The Jacksonville Icemen (4-12-2-1, 11 pts) travel to Estero to take on the Florida Everblades (16-2-1-2, 35 pts) for the third time in the 2017-18 season presented by Community First Credit Union tonight at 7:30 p.m. Friday's matchup marks the beginning of the second back-to-back series between the two teams in three weeks.
The Icemen are heading into the game looking for their first win against their south Florida rival. Jacksonville nearly took a win on Wednesday against the Atlanta Gladiators, but fell late in the third period. Recently acquired goalie Austin Lotz got his first start with the Icemen on Wednesday, making 37 stops on 39 shots. Jacksonville's penalty killing was also solid Wednesday, killing off all four power plays for the Gladiators. The Icemen are looking for their second win away from home this season.
The Everblades have continued to dominate the entire ECHL this season. Florida currently leads the league with 35 points and are 6-2-0-1 at Germain Arena. In the first period this season, the Blades have been slow to get off to a good start with a -3 goal differential. However, there's few teams that are as good in the third period as Florida, posting a +17 goal differential in the final 20 minutes.
For Jacksonville to knock off the league leader, they'll need to stay out of the box. The Blades are fourth overall on the man advantage with 18 goals this season.
The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. from Germain Arena and fans can catch all the action on ECHL TV.
Matchup Breakdown
Records:
Jacksonville Icemen: 4-12-2-1 (7th in South division)
Florida Everblades: 16-2-1-2 (1st in South division)
Power Play:
Icemen: 6/71 – 8.5% (27th in ECHL)
Everblades: 18/84 – 21.5% (4th in ECHL)
Penalty Kill:
Icemen: 73/88 – 83.0% (14th in ECHL)
Everblades: 85/99 – 85.9% (7th in ECHL)
Players to Watch:
#15 F Alexandre Goulet (JAX)
8G, 11A – 19 Pts, +7 Rating
In his four games back since returning from injury, Goulet has tallied four assists and a goal. The forward’s presence on the ice is an extra spark for the offense
#11 F Michael Kirkpatrick (FLA)
10G, 16A – 26 Pts, +15 Rating
Kirkpatrick has been dominant for the Everblades this season. Not only does he lead the team in points, but he also leads the team in +/- rating and assists.
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