Friday Links

I don't even know what to say. Tonight's game is a big deal. Every single big game before this one during the playoffs pale in comparison tonight. People are throwing around lots of stats and predictions about game three winners and home ice wins and tons of stuff that makes my head spin.

Whatever, it's a pretty big deal.

My poor heart is barely holding on and I'm sure it's the same for all of you. No sense in trying to distract ourselves with links not related to the Blades. Here' are links to put you in the right frame of mind for tonight. We have to be loud and proud.

- This worked last time I posted it. Won't hurt to post it again.



- It looks like you won't have very much luck getting a good seat if you haven't already purchased your ticket. I count maybe 10 seats below row 11 left in the whole arena. There appear to be large groups of seats in the high rows behind the net though. You probably should call or hit Ticketmaster if you don't have your seats yet. No one enjoys the standing room only seats, no one.

- Also, you might want to swing by the box office and pick up your tickets early (They'll be open all day). I'm hearing the line for will call is expected to be a nightmare and I'm assuming the parking lot and the traffic into the arena are not going to be fun either.

- The team is calling for a white out tonight, the first 2,500 through the door get a free t-shirt. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. Mostly because I adore my game worn navy jersey and it's done well it's first season in my possession. Life's little conundrums eh?

- The ticket increases have sucked big time, but this article from the News-Press put's the costs all into perspective.

- Your Wikipedia hockey page for today is, what else- "Florida Everblades"

- Here's a story on the fans who traveled to Vegas to support the guys. If you were one of those people please understand that you're my hero and that you rock.

- Leigh Salters was fined for being awesome (or messing with Joe Fallon, whatever) and the Wranglers coach was fined for being whinier than the chicks I went to high school with.

- After pretty much ignoring them all season, the local news media is finally giving a shit about the Blades. Here's a segment from WINK that stars the Kelly Cup.

- This is a weird find. Someone's put a Blades helmet on eBay. I'm not entirely sure what season or seasons it's from so I couldn't tell you who wore it.

- No Tweet of the week this week. Every tweet has been a tweet of the week.

- Kitty time!


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Don't forget your signs, cowbells and gators! This is what we've been preparing for since 2005. This is not a drill people!

YouTube Tuesday

Let's not even kid ourselves. Losing sucks.


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Unfortunately, the Everblades couldn't win every single game. It just wouldn't be fair and honestly, it would make their victories a little less exciting. Of course,  that's not going to stop me from feeling a little grumpy (staying up so late hasn't helped either, I'm sure).

It doesn't matter though. This is a best of seven series and the Blades have plenty of time. It only takes the bounces shifting our way for the tide to turn. Ratchuck started it last night. Now the other guys have to finish it.

It's time to forget last night and get ourselves into the right frame of mind. Luckily, This song is totally appropriate.



Of course, in my world anything by The Clash is an appropriate choice.

On an unrelated note, comments are back to requiring our approval because Wranglers fans have had all their brain cells fried by the heat and I'm not wasting Bloggers server space with their idiocy.

YouTube Tuesday

It still feels good guys. I'm still stunned by it all.

This video? Yeah, sad Nick Bootland + Brass Bonanza blasting = heaven.



I also had to add this video (though, uh, I saw Elgin Reid, Ross Carlson, Barry Brust, and Ryan Lang so I imagine the clips are not all recent, still, it's awesome).



Monday can't come soon enough. Though I can't say I'm excited about games starting in pacific time.

Eastern Conference Champions!

I don't think I can put this into words that can explain just how amazing this really is. It's been 7 years of almosts and heartbreaks. 7 years of never being quite good enough. Of never finding that special something.

There were times when maybe we wondered if the Blades would miss the playoffs totally. The players didn't give up though. Look at them now.

They did it. After a hundred or so games, the Everblades are returning to the Kelly Cup Final and it feels good. We have a week to celebrate. A week to be proud of everything the players have accomplished this season.

