Solar Bears Crush Everblades 7-2
March 1, 2019 - ECHL (ECHL)
Orlando Solar Bears News Release
ESTERO, Fla. - Brent Pedersen tied a club record with a five-point (2g-3a) performance and the Orlando Solar Bears (31-19-4-0) rolled to a 7-2 victory over the Florida Everblades (37-15-5-0) on Friday night at Hertz Arena.
The first period was a scoreless affair, while the Solar Bears kept the Everblades at bay thanks to a 2-on-0 breakaway save by Clint Windsor on Nathan Perkovich shortly after Perkovich had exited the penalty box at the 18:41 mark.
Otto Somppi gave the Solar Bears a 1-0 lead with a spectacular highlight-reel goal at the 3:22 mark of the second period. The forward skated behind the Florida net and elevated the puck on his stick blade before he tucked the puck underneath the crossbar at the left post for his fifth of the season. The goal earned the distinction as the No. 1 play of the night on ESPN's SportsCenter.
Pedersen made it 2-0 when he teamed up with Trevor Olson and knocked in Olson's rebound for his eighth of the season at 13:10.
Pedersen struck again on the power play when he parked himself in front of the net and deflected Mathieu Foget's shot at the right circle past Jamie Phillips to make it 3-0.
Florida got on the board in the third period when Michael Neville jammed the puck past Windsor during a scramble in the Orlando crease at 4:09.
Dylan Fitze restored Orlando's three-goal edge to make it 4-1 at 6:16 when Troy Bourke's initial shot squeaked through the pads of Phillips and Fitze buried the loose puck for his 10th of the season.
Somppi netted his second of the contest at 13:54 on the man advantage when Fitze sent a pass from the trapezoid to Somppi at the left circle, and the forward roofed a shot past Phillips to make it 5-1.
The Everblades struck again on the power play at 13:54 when Ernie Hartlieb scored off the rush with a snapshot from the slot for his first pro goal since the 2013-13 season, as Florida's all-time games played leader had come out of retirement and signed with the club earlier in the day.
Olson answered with a power-play goal for Orlando at 16:37 when a shot from Bourke rebounded off the pads of Phillips and Olson buried his 14th of the season to make it 6-2.
Bourke capped the scoring with his seventh of the season for Orlando at 19:08 when he flipped a pass back to Matthew Spencer, and the defenseman attempted a shot on the Florida goal. Although Spencer's shot was blocked, Bourke scooped up the puck and backhanded it past the reach of Phillips for the strike.
Windsor picked up the win with 29 saves on 31 shots against; Phillips took the loss with 21 stops on 28 shots against.
THREE STARS
1) Brent Pedersen - ORL
2) Otto Somppi - ORL
3) Ernie Hartlieb - ORL
NOTABLES:
The Solar Bears now lead the regular season series with Florida with a 5-2-1-0 record.
Orlando went 3-for-6 on the man advantage, matching its best output on the power play this season.
Pedersen's five-point performance matched the club mark for points in a single game. The rookie joins Max Novak (March 17, 2018 at Florida), Joshua Winquist (Dec. 29, 2017 vs. Florida) and Michael Neal (Jan. 17, 2013 vs. Wheeling) as the fourth player in team history to achieve the feat.
Olson's two-point performance extended his point streak to seven games (7g-4a). His goal also extended his goal streak to five straight games (6g), matching the club mark originally set by Ryan Cruthers during the 2012-13 season and matched by Brenden Miller during the 2016-17 campaign.
Somppi has recorded at least a point in each of his seven games while he has been assigned to Orlando (6g-5a).
NEXT GAME: The Solar Bears return home on Saturday, March 2 to host Florida at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center at 7 p.m. for Military Appreciation Night, presented by Hunter Vision. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets for this game.
2019-20 Season Ticket Memberships on Sale Now:
Upgrade to Solar Status and become a Season Ticket Member today. Season ticket memberships for the 2019-20 season are now on sale and start as little as $270.
