The Florida Everblades took a commanding lead in the South Division Finals on Saturday night, defeating the Orlando Solar Bears 6-2 in front of a crowd of 6,508 at Hertz Arena.
Tarun Fizer scored twice and was one of five Everblades with multi-point games as Florida grabbed a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. With the win, the three-time defending Kelly Cup champions moved two wins away from returning to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Florida struck quickly, with Fizer opening the scoring just 3:59 into the first period. Colton Hargrove added another 30 seconds later to make it 2-0. Hargrove has now scored in four consecutive playoff games.
Orlando got on the board at 11:18 after a lengthy video review. The initial ruling of no goal was overturned, and Ara Nazarian was credited with his second of the playoffs, cutting Florida’s lead to 2-1 at the first intermission.
Fizer restored the two-goal cushion with his second of the night at 5:07 of the second period.
“Lanny [Jesse Lansdell], my line mate, he found me on two very nice passes, and I had two wide open, and so I just had to put ’em in the net and I was fortunate enough to do that tonight,” Fizer said.
The mindset for the Blades in this one was pretty simple.
“Play the exact same way minus the third period last night,” he added. “And I think we did a pretty good job with that. Played a pretty full 60 [minutes]. The games are fast and games are hard. We’re two games up now. We got to just finish it off and get two dubs in Orlando next week.”
Florida pulled away in the third period. Logan Lambdin scored at 4:55, and Dillon Hamaliuk added another at 7:41 to make it 5-1. Orlando’s Anthony Bardaro scored unassisted with just over three minutes remaining, but Kyle Betts sealed the win with a late empty-net goal.
The game featured a scuffle at 18:40 in the third, resulting in three minor penalties per team.
“I was proud of the way we handled the adversity throughout the course of the night,” Everblades head coach Brad Ralph said. “We had a goal/no-goal call, too many men on the ice. I think playoffs is how you handle the adversity—the choices we make after those mistakes or tough calls. And we did a great job.”
Ralph also praised his players for sticking together amid the physicality.
“A lot of emotion, guys sticking up for each other,” he said. “And it’s a little chaotic at times. But I’m proud of the way they’re sticking up for each other. I like to see it between the whistles, but it’s playoff hockey. They just want it so bad. And I think the emotions boil over at times. But I just love the work ethic and the love of our players.”
Ralph and Fizer both credited the home crowd for providing an extra boost.
“Our fans—an awesome crowd tonight,” Ralph said. “So much energy in the building. We certainly fed off it, and you see that with a 2-0 start.”
Ralph said the focus now shifts to maintaining that momentum on the road.
“I think it’s rest, recover primarily, and then just trust the way we play,” he said. “The structure we want to play with is working. We don’t need to change anything. Just dig in a little more, be a little more disciplined on the road than we are at home, and just find a way to get better.”
Goaltender Cam Johnson made 32 saves, including 16 in the third period, to improve to 6-0 in the postseason.
Game 3 is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Kia Center in Orlando.
Fizer said the team’s goal remains unchanged.
“I mean, this team’s going for four Kelly Cups in a row,” he said. “So I think that’s the motivating factor—is to keep the streak alive. And right now we’re playing good hockey, and we’re sticking together as a team. And I think that’s hard to beat.”