Photo by Nancy DeLander Beecher
JACKSONVILLE – Third-period goals by Oliver Chau and Marc-Andre Gaudet helped the Florida Everblades force overtime after trailing 2-0, but the Blades had to settle for just one point in the league standings, falling 3-2 in overtime to the Jacksonville Icemen Saturday night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
The fierce Sunshine State rivals skated to a scoreless first period, despite both teams having solid chances to open the scoring. Jacksonville outshot the Everblades by a 9-6 margin, while neither side was able to capitalize on their sole power-play opportunities.
A pair of second-period goals would net Jacksonville a 2-0 lead. Brendan Harris struck first for the Icemen just two minutes into the middle frame, while Ty Cheveldayoff followed at the 12:34 mark, just 18 seconds after the Everblades successfully staved off a four-minute power play. The bad guys controlled the tempo in the middle 20 minutes, posting a 14-9 advantage in the shot department.
With the good guys down by a pair, the third period would belong to the Everblades.
Chau got the Blades on the board at 10:11, rifling home a blast from the left circle for his 11th goal of the season as the Jacksonville lead was trimmed to 2-1. Carson Gicewicz and Riese Zmolek picked up the assists.
With the Everblades finally on the board, Gaudet found the net for the second straight night, potting the equalizer with a laser from downtown at 16:31 that would ultimately send the contest to overtime. Chau collected as assist for a two-point night, while Colin Theisen also earned a helper. Florida outshot the home team 9-5 in the third frame.
A wide-open and back-and-forth overtime saw both teams have great chances and enjoy spectacular goaltender play, but Jacksonville’s Davis Koch ended the contest with the game-winner some 4:46 into the bonus period.
Cam Johnson (13-1-1-0) stopped 30 saves in goal for the Everblades and suffered the hard-luck overtime setback, while Jacksonville’s Matt Vernon (7-4-2-0) stopped 25 shots and earned the win. Jacksonville claimed a 33-27 edge in shots on goal.
