Blades dominate third period in 2-0 win
After a two-week successful road trip spanning Christmas and New Year’s that saw the Florida Everblades go 4-2, the hometown Blades returned to Germain Arena Friday night and defeated in-state rival Orlando 2-0.
The first two periods were dominated by wasted opportunities by the Blades, who drew a blank six times with an extra-man advantage through the opening 40 minutes. That signaled a scoreless tie after two periods.
“Offense is always going to come and go,” said Blades coach Greg Poss. “The defense has to be there all the time, and that’s what we did today. Our defense was playing really well.”
The offense finally broke through early in the third period with two goals in the opening five minutes.
Mitch Wahl was the first to crack the scoring column after taking a pass from D-man Cameron Burt and firing a shot home from the far circle.
Florida drew a penalty from the Bears on the ensuing faceoff and just seconds into the advantage Jeff Costello’s power play goal put the Blades up 2-0.
“We knew that if we stuck with it, we would get our chances,” said Poss. “That was all we needed (two goals). Our penalty kill was excellent, and (Allen) York was playing outstanding.”
Also making the victory sweeter for Poss was the announcement of his selection to coach this year’s ECHL All-Star team.
“It’s awarded based on winning percentage, so it’s really a show of how the players have worked for (assistant coach Tad O’Had) and it’s really a group effort,” said Poss.
In the net, York turned away all of the 31 shots he faced to notch his second shutout of the season, while the Blades’ penalty kill held strong through seven chances.
The Everblades (24-6) and Solar Bears collide again Saturday night at Germain Arena.