THIRD PERIOD PENALTIES DOOM ORLANDO AGAINST TOP TEAM IN EASTERN CONFERENCE

Orlando Hits the Road for Next Six Games

Click here to view the box score

Orlando, FL -  The Solar Bears battled the Eastern Conference-leading Reading Royals to a 3-3 tie after two periods of play, but penalty trouble doomed them to an 8-3 loss in front of 8,819 fans at the Amway Center on Saturday night.

An action packed first period saw the Solar Bears open up the scoring 5:45 into the game. C Ryan Cruthers took a pass from C Mathew Sisca and snapped a shot over the shoulder of G Riley Gill on the power play to give Orlando a 1-0 lead. The Solar Bears increased their advantage to 2-0 when Sisca turned and fired a pass to  forward C.J. Severn, and Severyn redirected the puck into the cage at 8:33. Reading came storming right back in the middle portion of the period, starting when F Yannick Tifu got loose in the low slot, made a quick deke to his backhand, and beat G Zoltan Hetenyi at 9:41 of the period. The Royals knotted the game up at 2-2 exactly one minute later, when F Joel Champaign whipped a puck off the right post and into the net. Orlando regained their lead with 5:29 left in the frame, when F Michael Neal moved a pass to Sisca, who sent a one-touch pass to F Ryan Ginand on the right side. Ginand fired a one-timer off the pass to finish off a beautiful play and give the Solar Bears a 3-2 lead going into the first intermission.

Once again, the Royals evened up the contest. 11:11 into the second period, Tifu struck for his second goal of the night when he found a rebound during a delayed penalty and slammed it home. The Royals had an opportunity to take a lead with a penalty shot awarded to F David Marshall, but Hetenyi snagged the shot with his glove to keep it tied and the two sides finished 40 minutes of action locked in a 3-3 score.

The Royals came out hard in the third, breaking the tie game with a power play marker from D Brock Shelgren 1:44 into the period. Reading would go on to score four more times in the period, as F Ethan Cox scored less than a minute later and Tifu polished off his hat trick while F Stanislav Galiev scored twice on the power play for the final 8-3 score.

Three Stars: 1. Y. Tifu (REA); 2. S. Galiev (REA); 3. R. Gill (REA)
Power Plays: ORL: 1/2; REA: 4/6
Shots: ORL: 19; REA: 45

Notes:
The Solar Bears wore Special Scout Jerseys tonight... C Mathew Sisca picked up three assists in the opening period... G Zoltan Hetenyi became the second Solar Bears goaltender to stop a penalty shot when he turned aside David Marshall in the second period... Forward C.J. Severyn scored his 20th goal of the season in the first period... The crowd of 8,819 was the third largest crowd of the season for the Solar Bears.

Upcoming Promotions:

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

Get Tickets:
Orlando plays their next six games on the road before returning home to face the Greenville Road Warriors on Wednesday, March 21, and Thursday, March 22, at 7:00 p.m. They then face the Cincinnati Cyclones on Sunday, March 24, at 3:00 p.m. Good seats are 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.

Follow the Solar Bears at www.OrlandoSolarBearsHockey.com, Facebook, and Twitter (@OrlandoHockey) for all the latest news and updates.

Don't get shut-out when we sell out! Take advantage of the Orlando Solar Bears season ticket pre-sale offer by placing a $50 deposit per ticket now to receive seat selection priority for the 2013-14 season. Call the Solar Bears at 407-951-8200 or visit www.OrlandoSolarBearsHockey.com.

Group tickets are a great way to entertain employees, co-workers, clients, friends and family. For more information on discounted group tickets and a list of group benefits, call 407-951-8200 or click here.

Officially licensed Orlando Solar Bears replica team jerseys, apparel, and headwear can be purchased online at: http://shop.orlandosolarbearshockey.com/