Hockey Night in Southwest Florida

Estero, Florida:  It may be warm outside in Southwest Florida, but inside Germain Arena, the ice is cold and the action is hot.  It is here in this frozen palace where the hockey stars of tomorrow get their chance to shine and fight to be on of only a few who make it all the way to the NHL.

I grew up attending AHL hockey games as a kid in Pennsylvania.  Many of nights were spent at Hersheypark Arena watching the Hershey Bears play.  When I moved from PA, I kind of lost sight of live games.  While I still enjoyed the games on TV, it really didn't feel like hockey weather when its almost 90 degrees in winter.  For years I have wanted to take the hour drive south to Germain Arena but never really made it down there.  But on a Saturday night in February, I pulled the trigger and headed to a game.

Saturday night's game featured the hometown Florida Everblades hosting the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in an ECHL regular season game.  The ECHL is a minor league hockey league with affiliations to the NHL.  All players signed to a entry-level contract must report to an ECHL or AHL franchise.  The Everblades have a player development contract with the Carolina Hurricanes while the Swamp Rabbits are associated with the New York Rangers.

My first thought upon entering Germain Arena was how quaint the arena was.  For an arena that could hold just over 7,000 spectators, it didn't feel large.  As a matter of fact, it didn't seem like there was a bad seat in the house.  I like to sit higher to have a good view of the entire rink so I could watch the plays develop and get a good feel for all the action on the rink.  So we chose seats in the top row right at the red line.  But top row is hardly far from the ice, just 18 rows from the glass.  The perfect place to watch the game, much better view than watching it on the television.

The second thing that caught my attention was the fan atmosphere.  There are some diehard Everblades fans.  They get very involved in the game and with their team chants, they make for a very fun experience and I am sure get under the skin of visiting teams.

The action on the ice was fast and exciting.  The first place Everblades jumped out early and never looked back.  Their offensive onslaught was powered by John McCarron who wasted no time in scoring a hat trick by scoring three consecutive goals.  By the time the final horn sounded, the home team Everblades had a 5-1 victory.

I had a very good time at the game and have definitely got bitten by the hockey bug again.  I have already started looking at the schedule and matching it against my work and baseball schedule to see when I can make it back down there again.

A night at the Everblades game is very affordable.  Tickets start at just $10 and like most sporting events, there is a parking fee and that is $10.

If you are looking to check out an Everblades game, visit their website at http://www.floridaeverblades.com to check out their schedule and purchase tickets.

You can click on any of the pictures above to see more photos from the Florida Everblades/Greenville Swamp Rabbits photo gallery.


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