2018-19 Season Presented by XYMOPrint:
The Orlando Solar Bears are proud to have local digital printing experts XYMOPrint as the presenting sponsor of the 2018-19 season. As a special offer, fans who call XYMOPrint at (888) 223-9390 from now until June 15, 2019 and reference the Solar Bears will receive 30% off their first order of 500 business cards.
2018-19 Single-Game Tickets Now on Sale:
Single-game tickets for the Orlando Solar Bears 2018-19 regular season home schedule are now on sale. Fans can purchase single-game tickets for as little as $15 at the Amway Center box office, or online at Ticketmaster.com.
ECHL Stories from March 1, 2019
- Solar Bears Crush Everblades 7-2 - Orlando Solar Bears
- Mariners Down Utah in Shootout to Cap Wild Night - Maine Mariners
- Hartlieb Scores in Return; 'Blades Fall to Solar Bears - Florida Everblades
- Fast Start Pushes Reading Past Norfolk - Norfolk Admirals
- Mavericks Drop Friday Night Contest against Idaho, 4-1 - Kansas City Mavericks
- Cherniwchan's Hat Trick Leads SC to Victory over IceMen - South Carolina Stingrays
- Glads Pull Away, Best Swamp Rabbits - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- Cyclones Trample Fuel in 8-2 Loss - Indy Fuel
- Steelheads Saddle Mavericks Late with 4-1 Win - Idaho Steelheads
- Collins Nets Hat Trick as K-Wings Fall After Wild Second - Kalamazoo Wings
- Four-Goal Third Period Caps Oilers Comeback Win in Allen - Tulsa Oilers
- Cyclones Pull Away in Dominant Win - Cincinnati Cyclones
- Atlanta Pounds 43 Shots on Goal and Slips Away with Close 3-2 Win - Atlanta Gladiators
- Nailers Make History in 5-2 Win at Toledo - Wheeling Nailers
- Monarchs Double up Thunder, 6-3 - Manchester Monarchs
- Royals Punish Ads in First Period, 5-1 - Reading Royals
- Thunder Drop Opening Game of Weekend in Manchester - Adirondack Thunder
- Beast Tame the Growlers 6-1 - Newfoundland Growlers
- Defenseman Added to Walleye Roster - Toledo Walleye
- Mariners Sign Goaltender Domenic Graham - Maine Mariners
- Allen Americans Game Capsule - Allen Americans
- ECHL Transactions - March 1 - ECHL
- Patrick Bajkov Back from the AHL; Hartlieb to Make Return - Florida Everblades
- Americans All Star Alex Breton Loaned to Springfield - Allen Americans
- Solar Bears Celebrity Classic Game Is Sold Out - Orlando Solar Bears
- Kuemper Is the MeiGray Group/ECHL Alumnus of the Month - ECHL
- Texeira Heads to AHL Springfield - Wichita Thunder
- Game Capsule: Tulsa at Allen - Allen Americans
- Cyclones Game Preview: vs. Indy Fuel - Cincinnati Cyclones
- Game Preview: Royals at Admirals, March 1, 2019 - Norfolk Admirals
- Nailers at Walleye Game Day Snap Shot, March 1 - Wheeling Nailers
- Preview: Everblades Host Solar Bears in Lone Home Tilt of Week - Florida Everblades
- Game Day: Fan Favorite Kevin Evans Returns to Kalamazoo on Star Wars Night - Kalamazoo Wings
- Josh Victor Inks Deal with Gladiators - Atlanta Gladiators
- Mariners Host "Mighty Ducks Night" with Postgame Movie Screening - Maine Mariners
- Solar Bears Announce Game, Venue Change - Orlando Solar Bears
- Cincinnati's Knodel Is AMI Graphics/ECHL Plus Performer of the Month - ECHL
- Knodel Named ECHL Plus Performer of the Month - Cincinnati Cyclones
- Thunder Add Two Goalies to Roster - Adirondack Thunder
- Game Day: Royals Start Six-Game Road Trip at Norfolk - Reading Royals
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
