WHO: Orlando Solar Bears vs. Jacksonville IcemenVENUE: ARS.com Rink at Amway Center, Orlando, Fla.DATE: Tuesday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m.WATCH: ECHL.TVLISTEN: ESPN 580TICKETS: CLICK HERE
TONIGHT: The Solar Bears (3-8-2-0) return to Orlando to host the Jacksonville Icemen (2-8-1-0) for the first time on home ice. Orlando defeated the Icemen in the team’s first-ever meeting on Oct. 14 at Jacksonville – J.J. Piccinich netted the overtime winner for the Solar Bears in a 5-4 decision.
KNOW THY ENEMY: The Icemen are the relocated Evansville franchise that originally joined the ECHL in the 2012-13 campaign. The franchise sat out the 2016-17 season before settling in Jacksonville for this season. The Icemen are coached by Jason Christie, the ECHL’s all-time winningest coach (549 victories), and are the affiliate of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets and AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Rookie forward Alexandre Goulet leads Jacksonville in scoring with 14 points (7g-7a) in 10 games.
WINQUIST APPROACHING FAILLE’S RECORD: With a three-assist outing on Sunday against Greenville, Joshua Winquist has pushed his assist streak to six games, recording nine helpers dating back to Nov. 7. Another assist tonight for Winquist will match Eric Faille’s franchise record of seven games that ran from Jan. 14-March 10, 2017 (Faille was not part of the active roster for multiple games during the streak due to a recall to the Toronto Marlies).
CRANE MOVED TO IR: Fans should not expect to see Chris Crane in the lineup for an extended period of time, as the team has placed the forward on Injured Reserve, joining a growing number of players that already includes Darryl Bootland, Sean Zimmerman, Kristian Pospisil and Alex Gudbranson, among others.
MORE SHOTS: With another 40-plus shot performance on Sunday, the Solar Bears have moved ahead of the Manchester Monarchs for the highest shots per game average, now at 38.77. Orlando’s season-high of 46 shots came against Jacksonville on Oct. 14.
STREAKS:
- Joshua Winquist – 6-game point streak (3g-9a)
- Nolan Valleau – 2-game point streak (3g-2a)
MILESTONE TRACKER:
- Mike Monfredo – needs 1 point for 150 career pro points
- Joshua Winquist – needs 2 assists for 100 career pro assists; needs 1 point for 150 career pro points
AFFILIATE NOTES: The Toronto Marlies (13-4-0-0) extended their winning streak to four games with a weekend home sweep of the Syracuse Crunch, topping Syracuse by a 3-1 score on Sunday afternoon. The Toronto Maple Leafs (14-8-0-0) suffered a 4-1 defeat to the Arizona Coyotes last night, and journey to South Florida to take on the Panthers tomorrow.
NEXT GAME: The Solar Bears journey north on Wednesday, Nov. 22 to face Jacksonville at Veterans Memorial Arena at 7:30 p.m. The Solar Bears return home to host the South Carolina Stingrays for Marvel Super Hero™ Night at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. – the Solar Bears will wear special Captain America jerseys against the Stingrays, who will wear special Iron Man jerseys. Single-game tickets for the 2017-18 season are now on sale at the Amway Center box office and ticketmaster.com.
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.
Full Season Ticket Memberships for the 2017-18 season are on sale now. Purchase an Orlando Solar Bears Full Season Ticket Membership for as little as $440 today! Click here or call (407) 951-8200 for more information.
Officially licensed Orlando Solar Bears replica team jerseys, apparel, and headwear can be purchased online at orlandosolarbearshockey.com/shop.