By Mike Bonts, Hockey Writer
ESTERO, Fla. – Jesse Lansdell scored the overtime winner to cap off another comeback win with a 3-2 OT win over the Jacksonville Icemen in front of 6,636 fans. With the 30-save victory, Cam Johnson now holds the franchise’s all-time record for wins in a season with 34 victories.
The first period saw Jacksonville open the scoring thanks to their captain Christopher Brown. The center found open space in Florida’s zone and roofed it to put Jacksonville out front 1-0. Jacksonville outshot Florida 13-8 in the first period.
The Icemen extended their lead with a goal eight seconds after a power play ended with Chris Grando putting home a rebound. Later in the frame, the Blades got a five-on-three power play and converted with a beautiful goal from Oliver Chau. Chau now has six goals against Jacksonville this season. Florida outshot Jacksonville 18-14 in the second.
In the third, Florida peppered Matt Vernon with 16 shots compared to just two for Jacksonville. It took time, but late in the third period Carson Gicewicz scored out front on a six-on-four power play to tie the game.
In overtime, Chau and Lansdell teamed up for a two-on-one rush to finish the game. Florida finished with a 43-32 lead in the shot count and are now on a five-game winning streak.
BLADES BITS
- Gicewicz has six goals against Savannah this season.
- Florida is now 9-7 in overtime.
- Tarun Fizer had two assists in the win, his 100th game in the ECHL.
Nijhoff Named ECHL Player of the Week
Logan Nijhoff of the Trois-Rivières Lions is the Inglasco ECHL Player of the Week. Nijhoff scored six goals and added two assists for eight points in three games last week. The 23-year-old had a hat trick and added an assist in a 6-1 win against Adirondack on Friday, and after being held off the scoresheet in a 5-4 overtime loss at Worcester on Saturday, posted another hat trick and an assist in a 5-4 loss to the Railers on Sunday.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced that goaltender Pierce Charleson has been signed to a professional tryout (PTO) with the AHL’s Providence Bruins….the Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, announced the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL) have loaned forward Spencer Kersten to the Solar Bears. Additionally, the club has signed goaltender Ty Taylor and rookie forward Liam Devlin to ECHL Standard Player Contracts (SPC), defenseman Avery Winslow has been released. They signed goaltender Luke Pavicich to a Standard Player Contract (SPC) and released forward Alex Cohen….The South Carolina Stingrays announced today that goaltender Garin Bjorklund has been re-assigned by Washington from South Carolina to Hershey.
