Written by Mike Bonts
JACKSONVILLE, FL - Oliver Chau scored twice to lead Florida (15-3-1) to a 3-2 ECHL victory over Jacksonville (10-6-2) at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena Thursday night.
It was the first of three straight meetings between the Everblades and Icemen. The in-state rivals played a scoreless first period. After 20 minutes, the contest saw its first intermission with the Icemen outshooting the Blades 11-9.
Chau’s unassisted tally gave Florida a 1-0 lead just 32 seconds into the second stanza.
Davis Koch’s fifth lamplighter of the season off a rebound save by Cam Johnson evened the game for Jacksonville with assists from Brendan Harris and Carter Allen.
Jesse Lansdell put the Everblades back in front, assisted by Kyle Betts and Jordan Sambrook.
Jacksonville captain Christopher Brown knotted the score again on another rebound, assisted by Harris and Koch.
The Icemen entered the game third on the penalty kill at home at 91.4 percent, but Florida found the back of the net on the man adavntage while Zach Jordan sat out four minutes for tripping and cross checking.
Chau’s second goal of the game and ninth of the season put the visitors back in front for good. Kade Landry and Alex Kile picked up the helpers.
The Everblades took the 3-2 advantage and held on for the final 20 minutes. Florida has outscored their opponents 22-8 in the third period this season.
Matt Vernon made 25 saves for the Icemen, while Johnson stopped 27 shots. Johnson has allowed two goals or less in six of his last eight appearances.
Jacksonville was 0-for-3 on the power play.
The two clubs meet again Friday night in Jacksonville. Puck drop is 7 p.m. Friday is the Annual Teddy Bear Toss fans, so fans should plan to arirve early.
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