ESTERO, Fla. – The Florida Everblades finished the regular season with a victory at home against the South Carolina Stingrays 4-3 in a shootout. The Stingrays needed a win to secure the last playoff spot in the South Division but only got one point for the loss in the shootout.
Evan Cormier got the start for the Everblades, giving Cam Johnson a rest from his ten-consecutive starts. Mitchell Gibson started for the Stingrays. The Everblades played a conservative game all night, as they were outshot in every period. Stingray Jack Adams (27) scored the game’s first goal at 19:19 of the first period. Bobo Carpenter (28) tied the game at 1:40 of the second period, but Garet Hunt (3) put the Stingrays back in front at 4:05.
The Stingrays took a 2-1 lead into the locker room. Zach Berzolla (2) tied the game at 2:44 of the third. Kevin O’Neill (16) gave the Stingrays life with his goal at 11:46, but Sean Josling (22) tied the game with less than two minutes left. Neither team scored in overtime and needed a shootout to decide the game. Sean Josling and Oliver Chau scored for the Everblades, and Jonny Evans scored for the Stingrays. The loss ended the hopes of a post-season appearance for the Stingrays. The Everblades ended the season with six straight wins and a 6-4-0-0 record in their last ten games. The Everblade’s next game is game one of the first round of the playoffs on Wednesday against the Jacksonville Icemen in Jacksonville.
Check out this photo gallery from Inside the Rink’s Christina Slemp for highlights from the game.
