Florida Everblades center Brad Parsons didn't hide his feelings about his club's recently completed road trip.

"I hated it," Parsons said of Ohio. "It's a terrible, terrible place. It seemed like everything wasn't good. From the food to the scenery to the rinks to the fans at the games."

The road trip did wonders for Florida's record, though.

The Blades went 3-1 on their Ohio road trip — the first Northern swing in the franchise's nine-year history.

It was much better for the record then our usual Western road trips are! However, yea, now you know why I moved to Florida from Ohio. LOL!

Ohio trip miserable for Everblades center

Playing in hockey arenas much smaller, older and with a lot less fans in the seats has given the Florida Everblades even more reason to appreciate their Germain Arena digs.

Wednesday morning’s practice allowed the team to look back fondly on a 3-1-0 ECHL road trip that traversed the state of Ohio, while also looking ahead to a five-game homestand that begins Friday night against the Columbia Inferno.

Two wins inside a near-empty U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati over the North Division’s Cyclones, a hard-fought victory at the historic Toledo Sports Arena over the Storm and a tough loss to the Dayton Bombers gave head coach Gerry Fleming a better idea of where his team stands.

“We did some things really well and I think one of our strengths was no doubt our goaltending,” Fleming said. “I hate to jinx it but (rookie David Shantz and Craig Kowalski) were a big reason for our success. I think for the most part our defensemen played well, our penalty kill did a good job and our power play unit scored timely goals for us. We made some improvements in every area, got to know guys away from the ice, and overall it was a good trip, but we have a long way to go yet.”

The Blades play their next five games at home against Columbia (3) and Pensacola (2) before heading out for a brief road trip over Thanksgiving week.

Blades sharpen up for long homestand

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Next Game
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Who: Columbia Inferno at Florida Everblades
When: Friday, November 9, 2006; 7:30 PM
Where: Germain Arena
TV: B2 Network, UPN-8
Radio: Sportsradio 770 AM
Internet: www.abc-7.com
Web site: www.floridaeverblades.com