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Lawson’s goal lifts Blades to shootout win

By Staff | Dec 20, 2011

GREENVILLE, S.C.. – Kyle Lawson scored the game-winning goal in the seventh round of the overtime shootout, giving the Florida Everblades a 4-3 victory over the Greenville Road Warriors Saturday night.

The Everblades end the current road trip with two points to keep pace in the South Division Standings.

For the second consecutive night, Greenville’s Marc-Olivier Vallerand scored the game’s opening goal. Vallerand crashed the net and tapped a centering feed from Connor Shields at the top of the crease into the net to give the Warriors the 1-0 lead at 5:09 of the first period.

The Everblades countered at 17:17 of the opening frame. From the left wing circle, Scott Pitt slid a pass across the crease on the backside to Leigh Salters who buried the puck high into the net for the goal to tie the game 1-1. Jason Missiaen entered the game having posted back-to-back shutouts in two previous starts.

Florida took the lead as Trevor Bruess scored a breakaway goal at 4:55 of the second period. Less than a minute later, Sean Berkstresser tied the game at 2-2, scoring his first goal of the season. The two teams went into the second break tied.

Things remained tight in the third period, until the 17-minute mark, when Berkstresser settled a bouncing puck and ripped a wrist shot past Everblades goaltender Pat Nagle to give Greenville a 3-2 lead with 2:52 remaining. The goal was the second for Berkstresser.

The Everblades received a power play with a little more than a minute remaining. The Blades pulled their goaltender to create the 6-on-4 advantage. As time was winding down, Matt Beca fed a pass across the slot to a wide open Rylan Galiardi who wristed the puck past Missiaen for the tying goal with just six seconds remaining in regulation, sending the game to overtime.

Neither team scored in the extra session, which sent the game to the overtime shootout. Neither goaltender allowed a goal in the shootout until the seventh round, when the Lawson beat Missiaen on a wrist shot to seal the 4-3 victory for the Blades.

Nagle was solid in net, and earns the win stopping 31 of 34 shots, while Missiaen suffers his third loss of the season, all of which have come against the Everblades, allowing three goals on 29 shots.

The Everblades return home and have a few days off to get ready for a pair of games against the Trenton Titans Thursday and Friday at Germain Arena.