The Florida Everblades had five players assigned down from the Albany River Rats, but the local papers are only making fuss about two.

Grant Goeckner-Zoeller, Brad Herauf and returning Everblade Brett Peterson were all on the Blades roster previously but were attending Rats camp. They came down along with a pair of new defenseman, Brandon Roach and Steve Ward.

No decision has been made of yet on the netminding situation although goalie Danny Manzato can be ruled out as he is starting the season with a sprained MCL and will remain in Albany while he is rehabbing. This leave the Rats trying to decide between Justin Peters and Kevin Nastiuk.

Meanwhile Rochester has not made a decision between David Shantz and Tyler Plante. Plante made 18 saves in Rochesters 4-3 loss to Syracuse in the Amerk's final exhibition game on Sunday. Shantz suffered the loss on Saturday in overtime to the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Peters and Nastiuk spilt wins for the River Rats over the Crunch in preseason.

Both Peterson and Goeckner-Zoeller had assists in Saturday's 5-3 win.

As for the new defensemen, Everblades head coach Gerry Fleming had the following to say:

"Both players have good puck sense and are coming off solid junior careers.

"Both of them are defensemen that move the puck well and skate well, and they are two players that we will utilize on the power play."

The two rookies will be making their professional debuts this season, with Roach joining the Blades out of college having played with Acadia University in Nova Scotia last season. Ward is coming in after spliting time with the Sarnia Sting and the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League, finishing up five years of Junior Major hockey.

Blades get 2 prospects from Albany
Pair assigned to Blades
Blades get two players assigned from Albany

On a side note, the Everblades have left Stevie Tomatoes in favor of Don Haney's Smokehouse for the coach's show for the upcoming season. "Blade's Talk" is also moving to Tuesday night at 7 PM. The first show will be Tuesday, October 16, and it will be held at the Daniels Parkway location. As always the show will be aired on SportsRadio 770 ESPN and on the internet via www.abc-7.com.

The Everblades play a pair of preseason games against the CHL Mississippi RiverKings on Friday, October 12, and Saturday, October 13. It is the first time that the Blades have played a team outside their league, although not the first time interleague play has occured in the ECHL. Tickets to the game are available at the Germain Arena boxoffice and at all Ticketmaster locations.

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Join Jason and his crew Halloween night for Terror on 20th!!!

This October 31st, head over to 2812 SW 20th Ave, it's the 1st left after Chiquita from Veterans, on the Cape and explore something really scarey!!!

This Cape Coral tradition drew in over 600 people last year. You can view pictures from last year's haunting HERE.

Terror on 20th is free and they are give out candy for the kids!!! 

The Albany River Rats brief foray into winning came to a crashing halt last night at the Pepsi Arena, as the Hershey Bears topped the Rats 7-4.

It was Hershey's 5,000th game and extended the Bears dominance over the Rats to 16 consecutive regular-season games. The streak dates back to 2004.

Tomas Fleischman opened the scoring for Hershey with a power play goal in the first period. Quintin Laing made it 2-0, 3:48 into the second stanza, but the Rats seemed to come alive as Johnney Boychuk netted a power play goal, with Ben Guite assisting. Matt Murley tied the game up on an even strength goal, but Fleischman come back just 47 seconds later to put the Bears on top again. Kyle Cumiskey tied up the game on the power play with just over a minute to go, and the teams would go into the locker room tied.

"It was a crazy game," Murley was quoted as saying in today's Albany Union Times. "We've been right there with them in all the games we've played except the one down there. We can beat up on that other division (5-1-1 vs. Atlantic teams) as much as we want, but these are the teams we're going to be battling for playoff spots."

But it would be all Bears after that as Dave Steckel and Trevor Byrne both tallied for Hershey and Laing finished up his hat trick with goals two even strength goals.

Shane Willis would try to get the Rats back into the game, netting a goal with assists to David Gove and Murley, but there was only five minutes left to play and the Bears lead was too much to overcome.

Guite's two assists extended his point scoring streak to seven games.

