Solar Bears skate to 2-1 win over Gladiators

ORLANDO, Fla. – Mitch Hults and Dylan Fitze scored and Martin Ouellette made 30 saves as the Orlando Solar Bears (13-9-2-0) hung on for a 2-1 win over the Atlanta Gladiators (5-13-5-1) on Sunday afternoon at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center.

Click herefor the box score.

The Solar Bears opened the scoring in the first period after Hunter Fejes brought the puck into the offensive zone and fired a shot off the pads of Sean Bonar. The puck popped back into the slot, where Hults fired home his first of the year with Orlando at the 9:24 mark.

Fitze netted the eventual game-winning tally late in the second, as the rookie drove to the front of the Atlanta net from the left corner. Although Bonar made the initial save, Fitze collected his own rebound and stuffed it past the goaltender at 19:44.

Atlanta got on the board in the third period, when Derek Nesbitt redirected a point shot from Vytal Cote at 13:43 past Ouellette.

Ouellette and the rest of the Solar Bears defense came up big the rest of the way, most notably during a 40-second sequence with just under six minutes left in the game in which the Gladiators made several shot attempts that were either stopped by the goaltender or blocked altogether.

Ouellette earned the victory on 31 shots against for his eighth win of the season; Bonar took the loss with 35 stops on 37 shots against.

NOTABLES

• Mathieu Foget led Orlando with seven shots on goal.
• The Solar Bears are now 11-0-0-0 when leading after two periods.

THREE STARS1) Martin Ouellette – ORL2) Mike Monfredo – ORL3) Hunter Fejes – ORL

NEXT GAME: The Solar Bears are back in action just over 24 hours later when they battle the South Carolina Stingrays on home ice on Monday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. CLICK HEREto purchase tickets.The Solar Bears will host their annual Teddy Bear Toss, presented by Jewett Orthopaedic Clinic, against the Florida Everblades on Friday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. CLICK HEREto take advantage of a special Teddy Bear Toss ticket package.

Festive Four Packs presented by CenturyLink

Get the perfect holiday stocking stuffer when you purchase a Festive Four Packs, presented by CenturyLink! Pick any four games and get $65 dollars in gift certificates to Dick’s Sporting Goods, Duffy’s Sports Grill, QDOBA Mexican Eats and a FREE center ice ticket to the Orlando Solar Bears Teddy Bear Toss game on Friday, December 21st! Packs start as low as $69.99 – CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE.

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 Membershipsfor 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.