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ECHL Orlando Solar Bears

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.

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