Game Summary
Game Report
Boxscore

In related news, Reggie Berg from the Florida Everblades was named the ECHL Inglasco Player of the Week. The Everblades serve as a shared farm team for the River Rats as well as the AHL Rochester Americans.

Berg closed out the week with two goals and four assists and a plus-1 rating as the Everblades finished with a perfect 3-0-0 record to run the team’s winning streak to six games and help move the team into a first place tie with Texas in the South Division standings.

A native of Anoka, Minnesota, Berg played in the Canes farm system as part of the Lowell Lock Monsters, but has spent most of his career (308 games, 136 g, 169 a) in an Everblades uniform (244 games).

The Everblades also acquired forward Dan Baum from the Phoenix Roadrunners for cash. A seventh round draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2001, Baum spent the entire 2004-205 campaign with the Oilers AHL farm team. Last season he played briefly (24 games) in the ECHL with the now defunct Greenville Grrrowl.

Baum is expected to be in an Everblades uniform for this weekend's home series against the South Carolina Stingrays.

Mike Angelidis has been having a great rookie season for the Florida Everblades. Angelidis netted two goals for the Blades in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Columbia Inferno, shortly after he found out he was being called up to the American Hockey League.

Angelidis will fill Keith Aucoin's spot on the Albany River Rats roster.

The 21 year old native of Woodbridge, Ontario, also recorded an assist in Friday's 6-5 win over the Augusta Lynx, and tallied in the Saturday's nights 3-1 win over the South Carolina Stingrays. But it was the call up that really capped the right wing's weekend.

Angelidis has 18 points (10 g, 8a) as well as 54 penalty minutes and one suspension on the ECHL season to date. A free agent signee of the Carolina Hurricanes, Angelidis has been biding his time looking for the trip to Albany.

A product of the Ontario Hockey League system, Angelidis started skating when he was four years old. He followed his fathers advice to get into the Junior Major system at the age of 16, leaving his family for the small town of Owen Sound.

His first three year, were perhaps, nothing to write home about as he recorded a total of 54 points (25 goals) in 172 games. It was his outstanding fourth year which earned him a look at the NHL, and a contract by the Hurricanes.

His 53 goals, 78 points also got him named a first team All-star at the end of the season. But Angelidis' efforts extended past the rink as well.

Angelids became involved with the Disabled Learning Units of Grey and Bruce Counties and struck up a strong friendship with a particular student, T.J. Walton from Beavercreat School Disabled Learning Unit. Angelidis and Walton organized and co-hosted the first ever Owen South Attack - Bells Skills Competition and raised for than $5,500 for the Disabled Learning Units. He received an Award from the Bluewater and District School Board for his efforts.

But it didn't end there. His efforts came the attention of the Canadian Hockey League, and in May, Angelidis was presented with the Home Hardware Humanitarian Award for 2006.

Angelidis said he "packed medium" for his trip to the AHL, as he has no idea how long he'll be up, but the Rats have upcoming games on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Blades will be without one of their mainstays on their top two lines.

"He earned it, really. He deserves the opportunity to play at the next level and hopefully he does well," Everblades head coach Gerry Fleming stated in today's Naples Daily News "We'll proceed under the assumption that he won't be with us this weekend."

Florida's three wins this weekend finished off a six game road trip in which the Blades took home victories in all six contests. Their win streak will be on the line Friday and Saturday as the Blades face off for a two-game homestand against the Carolina Stingrays.

Tied for first in the American Confrence's South Division with the Texas Wildcatters, the Blades will need to make every game count. Texas has a game in hand on the Everblades, and Florida will be traveling down to Beaumont, Texas, for games on the January 29th and 30th against the same team.

This weekend's match up will see the Stingrays look for some revenge for Saturday night's defeat.

Angelidis put the Everblades on the board in that contest, midway through the first stanza, a lead that stood up until the third period, when Reggie Berg forced a turn over behind the South Carolina net then passed the puck to Florida Panthers' prosect Dustin Johner, who one timed it past Stingrays goalie Darren MacChesney for the eventual game winning goal. Berg picked up an insurance marker on an empty net with one second left to play.

