Game Recap: Solar Bears Tame Beast in 6-3 Win

March 11, 2016

BRAMPTON, Ontario – The Orlando Solar Bears (27-23-3-5), proud affiliate of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and AHL’s Toronto Marlies, matched their season-high for goals scored with a 6-3 win over the Brampton Beast (16-31-7-4) in front of 2,882 on Friday night at the Powerade Centre.

Although the Solar Bears were awarded the first power play of the game, it was the Beast who found the back of the net first as Nick McParland stole the puck from the Solar Bears and raced in to tuck the puck past Rob Madore for a shorthanded marker at 13:48.

Another subsequent penalty to Brampton allowed Orlando to convert with the man advantage when Jack Rodewald threw the puck into the slot and it banked off a Beast skater past Kenny Reiter at 15:13.

Minutes later the Solar Bears gained the lead when Nicklas Lindberg lobbed a pass from the defending blueline laterally across the neutral zone to Brady Vail, who raced down the left wing and lifted a backhand above Reiter’s glove at 17:43.

Orlando extended the lead in the second period following a faceoff win in its own zone, as Patrick Watling distributed the puck to T.J. Foster, who sped down the left side and paused in the corner to feed Rylan Schwartz in the slot, with Schwartz burying his shot at 11:33.

In the third period Foster netted what would eventually stand up as the game-winning tally as he snapped the puck through the five hole of Reiter at 1:43.

Jeff Brown redirected a point shot past Madore at 3:15, but Lindberg and Schwartz put the game out of sight with goals at 10:52 and 12:52 respectively. David Ling added a late tally at 19:09, but Orlando hung on for its second consecutive victory against the Beast and third straight overall.

Madore picked up the win with 24 saves on 27 shots against; Reiter took the loss with 20 stops on 26 shots against.

NOTES:

• Orlando’s win, along with Wheeling’s overtime point gained in a 2-1 loss to Toledo, means the Solar Bears (62 points) are only two points back of the Nailers (64) for ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
• Foster’s goal was his sixth game-winner of the season for the Solar Bears.
• Watling’s three assists extended his overall point streak to eight games (2g-9a).