ESTERO, FL – Alex Tonge recorded a goal and two assists to pace the Florida Everblades to a 3-1 victory over the Jacksonville Icemen at Hertz Arena on Saturday night.
Florida opened the scoring at 11:31 of the opening period. Justin Auger skated down the right wing circle and centered a pass to the top of the crease. Michael Neville crashed the net and batted the puck which then clipped off the glove of Jacksonville goaltender Angus Redmond and into the net for the goal.
In the second period, Florida extended its lead to 2-0 on a shorthanded goal. Justin Wade led a 2-on-2 shorthanded rush into the Icemen end. Wade dropped a pass back to Alex Tonge who cut sharply to the left circle and snapped a shot past the glove of Redmond for the tally.
The Icemen countered less than two minutes later. Dajon Mingo received a pass at the right circle and immediately dished it to Alexis D’Aoust in the high slot. D’Aoust dropped down to one knee as he stepped into a shot and beat goaltender Evan Wininger high into the corner of the net to pull the Icemen within one.
In the third, the Icemen came out with some relentless pressure and put the Everblades on their heels for about a six-minute span. However, Jacksonville could not net the equalizer. Florida would eventually emerge with the puck and break into the offensive zone. An innocent wrist shot from the right wing by Tonge was tipped and redirected into the net by Mitch Vandergunst for a goal to put Florida in front by a 3-1 count.
Following the goal, the Everblades broke into a defensive shutdown mode for the remainder of regulation to preserve a 3-1 victory. The Icemen held Florida to just 17 shots on net.
The Icemen will close out the regular season on Sunday with a 3:00 p.m. matinee at Orlando. Fans can tune into the game on Mixlr, and on ECHL.TV.
Playoff Hockey is Coming to Jacksonville!
The Icemen have clinched a spot in the 2019 Kelly Cup Playoffs! The Icemen will host first round playoff games on April 18 & 19, and if necessary on Saturday, April 20. Single game tickets for the first two home games of the first round of the playoffs will go on sale on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Opponent will be announced at a later date. Single game tickets may be purchased online on Ticketmaster
For more information contact the Icemen office at 904-602-7825.
The 2018-19 Jacksonville Icemen Season is Presented by Community First Credit Union
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