Then we all get back to business.

The Wranglers are waiting in Sin City and we can't disappoint.

Friday Links

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.

- Your Wikipedia hockey page for today- "Deke"

- 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.


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

YouTube Tuesday

You know what?

It still feels good.







Friday really can't come fast enough right now.

Recap: Everblades vs. Jackals (04/20/12)

Not to take away from Swamphockey’s earlier post because let’s face it the Everblades made it to the Eastern Conference Finals and not much else matters in the moment. However, I’d feel remiss if I didn’t share my experiences from the game (its cathartic).

Return of the Shuggernaut

I’ve been waiting to use this title since rumors started circulating that Justin Shugg would return. While part of the game was spent making Shugg puns (Shuggie, Shuggle, ect.) the other part was spent watching Shugg try to generate some offense for the Blades. Shugg put the puck on net six times and assisted on the tying goal midway through the third period. 

Roysy the Cat

Everblades veteran and captain Mathieu Roy scored the game winner with two minutes remaining in the third period ending a tortuously tense game. He went on record with Naples Daily News, saying it felt like an overtime goal. From a fans perspective I’d agree whole heartedly. In unrelated news the captain joined twitter this week. You can follow him @roysythecat and he comes with several ringing endorsements from teammates. 

You’ve Been Bruessed

Trevor Bruess plays balls to the wall. He’s often overlooked on the stats sheet but watching him play is a pleasure. He hits hard, battles hard and celebrates hard. A regular on “Collision of the Game” Bruess came out to win on Friday night. He contributed the primary assist on Roy’s GWG and appeared excellent in the circle (I have no real statistical evidence for this, but its true. Really it is. See it’s in writing). 

(Regardless) Stewart Shines

Yes, I understand this is an Everblades fan blog. However, there are times that other players capture my attention. Brian Stewart takes a lot of crap for his playing style. It’s different. He spends the time between plays stretching and focusing. Is it different? yes. Is it wrong? not necessarily. Everyone is different and I honestly believe that the better team won in the series, BUT after facing 186 shots in the series the dude deserves some credit. 

A Nod for Nagle

Since I gave some goalie love to the opposing teams net-minder I feel it’s only just to give a nod to Nagle. Nagle was steady in net for the Blades. Showing a stalwart determination that is essential for success. Nagle has posted W in his last three playoff starts, instilling confidence in his teammates and the ever skeptical seventh man. 

*Honorable Mention: This games honorable mention goes to Bobby Raymond. I almost spit my beer as he was whistled for slashing. Swamphockey (in jest, though she is a big fan), “Bobby Raymond? Slashing? Absolutely not. He’s perfect.”

So there we go. Up next? well that is the question isn’t it? Regardless we’ll next see the Everblades on the ice Friday night. I hope the support continues to grow for the team. #QuestforKelly

Oh and the real stats sheet!

Eastern Conference Finals Baby!

The Blades won. Nothing else matters right now.

It's just a matter of waiting to find out our opponent.

Does it really matter though? The Blades can play any game their opponents want right now.

They can win every way you can in hockey.

Blow out? No problem. Come from behind? Cake walk. Good old fashioned one goal game? Simple.

There may be a re-cap later, who knows. Bask in the glow people. We go back to war Friday.

Recap: Everblades vs. Jackals 4/18/12

This post took a little longer to write then Monday’s. Don’t get me wrong there is lots to talk about, but after several long days my brain is sorta mushy so you’ll have to bear with me.

It’s been pointed out to me that by numbering the events I may be implying a hierarchy of joy or importance. This never occurred to me since I write little of importance, but just so everyone knows the order is random. They’re not ranked, its just whatever I think of... I love all moments equally. Whew, glad that’s off my chest. 

1) Piche duels

If this was the american revolution Sebestian Piche would totally be Aaron Burr. Dueling to the death over honor. His opponent Nick Dineen (Alexander Hamilton in this analogy) didn’t stand a chance. After slighting the honor of goaltender Pat Nagle, Piche stepped up and did it big. Video has been included for a demonstration of classical fisticuffs. 

