Game Recap: Solar Bears Wrap Up Road Trip with 4-1 Loss to Everblades

January 22, 2016

ESTERO, Fla. – The Orlando Solar Bears (17-16-2-3) completed their season-high seven-game road trip with a 5-2-0-0 record following a 4-1 loss in a Wawa Sunshine Cup Series game to the Florida Everblades (29-11-0-1) in front of a crowd of 6,015 on Friday night at Germain Arena.

Matt Willows opened the scoring at 3:06 of the first period as the rookie forward connected on a Ryan Martindale pass to beat Rob Madore and put the home team up.

The Solar Bears tied the score minutes later as Brady Vail dished the puck into the slot and Jack Rodewald slammed the puck through the pads of Anthony Peters at 7:47.

The Everblades took the lead in the second period when Brenden O’Donnell knocked a loose puck underneath Madore at 15:43.

It appeared Orlando had found an equalizing tally when Mark Louis ripped a shot from the high slot and the puck deflected off the glass and back into the net, but the ruling was that Rodewald had touched the puck with a high stick and there was no goal at 16:46.

Florida had an early third period goal waved off when it was ruled that O’Donnell had slid the puck underneath the lifted frame of the net, but ultimately pulled ahead 3-1 when Kevin Lynch stole the puck behind the net from Madore and fed the puck into the slot for Brant Harris to put into an open cage at 8:04.

 Maxime St. Cyr added another goal to cap the scoring with a wrist shot from the slot at 12:07.

Madore took the loss with 44 saves on 49 shots against; Peters picked up the victory with 23 stops on 24 shots against.