Fejes lifts Solar Bears past Everblades in OT

ESTERO, Fla. – Trevor Olson and Hunter Fejes sparked a third-period comeback and the Orlando Solar Bears (4-3-0-0) rallied for a 5-4 overtime win over the Florida Everblades (2-3-1-0) on Saturday night at Hertz Arena.

Click here for the box score.

The Everblades struck first in the opening period when John McCarron buried a Justin Auger rebound past Martin Ouellette at 5:22, but Michael Brodzinski tied the score at 1-1 for the Solar Bears with a one-timer that beat Jeremy Helvig at 15:17, with Nolan Valleau and Fejes providing the assists.

The Solar Bears took a 2-1 lead in the second period after Dylan Fitze stripped Helvig of the puck behind the Everblades net and jammed it into the open cage at 3:54 for his first professional goal.

Florida answered with goals from Zach Nastasiuk at 5:10, Justin Auger at 7:49 and Tommy Thompson at 13:05 to put Orlando in a 4-2 deficit at the conclusion of the frame.

Olson helped ignite Orlando’s comeback when he redirected a centering feed from Fitze past Helvig at 4:59.

Chris LeBlanc was whistled for interference at 9:25, but the Solar Bears continued to press. Fejes used his speed to force a breakaway following a turnover at the Orlando blueline, allowing the forward to race into the offensive zone and beat Helvig for a shorthanded goal at 11:04 to tie the game at 4-4.

The score stood at the end of regulation, sending the Solar Bears to their first overtime game of the season. Fejes secured the extra point for Orlando when he received a pass from Cody Donaghey and snapped a shot from the right circle over the glove of Helvig 58 seconds into the extra frame.

Ouellette’s 19 saves on 23 shots against gave him his third consecutive win; Helvig took the loss with 28 stops on 33 shots against.

NOTABLES

• The back-to-back wins against Florida marks the first time Orlando has defeated the Everblades in consecutive regular season games since January of 2016, when the Solar Bears beat Florida on Jan. 1 (at Florida, 5-3) and Jan. 2 (vs. Florida, 3-1).
• Fejes now has a seven-game point streak (7g-4a) to open the season and leads Orlando in overall scoring. His third shorthanded goal also ties the club single-season mark shared with J.J. Piccinich (2017-18), Eric Faille (2016-17), Brett Findlay (2016-17) and Brady Vail (2014-15).
• Brodzinski’s goal extended the defenseman’s point streak to four games (3g-1a).
• Brent Pedersen’s assist on the game-winning goal gives the rookie forward a three-game point streak (1g-2a).
• Fitze led Orlando with four shots on goal.

THREE STARS1) Hunter Fejes – ORL2) Justin Auger – FLA3) Dylan Fitze – ORL

NEXT GAME:  The Solar Bears remain on the road, as the team journeys north to face the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Friday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Orlando’s next home game will be the team’s School Day Game against the Jacksonville Icemen on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 10:30 a.m. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets.

2018-19 Season Presented by XYMOPrint:

The Orlando Solar Bears are proud to have local digital printing experts XYMOPrintas the presenting sponsor of the 2018-19 season. As a special offer, fans who call XYMOPrint at (888) 223-9390 from now until June 15, 2019 and reference the Solar Bears will receive 30% off their first order of 500 business cards.

2018-19 Single-Game Tickets Now on Sale:

Single-game tickets for the Orlando Solar Bears 2018-19 regular season home schedule are now on sale. Fans can purchase single-game tickets for as little as $15 at the Amway Center box office, or online at Ticketmaster.com.

2018-19 Season Ticket Memberships:

Season Ticket Memberships for the seventh season of ECHL Orlando Solar Bears hockey are now on sale. Full and Half-Season memberships are both available, starting as low as $270. For more information, call (407) 951-8200 or visit orlandosolarbearshockey.com.

About the Orlando Solar Bears:

The Orlando Solar Bears are the proud affiliate of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning and members of the ECHL, the premier “AA” hockey league in North America. In six seasons of operation, the team has qualified for the Kelly Cup Playoffs four times. 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.