2) Pat Nagle: Beast Mode 

Some people criticized Pat Nagle’s performance Monday. For the most part the critics were silenced Wednesday as Nagle made 24 saves to secure the win and the shutout. Not only was he perfect in net, he also provided the second assist on Bobby Raymond’s insurance marker in the third. The Everblades now lead the series 3-1 and can close it out at home on Friday night. Wild guess, but I’d say the Beast will be in net. 

3) Brayden Irwin’s hail mary pass

The Everblades game-winning goal was officially scored by Scott Pitt. However, none of it would have been possible without the nifty setup by Rutherford and the blind “hail mary” backwards passing by Irwin. It was a beautiful goal. Also, @Swamphockey finally admitted she was wrong about Irwin. I have it in writing.

4) Matt Beca’s boo boo

There’s a lot of debate over the cause of Matt Beca’s bleeding face. What I can tell you is that he was bleeding (and quite a bit). Other than that I’m as clueless as the next person (and I was RIGHT there). However, I hope it’s nothing too serious and that he’s okay. We need you Becs!

5) Poss keeps his cool

I’ve been watching the NHL playoffs and have witnessed some epic coaching moments. With that in mind Greg Poss cool demeanor was admirable in the face of what many fans felt was inconsistent officiating. Poss was showed on the video board multiple times throughout the contest. Specifically at controversial moments. Each time he looked composed and thoughtful. Hat’s off to you Mr. Poss (he also looked very beardly, but that seemed irrelevant).

*Honorable Mention: the video operators

The Germain arena video/ camera operators have a great sense of humor. Whether it was Monday’s kiss cam with three dudes or the nightly WAG spotting, their timing is impeccable. 

Real info can totally be found here!

As always if you have something to say, say it! You can contact me or swamphockey in the comments or on twitter (@cvclyde & @swamphockey). I don’t bite.

Recap: Everblades vs. Jackals (4/16/12)

The Florida Everblades secured a 2-1 series lead with a 5-4 OT win Monday night over the Elmira Jackals.  As usual I’m going to break the game down into the five moments I think summarize it best. You may disagree (but you’re not writing this so.... :-P).

1) Slip n’ Slide

One of the best moments of the series so far. Bruess got called for slashing, but it was well worth it to watch the Elmira player slide across the ice and straight into the net. There was even enough warning for Nagle to escape danger and scamper to safety in order to enjoy the show.

2) Salters, Salters, Salters

I’m channeling my inner Jan Brady, but seriously when will people learn that picking a fight with Leigh Salters is not smart? Two punches and Jarrett Rush was on the ground. Kudos to Salters for not continuing to bludgeon the man while he was down. We like to call that respect.

3) @KevinQuick4
Quick had great positioning for the Everblades second goal. He just happened to be sitting while doing it... Quick took the rebound right in front and got it home. The ‘Blades proceeded to bang home two more to tie the game (they eventually won in OT, but we’ll get there). You should definitely follow him. Why? Because I told you to, silly. 

4) The Flying Piche
Piche gets my imaginary hard hat or fedora (if we’re pretending to be  the NY Rangers). Regardless, he worked his butt off and it showed. Piche had six shots on goal, two assists and was a +1 for the night. He and Bruess both get huge points for the momentum shift in the second period. 

5) Fifty Five
As time ticked off in OT I looked to the scoreboard and saw that the Everblades had attempted 51 shots. It was at this point that I turned to dear Swamphockey and stated, “I think it’ll be shot 55”. Well, guess what? David Fischer did the honors and won the game.... on (you guessed it) shot 55. Now I know what you’re thinking (I totally need to go pick some lotto numbers) or more likely it was about time. Either way it was fitting for Fischer to seal the victory on his first night back with the team after missing the last three games. Fans showed support for Fischer and his family by donning pink ribbons at Monday’s game. 

