Solar Bears homecoming spoiled by Admirals

ORLANDO, Fla. – After spending the past 10 games on the road, the Orlando Solar Bears (11-13-4-0) returned home to the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center on Wednesday night, only to see a 2-0 lead evaporate as the Norfolk Admirals (9-17-1-0) scored four straight and Orlando eventually fell by a 5-3 score.

Click here for the box score.

SCORING SUMMARY

Orlando: Darryl Bootland (J.J. Piccinich, Nolan Valleau), Joshua Winquist (Kristian Pospisil), Bootland (Winquist, Max Novak)

Goaltender: Cal Heeter (39/43)

Norfolk: Patrick D’Amico (Grant Besse, Tommy Schutt), Mitch Vandergunst (Michael Young), Don Olivieri (Young, Brodie Dupont), Besse , Besse

Goaltender: Ty Reichenbach (36/39)

ON THE SCORESHEET

• Darryl Bootland opened the scoring just 2:44 into the first period when he buried a feed from J.J. Piccinich at the right side of the net for his second of the season. After the Admirals scored four straight later in the game to take a 4-2 lead, Bootland deflected a shot from Joshua Winquist at 17:42 of the third period to pull the Solar Bears back to within a goal.
• J.J. Piccinich made his return to the lineup after missing the previous three games and contributed the primary assist on Bootland’s first goal.
• Nolan Valleau added the secondary helper on Bootland’s opening tally, extending his point streak to four games (1g-4a).
• Joshua Winquist gave Orlando a 2-0 lead at 5:43 of the second period when he skated up the left wall and drove towards the Norfolk net before backhanding a shot past Ty Reichenbach. He also set up Bootland’s goal in the third period with a shot from the left circle.
• Kristian Pospisil helped set up Winquist’s goal, giving the rookie a two-game point streak (1g-1a).
• Max Novak extended his point streak to three games (2g-3a) with the secondary assist on Bootland’s second goal.
• Cal Heeter took the loss for Orlando with 39 saves on 43 shots against.

NOTABLES

• Winquist and Valleau led the Solar Bears with six shots on goal.
• Orlando allowed Norfolk a season-high 44 shots against for the second consecutive match.
• The Solar Bears went 1-for-4 on the power play, and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill.
• Winquist led Orlando with six shots on goal.
• The Solar Bears resume their regular season series with the Norfolk Admirals at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. Thursday’s game is a Thirsty Thursday – all 16oz domestic draft beers will be just $5 at all concessions and bars throughout the Amway Center during the game. Orlando completes the week against Norfolk on Saturday, Dec. 23 with the team’s annual Teddy Bear Toss game, presented by Tijuana Flats – fans are encouraged to bring teddy bears to throw onto the ice once Orlando scores its first goal of the game – the teddy bears and other stuffed animals that are collected will be donated to United Against Poverty. The Solar Bears will wear their ugly holiday sweater jerseys, which will be auctioned off following the game. Saturday’s game is also Hunter Vision Gift of Sight Night – one lucky fan will have the chance to win $2,500 towards LASIK surgery provided by Hunter Vision. Saturday’s game will also be televised LIVE on My65 Orlando. Single-game tickets for the 2017-18 season are now on sale at the Amway Center box office and ticketmaster.com.

THREE STARS1) Don Olivieri – NOR2) Darryl Bootland – ORL3) Grant Besse – NOR

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 and include $68 in FREE gifts! 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.