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Everblades in a slump after 7-3 loss

By Staff | Dec 14, 2008

It was not the return home that the Florida Everblades had hoped for.

After going 7-1-1 on the longest road trip of the season, the Everblades – and their fans – expected big things when they returned to Germain Arena for two games against division-rival South Carolina Stingrays.

After a second straight disappointing loss, falling 7-3 Saturday night, the high expectations have been halted for the time being.

“Clearly we don’t have guys that are accountable,” said coach Malcolm Cameron. “We got a lot of guys that are pointing fingers at other players instead of looking in the mirror and saying ‘I’m to blame.’ We have guys that are coasting and not playing well.”

Cameron sad so disappointed in his team that he allowed no one to talk to the media after Saturday’s 7-3 lopsided loss to the Stingrays, and held the team over to look at the game film and understand their mistakes.

“Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to crawl your way out of it,” Cameron added, “and obviously we just hit rock bottom. Nobody likes to lose at home. Nobody likes to get embarrassed at home two nights in a row.”

Even Earnie Hartlieb’s performance (two goals, one assist) Saturday night didn’t impress Cameron.

“You can’t hide the fact that you got a couple of goals in a 7-3 game, everybody was brutal (Saturday night), there is no other way to say it.”

Cameron went so far as too pull goaltender David Leggio in favor of Anton Khudobin after the Stingrays went up 4-1 in the second period.

The move failed to pay off and Leggio was put back in net later in the period after Khudobin gave up two goals.

“I thought maybe it might jumpstart and embarrass the team, but if getting booed at home two nights in a row doesn’t embarrass you I don’t know what will,” Cameron said. “When the fans boo, it makes me want to crawl under the bench, I take it personally. The fans have every right to boo. They pay good money in this economy to come out and watch us win and compete. I think the fans just want to see us compete and be proud to wear an Everblades jersey. Right now, I don’t think we have enough guys in the locker room that are proud to wear that jersey.”

There was one positive in Saturday night’s game. Over 10,000 bears were tossed to the ice by the nearly 7,200 fans in attendance for Florida’s annual Teddy Bear Toss night.

The stuffed Bears will be distributed to area charities leading up to Christmas.

Cameron and the Blades (15-5-1-1) will try to right the ship this week when the travel to the Mississippi Seawolves for a pair of midweek games on Tuesday and Wednesday before returning to Germain next weekend to face the Seawolves on Friday and Saturday.