Langan's first hat trick leads Solar Bears to 5-3 win over Stingrays

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. —  Tristin Langan scored three goals - including the tie-breaking goal - for his first career hat trick as the Orlando Solar Bears (26-18-4-1) rallied from a 3-2 deficit to defeat the South Carolina Stingrays (19-16-7-3) by a 5-3 score on Friday night at North Charleston Coliseum.

Aaron Luchuk continued to add to his torrid scoring pace, scoring for the third consecutive game and adding an assist on Langan’s first goal of the contest, allowing Luchuk to move into first place in the ECHL scoring race with 53 points.

Goaltender Clint Windsor earned his 16th win of the season, setting a new career-high for Orlando’s third-year netminder.

VIEW BOX SCORE

First PeriodOrlando goal: Aaron Luchuk (19) at 1:19. Assisted by Krystof Hrabik and Joe Garreffa.Orlando goal: Tristin Langan (15) at 7:54. Assisted by Karlis Cukste and Aaron Luchuk.South Carolina goal: Mark Cooper (7) at 12:56. Assisted by Dan DeSalvo and Cole Ully.South Carolina goal: Dan DeSalvo (12) at 15:45. Assisted by Mark Cooper.South Carolina goal: Zach Malatesta (5) at 17:56. Assisted by Andrew Cherniwchan and Justin Florek.Shots: ORL 16, SC 13

Second PeriodShots: ORL 16, SC 6

Third Period Orlando goal: Tyler Bird (12) at 2:07. Assisted by Mark Auk and J.J. Piccinich.Orlando goal: Tristin Langan (16) at 9:05. Assisted by Alexander Kuqali and Chris LeBlanc.Orlando goal: Tristin Langan (17) [EN] at 19:09.Shots: ORL 13, SC 10

Goaltending:ORL: Clint Windsor, 26-for-29SC: Matt Jurusik, 40-for-44

THREE STARS:1) Tristin Langan - ORL2) Aaron Luchuk - ORL3) Matt Jurusik - SC

NOTABLES:

• The Solar Bears improved their record to 5-2-0-0 against South Carolina with the win
• Orlando is now 14-3-2-1 when scoring first; the club is 19-0-0-0 when scoring four or more goals
• Chris LeBlanc assisted on Langan’s game-winner, giving him 78 career assists with Orlando and tying Eric Baier for third in team history; LeBlanc needs only two more assists to pass Eric Faille and Denver Manderson for sole possession of first on the team’s assist leaderboard
• LeBlanc finished the week with 2g-4a in three games
• Luchuk finished the week with 4g-4a in three games
• Mark Auk and Joe Garreffa each extended their assist streaks to three games (4a apiece)  

NEXT GAME:

The Solar Bears continue their season-high nine-game road trip when they take on the Indy Fuel at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Friday, April 23 at 7:05 p.m. The Solar Bears return home to host Orlando Magic Night, presented by Amway, against the South Carolina Stingrays at the AdventHealth Rink at Amway Center on Friday, April 30 at 7 p.m.