JACKSONVILLE– For the fourth straight game in the South Division Semifinals, the Florida Everblades and Jacksonville Icemen needed overtime to determine a winner. The South Carolina Stingrays defeated the Orlando Solar Bears 4-3 in overtime in game five of their best-of-seven first-round series in the 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs presented by Neal Brothers.
The Stingrays lead the best-of-seven series three games to two, and there will be a game six at the North Charleston Coliseum on Sunday, April 27 at 6:05 pm.
While the Everblades won each of the first three games, Logan Lambdin’s OT winner after 12:02 of bonus hockey won the series, as the Blades posted a 4-3 victory in Game Four Thursday night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
The Everblades’ 4-0 series victory eliminated Jacksonville from the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the fourth-straight year.
Jacksonville scored the first goal for the first time in the series, as Logan Cockerill gave the home team an early 1-0 lead with his second goal of the playoffs just 3:47 after the opening faceoff. The lead was the Icemen’s first of the series since Cockerill gave his team a 2-1 lead with the second of two goals in the middle stanza of Game One.
The Icemen’s lead evaporated in the closing seconds of the opening frame, as Kyle Betts buried a feed from Oliver Chau inside the left circle with 19.3 ticks left on the clock, making it a 1-1 game. Logan Lambdin also picked up an assist on Betts’ second goal of the postseason.
Cole Moberg gave Florida its first lead of the contest just over five minutes into the second period, blasting home a drive from the right point that deflected off a Jacksonville defender and into the net, putting the Blades on top 2-1. Chau picked up his second assist of the night, while Carson Gicewicz also notched a helper on Moberg’s first goal of the playoffs.
Colton Hargrove doubled the Blades’ lead with his second goal in as many games, putting Florida ahead 3-1 with 1:52 before the second period. Hargrove buried a feed from Lambdin from point-blank range with Dillon Hamaliuk tacking on a helper for the second straight game.
In the third period, Jacksonville clawed back. Shortly after what appeared to be a Florida goal that would have given the Everblades a three-goal lead was waved off, Christopher Brown trimmed the Blades’ lead to 3-2 with his first goal of the playoffs at the 12:20 mark. With Jacksonville’s goal empty in favor of an extra skater, Cockerill’s second goal of the game tied the contest at 3-3 at 18:13, sending the teams to a fourth consecutive overtime in order to determine a winner.
A wide-open overtime period saw the Everblades accumulate numerous scoring chances, while goaltender Cam Johnson registered several key stops on the other end of the ice through the first 10 minutes of play. Florida went on the power play at the 10:10 mark and Lambdin capitalized with the game-winner on a blast from the low slot at 12:02 to close out the series sweep.
The Everblades outshot Jacksonville 36-21 through regulation and 47-28 through overtime. Everblades goaltender Cam Johnson turned aside 25 of 28 shots and improved to 4-0 this postseason. Justen Close made 43 saves and suffered the season-ending loss for the Icemen.
Alexander Suzdalev, Erik Middendorf (2), and Charlie Combs scored for the Stingrays, while goaltender Seth Eisele made 41 saves on 44 shots in his professional playoff debut.
Orlando struck first with a backhand shot by Aaron Luchuk from the right circle that went through the five-hole of Eisele to make it 1-0 Solar Bears.
South Carolina answered just over a minute later when Suzdalev cashed in on a rebound opportunity off a kick save by Orlando goaltender Jon Gillies. The goal, which was Suzdalev’s second of the postseason, was assisted by Justin Nachbaur.
Middendorf put the Stingrays up 2-1 when he received a pass up the middle from Lynden Breen and went five-hole on Gillies. Jayden Lee also assisted on the goal.
Twenty-eight seconds after Middendorf’s tally, Orlando answered to tie things up at two apiece. Luchuk scored his second goal of the night for the Solar Bears on a breakaway.
Four minutes into the second period, Middendorf got his second goal of the evening to put the Stingrays in the lead again. Middendorf sent a wrist shot through the slot from up high to make it 3-2. Dean Loukus and Jackson van de Leest assisted on the second period’s lone goal.
With only five minutes left in regulation, the Solar Bears netted the tying goal that would ultimately send the game into overtime. Tyler Feist sent the puck in from the right point, and Alex Frye deflected the shot down and into the back of the net.
Combs ended the game and secured the Stingrays’ 4-3 victory ten minutes into overtime. After wrapping around from behind the Orlando net, Combs took a shot from the right circle and went bar down on Gillies. Kyler Kupka and Josh Wilkins assisted on Combs’ second game-winning goal of the series.
