ESTERO, Fla. – The Orlando Solar Bears (4-2) played through a solid first two periods, but the Florida Everblades (6-0) pulled away in the third frame with a four-goal effort as Orlando fell by a 5-1 decision on Saturday night at Germain Arena to fall into a 2-0 series deficit in the South Division Finals.
Click here for the box score.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | FINAL | |
| ORLANDO | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| FLORIDA | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
After Sam Warning gave the Everblades the lead at 4:28 of the first period, Solar Bears forward Chris LeBlanc netted his first of the playoffs when he redirected a shot from the point by Sam Jardine past Martin Ouellette at 7:58 to tie the score at 1-1.
Following a scoreless second period, the Everblades seized the lead again in the third frame, as Warning buried a shot from the left circle past Cal Heeter 59 seconds into the period. Mitchell Heard then tacked on two goals, including a power-play marker at 6:24, and David Dziurzynski buried a shorthanded tally at 13:27 to cap the scoring.
Heeter took the loss with 30 saves on 35 shots against; Ouellette earned the win with 26 stops on 27 shots against.
NOTABLES
- LeBlanc, Jardine and Kale Kerbashian led the Solar Bears with five shots on goal.
THREE STARS1) Sam Warning – FLA2) Mitchell Heard – FLA3) John McCarron – FLA
PLAYOFF TICKETS: The Solar Bears are battling the Florida Everblades in the South Division Finals of the 2018 Kelly Cup Playoffs, presented by Coors Light, and will host the following games at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center:
- Game 3 – Thursday, May 3 at 7 p.m.
- Game 4 – Friday, May 4 at 7 p.m.
- Game 5 – Sunday, May 6 at 1:30 p.m. (if necessary)
Tickets for the second round of the 2018 Kelly Cup Playoffs are on sale now – fans can purchase tickets starting at $18 through the Amway Center box office or by visiting ticketmaster.com.
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.
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