Blades outlast Fuel 7-6
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Gabriel Desjardins scored twice to help lead the Florida Everblades to a wild 7-6 victory over the Indy Fuel Friday night. The Everblades close out their four-game road trip 3-1.
In the first ever meeting between the Everblades and the Indy Fuel, it was the Blades who raced out of the starting gate grabbing a lead in the game’s first minute. Just 50 seconds into the contest, Desjardins gathered a loose puck in the slot and lifted a backhand shot that clipped past Indy netminder Cody Reichard for the goal
Just moments later, the Everblades made it 2-0 when Cameron Burt ripped a shot form the blue line that screamed high past the glove and into the net at the 2:34 mark.
Indy responded nearly three minutes later on a power play strike by Garett Bembridge, who one-timed shot from the left wing circle to beat goaltender Daniel Altshuller.
Halfway through the first, Alex Lavoie backhanded a rebound into the net to give Florida a 3-1 lead at the first break.
Brant Harris extended the lead to three when he threw the puck from behind the net in front toward the crease. The puck hit off an Indy skate and banked into the net for the fortuitous tally.
Two minutes later, Fuel captain Michael Duco wrested a centering feed from the slot into the net on the power play to put the score at 4-2.
Florida countered on a power play strike of its own just five minutes later. After a faceoff win, Alex Aleardi lifted a pass to Desjardins at the top of the crease. Desjardins angled the puck off his stick high into the net past Reichard to give the Blades a three-goal edge again at 5-3.
Just 90 seconds later, Pete Massar snapped a shot from the right wing circle that snuck past Altshuller on the blocker side to keep the Fuel within striking distance.
Shortly before the close of the second period, Florida grabbed a three-goal edge back at 6-3 with Chris Kushneriuk’s shorthanded marker.
Indy pulled within one in the first five minutes of the third with a power play strike from Duco, and a shorthanded goal by Anders Franson.
The Everblades immediately added some distance just over a minute later on the power play. Mike Aviani flipped a backhand shot across the crease to Jeff Costello who put the puck behind goaltender Jordan Tibbett who came in relief of Reichard at the start of the third.
The Fuel refused to go down without a fight and pulled within one at 15:45 on their fourth power play goal of the night. Dean Chelios tipped and redirected a shot from the point into the net to pull the score at 7-6.
The rally fell just short, as the Everblades escaped a barrage of shots late in the game to hang on for the one-goal victory.
Altshuller earned his fifth win of the season (5-1-0-0) stopping 36 of 32 shots.
The Blades return home to open a five-game homestand on Wednesday against the Elmira Jackals.?