Perry caps historic night with hat trick in Solar Bears win

ORLANDO, Fla. – Joe Perry capped a hat trick performance in the final second of regulation to take over the franchise goal-scoring mark, and Hunter Fejes enjoyed a three-point night as the Orlando Solar Bears (32-28-6-3) turned in a dominant performance against the Jacksonville Icemen (25-35-4-3) en route to a 6-1 victory on Thursday night at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center.

Click here for the box score.

SCORING SUMMARY

Orlando: Hunter Fejes (Joe Perry), Perry (Max Novak, Martins Dzierkals), Perry (Fejes, Nolan Valleau), Mike Monfredo (Robbie Baillargeon, Kristian Pospisil), Fejes (J.J. Piccinich, Baillargeon), Perry (Joshua Winquist, Piccinich)

Goaltender: Mackenzie Skapski (22/23)

Jacksonville: Tyson Fawcett (Tanner Eberle, Dajon Mingo)

Goaltender: Austin Lotz (28/33), Alex Sakellaropolous (15/16)

ON THE SCORESHEET

• Joe Perry led the way for the Solar Bears with a four-point performance on the night. The forward gave Orlando a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal at the 19:59 mark of the opening frame. Perry netted a shorthanded goal just 1:24 into the second period to make the score 3-1, and capped his scoring binge with one second left in the game, when he redirected a centering feed from Joshua Winquist past Jacksonville goalie Alex Sakellaropolous to complete the hat trick, and tally his 52nd career goal with Orlando, moving him past Eric Faille for sole possession of the franchise mark. Perry also collected an assist on Fejes’ first goal, finishing the night with four points (3g-1a), a season-high for the forward.
• Hunter Fejes got Orlando on the board when he tied the score at 1-1 with a shorthanded marker at 14:28 of the first period – the goal was the forward’s 28th of the season. Fejes tacked on his second goal of the game at 15:40 of the second period to make the score 5-1. The forward also assisted on Perry’s second goal, giving the forward a three-point night (2g-1a). Fejes made his return to the lineup for the Solar Bears after a recent two-game call-up to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
• Mike Monfredo tallied his sixth goal of the season at the 4:24 mark of the second period to make the score 4-1. The veteran defenseman also dropped the gloves with Josh Erickson at the 12:32 mark of the second.
• J.J. Piccinich collected two points, both assists on Fejes’ and Perry’s final goals.
• Robbie Baillargeon also enjoyed a two-assist night, helping set up Monfredo’s tally and Fejes’ second goal of the game.
• Nolan Valleau earned an assist on Perry’s second goal of the game, poking the puck free from the defensive zone to Fejes to create a 2-on-1 rush.
• Martins Dzierkals collected an assist on Perry’s first goal, giving the rookie a two-game assist streak (2a).
• Kristian Pospisil picked up an assist on Monfredo’s goal.
• Max Novak earned the primary assist on Perry’s second goal.
• Joshua Winquist fed Perry for the hat trick goal for his 50th point of the season, making him the second player to reach the 50-point mark with Orlando this season.
• Mackenzie Skapski earned his 12th win of the season with 22 saves on 23 shots against. The goalie went 3-1-1 against Jacksonville this season.

NOTABLES

• Orlando won the regular season series with Jacksonville by posting a 7-1-1-0 record against their division foe.
• Both Novak and Winquist each earned their 21st power-play points of the season with their assists – both now share the Solar Bears single-season record for power-play points, moving past Eric Faille’s (2016-17) previous mark of 20.
• Orlando went 2-for-9 on the man advantage and 5-for-6 on the penalty kill. The Solar Bears also scored twice while shorthanded, setting a new season-high.
• Fejes and Valleau led Orlando with eight shots on goal.
• The Solar Bears close out their 2017-18 regular season home schedule on Saturday, March 31, as they face the Greenville Swamp Rabbits at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center at 7 p.m. Saturday’s game is First Responders Appreciation Night, featuring the Guns N’ Hoses 2 p.m. charity game. Single-game tickets for the 2017-18 season are now on sale at the Amway Center box office and ticketmaster.com.
• The Solar Bears have clinched a spot in the 2018 Kelly Cup Playoffs and will compete in the postseason for the fourth time in their sixth season of ECHL play. Orlando (69 GP, 73 points) sits in third place in the South Division, with a six-point cushion on fourth-place Atlanta (69 GP, 67 points; idle today) – the magic number for the Solar Bears to lock up third place is one point.

THREE STARS1) Joe Perry – ORL2) Hunter Fejes – ORL3) Mike Monfredo – 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.

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