player of the week!
On to business. You may have heard the Everblades holiday jerseys made ESPN. If you missed it, like I did, you're in luck. I can't embed it into the blog (stupid ESPN), but you can click here, to head over to YouTube.
Also, I found the Gladiators call on the line brawl and goalie fight.
The Blades take on the Royals tonight at 7:05. There should be some signing announced later this afternoon. At the very least Markowicz will be signed on as emergency back-up goaltender since Janus is still up in Norfolk.
There has never been any love lost between the Gladiators and Everblades. In fact, the Gladiators are probably the Everblades most hated rival. You may remember a post on the rivalry from the off-season, but if you missed it give it a look.
When your most hated rival comes to town on a seven game losing streak and you hand them their eighth, you can be sure the next night is going to be intense.
(As promised, here's Bobby Goepfert's new Everblades mask)
------------------------------------------
The play was pretty evenly matched for most of the first. Then, Lightning prospect Mitch Fadden was hauled down on a breakaway. The Ref awarded him a penalty shot:
Fadden's 14th goal of the year gave the Blades the lead. Mike McKenzie followed that up with his 11th goal of the year a minute and a half later. The Gladiators tried to even it up, and they had a lot of good chances, but Bobby Goepfert stayed strong and the teams left the ice with the Everblades leading 2-0.
---------------------------------------------
The second period started off like any other. Apparently, this was the calm before the storm. A Gwinnett goal around the six minute mark helped them narrow the lead.About four minutes later, Jared Staal notched his fourth of the year to give the Blades a two goal lead once again. The Gladiators responded with one of their own less than a minute later. A mere 15 seconds later, McKenzie responded with his second goal of the game to make it 4-2. You could tell passions were running high at this point. Then it happened.
Thirty seconds after McKenzie's goal a normal enough play ended in Goepfert freezing the puck. The usual little scuffle that happens when a teams been crashing the crease ensued. At some point something was said and it escalated to a big scuffle. It was hard to see what was going on in the corner, but from what I understand, one of the Gladiators was slamming Ethan Graham's head into the ice repeatedly. Bobby Goepfert didn't appreciate that. He jumped in to help his teammate, and the Gladiator goalies, Billy Sauer, came down to answer for his team. The already loud arena became deafening as the goalies squared off.
(Photo courtesy of Hockey Broad, check out more pictures she took last night on her Flickr photostream here, her awesome blog here, and her Twitter account here)
The rest, as they say, is history:
(I'm going to take a minute to plug another past post, my look at ECHL goalie fights is one of my best)
In the end, both goalies, and several players were tossed. The final tally of penalty minutes was something like 55 minutes. You can read the News-Press re-cap, with some great quotes from Goepfert, here. The Naples Daily News re-cap, with a diffrent angle of the fight is here.
It took a long time to sort all the penalties out. When all was said and done, and new goalies were in the net, the Everblades had a power play. a mere ten seconds in, Alex Imbeault scored his 16th of the year to make it a 5-2 game. In the closing minutes Imbeault recieved a game misconduct for being too awesome and leading the ECHL in goals for too long (actually, it was an unsportsmanlike conduct for having the nerve to argue with the ref). When the buzzer sounded on the end of the period, the Blades had a comfortable 5-2 lead.
The third period was an absolute bore compared to the second. It was so back and forth I felt like I was at a tennis game. The teams traded rushes and opportunities, but none of them were getting past the goalies. A late rush by the Everblades, made with seconds on the clock, resulted in the second goal of the game for Staal. Officially, it was at the 19-59 mark, but the clock had .05 left when he scored. Surprisingly, after everything that happened in the second period, the Glads quietly slipped off the ice as the Everblades celebrated are hard fought victory. On their way out, the Blades saluted the fans, and got a rousing cheer from the crowd in return. The game sheet is here.
The three stars:
3. Mitch Fadden
2. Bobby Goepfert
1. Mike McKenzie
This game was hands down the craziest and loudest I've ever seen in Germain. Games with the Gladiators are always physical, but this takes the cake. The next game against Gwinnett will be a road game on 1/11. They will be back in town for the Pink in the Rink game 2/18 and 2/19. I can't wait to see if this rivalry gets even more intense than it already is.
If you have video from the game please include a link in the comments or e-mail me. I'll be more than happy to include it in this post.
The Guys will now have some time off before they head on the road to take on Reading and Trenton in an exhausting four games in five days road trip. While the boys are away, the College Classic will be coming to town on the 28th and 29th. This years teams will be Maine, Cornell, St. Cloud State, and Miami. I loved it last year, and you should really consider coming out, one ticket will get you into the two games that day.
