Faille fiesta powers Solar Bears to 5-3 win over Swamp Rabbits

Faille becomes franchise points leader for Orlando with three-point effort

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Solar Bears (29-20-6-3) were led by Eric Faille’s three-point effort as they concluded their regular season series with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (32-21-4-1) with a 5-3 victory on Saturday night at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center. Faille’s two goals and assist gave him 113 career points (44g-69a) in a Solar Bears uniform, allowing him to tie and move past Jacob Cepis for the franchise mark.

Click here for the box score.

Eric Baier opened the scoring in the first period when he received a pass from Jon Jutzi and blasted a shot from the right point past the blocker of Jeff Malcolm at 11:24.

Allan McPherson evened the score when his shot glanced high off the stick of Chris Crane in the slot and arched over Kasimir Kaskisuo into the net at 11:49.

The Solar Bears gained the lead again in the second stanza, as Joe Perry recovered a rebound from Chris Bradley and jammed the puck through the pads of Malcolm for a power-play goal at 6:31.

Faille netted his first goal of the night on the man advantage, as he one-timed a pass from Baier at the left circle past Malcolm at 13:30 to convert during a 5-on-3 situation. Baier’s assist gave him 100 career points with Orlando, making him the first Solar Bears defenseman to reach the century mark in points.

Brandon Alderson responded for Greenville when he took a feed at the right boards from Matt Prapavesis and roofed a shot past Kaskisuo at 15:49.

Early in the third frame Baier fed Faille up the right boards on a long stretch pass to create a breakaway opportunity that ended in Faille tucking the puck through the pads of Malcolm at 3:11.

McPherson brought the Swamp Rabbits back to within a goal when Ahti Oksanen redirected a pass from behind the net by Michael Joly across the slot to McPherson, who snapped the puck inside the left post at 12:56.

Faille capped his historic night by setting up Brenden Miller for an empty-net score at 19:24.

Kaskisuo earned the win with 26 saves on 29 shots against; Malcolm took the loss with 37 stops on 41 shots against.

Three Stars:1) Eric Faille – ORL2) Eric Baier– ORL3) Joe Perry – ORL

NEXT HOME GAMES:

• Solar Bears vs. Utah Grizzlies – Friday, March 10 – 7 p.m. – Star Wars Night
• Solar Bears vs. Utah Grizzlies – Sunday, March 12 – 1:30 p.m. – FAIRWINDS Solar Bears Sunday
• Solar Bears vs. Florida Everblades – Wednesday, April 5 – 7 p.m.

Single-game tickets are now on sale at the Amway Center box office and ticketmaster.com. Full and half-season ticket plans are now available by visiting OrlandoSolarBearsHockey.com.

The Solar Bears mobile app, presented by BB&T, gives Solar Bears fans everything they need right in their pocket. The app is also home to the brand-new Loyalty & Rewards Program, which provides Solar Bears fans with opportunities to accumulate points and redeem them for exclusive prizes. The app is FREE and available for both iOS and Android devices.

The Orlando Solar Bears are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and AHL’s Toronto Marlies, and play all of their home games at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center, the 2012 Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal Sports Facility of the Year.

Follow the Solar Bears at www.OrlandoSolarBearsHockey.com, Facebook, and Twitter (@OrlandoHockey) for all the latest news and updates. Stay in touch with Shades on Instagram by following SolarBearsHockey.

Season tickets, Corporate Flex vouchers, and Group tickets are a great way to entertain employees, co-workers, clients, friends and family. For more information on all of the Solar Bears ticket packages, call (407) 951-8200 or visit orlandosolarbearshockey.com/groups.

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