Dzierkals, Jardine lead Solar Bears to comeback win over Admirals

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Solar Bears (26-25-5-1) recovered from the letdown of a blown 2-0 lead and rallied in the third period with three goals for a dramatic 5-3 win over the Norfolk Admirals (21-30-5-1) on Monday night at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center.

With the victory, the Solar Bears (57 GP, 58 points) moved past the idle Atlanta Gladiators (58 GP, 56 points) into third place in the South Division and reduced their magic number to 24 points; the Solar Bears have also extended their lead on idle fifth-place Jacksonville (56 GP, 49 points) by nine points.

Click here for the box score.

SCORING SUMMARY

Orlando: Kristian Pospisil (Joshua Winquist), Alex Gudbranson (Winquist, Max Novak), Sam Jardine (Chris LeBlanc, Martins Dzierkals), Dzierkals (Joe Perry, LeBlanc), J.J. Piccinich (Hunter Fejes, Jardine)

Goaltender: Mackenzie Skapski (31/34)

Norfolk: Darik Angeli (Thomas Frazee), Domenic Alberga (Grant Besse, Brodie Dupont), Angeli (Frazee, Patrick D’Amico)

Goaltender: Jamie Murray (41/45)

ON THE SCORESHEET

• Kristian Pospisil opened the scoring at 5:47 of the first period when he snapped a shot past Jamie Murray for his 12th goal of the season.
• Alex Gudbranson registered his third goal of the season when he one-timed a pass from Joshua Winquist for a power-play goal at 17:59 of the first period, extending Orlando’s lead to 2-0. The defenseman now has a two-game point streak (1g-1a).
• Sam Jardine knotted the score at 3-3 at 9:59 of the third period with his third goal of the season, and deflected the puck to Hunter Fejes with his skate to eventually lead to Orlando’s fifth goal. The defenseman also logged a stout +4 rating, setting a new season-high by a Solar Bears player.
• Martins Dzierkals pulled Orlando ahead for good at 11:51 of the third period with his 12th goal of the season, and his fourth game-winner of the season to move into a tie with Joshua Winquist for the team lead. The rookie forward also chipped in an assist on Jardine’s goal.
• J.J. Piccinich closed out the scoring with an empty-net goal at 19:00 of the third period for his 14th goal of the season, and now has a two-game point streak (1g-1a).
• Joshua Winquist collected two assists for the night, helping set up Pospisil and Gudbranson’s goals. Winquist now sits at 49 points on the season (18g-31a).
• Chris LeBlanc tallied two assists for Orlando, helping set up both the game-tying and game-winning scores.
• Max Novak picked up an assist on Gudbranson’s goal,
• Joe Perry earned an assist on Dzierkals’ goal.
• Hunter Fejes earned the primary assist on Piccinich’s goal. He now has a two-game point streak (1g-1a).
• Mackenzie Skapski earned his ninth victory of the season with 31 saves on 34 shots against.

NOTABLES

• Orlando’s current third-place seeding in the South Division is the highest the club has been since Oct. 22.
• The win improves Orlando’s win streak to three games, matching the previous season-high of three consecutive victories from Jan. 5-7.
• The Solar Bears completed the regular season series against Norfolk with a 3-3-0-1 record.
• The Solar Bears are now 11-0-0-0 in games in which Dzierkals records a goal.
• Orlando went 1-for-4 on the power play and 2-for-4 on the penalty kill.
• Fejes and Piccinich each led Orlando with seven shots on goal.
• The Solar Bears welcome the Reading Royals to the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center for the first time in three seasons on Thursday, March 1 at 7 p.m. 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) Sam Jardine – ORL3) Kristian Pospisil – 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.

Fiesta 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 our Noche Latina game, presented by Auto Justice Attorney Michael T. Gibson on Friday, March 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.