JACKSONVILLE, FL – Tne Icemen scored three power play goals and one shorthanded tally to defeat the Florida Everblades 4-3 Wednesday evening at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena.
The Everblades delivered a barrage of shots in the first period, but Icemen goaltender was stellar, turning aside all 19 shots throw his direction. Vernon’s brilliance in net allowed the Icemen to grab the lead 1-0 in the final minute of the opening period on the power play. Logan Cockerill centered a pass in to the slot which was put home by Luc Brown.
In the second, Icemen extended their lead while Florida was on its first power play. Riley Fiddler-Schultz tipped the puck away from a Florida player at the point and caught up with the puck at the far blue line. Fiddler-Schultz waltzed into the zone with the puck and flipped a backhanded shot past Everblades netminder Cam Johnson for the shorthanded tally.
The Everblades pulled within one later in the second period when Joe Pendenza’s shot was stopped by Vernon, but Jordan Sambrook put home the rebound to pull Florida within one.
Two minutes later, the Icemen scored their second power play marker when Luc Brown delivered a pass across to the ice to Matheson Iacopelli at the right dot. Iacopelli caught the puck and wristed it past Johnson for the tally to make it 3-1 game.
Eight minutes in to the third, the Everblades scored a power play goal of their own, then Pendenza skated strongly with the puck uncontested toward the crease and swung it around Vernon and into the net to pull his team within one.
Just 16 seconds later, Florida tied the game when Oliver Chau’s shot from up high was tipped into the net by Andrew Fyten and the puck floated over the arm of Vernon and in to even the score at three.
Just over two minutes later the Icemen scored their third power goal of the game, and once again it they turned to Matheson Iacopelli. Logan Cockerill steered a seam pass across to Iacopelli who blistered a one-timer into the net for his second strike of the game and to lift the Icemen to a 4-3 edge.
Jacksonville would go on to win by that 4-3 count. Matt Vernon earned the win in goal making 35 saves, while Iacopelli (2g, 1a), Luc Brown (1g, 2a) and Logan Cockerill (3a) all finished with three points on the night.
The Icemen are back at home on Friday as they play host to the South Carolina Stingrays at 7:00 p.m.
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