 

Well those were my favorite moments. Feel free to share your favorite moments and be on the look out for something special coming your way!

YouTube Tuesday

Last night was a pretty big win for the Everblades. You really can't beat ending a game with 2.1 seconds left in overtime. You just can't.

Although, watching Leigh Salters hand an opposing players a knuckle sandwich isn't too bad either.



By the way, you may remember a few weeks ago Chelsea Clyde wrote two guests post for the blog. Well, I guess she enjoyed it because she's decided to jump on board and become a writer here. Her re-cap of last night's game will be up a little later today. She's also got a pretty interesting post planned for the next day or two. Be sure to check back.

Friday Links

Round two of the Kelly Cup playoffs begins tonight against the best team in the East. Now, I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I'm so nervous I could vomit.

- Here's the link to watch (for the not terrible price of $9), listen to our radio feed, and Elmira's radio feed (if ours doesn't work for you for whatever reason.

- Do I need to say anything more than ZAMBONI CAKE!



- The Everblades received Joe Sova from the Checkers recently, and it looks like he's on Twitter.


- Also, if you're interested, I'm amusing myself (and annoying my non-Everblades fan followers) by poking fun at the oldest man in the ECHL, Craig Rivet. If you'd like to join use the hashtag #CraigRivetIsSoOld.Feel free to borrow your favorite for a sign for Monday.

- I'm always surprised at the amazingly affordable hockey jerseys on Etsy. If I could get into a youth medium I'd buy this in a second.

- By the way, next season's hated rivals released their jerseys. I like them personally. They're way better than the old Solar Bears jerseys. I'm so pumped for the road trips up to Orlando next season. So pumped!

- It was hard to settle on who exactly should win tweet of the week. In the end I decided to avoid burning you retinas with pasty white hockey player thighs and instead went with This gem.

- I don't think anyone can argue that the greatest team name in ECHL history belongs to the now defunct Macon Whoopee. That's why it kills me that I don;t have any extra money to throw away on this jersey.

- That makes this weeks Wikipedia Hockey page an easy choice- "Macon Whoopee"

- It's being doing something all season, kitty time!


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Your Mission Everblades Fans...

This series is big. The Jackals have given the Blades trouble throughout the last few seasons. They have the rookie of the year and the goalie of the month. They came behind to win their series with the Royals. It's time for us to get serious.

So, you mission, if you choose to accept it, is to take part in some psychological warfare. Nothing horrible or Geneva Convention violating of course. Just some good old fashioned unpleasantness.

How do we do this? Well, a lot of ways. Personally, I'm making a sign or two that makes fun of Craig Rivet being the oldest human being on the ice by three decades.

One of my ideas...

Do whatever it takes.

While I don't normally condone trolling the Facebook pages of other teams I'm not going to say anything if you do. In fact, I'll pop popcorn and laugh maniacally while you do.

This is the playoffs and the playoffs are war.


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

By the way, if you happen to be a part of this century and participate in that newfangled Twitter thingy you can find some of their players (*cough* here, here, and here so far) on Twitter and it appears they prefer the simple #Jackals hash tag.

Basically, I'm saying let's make this series unbearable for the Jackals players, the organization (someone has to delete mean Facebook comments), and their fans. It's time to get our hands dirty people.

Giddy up.


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

YouTube Tuesday

I don't know about you guys, but I'm still riding high from the Everblades sweep of the Road Warriors (they are the only team in the East to accomplish that by the way). I personally want to draw this out  a little longer.

Ladies and gentlemen... sad Dean Stork is sad.



Time to gear up for the Jackals. It's go time.

Re-Cap: Everblades vs. Road Warriors

I have one word for you!

SWEEEEEP!!!

I'm too happy to do a re-cap. Enjoy the only way I could relieve stress during the game:

Or it could be the eyebrows. They are a bit overwhelming.

