A month ago, Mike Brodeur was a goalie without a team.

"I was at home just waiting for a job," the 25-year-old Canadian said. "I didn't want to stop playing. I thought about getting a real job, but I like playing too much."

The four-year veteran's wait ended when he got a call from Augusta Lynx head coach John Marks just before Halloween. Veteran goaltender Joel Martin didn't live up to Marks' expectations through the first two weeks of the season, and Martin's release gave Brodeur the chance he needed.

"Getting back in game shape was the hardest part," Brodeur said. "But I was ready. It wasn't too bad."

Two weeks later, Marks' move paid off when Brodeur earned a point for the Lynx in a shootout loss to the Everblades. Florida, in first place in the ECHL South with 17 points in 11 games, peppered Brodeur with 46 shots over 60 minutes of regulation in Friday night's game. In comparison, the Lynx managed only 12 shots on goal.

Brodeur didn't allow a goal in regulation, forcing overtime. He stopped four of five Florida skaters in the shootout, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Everblades from winning 1-0.

"He was phenomenal," Lynx center Dallas Steward said. "He was on top of his game and just outstanding. It was just too bad we couldn't come through for him."

Brodeur made 43 saves the following night, but the Lynx again couldn't match the Florida offense, losing 5-2.

SCORE MORE: The lack of offense was a point of emphasis at Monday's practice at the Augusta Ice Sports Center and will continue to be the theme through the rest of the week's practices at James Brown Arena, Marks said.

The Lynx rank a dismal 20th out of 23 teams in the ECHL in goals scored (31) and have scored only two goals over their past three games.

"Our team is going to improve. We're young right now, and I know we don't have the experience yet, but we will get better," Marks said. "We need to work on our 1-on-1 and 2-on-2. I want to see the guys more combative and more physical. Give (Florida) credit. They're a good team, but we didn't play as well as we're capable of playing."

FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT: Brodeur's strong play has created a new competition for playing time in goal. Rookie goaltender Riku Helenius is a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, and his development requires as much time in the crease as possible. But Brodeur's effort last weekend will be hard for Marks to ignore.

Helenius, a 20-year-old native of Finland, showed more intensity at Monday's practice.

"It looks like we're going to see a little competition here," Marks said. "Riku is a character kid, and I like how he responded today. There's nothing better than having two goalies who are going to compete for the net without me having to say anything to them."

Both goaltenders should see playing time this weekend when the Lynx play at home on three consecutive nights.

OLD FAITHFUL: The large, four-sided scoreboard that once hung over center ice at James Brown Arena has been out of commission and stored in a back corner of the arena for almost a year.

On Monday morning, the scoreboard was back in its spot high above the ice after what Lynx director of public relations A.J. Bembry said was a "soft fix."

Daktronics, the scoreboard's manufacturer, has offered little help to fix the aged beast because most of its inner workings have become obsolete. But Bembry said the arena's chief engineer, Eddie Rhodes, opened it up and went to work.

"At the moment it works," Bembry said. "But we'll see for how long."

Reach Billy Byler at (706) 823-3216 or billy.byler@augustachronicle.com.