The ECHL takes a break from Christmas from December 24th through December 27th.

A season high four hat tricks were scored on December 15th. One of the hat tricks was by Augusta forward Shane Hynes during the Lynx's 6-5 loss to the Everblades. The ECHL record for the most hat tricks in one day is six, set on October 23, 1993 and tied on three other days, the last time happened on Valentines Day in 2004.

The Florida Winter College Hockey Classic moves into Germain Arena on December 29th and the 30th. The University of Maine, Cornell University, the University of New Hampshire and Western Michigan University will compete for the seventh annual Ned Harkness Championship. Maine and Cornell have each won the Championship twice, with Cornell taking home the honors in last year's tournament.

Given the newspaper coverage from the Albany Times Union, one would think that the Albany River Rats didn't play at all this weekend.

The Rats were on the road though, and downed the Providence Bruins 5-2 on Saturday, the only game they have played this week.

Shane Willis tallied twice in the opening minutes of the game, getting the Rats onto the board just 49 seconds after the initial drop of the puck. It was the 100th Career AHL goal for the Hurricane prospect, who also has 31 NHL goals and 43 assists in 174 appearances with the Hurricanes.

Willis came back for number 101, just over two minutes later on the power play with assists to Kyle Cumiskey and Jeff Finger to make it 2-0.

Not to be outdone, Scott Kelman found the back of the net for the Rats, unassisted at 8:11 of the same period, and Cuminskey would net his own goal at 9:27 to put the Rats up 4-0.

Despite a goal by the Bruins T.J. Travelyan, Providence had allowed themselves to dig a great big hole that was going to be tough to climb out of.

"We made poor decisions," Providence coach Scott Gordon was quotes as saying in the Providence Journal. "You can't throw the puck rink wide. You can't throw the puck up the middle twice in one shift -- that leads to a penalty and gives them a power play...When we had the puck on the stick, we made poor decisions."

Colorado prospect Ben Guite earned an assist on Matt Murley's goal with just two seconds left to play in the middle stanza, extending his point streak to six games, matching a career-high which he set last season while playing with the team he was faceing off against.

Rookie Justin Peters turned back 24 shots to make the big lead stick, and improve his record to 6-9-0.

"Even when the game was out of hand, [Peters] kept making some pretty good saves," Gordon said in the same article. "He's had three good games against us and we have not been able to solve him."

The Rats lost captain Keith Aucoin to a call up by the Carolina Hurricanes. It is his second call up of the season. Aucoin will fill Andrew Ladd's spot on the roster after Ladd underwent an emergency appendectomy on Thursday.

A former Everblade, Aucoin leads Albany in five different categories including points, goals and game-winning goals.

The Rats return home to host the defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears Wednesday, December 20, at 7 p.m. at Pepsi Arena.

Game Summary
Game Report
Boxscore

This will be the last year that the Hurricanes share an affiliate with the Avalanche. Colordo announced they have signed a long-term affiliation agreement with the new American Hockey League franchise in Cleveland, Ohio. The as of yet unnamed team is set to begin play in the 2007-08 season.

"It has always been this organization's goal to have our own independent farm team where we could develop prospects with our philosophy," said Avalanche executive vice president and general manager Francois Giguere in a recent press release. "This organization in Cleveland is committed to building a strong hockey team and we're looking forward to being a part of that effort.

"We'll have most of our prospects on the same team, which should help their development as well as their understanding of our culture and philosophy."

The new Cleveland franchise was purchased by a group led by Dan Gilbert, owner of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, in May. Gilbert is also chairman and founder of the nation's largest online home mortgage lender, Quicken Loans, Inc. The team will play out the Quicken Loan Arena.

Don't forget to help vote your favorite Rat to the AHL All-Star game. Vote today and register to win a team-signed authentic 2007 AHL All-Star jersey. Voting takes place online at theahl.com.

