ESTERO, Fla. – The Manchester Monarchs remain 0-for-Florida, dropping their second straight contest in the Sunshine State, a 6-3 defeat against the current ECHL leader in points: the Florida Everblades.
Both teams traded goals over the first 45 minutes of the contest, with Manchester getting scores from David Kolomatis, Tony Cameranesi and Spencer Watson.
Florida replied twice in first two periods with goals Shane Walsh and Michael Neville, with Derek Sheppard giving Florida its first lead of the night off a blue line slap shot just under three minutes before the second intermission.
The Everblades kept that lead until Watson’s goal, but they find it again for good with a pair of goals in just under two minutes from John McCarron and Joe Cox, scoring their 22nd and 23rd of the year respectively.
Blake Winiecki added an empty netter for the Everblades with four minutes left in regulation to seal the victory.
In addition to the goals, Kyle Platzer added a hat trick of helpers, with Cox also providing two assists on the night.
With the win, Florida (35-11-5-0) remain one point ahead of the Cincinnati Cyclones in the race for the Brabham Cup. Meanwhile, Manchester (26-23-1-1) falls to fourth place in the ECHL’s North Division, one point behind Brampton and now just two points ahead of Worcester.
Manchester gets a shot at revenge on Saturday night, facing the Everblades again at Hertz Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m.