Little know fact: Sebastien Piche can shoot laser from his mustache. No lie.

I don't claim to be good at Photoshop (or MS paint as it actually was) by the way.

Anyway, we play the winner of the yet undecided Reading/Jackals series. Doesn't matter though. It's all us. Giddy-up.

Guest Re-Cap: Everblades vs. Road Warriors (4/2/12)

 As promised, here's the guest post from one of the most fantastic hockey ladies I've ever met, Chelsea Clyde. You can check out here website here and find her on Twitter here.

The curse is broken. I try not to be a superstitious person. I mean truly how much can wearing silly bands really impact a teams performance? However, I was starting to get a complex with the Everblades. They just never won when I was in the rink (my Jr. Blades never had such a problem, but that’s another story).

It got so bad that our dear SwampHockey debated whether inviting me to a game was a good decision. Lot’s of snark, not very many wins.

I’m happy to say after Monday’s 5-2 victory, the curse is officially broken and here’s how it happened.

1) The toe-tapping Muse.

 There are times that no matter the statistics I just “feel” comfortable with certain goalies. This year that was John Muse. “The Moose” has an interesting habit of tapping the toes of his skates on the ice before the start of the game. He didn’t stop however and went toe-to-toe with Greenville in the remaining seconds. The Everblades were running the clock with the puck behind the net. It was pretty comical to watch him “dance” as the Road Warriors forward tried to get around and force the Everblades to play the puck. 

2) Sébastien Piché.

The feisty defenseman made the game. He contributed one assist in the contest, but his shining moment is when he told Marc- Olivier Vallerand to “suck it” (not a direct quote). The two players appeared to be exchanging words throughout the contest. By the third period all it took was a little shove by Piche and Vallerand was ready to drop the gloves. From my seat it went like this: (shove) V: French curse word, P: You want to go?

3) Matt Beca’s Ovi inspired goal celebration.

I’m always a fan of enthusiastic goal celebrations. This one took place right in front of my seat. Bec’s beat Nic Riopel and looked like Ralphie from A Christmas Story when he his parents surprise him with the Red Ryder BB gun. The chest bump to the glass and smothering of affection from his teammates didn’t hurt either. 

 

4) Scott Pitt and the “score board incident”

I expect things to be feisty with Greenville. After all they are captained by T.J. Reynolds (hate all you want, but his particular form pestering is an art form). However, you have to know when to pick your fights and with whom. I’ve seen Scott Pitt play sporadically since 2007. I’ve seen him score plenty of goals, but I’ve never seen him get in a fight (not saying it’s never happened, just that I’ve never seen it). So it came as no surprise that he didn’t take up the useless call from Greenville throughout the game. The entertaining part was his hand gesture at the end of the game. For those watching it was easy to see Pitt gesturing towards the score board as a Road Warrior tried to engage him. Smart move Mr. Pitt. We approve.

5) David Fischer’s chew toy.

Now we’ve already talked about superstitions and habits, but then there is Fischer’s mouth guard or more aptly named chew toy. I’m not sure how many of Fischer’s teeth it’s protecting, but if chewing on that lime green guard helps you score AND prevent goals, well keep on chewing. Fischer was a +1 on the night and scored the Everblades first goal. 

For people who like actual facts I’ve included the link to the game sheet, but let’s face it a game is much more than just a piece of paper.

 

Re-Cap: Everblades vs. Wings (4/5/11)

The Everblades had to come out big in the first game of the first round of the playoffs. They had to make a statement, not just to the K-Wings, but to the fans that they were ready. That they were ready to finally give 100% for each end every period. Though it was by no means a flawless preformance, I'd Like to think the Blades came pretty close to sending that message.

The first period was pretty equal. Both teams traded chances. The K-Wings were a bit more dominant, but goalie Bobby Goepfert played the same game that has been winning games in spite of the effort of the players in front of him all season. When he wasn't there, there was always a Blade to sweep the puck away from a dangerous situation. It was amazing. The team was actually supporting each other. The Wings did lead in shots, 13-5, but that was almost entirely due to the three penalties called on the Blades. Thankfully, in spite of the shots, the game was still 0-0 when the period ended.

