Solar Bears upend Cyclones in 5-2 win

CINCINNATI – A three-goal second period gave the Orlando Solar Bears (9-10-3-0) a 5-2 win over the Cincinnati Cyclones (12-7-1-0) on Tuesday night at U.S. Bank Arena.

Click here for the box score.

SCORING SUMMARY

Orlando: Chris LeBlanc (Sean Zimmerman, Jean Dupuy), Max Novak, Kristian Pospisil (Martins Dzierkals, Darryl Bootland), Tayler Thompson (Dzierkals), Dupuy (J.C. Campagna, Dzierkals)

Goaltender: Cal Heeter (23/25)

Cincinnati: Rob De Fulviis (Brandon McNally, Justin Danforth), Jesse Schultz (Danforth, Anthony Florentino)

Goaltender: Jonas Johansson (10/14), Jason Kasdorf (9/10)

ON THE SCORESHEET

• Chris LeBlanc netted his fourth of the season at 19:58 of the first period when Sean Zimmerman threw a pass into the slot and jammed the puck past Cincinnati’s Jonas Johansson.
• Sean Zimmerman earned his first point of the season with the assist on LeBlanc’s goal.
• Jean Dupuy picked up the secondary assist on LeBlanc’s goal and later redirected a shot from J.C. Campagna for a power-play goal at 11:00 of the third period to cap the scoring for Orlando, making the game 5-2 .
• Max Novak made it 2-0 early in the second period when a Cyclones skater turned the puck over in the slot and Novak snapped a shot over the blocker of Johansson for an unassisted tally. The goal was Novak’s team-leading eighth of the season and extended his point streak to three games (2g-1a) since Dec. 2.
• Kristian Pospisil snuck a shot through Johansson’s pads at 11:17 to make it 3-0 Solar Bears, with Martins Dzierkals and Darryl Bootland assisting.
• Martins Dzierkals picked up a season-high three assists on the evening, including a brilliant saucer pass to Tayler Thompson that set up Thompson’s first of the season. Dzierkals now has a four-game point streak (2g-5a) dating back to Dec. 1.
• Darryl Bootland picked up his first assist of the season with the secondary helper on Pospisil’s goal. He now has a two-game point streak (1g-1a).
• Tayler Thompson netted his first career ECHL goal when he drove the net and directed Dzierkals’ feed past Johansson at 18:25.
• J.C. Campagna earned an assist on Dupuy’s goal.
• Cal Heeter picked up his sixth consecutive win with 23 saves on 25 shots against.

NOTABLES

• Dupuy led Orlando with four shots on goal.
• The Solar Bears continue their 10-game road trip on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 7:35 p.m. when rematch with the Cincinnati Cyclones at U.S. Bank Arena. The Solar Bears are back at home to face the Norfolk Admirals on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center. Single-game tickets for the 2017-18 season are now on sale at the Amway Center box office and ticketmaster.com.

THREE STARS1) Martins Dzierkals – ORL2) Cal Heeter – ORL3) Jean Dupuy – ORL

About the Orlando Solar Bears:The Orlando Solar Bears are in their sixth season of operation in the ECHL, the premier “AA” hockey league in North America, and are the proud affiliate of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. The Solar Bears are owned and operated by the Orlando Magic and the DeVos Family, and play at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center, the 2012 Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal Sports Facility of the Year.

Festive Four Packs, presented by CenturyLink, are now available for purchase! Pick four games and get gift certificates to Sonny’s BBQ, Dick’s Sporting Goods, QDOBA Mexican Eats and a FREE center ice ticket to the Orlando Solar Bears Teddy Bear Toss game on Saturday, December 23! Packs start as low as $64! Click here or call (407) 951-8200 for more information.

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