Ronnie Francis is not quite done with the Hurricanes. While he's no longer an on-ice presence for the Carolina team, he continues to work behind the scenes as Director of Player Development.

Francis retired after 23 seasons, 549 goals, 1,249 assists and 1,798 points, yet when he stepped onto the ice Thursday, he still very much looked like a guy that could play the game at the highest level.

"I was comfortable moving on," Francis was quoted in saying in an article in the Albany Times Union. "I have no desire to go out there and play."

Francis now resides in Raleigh, North Carolina and is happy with the change. "I can walk in the rink in Raleigh or here and enjoy a game as a fan."

His visit to the Rats was to dispense advice and suggestions, not just to the Canes prospects, but also the Colorado Avalanche prospects who share the Cane's AHL farm team.

"This is great for our guys to have him here," Rats head coach Tom Rowe said in the same article. "When you have a Hall of Famer in your midst, you definitely want to take advantage of it."

The Rats responded with two wins this weekend, shutting out the Springfield Falcons 4-0 on Friday, and downing the Providence Bruins 2-1 on Saturday.

Strangely, it was largely the 'Lanche kids who responded in Friday's game as Johnny Boychuk, Jeff Finger, and Cody McCormick all scored with Mark Flood, Ben Guite, and McCormick all picking up assists. Pat Dwyer was the only Hurricanes prospect to tally in that game, while Kevin Estrada, a Carolina third round draft pick in 2001, added an assist.

Canes prospect Justin Peters made 24 saves, improving his record to 4-9-0.

Guite, a free agent prospect for Colorado, also tallied on Saturday night, while Scott Kelman, a Hurricanes free agent prospect, netted the game winning goal at 14:42 of the second period. Peters turned way 29 shots in the win.

Francis will make several more trips to Albany during the course of the season, and will stop down in Southwest Florida to check on the Carolina prospects playing with the Everblades.

"He knows what it takes to be in the NHL," said Rats captain Keith Aucoin, who has spent some time with the NHL Carolina Hurricanes. "We have to use this as an advantage and ask him questions. We all want to get to the next level. He's been there."

Friday
Game Summary
Game Report
Boxscore

Saturday
Game Summary
Game Report
Boxscore

Vince Bellissimo, a Panthers 6th round draft pick in the 2002 draft that is now playing in the Hurricanes system, had a goal and an assist in the Florida Everblades 6-5 win over the Gwinnett Gladiators on Sunday afternoon. Bellissimo's wrist shot from the slot was his 7th goal of the season, and opened a 4-2 lead for the Florida crew.

Mike Vigilante opened the scoring for Gwinnett at 1:41 of the first, but the Blades answered back on Steve Czech's first professional goal, and Reggie Berg's 300th career point on his 134th goal. The Gladiators tied the game at two for finish off the first, on vigilante's second goal of the night.

The Blades talled four goals in the third with Brent McDonald, Niko Tuomi, Brett Peterson and Bellissimo all finding the back of the net.

Panthers propsect Dustin Johner had a three point night, all on assists, as did veteran forward Reggie Berg, with a goal and two assist. Tuomi and Bellissimo each had two point nights with goals and assists each.

Goalie David Shantz made 41 saves to hang on to the win through the third period as the Blades, exhausted from their previous two games against the Pilots, let Gwinnett chip away at their lead in the third. It raised Shantz's record to 8-2-0, however, the ten goals he gave up over the weekend raised his GAA to 3.15 and his save percentage droped to .900.

The Blades get the week off, traveling to Augusta on Friday to face the Anaheim affiliated Lynx for a 7:35 PM game.

Blades explode past Gladiators
Outburst in second lifts Blades to win
Game Summary
Game Recap
Boxscore

Canes prospect Kevin Nastiuk allowed 6 goals in a 6-2 Las Vegas loss to Stockton Saturday night. Nastiuk made 29 saves in the game, dropping his record to 3-1-2. Nastiuk was a Canes 4th round draft pick in 2003.

When the bears rained down to the ice at the end of the second period Saturday night at Germain Arena, it was not in response to an Everblades' goal.

