Solar Bears sweep Cyclones with 5-3 win

CINCINNATI – Kristian Pospisil recorded two goals and an assist and Jean Dupuy broke a 3-3 tie in the third period to help give the Orlando Solar Bears (10-10-3-0) a 5-3 win over the Cincinnati Cyclones (12-8-1-0) on Thursday night at U.S. Bank Arena. Orlando swept the regular season series against Cincinnati with a 2-0-0-0 record.

Click here for the box score.

SCORING SUMMARY

Orlando: Kristian Pospisil (Nolan Valleau, Jean Dupuy), Pospisil (Joshua Winquist, J.C. Campagna), Chris LeBlanc (Pospisil, Martins Dzierkals), Dupuy (Campagna, Adam Phillips), Mike Monfredo (Dupuy, Campagna)

Goaltender: Cal Heeter (27/30)

Cincinnati: Eric Knodel (Justin Danforth, Jesse Schultz), Brandon McNally (Knodel), Mike Barrett

Goaltender: Jason Kasdorf (14/19)

ON THE SCORESHEET

• Kristian Pospisil got the Solar Bears on the board at 5:46 of the second period when he walked the Cincinnati blue line and wristed a shot that beat Jason Kasdorf. Pospisil added his second of the evening less than three minutes later to give Orlando a 2-1 lead at 8:33 when he snapped a pass from Joshua Winquist into the net. Pospisil later contributed the primary assist on Chris LeBlanc’s power-play goal.
• Nolan Valleau earned his 14th assist of the season by setting up Pospisil’s first goal from along the wall.
• Joshua Winquist made his return to the lineup after sitting out the previous three games, and made an impact by setting up Pospisil’s second goal as he patiently outwaited Kasdorf before feeding Pospisil at the right circle.
• Chris LeBlanc tallied Orlando’s lone goal on the power play when he tapped in a centering feed from Pospisil to give Orlando a 3-2 lead at 14:37 of the second period.
• Jean Dupuy had a three-point night as he netted his seventh of the season at 6:01 of the third period to give the Solar Bears a 4-3 lead. The goal also was his second game-winner of the season, giving him a tie with Winquist and Dzierkals for the team lead. Dupuy also tacked on two assists for his team-leading fifth multi-point outing of the season. He now has 2g-3a in his last two games.
• Martins Dzierkals earned the secondary assist on LeBlanc’s goal. Dzierkals now has a five-game point streak (2g-6a) dating back to Dec. 1.
• Adam Phillips picked up the secondary assist on Dupuy’s goal for his
• Mike Monfredo capped the scoring with his second of the season when he drove in a rebound from Dupuy past the blocker of Kasdorf at 10:48 of the third.
• C. Campagna picked up three assists on the night, assisting on Pospisil’s second goal and adding helpers to Dupuy’s and Monfredo’s tallies. He now has five assists in his last two games.
• Cal Heeter picked up his seventh consecutive win with 27 saves on 30 shots against.

NOTABLES

• Orlando went 1-for-5 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill.
• The Solar Bears are 8-2-1-0 over their last 11 games.
• Darryl Bootland celebrated his 900th career regular season game by scrapping with Devante Stephens at 11:29 of the second period after Stephens hit Martins Dzierkals along the boards as the rookie crossed over the attacking blue line.
• Pospisil led Orlando with four shots on goal.
• Orlando is now 8-3-1-0 when Dupuy records a point.
• The Solar Bears continue their 10-game road trip on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. when Orlando faces the Kalamazoo Wings at Wings Event Center. The Solar Bears are back at home to face the Norfolk Admirals on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. at the 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) Kristian Pospisil – ORL2) Jean Dupuy – ORL3) Eric Knodel – CIN

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.