Blades end homestand with 3-2 win
The last home game of 2015 was a winner for the Florida Everblades.
Florida held off the Orlando Solar Bears 3-2 Wednesday night at Germain Arena to finish 10-4 on home ice in 2015.
The Everblades took a 3-0 lead in the Wawa Sunshine Cup, which goes to the team that wins the most games this season between the state’s two ECHL franchises.
“We played a lot better tonight than we did in Orlando (early in the season) when we won both games,” Everblades coach Greg Poss said. “Up there we won because our goaltenders played really well. Tonight I thought that, especially in the second and third periods, we were the better team.”
Florida has three road games this weekend at South Carolina and Orlando before taking a Christmas break.
“We’ve got to go on the road now for the last two games before Christmas,” Poss said. “Friday and Saturday, I told them to give our best, everything we have. South Carolina’s got a really good team. To beat them we’ll have to be really good.”
The Everblades lead the ECHL South Division by six points over South Carolina.
Ethan Werek scored twice for Florida, giving him 11 goals for the season.
Werek got the Blades on the scoreboard 1:17 into the second period, capping a brief flurry in front of Orlando goalie Ryan Massa. Corey Cowick and Matt Willows assisted.
Florida poured 19 shots on Massa in the second period, compared to six for Orlando. The problem was that while the Blades were dominating the Solar Bears, for a long time they weren’t getting anything else past Massa.
So it only took one lapse for the lead to disappear. Eric Faille drew the Solar Bears even midway through the second, beating new Everblades goalie Rasmus Tirronen.
Tirronen was sent to the Blades from the AHL Charlotte Checkers on Monday.
“He’s excellent,” Poss said of Tirronen. “He’s a very good goalie. The times we made mistakes he made up for it.”
Tirronen was getting limited playing time at Charlotte.
Poss prefers to alternate his goalies, which should provide Tirronen more opportunities.
“That’s the key,” Poss said. “If you’re not playing, you’re not going to get better. You don’t get better by practicing. If they’re not going to play in the American League, they need to play here.”
Evan Bloodoff backhanded in a shot to put Florida back in front before the second period ended, the tally coming off a pass from Matt Marquardt. The goal was Bloodoff’s seventh of the season.
The Blades opened a two-goal advantage on Werek’s second goal of the night 1:02 into the third period. Willows and Jordan Ciccarello had the assists.
Werek said he and linemate Willows have “had a connection for most of this year. The last few games we were a little off, but we came back and reset. We had fun out there.”
Brady Vail scored over Tirronen, who was down on the ice after making a save, to cut the margin to 3-2 with 14 minutes left to play.
Orlando pulled Massa for a sixth attacker with two minutes remaining. Florida didn’t allow the Solar Bears to stage a serious attack, and just missed scoring an empty-netter on a shot that hit the goal post.
A possible Solar Bears goal was waived off at the end of the first period. Replay confirmed the shot crossed the goal line after the clock had run out for the period.
“I was happy,” Poss said. “Obviously we got a break that they called it off. We just totally kind of fell asleep the last half-minute of the period and let the guy come in and get a point-blank chance. Luckily, the period was done.”
After Saturday, the Blades (19-9) are off until Dec. 27 in Orlando. Werek isn’t necessarily looking forward to the time off.
“It’s my fifth season. The younger guys it’s good to get a break and kind of reset, but I love the game. To get away from the game for five days … It’s good to get away, but it’ll be good to get back,” Werek said.
The Everblades won’t be home again until New Year’s Day, when they again face the Solar Bears.