The Florida Everblades rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Atlanta Gladiators 4-2 Saturday night at Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida. Devon Paliani scored three consecutive goals for a natural hat trick, the first by a Florida Everblades player in nearly nine years. The comeback victory came before 5,508 fans and kept Florida undefeated.
Atlanta took a 1-0 lead when Colton Friesen scored at 16:46 of the first period. Sam Tremblay doubled the advantage just over five minutes into the second period, scoring on a redirection. The Gladiators held an 11-9 shooting edge in the opening period, while Atlanta goaltender T.J. Semptimphelter stopped nine shots.
Paliani cut the deficit to 2-1 at 12:29 of the second period, with Jordan Sambrook recording the primary assist and Tyson Dyck earning the secondary assist. The goal marked the 100th of Paliani’s ECHL and professional career. Florida outshot Atlanta 13-7 in the second period.
Paliani tied the game at 11:13 of the third period, scoring from the left circle off a feed from Tyler Duke. He completed the natural hat trick at 12:30, giving Florida a 3-2 lead with Maleek McGowan assisting on the goal. Jack Horbach added an empty-net goal with 12.4 seconds remaining to finish the scoring.
Florida outshot Atlanta 29-25 for the game. Cam Johnson made 23 saves, including 10 in the first period, and earned his fourth consecutive victory after stopping exactly 17 shots in each of Florida’s first three games. The Everblades’ penalty-kill unit also stopped all six Atlanta power plays.
Historic scoring run
Paliani’s hat trick was the first natural hat trick by a Florida Everblades player since John McCarron accomplished the feat against Greenville on Feb. 3, 2018. McCarron is identified as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. Paliani’s second-period goal also gave him a significant career milestone with his 100th ECHL and professional goal.
Florida begins six-game road trip
Florida was scheduled to begin a six-game road trip Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. in Orlando. The trip was scheduled to continue with two games in Greenville and three contests in Jacksonville. The Everblades were scheduled to return to Hertz Arena on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m. against the South Carolina Stingrays.
FSB Take
Florida’s comeback was built on its ability to erase Atlanta’s two-goal advantage without allowing another power-play goal. Paliani supplied all three goals in the rally, while Johnson’s 23 saves protected the lead after Florida moved ahead in the third period. Those contributions give the undefeated Everblades a strong foundation as they begin six consecutive road games.
Source: Original report