Everblades shut out Adirondack again, one win away from return to Kelly Cup Finals
Looking to extend their advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals in front of a sold-out crowd of 7,151, the Florida Everblades used balanced scoring and another wall in front of their net for a 3-0 victory in Game 4 against the Adirondack Thunder.
The two-time reigning ECHL champions lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 and can punch their return ticket to the Kelly Cup Finals in Game 5 on Saturday night at Hertz Arena.
ECHL: Everblades get off the fast start, Cam Johnson does rest in Eastern Conference Game 3 win
Much like Florida's Game 3 4-0 win, the first period set the physical tone the remainder of the contest would follow. Crunching checks were a frequent occurrence along the glass and the crowd was sent to its feet when Bobo Carpenter gave the Blades the lead with 5:30 remaining in the first period with a power-play goal. Josh Ho-Sang and Oliver Chau dealt out the assists as Florida took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
Florida continued its momentum into the second period. Five minutes into the frame, Mark Senden and Carpenter were on an odd-man rush toward the Adirondack net. Senden sent the pass down to Carpenter, who put a one-timer on the cage. Thunder netminder Isaac Poulter blocked the shot away, but the rebound got caught in the skates of Senden, causing the puck to trickle into the back of the net, and giving the Blades a 2-0 lead. Senden’s goal was his fourth of the third round, and sixth overall in the postseason.
The Blades struck again in the third period. Matt Wedman took a feed from the blueline orbited the Adirondack cage, and found Sean Josling open in the low slot. Josling ripped a wrist shot top corner past Poulter to hand Florida a 3-0 lead.
Cam Johnson produced his second consecutive shutout – his 11th in the playoffs as an Everblade – denying the 24 shots he saw. The back-to-back playoff MVP has now held the Thunder scoreless in the last 154 minutes of hockey, dating back to Game 2 in Glens Falls. Opposite him, Poulter stopped 31 of the 34 shots he faced.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: ECHL playoffs: Everblades blank Adirondack in Eastern Conference Game 4
