Strong start drives Solar Bears to 4-2 win over Everblades

ORLANDO, Fla. – Two goals in a 38-second span in the first period helped stake the Orlando Solar Bears (1-3-0-0) to their first win of the season, defeating the Florida Everblades (3-1-0-0) by a 4-2 score on Friday night at Jewett Orthopaedic Rink at Amway Center.

Box Score

Taylor Doherty buried his first of the season at 10:23 of the first period to open the scoring when he recovered the puck off a Florida turnover in the defensive zone and beat Cam Johnson with a wrist shot.

Doherty factored into Orlando’s next goal under a minute later when Jimmy Huntington won the opening faceoff of Orlando’s first power play back to the Doherty, whose shot from the blue line was deflected by Hunter Fejes to make it 2-0 at 11:01. Huntington’s assist on Doherty’s goal marked the Tampa Bay Lightning prospect’s first pro point.

The Solar Bears continued their scoring binge in the second period when Mike Monfredo teamed up with Huntington on a 2-on-1 rush and tallied his first of the season at 7:43 after receiving a feed from the rookie to make it 3-0.

Brent Pedersen made it 4-0 at 11:10 with his first of the season when he stepped in front of Dylan Fitze’s shot and corralled the loose puck before firing it over the glove of Johnson. The Everblades replaced Johnson with Ken Appleby following Pedersen’s goal.

The change in goal for the visitors appeared to help spur Florida’s offense, as Blake Wienecki got the Everblades on the board at 12:19 when he knocked the puck past Spencer Martin at the left side of the net.

Cam Maclise chipped away at Orlando’s lead at 19:13 of the third period when a shot from the right wall snuck past Martin, but the Solar Bears shut the door the rest of the way to secure the win.

Martin earned his first victory of the season with 30 saves on 32 shots against; Johnson took the loss for Florida with 17 stops on 21 shots against, while Appleby stopped all 13 shots he faced in relief.

THREE STARS:

1. Taylor Doherty – ORL
2. Spencer Martin – ORL
3. Hunter Fejes – ORL  

NOTABLES:

• Fejes led Orlando with six shots on goal; his goal marked his 50th career point (23g-27a in 50 games) with the Solar Bears
• Monfredo has two points (1g-1a) over his last two games
• Pedersen has two points (1g-1a) over his last two games
• Michael Brodzinski assisted on Pedersen’s goal, gi and now has assists (2a) over his last two games  

NEXT GAMES:

Orlando completes its home-and-home set with the Everblades tomorrow at Hertz Arena at 7 p.m. The Solar Bears then host Boo with the Bears against the Jacksonville Icemen on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. Fans can get into the Halloween spirit with trick-or-treating on the Amway Center concourse and a costume contest during the game. CLICK HERE for tickets to this game.

Purchase Single-Game Tickets:

Single-game tickets for all Solar Bears home games are now on sale at the Amway Center box office and Ticketmaster. CLICK HERE to download the calendar for the 2019-20 season.

Order New Jerseys:

The Orlando Solar Bears will wear new jerseys for the 2019-20 season. An extremely limited quantity of replica jerseys are available for purchase online, with adult sizes available for $149.95 and youth sizes available for $109.95. Fans can visit bit.ly/OSBJerseys to place their order today.

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 – CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

2019-20 Season Presented by XYMOPrint:

The 2019-20 Orlando Solar Bears season is presented by XYMOPrint, Orlando’s digital printing experts. As a special offer, fans who call XYMOPrint at (888) 223-9390 from now until June 15, 2021 and reference the Solar Bears will receive 15% off their first order and a free Orlando Solar Bears poster!

About the Orlando Solar Bears:

The Orlando Solar Bears are the proud affiliate of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning and members of the ECHL, the premier “AA” hockey league in North America. In seven seasons of operation, the team has qualified for the Kelly Cup Playoffs five times. The Solar Bears are owned and operated by the Orlando Magic and the DeVos Family, and play at Amway Center, the 2012 Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal Sports Facility of the Year.

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