Solar Bears Fall 3-2 to Gladiators in Back-And-Forth Contest
February 21, 2013 - ECHL (ECHL)
Orlando Solar Bears News Release
Orlando, FL - The Solar Bears battled back from a 1-0 deficit to take a 2-1 lead into the third, but two early third period Gladiators goals doomed Orlando to a 3-2 loss to the Gwinnett Gladiators at the Amway Center on Thursday night.
The Gladiators started off the scoring a little under two minutes into the first period. F Joey Haddad was able to knock a puck loose on a face off to F Evan Bloodoff, who snuck a shot just inside the the left goalpost to give Gwinnett the 1-0 lead. Both sides showed a commitment to defense in the opening period, with the Solar Bears holding a slight 6-5 edge in shots on goal going into the second frame.
D Ryan Blair tied the contest 4:30 into the second period with a power play marker. F Derrick Burnett slid a pass through the slot, finding Blair pinching in from the right point. Blair chipped the puck over the shoulder of G Jody O'Neill to bring the score to 1-1. Orlando snapped the 1-1 tie when F Justin Levac fired a pass to D Edward Levens at the top of the goal crease, and Levens redirected the pass into the net to put the Solar Bears ahead 2-1 going into the final frame.
Not long into the third, the Gladiators were able to tie the game with a power play goal. A shot from the blue line was deflected by F Joey Haddad at 2:58 to lock the game in a 2-2 score. 2:01 later, a shot from F Andy Brandt found its way through traffic and into the top right corner to put the Gladiators ahead 3-2 with almost 15 minutes left to play in the period. The Gladiators were able to shut down Orlando for the remainder of the period, holding on to take the 3-2 victory.
Three Stars: 1. E. Bloodoff (GWT); 2. A. Brandt (GWT); 3. E. Levens (ORL)
Power Plays: ORL: 1/5; GWT: 1/2
Shots: ORL: 26; GWT: 27
Notes:
The Solar Bears lost for the first time in regulation when leading after two periods. They are now 14-1-0-1 in those situations... D Edward Levens scored late in the second period to score his first professional goal... G Zoltan Hetenyi started his second straight game for the Solar Bears... Orlando and Gwinnett rematch tomorrow at the Amway Center, where the Solar Bears are 4-0-0-1 on Friday nights... Of the eight meetings between Gwinnett and Orlando this season, seven of them have been decided by one goal.
• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...
ECHL Stories from February 21, 2013
- Solar Bears Fall 3-2 to Gladiators in Back-And-Forth Contest - Orlando Solar Bears
- Glads Battle Back in 3-2 Win - Atlanta Gladiators
- Royals Earn Season Sweep Over K-Wings - Kalamazoo Wings
- Condors Host 13th Annual Tip-A-Condor March 11th - Bakersfield Condors
- Rookie Forward Assigned by Toronto Organization - Idaho Steelheads
- ECHL Transactions - February 21 - ECHL
- Condors vs. Stockton - $1 Hot Dogs, Half-Price Beer, Good Times - Bakersfield Condors
- Foward T.J. Syner Loaned to Reading - Reading Royals
- Game Preview: Stockton Thunder At Bakersfield Condors - Stockton Thunder
- Game Preview: Solar Bears vs. Gwinnett Gladiators - February 21 - Orlando Solar Bears
- Elmira Jackals Announce Player Transactions - Elmira Jackals
- Nailers Announce Several New Promotions for March - Wheeling Nailers
- Countdown to Face-Off: Kalamazoo at Reading - Kalamazoo Wings
- ECHL Today - February 21 - ECHL
- Ontario skates away with three goals in third period; Bunz stops 24 shots - Stockton Thunder
- Reign Blow Past Thunder 4-1 - Ontario Reign
- Trenton Titans Week in Review - Trenton Titans
- Alaska Breaks Tie Late to Beat Utah - Utah Grizzlies
- Alaska Storms Past Utah 5-2 - Alaska Aces
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.
