Blades get shootout victory
There is a saying in hockey that a hot goaltender can make bad teams look good and good teams look bad.
For the Florida Everblades, it was the later Friday night in a 1-0 shootout victory over the Augusta Lynx at Germain Arena. They threw everything at Augusta’s goalie. In the end, it took a shootout for the Blades to pull out the win.
If it weren’t for Lynx net minder Mike Brodeur, the contest would have been over in regulation, but Brodeur was in top form stopping all 46 shots he faced in regulation.
“We just couldn’t get the pucks by him,” said Blades forward Colin Nicholson, who had two chances to beat him and failed both times. “He played a great game. Hopefully, (Saturday) we can get a couple by him.”
Despite the close score, it was Brodeur who kept the Lynx in the game.
Blades goaltender David Leggio saw only 16 shots at him as the defense played some of its best hockey of the season, including an eight-minute stretch at the end of the second period which saw Florida play a man short on three consecutive penalties.
“We just didn’t give them opportunities,” said the newest member of the Blades, Peter Metcalf, who spent a lot of time killing off those penalties.
In the end it took Danick Bouchard, who scored the only goal in the shootout, to win the contest for the Blades (7-2-1). The win extends Florida’s winning streak to five straight.
The Lynx (5-5-1) and Everblades skate again Saturday night before Florida embarks on its longest road trip of the season next week.