Everblades start season 2-0
Matt Marquardt scored twice to lead the Florida Everblades to a 4-2 win over the Orlando Solar Bears Saturday night capping an unbeaten two-game, season-opening weekend at Germain Arena.
In Friday’s opening game, the Everblades scored just 26 seconds into overtime to post a 5-4 victory.
David Rutherford scored two goals, including the game-winner in OT.
Before dropping the puck, the Blades celebrated their 2012 Kelly Cup Championship title with a banner-raising ceremony. Thirteen players from the championship team took part in the ceremony.
Marquardt shot the puck from the top right of the crease three minutes into the game and scored the first goal to take a 1-0 lead.
Less than a minute into the second period, Justin Shugg slipped the puck past the goalie for his first goal of the season opening the lead to 2-0.
The Blades were poised to claim victory at the beginning of the third period when Shugg outraced a defender to the puck, and sent it to Marquardt for his second goal pushing the lead to 3-1.
Trailing 3-2 with a minute left in the game, Orlando was on a power play. The Bears pulled the goaltender to create a 6-on-4 advantage, but Maxime Langelier-Parent fired a shot from behind the Blades’ blue line into the open net to seal the 4-2 victory.
In the opening game, team captain Mathieu Roy scored the first goal of the season just 2:52 into the game with Matt Beca getting the assist. Bobby Raymond scored a rebound shot on a 5-on-3 power play. Beca’s shot from the left circle put the Everblades up 3-0 at the end of the first period.
The Solar Bears erased a 4-0 deficit in the third period, including the tying goal with 30 seconds left in regulation, to send the game into overtime.
The Everblades (2-0) and Solar Bears (0-2) meet again at Germain Arena on Oct. 19. Fan favorite Ernie Hartlieb will be in attendance as the Everblades honor his time with the team by retiring his number nine jersey.