The second saw one of the teams finally take the lead, when about nine minutes in, Ross Carlson scored to give the Blades a 1-0 lead. Around six minutes later Matt Beca score a short-handed, unassisted goal to make it 2-0. It was a pretty good shortie to get considering how terrible a call the penalty was. The K-Wings came on strong, but the Blades all played their parts and the period ended with them still up 2-0.

It was only a matter of time that the Wings would finally be able to take advantage of all the power plays that were handed to them. They made it 2-1 about six minutes into the period on the power play. While the Wings came on strong for the rest of the period the Blades all stood tall and held them off. They got a hard earned win and are now up 1-0 in the best of five series.

Some thoughts:

- I know I'm biased, but good lord, what horrible officiating. If your going to put your whistle away it should be put away for both teams.

- 31 of 32 shots denied. Oh my. To quote someone on Twitter last night " Who needs to outshoot opponents when you have Geppy?"

- Matt Beca and Alex Hutchings together are the stuff of K-Wing nightmares. They created so much chaos it was hilarious.

- There is nothing more depressing than an empty arena. I know it was short notice guys, but it would have been nice to see more people.

Know Your Enemy: Kalamazoo Wings

(photo courtesy of Hockey Broad)

Home: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Conference: Eastern
Division: North
First ECHL season: 2009

Arena: Wings Stadium
Arena capacity: 5,113
Arena founded: 1974


(photo courtesy of Hockey Broad)


NHL Affiliate: New York Islanders
AHL Affiliate: Bridgeport Sound Tigers

Division championships: 09-10, 10-11
Kelly Cups: 0

Head Coach: Nick Bootland
 Most Goals: Andrew Fournier- 38
Most Assists: Trent Daavettilla
Most Points: Tie, Trent Daavettilla and Kory Karlander- 80
Most Power Play Goals: Patrick Asselin- 12
Most Short Handed Goals: Sam Ftorek- 2

Best +/-: Trent Daavettilla- +28
Highest PIM: Darryl Llyod: 130

Former Everblades on the K-Wings:

• A.J. Thelen- 08-09, 09-10
• Andrew Fournier- 08-09
• Worth mentioning: Forward Mike Sellitto played for the FGCU Eagles.

Average Height: 6ft
Average Weight: 189lbs
Average Age: 26.25 years

Photos from last visit:

News and Notes

I'm working on a post on the K-Wings for later this afternoon. Until then, here's a round-up of all the latest Everblades bits and pieces.

- Pictures from Friday's game:



- If you are interested, I've also posted all of the pictures I took at the Penguins/Lightning game. You guys think I overdo the Everblades photos? You ain't seen nothing.

- Another day another Everblades post on Puck Daddy. This time Tim Spencer is featured for that insane bout he had on Friday.

- We signed another Mercyhurst player. This time, it's goalie Ryan Zapolski. His stats:



- The ECHL announced the schedule for the conference quarterfinals. The match-ups in the East:

• Greenville vs. Elmira
• Reading vs. Cincinnati
• Kalamazoo vs. Florida
• Wheeling vs. South Carolina

- I'm predicting Greenville, Cincinnati, Florida and Wheeling make it to the next round. How about you guys?

YouTube Tuesday

There is no video more appropriate to post on this YouTube Tuesday than the highlights from game 5 of the Kelly Cup Finals. Major congratulations have to go out to the Cyclones, their players, staff, and fans. Two cups in three years is quite an accomplishment, and coming back from being down in a series twice is even more amazing (pretty much steamrolling what was the best team in the ECHL during the regular season, is not to shabby either).



I think a lot of Everblades fans would agree that it will be pretty awesome when the Blades accomplish this next season.