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Blades trip: One game at a time

By Staff | Nov 21, 2008

It’s all good around the Florida Everblades these days.

As winners of six straight games, it’s fair to say the Everblades (8-2-1) are on a roll.

That is a good thing, considering they are embarking on the second-longest road trip in the franchise’s history — nine games over 16 days, beginning with two games tonight and Saturday at the Augusta Lynx.

Long road trip or not, this is just another set of games to Blades coach Malcolm Cameron.

“Bring extra underwear,” Cameron joked about preparing for such a long trip away from home.

“It’s one game at a time. It really doesn’t matter (how long it) is. You approach it one game at a time just like you would at any other time,” he added.

As part of the trip the Blades will see four teams from the north division of the ECHL’s American Conference they don’t get a chance to play very often — Elmira, Johnstown, Reading and Trenton.

Even with unfamiliar opponents, Cameron says his game plan won’t change.

“There is no different preparation for any of that,” he said. “You prepare for the team you’re playing and, as a coach, you try to give your team the best advantage with the game plan you have and hope the guys buy into and follow it, which they are doing right now.”

Team captain and first-year Blade Kevin Baker has a slightly different take on the road trip.

“Being on the road is hard, but you just have to play simple and basic hockey,” he said. “You have to outwork teams on the road and that’s how you win those games.”

There are some additional challenges to face on the road. One is smaller ice rinks.

The Lynx, and the majority of teams in the North Division, play on an ice sheet that measures as much as 12 feet less in length than the one the Blades play on at Germain Arena.

“With the smaller rinks, their style is a little more rough,” Baker said. “The plays happen quicker. You have to think more and react quicker. On bigger ice you have a couple more seconds to react to the play, but I’m not worried. We will get used to it.”

After facing the Lynx for two games this weekend, the Blades head to Gwinnett before wrapping up the trip with six games over nine days against the four North divisional foes.

The Blades’ next game at Germain Arena is Dec. 12 against South Carolina.