The Florida Everblades played their last home game of 2023 against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits Friday night in front of 7,435 fans at Hertz Arena, a second consecutive sellout. With their victory against the Swamp Rabbits the night before, the Everblades were looking to move to four games above .500 for the first time this season. Jake Maurice, Everblades play-by-play broadcaster, identified three keys to tonight’s game: the Everblades need to have consistent offensive opportunities; the Everblades need to have offensive production from multiple players; and the Everblades need to handle the momentum shifts. During the Coaches Corner pregame interview, Coach Brad Ralph was asked before the game how the Everblades could get a win, and he stated, “The division is such a tough division where any of the seven teams can win on any night. So, number one, we have to be motivated. Number two, we have to believe that it’s not the Xs and Os, or the system, or the structure rather, it’s more about the energy and making sure we’re dialed in and playing games from the heart.”
Goaltenders Evan Cormier, Everblades, and Luke Richardson, Swamp Rabbits, led their teams onto the ice for the start of the first period. This was Evan Cormier’s ninth start and Luke Richardson’s third. Both teams showed high intensity and energy from the opening puck drop in the first period. The Everblades were able to sustain several offensive possessions, but it took over nine minutes for them to crack through the Swamp Rabbits defense and register their first shot on goal. The Everblades best scoring opportunity came on a wraparound attempt that Luke Richardson smothered. Patrick Holway, Everblades defenseman, scored the only goal in the first period when he rocketed a slap shot from the high slot past Luke Richardson. The Swamp Rabbits did manage several high-quality chances but couldn’t break through Evan Cormier and the Everblades defense.
The second period saw a more physical game as both teams took every opportunity to finish hits. Much like the night before, the Swamp Rabbits scored their first goal off a turnover in the Everblades defensive zone. Swamp Rabbits forward Nick Prkusic took the puck and fired it on net, where Ethan Somoza tipped it in tying the game. The Everblades regained the lead with their tip-in goal when Zach Tsekos deflected a shot by Cole Moberg. The Everblades went into the locker room with a 2-1 lead.
Swamp Rabbits, Ethan Somoza, scored his second goal of the game on a rebound from the slot, tying the game at 6:50 of the third period. Everblades forward Cam Hausinger received the first penalty of the game for tripping at 10:08. The best scoring chance for either team came when a Swamp Rabbits forward missed an open top shelf, sending the puck high over the net, and the third period ended 2-2 sending the teams to a seven-minute, three-on-three overtime.
The overtime period saw both teams creating scoring chances, but it wasn’t until Swamp Rabbits forward Colton Young took a slashing penalty at 5:39 that either team showed results. The penalty sent the Everblades on their first powerplay of the night, and Patrick Holway scored at 6:03, just 24 seconds into the powerplay, to give the Everblades a 3-2 win.
The Swamp Rabbits outshot the Everblades 34 to 32. Luke Richardson took his first loss of the season, moving his record to 2-0-1; he made 29 saves for a .906 save percentage. Evan Cormier won his fourth game of the season with 32 saves and a .941 save percentage. The First Star of the night was Everblades defenseman Patrick Holway, whose two-goal night brought his season goal total to six and his points total to 14. Everblades goalie Evan Cormier and Swamp Rabbits forward Ethan Somoza were the Second and Third Star of the Night, respectively.
Both teams travel Saturday to Greenville, where they’ll meet Sunday, New Year’s Eve, at 6:05 p.m. at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
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