Solar Bears hit road for three-game stretch
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Solar Bears head out of town this week for a three-game road trip, with games against the Atlanta Gladiators and Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
THIS WEEK’S GAMES:
Thursday, Nov. 16 – 7:05 p.m.Infinite Energy Arena – Duluth, Ga.Orlando Solar Bears at Atlanta Gladiators
Friday, Nov. 17 – 7 p.m.Bon Secours Wellness Arena – Greenville, S.C.Orlando Solar Bears at Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Sunday, Nov. 19 – 3 p.m.Bon Secours Wellness Arena – Greenville, S.C.Orlando Solar Bears at Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Orlando2-6-2-0, 6 points6th place, South Division
Atlanta7-4-0-1, 15 points4th place, South Division
Greenville7-3-1-0, 15 points3rd place, South Division
WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN: Fans can watch all 72 Solar Bears games this season on ECHL.TV, the league’s online HD streaming platform powered by NeuLion. Fans can also listen to every Solar Bears game for free on Mixlr, or by visiting the Solar Bears website or accessing the broadcast stream within the Solar Bears mobile app.
LAST WEEK: 0-2-1-0
Tuesday, Nov. 7 – Greenville 7, Orlando 2After taking a 2-1 lead in the first period on the strength of a shorthanded goal from J.J. Piccinich and a power-play tally from Max Novak, the Swamp Rabbits reeled off six consecutive goals and finished the night with seven total different goal scorers as Orlando fell 7-2.
Thursday, Nov. 9 – Greenville 4, Orlando 3 (OT)The Solar Bears hosted their second annual School Day Game and marched out to a 3-0 lead by the early stages of the second period thanks to Todd Skirving’s first two career pro goals, and a power-play goal from Nolan Valleau. However, Greenville scored three goals in regulation to force overtime and Adam Chapie scored in the extra session to leave Orlando with only one point.
Sunday, Nov. 12 – Florida 4, Orlando 3The Solar Bears took on the Everblades for the third time this season, and were led by Joshua Winquist’s three-point afternoon. However, a fluky play resulted in Joe Cox burying a go-ahead tally for the visitors late in the third period to seal Orlando’s fate.
BEAR TRACKS:
Three-Way Tie for Scoring LeadWith each player contributing on the scoresheet on Sunday, Chris Crane, Nolan Valleau and Joshua Winquist have moved into three-way tie for the team scoring lead with nine points apiece.
Valleau Among League Defensemen LeadersDefenseman Nolan Valleau has consistently piled up points skating for Orlando this season; he leads all Solar Bears blueliners and is tied for eighth among all ECHL defensemen with nine points (3g-9a).
Skirving Coming off Breakout WeekRookie forward Todd Skirving now leads all first-year players for the Solar Bears with five points after getting his first three career goals last week, with two on Thursday and another on Sunday. The Rochester Institute of Technology alumnus has also been valuable in the faceoff dot and has been used in both power play and penalty kill situations.
Solar Bears Piling Up Shots, Suppressing OppositionOrlando sits fourth in the ECHL with a division-leading 37.50 shots for per game, while the Solar Bears have also done an effective job of limiting chances for the opposition, as the team also has the fifth-lowest totals of shots against per game, with 28.80.
TEAM LEADERS:Points – Chris Crane, Nolan Valleau and Joshua Winquist (9)Goals – Chris Crane (4)Assists – Nolan Valleau & Joshua Winquist (6)Shots – Max Novak (35)+/- – Chris Crane (+4)PIM – Aleksandr Mikulovich (22)
STREAKS:
- Joshua Winquist – three-game point streak (1g-4a)
- Nolan Valleau – three-game point streak (1g-2a)
- Todd Skirving – two-game goal streak (3g)
UPCOMING MILESTONES:
- Joe Perry – Needs 1 goal to take sole possession of third place on Solar Bears career goal list (tied with Jacob Cepis and Brady Vail with 35)
- Joshua Winquist – Needs 1 goals for 50 career goals
- Mike Monfredo – Needs 3 points for 150 career points
EYE ON THE MARLIES:
- Mason Marchment (2016-17) – Recorded five shots and went +2 over three games for the Toronto Marlies. Currently third on the Marlies with 11 points (5g-6a)
- Garret Sparks (2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16) – went 1-1-0 for the Marlies, including a 33-save performance for Toronto in Friday’s 4-1 win at Binghamton. Sparks leads all AHL goalies with a 1.57 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage, and is second in wins with seven.
NEXT HOME GAMES:
- Solar Bears vs. Jacksonville Icemen – Tuesday, Nov. 21 – 7 p.m.
- Solar Bears vs. South Carolina Stingrays – Saturday, Nov. 25 – 7 p.m. – Geek Weekend / Marvel Night / Dueling Marvel Jerseys
Solar Bears vs. South Carolina Stingrays – Sunday, Nov. 26 – 1:30 p.m. – Geek Weekend / Star Wars Day / FAIRWINDS Solar Bears Sunday
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.