You probably couldn't have chosen a better team to come into town than the Gladiators. Their seventh game losing streak has put them in a tough position. Unfortunately for them, the Everblades saw some beneficial players come back from the AHL just in time to hand their eighth loss in a row.
(How horrible are these pads?)
The play was mostly back and forth for the early half of the first period. That all ended when Mitch Fadden got one past the Glads goalie. The Gladiators responded right back scoring 26 seconds later. three minutes after that, the Everblades took the lead once again with a goal from Matt Beca, his fourth of the year. The period was pretty uneventful up until the closing minutes of the period when one of the Gladiators sent Mike McKenzie awkwardly into the boards. The offending Gladiator ended up receiving a five minute major for boarding. Unfortunately, Matt Pistilli, was called for tripping 20 seconds later. Neither team was able to convert on the brief four on four before the period ended. The teams left the ice with the Everblades up 2-1 on the Gladiators.
----------------------------------------
After the four on four was completed, the Blades went back on the power play. They weren't able to convert on the remaining time. Shortly after the completion of the five minute major, the Everblades gave the Gladiators a power play thanks to a slashing call on Mitch Fadden. It ended up working in the Blades favor as a fumble from the Gladiators goalie led to an unassisted short handed goal for Matt Beca. I only wish I had been able to get it on video because there really is no way to describe how hilarious that goal was. The goal really took the wind out of the Glads sails, and you could see them almost give up after that. Mike McKenzie's goal a few minutes later made the Blades lead even more comfortable.
(This is right before he scores!)
Obviously, the Gladiators weren't happy about what was happening and they started getting stupid. Mere seconds after McKenzie's goal Evgeny Timkin got involved in a weird series of events. As he was skating through the neutral zone, he got checked in a weird way that sent him cartwheeling to the ice. Just as he got to his feet behind the Gladiators defense, the puck appeared almost magically next to him. He then took of on a breakaway that ended up being unsuccessful. As he was about to get on the bench, the Glad that had checked him went up to him and shoved him from behind. The ensuing fight was pretty even and they were eventually pulled apart. Here's a one angle of the fight, I'll have mine up on Saturday:
When all was said and done, the period ended with the Blades up 4-1 on the Gladiators.
------------------------------------
Things calmed down a lot for the third and the Gladiators even managed to slip one five-hole on Jaroslav Janus in the opening minutes of the period. Unfortunately for the Gladiators, they then proceeded to shoot themselves in the foot by taking three penalties, including a too many men, in a row. The Everblades, who seem to be struggling on the power play lately, couldn't convert on any of the chances. With seven minutes to go, the Gladiators seemed to wake up. They put some really intense pressure on the Everblades. The Blades put in a great defensive effort and held the Glads off for the rest of the period, even when they pulled their goalie for the extra attacker. The final score was 4-2, the game sheet is here.
-----------------------------------------
Some thoughts:
- Matt Beca had an amazing night. Two goals, including his short handed unassisted game winner, and one assist
- I hate to say this, but Timkin and Pistilli shouldn't have received one of the three stars over McKenzie or Fadden.
- This might be a crazy idea, but why not let the fans text in votes for the three stars? The local media (or at least two of the three local media) tends to miss more often than not.
- I'm really liking the new guy Ed Snetsinger. Of course, all a defenseman has to do to earn my love is shot blocking, and he did tons of that last night.
- Paquet didn't play last night because of his two game suspension. Hutchings, Egener, and Reid are all injured. I have no idea why Imbeault didn't dress, I would rather he have played then some of the guys on the ice.
- The Blades were 0-8 on the power play. It's been struggling lately, which is odd considering they had one of the best in the league.
- Mitch Fadden had been held off the board for two games, but is goal last night gave him a six point lead in the ECHL scoring race.
-Bobby Goepfert has a new mask and new pads! The mask has the Everblades logo on it, and his pads are all white. Someone likes it down here...
The Blades take on the Gladiators again tonight. Their still doing the buy one ticket get one for a kid under twelve free offer as well as the usual Wednesday deals.. If you stick around after the game you can skate with the team and Santa Clause. also, if you have some extra money on you, consider entering the fan club or peewee Everblades raffles. The money goes to a good cause, and you might win something like I did last night. I'm now the proud owner of a signed Mike Egener stick (and a dancing alligator in a Santa suit). The thing is taller than me, and I almost couldn't get it in my car, but it's awesome!
Some fight videos have slowly been making their way to YouTube. First up, Elgin Reid taking on Yannick Tifu.
If you remember, Reid was thrown out of the game for not having his jersey tied down. The Blades were already down a defenceman and the loss of Reid was a big blow. Of course, they still went on to beat the Jackals.
