Hartlieb signs for 6th season
Forward Ernie Hartlieb, a popular favorite with Florida Everblades fans, signed a contract Tuesday for the 2009-10 season. Hartlieb, 30, is the first player to sign for the next ECHL season, which will be his sixth with the Everblades.
The Michigan native played 70 games with the Everblades this past season, tallying 21 goals and 54 points while adding two goals and three assists in 11 playoff games.
Hartlieb has appeared in 327 games with the Everblades, regular season and playoffs, for a total of 84 goals, 161 assists.
“I am happy to be back in Florida,” Hartlieb said in a prepared statement. “The fans and the community have been great to me over the years and I would love to fulfill our goal of bringing a championship to Southwest Florida.”
In another team announcement, Germain Arena was named as a “Top 10 Minor League Venue” in an online poll conducted by MLN Sports. Germain Arena was ranked 6th-best in the poll among all minor league arenas, including baseball and football stadiums.
More than 11,700 votes were cast for the venues of more than 800 teams covering baseball, basketball, football, hockey and lacrosse.
The Everblades have drawn more than two million fans in its 10-year history, averaging nearly 6,000 per game in the 7,180-seat arena.