Florida leads the ECHL standings, while Indy is fighting for a Central Division playoff spot.
Coming off a Feb. 8 game at Hertz Arena in which they morphed into the Florida Skunk Apes, the Everblades take to the road to begin a three-game series against the Indy Fuel.
The reigning Kelly Cup Champions edged Greenville 3-2 during their special night as the Skunk Apes in front of a standing-room only crowd of 7,512. Carson Gicewicz tallied two goals in the victory, and Florida took two of the three games in the series. The sellout was the club’s 11th in 22 home games this season.
As they reassume their regular persona of the Everblades, Florida currently leads the ECHL with a 31-9-5-1 record and 68 points. The Everblades have a nine-point lead in the South Division standings.
It’s been a while since the two teams have met; they last played each other Jan. 16, 2020 in Indy, with the Everblades taking that game 4-2 at Indy’s previous home, the Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Florida is 6-1-0-0 all-time against the Fuel.
No players who appeared in that game are left from either roster; however, there is still some familiarity.
Former Indy defenseman Santino Centorame now wears an Everblades sweater. Cam Hausinger, who leads the Fuel with 15 goals, was acquired from Florida after the 2023-24 season.
Gicewicz has tallied four points (2-2-4) over his last four games for the Everblades. He leads the team with 38 points (18-20-38) and is tied for second in the league with six game-winning goals.
The road has been kind to Florida thus far this season, coming into Wednesday with a 14-4-6 mark and outscoring their opponents 77-51 away from home.
The Everblades have been outstanding in net, leading the ECHL in goals against per game (2.04. Meanwhile, the offense ranks 11th in the league with 3.26 goals per game.
Indy (19-18-5) is fighting for the final playoff spot in the Central Division, and are three points behind the Bloomington Bison coming into Wednesday’s matchup.
The Fuel are coming off a 3-2 overtime victory over the Kansas City Mavericks last Saturday at Fishers Event Center. It was Wizard Night, and the club collected over 7,800 socks to donate to area homeless shelters.
Kyle Maksimovich scored a pair of goals including the power-play winner in overtime to lead his club to the win.
Colin Bilek and Bryan Lemos are tied for the club lead in points with 30. Bilek has 12 goals and 18 assists, while Lemos currently totals five goals and 25 helpers.
As for goaltending, the Fuel share the ECHL lead with Florida in shutouts with seven apiece. In goals against average, they are right behind the Everblades in second at 2.40 per contest.
The biggest issue with Indy has been on the offensive side, as they are tied with the Cincinnati Cyclones for last in goals for rate (2.33). They are the only team in the league with under 100 goals this season with 98.
Puck drop for Wednesday’s game is set for 7 Pm ET.