Next up, Evgeny Timkin and his foolish decision to fight Big Benn Olson. There really wasn't any chance for poor Timmy.
Now, another fight with a Cyclone, this time Mathieu Roy. He didn't do much better than Timmy.
And, last but not least, Francis Lemieux mixing it up with a Road Warrior.
The Blades take on Gwinett tonight and tomorrow. The Gladiators couldn't be coming into town at a better time. Although they started the year off very strong, their recent seven game losing streak has allowed the Stingrays to jump ahead of them in the standings. With Pistilli, Staal, and Lawson back in town, tonight and tomorrows games are looking like their going to be fun.
Don't forget, tonight after the game, everyone will be able to go for a skate with Santa. Tomorrow you can skate with Santa and the Everblades. The team also announced that children under 12 get in free when you purchase an adult ticket tonight or tomorrow. I might need to go buy earplugs before the game.
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.
The Everblades took on the Gwinnett Gladiators in back to back games Friday and Saturday. It's obvious the team still has some kinks to work out, they're far from perfect, but there were glimmers of hope.
The Blades started the game off on the wrong foot by giving up the first goal in the opening minutes to Gwinnett. Luckily, a goal from Mitch Fadden, and assisted by Mike Kennedy evened it up. Later, in the second period Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll gave the Blades the lead with an assist from Bobby Raymond on the power play. The Gladiators couldn't be held off and managed to even it up on the power play in the third.
Neither team could get ahead for the rest of the period, and in the end, the game had to go into overtime. With both teams fielding the four players there was a little more room, and the pace sped up. With less than two minutes left in the period both teams received coincidental roughing penalties. This forced them to play a three on three for the remainder of overtime. Both teams had some great chances but neither could put the nail in the coffin, making a shootout neccessary.
I was very impressed by Bobby Goepferts preformance in the shootout. He completely stonewalled the Gladiators, denying them at every turn. Goals from Alexandre Imbeault and Mitch Fadden secured the Everblades the shootout win and the extra point.
I wish I could say Saturdays game was better, but I can't. Once again the Everblades gave up the first goal, this time on the power play. Unfortunately, they didn't answer back until late in the first period after Gwinnetts second goal with an even strength tally from Francis Lemieux assisted by Roy and Imbeault. After that, the game quickly spiraled out of control in the second when the Gladiators took the game over completely. They managed to score three unanswered goals to put themselves up 5-1 on the Blades. If it hadn't been for a fight late in the third the Blades may never had regained any life.
For some reason, a Gladiators player decided that hacking at goalie Bobby Goepferts glove after the whistle was a good idea. Obviously our the Everblades players didn't take to kindly to that. After a tussle, Elgin Reid absolutely dominated Gwinnett's Chris Poli in a fierce tussle. After everything was sorted out 14 minutes in penalties were assesed.
With a little wind in their sails, the Everblades managed to score two goals. A power play tally from Matthew Pistilli and assisted by Mike McKenzie and Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll, as well as a goal at the 19:50 mark in the period from Lalonde-McNicoll, and assisted by McKenzie and Phil Paquet.
Of course, the Blades were unable to score two more goals in the last 50 seconds of the game. In the end, they couldn't overcome their lackluster performance and split the series with the Gladiators.
- The team has finalized the roster, and I've taken the liberty of updating the blogs to reflect all the changes:
- The team voted and Mike Egener was named captain. Elgin Reid and Francis Lemieux were named alternate captains. I know it's a little shocking for Everblades fans that the players were allowed to decide who will lead the team after two years of Malcolm Cameron controlling every minute detail of the team, but it looks like Greg Poss is as far from uptight and controlling as possible.
- Speaking of Cameron, this writer wants you to know that the Cameron era is about to begin and it's going to be awesome. Good luck with that Elmira.
- Our opponent tonight is the Gwinnett Gladiators. If you remember I featured them on a YouTube Tuesday a few weeks ago.
- As always Elite Prospects has an insane amount of info on the team.
The Everblades and Gladiators have been fierce rivals since the Gladiators came on the scene in 2003. The team was originally the Mobile Mysticks, an ECHL franchise that played from 1995-2002, the team was transferred to Duluth Georgia for the 2003 season.
The Everblades have been responsible for some recent disappointments for the Gladiators. They knocked them out in the first round of the playoffs in the 08-09 season, and ruined any chance they had at making the playoffs last season. Ruining the Glads teddy bear toss last season was pretty funny though...
Games between these fierce rivals are almost always very physical affairs with lots of fights.
One Everblades player in particular seemed to relish getting physical with the Gladiators.
The first game against Gwinnett is October 15th, and it can't come fast enough.
