ECHL Orlando Solar Bears

Game Preview: Solar Bears vs. Cincinnati Cyclones - March 24

March 24, 2013 - ECHL (ECHL)
Orlando Solar Bears News Release


Who: Orlando (27-33-3-4, 61pts) vs.

Cincinnati Cyclones (Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators) (41-20-5-3, 90pts)

Where: Amway Center - Orlando, FL

When: 3:00 p.m.

Listen Live: iHeartSolarBears.com, 740thegame.com, iheart.com/live/601/ - Pregame starts at 2:45 p.m.

Watch Live: America One

Follow: Game Updates on Twitter at @OSBHockeyGU

Social Media: Follow on Facebook and Twitter

Matchup:

The Solar Bears and Cyclones meet up today for the second time this season, and first at the Amway Center. The Solar Bears took on the Greenville Road Warriors twice this week, defeating Greenville in shutout fashion in a 4-0 victory on Wednesday and scoring a last minute goal in the third period to earn a point in a 5-4 shootout loss on Thursday. With time winding down in the third period on Thursday night, D Alain Goulet took a pass from behind the net from F Kyle Beattie, and blasted a shot into the top corner to force extra time, where Greenville prevailed in the shootout. The Cyclones have been in action for each of the past two nights, facing the Florida Everblades in both games. Cincinnati took a 6-2 win over Florida on Friday before suffering a 5-1 loss at the hands of the Everblades yesterday. The Cyclones defeated Orlando 4-0 at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati on January 9, the only other meeting between the two teams this season.

Large Crowd Expected Today:

The Solar Bears are expecting a large crowd at today's Fan Appreciation Day game, and are encouraging fans to plan accordingly. Fans attending the game should plan to leave for the Amway Center early to compensate for increased traffic. The first 3,000 fans to come through the Amway Center doors will receive a Solar Bears team photo, courtesy of AlphaGraphics, as well as a Drawstring Bag courtesy of Lincoln Tech.

Solar Bears Notes:

D Mark Nemec made his professional debut for Orlando on Thursday, earning a point on a second period assist... F Kyle Beattie notched his first pro points on Thursday with three assists... F Olivier Fortier returned to the Orlando lineup from the Hamilton Bulldogs in time for Thursday's game and had three points on two goals and an assist. He had last appeared with Orlando on December 9 when he notched a goal and an assist over the Fort Wayne Komets, giving him five points (3 goals, 2 assists) in his last two Solar Bears games... The Solar Bears have scored four goals in each of their last two games, and are 12-0-0-3 at home when scoring at least four times... D Ryan Blair was placed on the 21-day IR on Wednesday... G Mike Brodeur, D Josh Caron, F Dan Dries, D Jesse Dudas, D Sean Lorenz, and C Mathew Sisca remain on the 21-day IR... F Chris Lawrence has not played since March 2 and is not expected to play today... F Scott Tanski missed the last four Solar Bears games and is not expected to play today... Forward C.J. Severyn remains in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers.

Solar Bears 2012-13 Awards:

The Solar Bears held their 2012-13 awards ceremony on Friday night. Awards winners were:

Ryan Blair - The Dan Snyder Memorial Award (Dedication and Perserverence)

Mike Liambas - The Rob Kenny Memorial Award (Community Service)

Scott Tanski - The Clutch Player Award

Ryan Cruthers - The Fans Choice Award

C.J. Severyn - The Most Valuable Player Award

Players who scored their first professional goals this season were honored, and included:

Josh Caron - October 19 against the Florida Everblades

Sean Lorenz - December 9 against the Fort Wayne Komets

Derrick Burnett - February 20 against the Evansville IceMen

Justin Levac - Febraury 20 against the Evansville IceMen

Edward Levens - February 21 against the Gwinnett Gladiators

Ryan Berard - February 14 against the Gwinnett Gladiators

Nick McParland - February 17 against the Gwinnett Gladiators

Five Top Shelf Awards were handed out to those people who have shown a special dedication to helping the Solar Bears. Winners of the Top Shelf Award were:

Danny Gendzier - Solar Bears D.J.

Fernando Medina - Solar Bears Team Photographer

Gary Bassing - Solar Bears Team Photographer

Kelly Cohen - Southern Strategy Group

Allen Pierson - Head of Off-Ice Officials

All awards will be presented once again in an on-ice ceremony following today's game.

Cyclones Notes:

Cincinnati secured the second seed in the Eastern Conference after the Reading Royals defeated the Toledo Walleye last night... F Andrew Conboy is fourth in the ECHL with 214 PIM... G Michael Houser is fourth among goaltenders with a .922 save percentage and is eighth with a 2.49 GAA... The Cyclones are missing F David Pacan (called up to San Antonio in the AHL), who is second among rookies with 38 assists and is tied for third among rookies with 52 points. He is also tied for first among first year players with three shorthanded goals... Cyclones Head Coach Jarrod Skalde was a member of the 2000-01 Orlando Solar Bears Turner Cup Championship Team... Today's game marks the final road game of the year for the Cyclones... D Chris Reed is second among defensemen with a +27 plus/minus rating... Cincinnati is 16th on the power play at 15.9 percent (49-for-309) and 11th on the penalty kill at 83.3 percent (229-for-275)... F Mathieu Aubin leads the team in goals (18), assists (38), and points (58).

Upcoming Promotions:

March 24:

Fan Appreciation Game - First 3,000 fans in attendance receive a

Drawstring Bag courtesy of Lincoln Tech and a Team Photo

courtesy of AlphaGraphics

For more information call the Solar Bears Executive Offices at 407-951-8200.

Get Tickets:

Orlando plays host to the Cincinnati Cyclones today, March 24, at 3:00 p.m. They close out the 2012-13 home schedule with back-to-back games against the Florida Everblades on Tuesday, March 26, and Wednesday, March 27. Good seats still available, visit www.OrlandoSolarBearsHockey.com.

The Orlando Solar Bears, the ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild and AHL's Houston Aeros, play all of their home games at the 2012 Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal Sports Facility of the Year, the Amway Center.

Individual tickets for all regular season home games are on sale beginning as low as $15. To purchase your tickets, please visit www.OrlandoSolarBearsHockey.com or the Amway Center Box Office.

Check out the Orlando Solar Bears Statistics



ECHL Stories from March 24, 2013


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