By ANDY KENT
Naples Daily News

Four days of inactivity on the Florida Everblades' personnel front came to an
end Tuesday morning as forward Steve Saviano was called up to the Lowell Lock
Monsters of the American Hockey League.

Actually, Saviano got word after Monday morning's practice in Greenville, S.C.
and flew out to Boston later that evening. His plane likely passed the one
carrying his replacement ? rookie forward Kevin Estrada ? in the eastern
seaboard skies.

"It's good for Savi, he's one of the best players in this league and he deserves
an opportunity," said Everblades head coach Gerry Fleming before Tuesday
morning's pregame skate. Florida took on the Grrrowl on Tuesday night at the
BI-LO Center.

"I think if Savi goes up there and plays the way he's capable of playing, you
won't see him back down here."

Through nine games, Saviano was Florida's leading scorer with 14 points (5
goals, 9 assists) and had been driving opponents crazy with his speed and his
stick handling.
That is precisely why Lowell signed him to a two-way contract, and if it wasn't
for a difficult numbers situation early on he probably would have stuck with the
Lock Monsters.
"I'm happy to be here, but at the same time it's tough leaving a team that
you've been with for over a year," Saviano said by phone Tuesday from
Massachusetts. "But obviously this is the right situation for me and I'm looking
forward to the opportunity."

Lowell's next game is tonight at the Springfield (Mass.) Falcons at 7:05, which
worked out well for Saviano because he had to spend most of Tuesday chasing down
his equipment.
The 24-year-old forward, who is going to be staying at his mother's house in
nearby Reading for now, missed his connection into Manchester and had to fly
into Boston, while his luggage went on to Manchester.

"This is home for me so it's not going to be big of an adjustment," Saviano
said. "I actually slept in my own bed last night, which was nice. I'm going to
be home for Thanksgiving and my mom's really happy about that, as well as the
rest of the family, but I had mixed emotions leaving before the start of such a
big road trip. I still have to take care of business up here."

Estrada, 23, was a third-round draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2001
NHL Entry Draft and played his last four years at the collegiate level with
Michigan State University. A native of Surrey, British Columbia, he appeared in
eight games for the Lock Monsters and compiled six penalty minutes but no
points.

At 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, Estrada scored 42 points (20 goals, 22 assists) in 135
games for the Spartans, and had 118 points (34 goals, 84 assists) in 59 games
for the Chilliwak Chiefs of the British Columbia Hockey League.

"He's a power forward and a good skater," Fleming said. "We'll have to work him
into the lineup and hopefully he can help us out on this trip."

After tonight's game, the team will take Thanksgiving Day off, then begin a
stretch of three games in three days with a Friday night tilt in Charlotte, N.C.
against the Checkers at 7.

Then it's back to Greenville on Saturday night for a 7:05 game with the Grrrowl,
followed
by a day game Sunday in North Charleston, S.C. at 3 p.m. against the Stingrays.
The trip concludes Tuesday night in North Charleston with a 7:05 face-off
against South Carolina.

November 23, 2005


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