Indeed, the Blades did not score at all Saturday night, suffering a 3-0 blanking by the Texas Wildcatters.

"You want to get that goal early," Blades forward Ernie Hartlieb was quoted as saying in the Naples Daily News. "You want to let the fans throw the bears."

Instead it was Texas' Mike Bayrack who started the scoring off at 14:33 of the first period, and who ended it, at 15:48 of the third. ECHL player of the week, Olivier Proulx, also tallied for the Wildcatters.

"Our intention was certainly to score," Everblades assistant coach Jason Nobili said.

The game was a complete turn around of Friday night's contest, in which Bill Kinkle opened the proceedings by taking on 6'8", 248 pound Riley Emmerson. While Emmerson may have gotten a few more punches in, the fight off the opening face off fired up the Blades.

Veteran forward Brent McDonald recorded two goals and two assists to lead the Blades to a 5-2 victory over the division leading Wildcatters.

“Tuesday, we came out flat and we knew we had to respond," McDonald was quoted as saying in the Fort Myers News Press. "Playing shorthanded tonight, a lot of guys stepped up to the plate and really came out with a strong start. Kinks led the charge and the boys followed up.”


Veteran Reggie Berg also scored for the Blades as did Florida Panthers prospect Dustin Johner. Defenseman Chris Lee, who is on a two way contract with the AHL Albany River Rats, opened up Saturday's scoring.

Carolina Hurricane's prospect Craig Kowalski took the start in net for both games for Florida but without the offensive help from his teammates, he could not take a win on Saturday.
Both teams had 35 shots on goal. Both teams had 8 power play opportunities. But it was the Wildcatters who made the most of those opportunities.

Czech goalie Miroslav Kopriva was solid in net for the Texas team Saturday. He replaced Matt Yeats at 37:09 of Friday's contest, and allowed only 1 goal. A sixth round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2003 draft, Kopriva split time last year between the AHL Houston Aeros and the CHL Austin Ice Bats.

The Blades now head out on a six game road trip, while the Wildcatters will play their next six at home.

Friday's game:

Game Summary
Game Report
Boxscore
Blades ratchet up the heat, win 5-2
Wildcatters rookie is coming of age
Blades pull no punches, win 5-2

Saturday's Game:

Photo Gallery
Game Summary
Game Report
Boxscore
On-the-ice training
Around the ECHL
Catching up with Old Friends

In AHL action, the Rochester Americans dropped both games to the Grand Rapid Griffins this weekend.

Friday, the Amerks lost 4-2 and Saturday, 4-1, to the Detroit Red Wings affiliate.

Florida Prospect Anthony Stewart and Buffalo prospect Mark Mancari tallied the two goals for Rochester in Friday's Game, while Mancari had the lone Amerks goal in Saturday's rematch.

Sabre's prospect Dennis Adams turned back 21 shots Saturday, while Florida farmhand Craig Anderson handled the netmind chores in Friday's loss.

The Amerks were without wingers Drew Stafford and Daniel Paille who are on recall to Buffalo, and centers Drew Larman and Rob Globke, who played in another Florida Panther loss, this time, 3-1 to the Thrashers.

Rochester remains on the road for two games, Tuesday and Wednesday, against the Manitoba Moose.

Friday's game:

Amerks fall short at Grand Rapids
Game Summary
Game Report
Boxscore

Saturday's Game:

Amerks look rundown in another road loss
Game Summary
Game Report
Boxscore

The Hurricane affiliated Albany River Rats also dropped their weekend pair, 4-3 Friday to the Milwaukee Admirals and 3-1 Saturday to the Portland Pirates.

River Rats leading scorer Pat Dwyer tallied the lone goal Saturday. Mark Flood, Carolina's Keith Aucoin and Colorado's Ben Guite tallied for the Rats on Friday night.

Cane prospect Justin Peters got the nod in net on both nights turning back 23 shots on Friday and 27 on Saturday. The rookie netminder is now 2-9-0 on the season with a 3.25 GAA and a .877 save percentage.