Kerbashian buries Swamp Rabbits in OT to lift Solar Bears to 3-2 win

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Orlando Solar Bears (30-25-5-1) scored all of their goals on the power play and rallied from down 2-1 in the third period to come away with a 3-2 overtime win against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (21-33-7-1) on Sunday afternoon at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

With the victory, the Solar Bears (62 GP, 66 points) now hold a seven-point lead on the Atlanta Gladiators (62 GP, 59 points) for third place in the South Division. Additionally, Orlando’s magic number to clinch a berth in the 2018 Kelly Cup Playoffs has been reduced to eight points as a result of the win by the Solar Bears and a 6-3 loss by the Jacksonville Icemen (61 GP, 51 points) to the South Carolina Stingrays.

Click here for the box score.

SCORING SUMMARY

Orlando: J.J. Piccinich (Hunter Fejes, Alex Gudbranson), Sam Jardine (Dzierkals, Gudbranson), Kale Kerbashian  (Dzierkals, Piccinich)

Goaltender: Mackenzie Skapski (37/39)

Greenville: Shane Walsh (Garret Clemment, Sean Flanagan), Walsh (Austin McKay, Matt Johnson)

Goaltender: Brandon Halverson (29/32)

ON THE SCORESHEET

• J.J. Piccinich opened the scoring at the 7:23 mark of the second period with a power-play goal for his 16th tally of the season. Piccinich also logged an assist on the game-winning goal.
• Sam Jardine tied the score at 2-2 at 12:13 of the third period with a goal on the man advantage to give the defenseman his fourth goal of the season.
• Kale Kerbashian sealed the win for the Solar Bears with his sixth goal of the season just 26 seconds into the extra frame. It was the veteran forward’s third game-winning goal of the season, and his second that has come in overtime. Kerbashian now has a two-game goal streak (2g).
• Martins Dzierkals picked up two assists on the day, helping set up both the game-tying and game-winning tallies. The rookie now has a two-game point streak (1g-2a).
• Alex Gudbranson enjoyed a two-point afternoon, assisting on the goals scored by Piccinich and Kerbashian. It was the defenseman’s fourth multi-point outing of the season, and he now has a two-game assist streak (3a).
• Hunter Fejes assisted on Piccinich’s goal when Gudbranson’s shot deflected off the forward’s skate in front of the net and rebounded to Piccinich. Fejes has a two-game point streak (1g-2a).
• Mackenzie Skapski picked up his 11th win of the season for the Solar Bears, making 37 saves on 39 shots against.

NOTABLES

• Kerbashian led the Solar Bears with six shots on goal.
• The victory allowed the Solar Bears to reach the 30-win mark for the fifth time in franchise history.
• Orlando went 3-for-5 on the power play and 5-for-6 on the penalty kill.
• The Solar Bears are now 4-3-1-0 against Greenville this season. The two teams complete their regular season series on Saturday, March 31 at Orlando.
• The Solar Bears return home to face the Florida Everblades on Thursday, March 15 in a Wawa Sunshine Cup Series game. Single-game tickets for the 2017-18 season are now on sale at the Amway Center box office and com.

THREE STARS1) Shane Walsh – GRN2) Kale Kerbashian – ORL3) Brandon Halverson – GRN

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.