The Florida Everblades are one step closer to a historic four-peat, taking a 2-0 series lead over the Jacksonville Icemen with a 2-1 overtime win in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
After a wild, back-and-forth affair in Game 1, where the Everblades triumphed 3-2 in overtime, Florida entered Game 2 with a clear focus: build on the momentum and edge closer to another Kelly Cup championship.
Things got heated quickly as the two in-state rivals faced off once again. A full-on brawl broke out at center ice early in the game, setting the tone for an intense night. With both benches fired up, the crowd at Hertz Arena could feel the intensity as sticks and fists flew.
The Everblades wasted no time capitalizing on the power play. Carson Gicewicz found the back of the net off a crisp setup from Oliver Chau and Cole Moberg to give Florida a 1-0 lead in the second period. The goal marked Florida’s second consecutive night scoring on a power-play.
The Icemen responded in the third period. Derek Lodermeier’s goal tied the game at 1-1, sending the two teams into overtime for the second night in a row.
In the extra frame, Logan Lambdin made the initial move, but it was Andrew Fyten who swooped in to clean up the rebound and score the game-winning goal, sending the crowd at Hertz Arena into a frenzy. The Everblades secured a 2-1 victory, extending their series lead to 2-0.
“Just proud of our players for battling hard for each other,” Everblades head coach Brad Ralph said. “It’s a grind of a hockey game, luckily we came out on top. The crowd was loud and energetic, and we certainly thrive off it. We're prideful. We want to win for them, and it was great to see everyone celebrating at the end.”
With the series shifting to Jacksonville for Game 3 on Wednesday, April 23, and Game 4 on April 24, the Everblades head to the Icemen’s home rink with a strong 2-0 lead and a firm grip on momentum. Confidence is high, but the team knows the job isn’t done yet.
“We’ve always been good under pressure," said Everblades forward Andrew Fyten. "We’re a good third-period team. We just stick to what we do. It’s worked for us. But there’s still a lot of work to do. They're playing very well. It's why we've gone to overtime twice. They've been playing us hard, so we just got to stick with it."
With the series shifting to Jacksonville for Game 3 on Wednesday, April 23, and Game 4 on April 24, the Everblades head to the Icemen’s home rink with a strong 2-0 lead and a firm grip on momentum. Confidence is high, but the team knows the job isn’t done yet.
Stay tuned to Gulf Coast News for continuous coverage throughout the Everblades' postseason journey