Florida Sports Wire

SHREWSBURY, N.J. - The ECHL averaged, 5,018 fans per game during the 2025-26 regular season, marking the first time the League has surpassed the 5,000 mark per game since 1997-98, when the average was 5,013 per game. This is the fourth time in 38 seasons that the ECHL has exceeded 5,000 fans per game, with the all-time highest average of 5,312 occurring in 1994-95 and 5,273 in 1996-97. “Coming into the 2025-26 Season, our League goal was to surpass 5,000 fans per game,” said ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. “The ECHL is honored to recognize this achievement and the growth of our 30 markets through the dedication of each front office team with the continued mindset to engage in our communities and provide hometown entertainment. This has led to more fans of our teams and the growth of hockey, to which we collectively say ‘Thank You’ to all of our supporters who make the ECHL atmosphere so exciting to be a part of.”  Among the highlights this season were two of the largest single game...

  North Division Semifinals (Best of Seven) #1 Wheeling Nailers (46-20-6) vs. #4 Reading Royals (36-26-10) Series Matchup Sheet Wheeling enters the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the third consecutive season off of its first division title since 2003-04 while Reading is in the postseason for the fourth time in five years. The two teams are meeting in the playoffs for the fourth time, with the Nailers coming out on top in two of the three previous series, including the last meeting in 2016. The Nailers went 46-20-6 in the regular season, and were one of three teams to win at least 22 games both at home and on the road. Connor Lockhart (21g-34a) and Brent Johnson (12g-43a) shared the team lead with 55 points. Johnson, who was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team, led all ECHL defensemen in scoring this season. Taylor Gauthier was tied for the ECHL lead with a .929 save percentage and ranked third with a 2.09 goals-against average while going 21-9-5 in 36 appearances. The Royals posted a 36-26-1...

 LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Brian Navarreto lashed three hits and drove in two but the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp surrendered a pair of five-run leads in an 11-9 defeat to the Gwinnett Stripers from Gwinnett Field. The Jumbo Shrimp (11-12) led 9-4 when Aaron Schunk singled with one out in the sixth. Brett Wisely followed with a double before José Azocar’s RBI ground out pulled the Stripers (15-8) within 9-5. An inning later, Brewer Hicklen was hit by a pitch and Jim Jarvis walked with one out. After a foul out, Chadwick Tromp singled to load the bases. Schunk drove in two with a base hit and Wiseley doubled home another run to cut the Jacksonville lead to 9-8. In the eighth, Jumbo Shrimp reliever William Kempner (0-2) walked Luke Williams with one out. Hicklen then put Gwinnett in front for the first time all day with a two-run home run. Jarvis walked and Nacho Alvarez Jr. singled before the runners advanced on a wild pitch. After a pop out, Schunk lined an RBI single to make it 11-9. Sc...

TALLAHASSEE – Florida State University Athletics announced the 2026 FSU Athletics Hall of Fame inductees and the date of the induction banquet on Monday. The ceremony will take place on campus Friday, September 25, in the University Center Club. Florida State’s 2026 class features football stars Nick O’Leary and Bjoern Werner, baseball All-American Sean Gilmartin, former Director of Athletics Dave Hart, soccer ACC Defensive Player of the Year Kassey Kallman, three-time NCAA track national champion Maurice Mitchell, FSU’s first-ever beach volleyball hall of fame selection Jace Pardon and two-time Olympian and two-time All-American diver Katrina Young. In addition to the formal induction ceremony Friday night, the inductees will be recognized at the football game against Central Arkansas on Saturday. A limited number of tickets for the induction ceremony will be available for purchase at a later date through Seminole Boosters, Inc. Sean Gilmartin, Baseball (2009-11) One of the finest pi...

JACKSONVILLE – A pair of wild pitches allowed two runs to score which gave Edward Waters University the lead for good in a 7-4 win over Flagler College in a non-conference baseball game Tuesday evening at Henry L. Aaron Field at James P. Small Memorial Ballpark. Edward Waters won its fourth game in a row to improve to 26-19. Flagler dropped to 30-15. The Saints wrap up conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Augusta University. The first game of the series is on Friday at 6 p.m. A sacrifice fly and a squeeze bunt by Flagler in the fourth inning knotted the game at 3-all. Edward Waters loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fourth. After a pitching change and a strikeout, the Tigers took advantage of some wild pitches and scored two runs to take the lead for good. They added two more runs in the sixth for insurance. Cason Shurling (4-1), the third pitcher used by the Tigers, allowed two runs on three hits in four innings to get the win. Ty Mitzel set down al...

  JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Icemen, ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and the AHL’s Rochester Americans announced today that forward Adam McMaster has been named the Inglasco ECHL Player of the Week for April 13-19. McMaster scored two goals and added four assists for six points in three games last week. The 25-year-old had a goal and an assist in a 5-4 shootout loss at Greenville on Friday, dished out a pair of assists in a 4-3 win over the Swamp Rabbits on Saturday and had a goal and an assist in a 7-5 victory against Orlando on Sunday. A native of Beamsville, Ontario, McMaster totaled 43 points (21g-22a) in 70 games with Jacksonville and Tulsa this season. He made his pro debut with the Oilers last season, recording three points (1g-2a) in eight games. Prior to turning pro, McMaster tallied 61 points (26g-35a) in 103 career games at Acadia University and 145 points (50g-105a) in 254 career games in the Ontario Hockey League with North Bay and Owen Sound. On behal...

By JEFF MOELLER, Jacksonville Sports News For Matt Fitzpatrick, it was another successful trip to his home away from home. Over the years, the 31-year-old Sheffield, England native and his family vacationed on Hilton Head Island, and they also attended the annual PGA event there that has dated back to 1966.  When he won the RBC Heritage in 2023 , Fitzpatrick became an instant fan favorite, as he defeated Jordan Spieth in a playoff. Fitzpatrick won on the third playoff hole after hitting his approach shot to within one foot to set up the winning birdie. Late Sunday afternoon, the Hilton Head Island magic was back again. As Yogi Berra once aptly put it, “It was deja vu all over again.”  It was another vintage day on Hilton Head, where residents there and from nearby communities are totally enraptured with the annual tournament. It arguably is the social event of the year with another batch of overflow crowds. Fitzpatrick beat Scottie Scheffler - another Island favorite - in a pl...