ECHL: Blades goalie shuts down Checkers for 3-2 win

That's because for most of Saturday's game, Everblades goalie Jeff Maund was simply playing his game, turning away repeated Charlotte scoring opportunities after the Florida defense committed one costly penalty after another.

After a long night and an extra session, Maund and his teammates ended with the most pieces on the board. Or, in its proper hockey context, they scored more goals than the other guys.

Maund made 31 saves and Keith Anderson added the game- winning shoot-out goal and an assist to beat the Checkers, 3-2, in front of 7,181at Teco Arena.

"We battled, and they played with a lot of desperation, and we were lucky to get these four points," said Everblades coach Gerry Fleming, whose team maintained its lead atop the Southern Division with 19 points.

"Jeff (Maund), two nights in a row, I think he was the difference in both games. It was nice to get the shoot-out win at home. It's positive, I think it's just great."

Maund, who beat the Checkers for the second time in as many nights-after scheduled starter Rob Zepp was called up to the team's AHL affiliate in Lowell, Ma.-- almost single-handedly kept the Everblades in the game early, when he stopped 13-of-14 first period shots, five of them coming while Chad LaRose sat in the box after being whistled for roughing at 6:42. Charlotte did get on the board first, when Kengo Ito's slap shot from just beyond the left circle deflected off Maund's blocker and trickled for his first goal at 17:40.

Florida would answer less than two minutes later, at 19:04, when Carl Mallette found the loose puck trickling near the crowd in front of Charlotte goalie Scott Meyer. The goal was Mallette's eighth of the season, assisted by Brian McCullough (two assists) and Chad LaRose.

"I liked having the shots, but there's just no down time," an ex hausted Maund said of Charlotte's first period scoring threats.

"I thought by the end of the period I'd be dead. I was pretty tired, and I just tried to keep them (my teammates) in it. The four points is huge for us. To come back here and beat a division opponent, it's unbelievable."

The Everblades took the 2-1 lead just 39 seconds into the second period, when McDonald poked the McCullough rebound past Mayer's pads. The Checkers' netminder would be called for a ten-minute misconduct on the play.

The Everblades continued to pepper Mayer, who also had an outstanding night with 40 saves, and the two goaltenders traded spent much of the next two periods trading spectacular stops that kept the game close.

Maund made the play of the night when he robbed Charlotte's Dusty Jamiesen, who skated in alone and tried to beat the Flori da netminder to his glove side.

Maund plucked the puck and squeezed it, igniting the sell-out crowd at TECO Arena.

The night was also a showcase for the respective penalty-kill units, especially in the third, when tempers flared and both teams were called for their share of infractions. Florida finished the night 1-for-8 on the power- play, while Charlotte was a disappointing 0-for-5. After relying a bit too heavily on Maund for much of the first two periods, the Florida defense allowed Charlotte tie things up with just 3:46 remaining, when defenseman Rory Rawlyk beat Maund five- hole from the right side.

In a fast-paced, up-and-down overtime period-including another game-saving save for Maund on Jamiesen just 47 seconds in- the teams headed to the decisive shoot-out. Both the Everblades and Checkers scored a pair of goals before the stage was set for Anderson. The Florida forward beat the diving Mayer low, ending the long night for his goalie, and sending the Blades fans home smiling.

"Scotty Mayer was my goalie in college," Anderson said of his former St. Cloud State teammate.

"He knows my move is high- glove, so I thought I'd surprise him and go low-blocker. It worked." FLORIDA: 3

CHARLOTTE: 2

Charlotte: 1 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 2

Florida: 1 - 1 - 0 - 1 - 3

First Period - Scoring: 1. Charlotte, Ito 1 (1) (Bilotto, Lawson) 17:40; 2. Florida, McCullough 1 (8) (Mallette, LaRose) 19:04; Penalties: Belanger, Chr. (roughing) 2:50; Larose, Fla., (roughing) 6:40; Mallette, Fla., (slashing) 10:24; Coalter, Fla. (elbowing) 13:13; Legault, Fla. (roughing) 15:35; Belanger, Chr., (hooking) 16:43; St. Jean, Chr. (roughing) 19:26. Second Period - Scoring: 3. Fla., McDonald 1 (8) (McCullough, Anderson) 0:39 (pp); Penalties: Inman, Chr. (hooking) 19:02; MacIntyre, Chr. (holding) 17:46; LaRose, Fla. (roughing) 17:46; Christiansen, Chr. (hooking) 11:50; Legault, Fla. (cross-checking) 9:29; Meyer, Chr. (10-minute misconduct) 0:39. Third Period - Scoring: 4. Rawlyk, Chr. (3) 16:14 (unassisted) Penalties: Ito, Chr. (roughing) 1:23; McDonald, Fla.

(cross-checking) Aufiero, Chr. (holding-the-stick) 9:05; Bilotto, Chr.

(high-sticking) 10:56; McKay, Chr. (roughing) 13:32; Pietersma (roughing) 13:32. Shoot-out - Anderson (unassisted) Shots on goal - Charlotte 14-10-8 - 33; Florida 8-14-15 - 43. Power-play opportunities - Charlotte 0 of 5; Florida 1of 5. Goaltenders - Charlotte, Meyer 1-4 (43 shots, 40 saves); Florida, Maund 5 -1 (33 shots, 31 saves). A -- 7,181ql