Late pair of goals spoils final contest before All-Star break

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Orlando Solar Bears (20-17-3-0) kept pace with the South Carolina Stingrays (22-17-2-0) through two periods of play, but a pair of goals late in the third frame dealt Orlando a 5-3 loss on Sunday afternoon at the North Charleston Coliseum in the final match for the Solar Bears before the All-Star break.

Click here for the box score.

Grant Besse opened the scoring with a shorthanded tally at 4:58 of the first period as he drove wide on the net before cutting to the inside and backhanded a shot through the legs of Corbin Boes.

Jonne Tammela evened the score at 8:04 for his 10th of the season following a face-off win by Colby McAuley in the offensive zone. Alex Schoenborn tapped the puck into the slot and Tammela hammered home the tying score past Angus Redmond to make it 1-1.

Kevin McKernan redirected a Matt Pohlkamp shot past Boes at 11:06 to give the Stingrays a 2-1 edge.

Tammela helped tie the score again when he stole the puck from Jordan Samuels-Thomas at the Stingrays blue line and raced into the offensive zone with Mathieu Foget on a 2-on-0 shorthandedand breakaway. Tammela weaved with his linemate and set up Foget at the right side of the net for an easy tap-in past Redmond to bring the score even at 2-2 at 13:03.

Tim Davison made it 3-2 for the Stingrays at 12:17 of the second period with a wrist shot from the left point that fluttered past a screened Boes for a power-play goal.

The Solar Bears drew level less than a minute later after forcing a turnover in the offensive zone, and Chris LeBlanc sent a pass from the left circle through a defenseman’s skates to Tammela, who fired home his second of the afternoon at 13:13.

Boes kept the score tied at 4:07 of the third period when Jordan Samuels-Thomas was awarded a penalty shot for South Carolina. The goaltender made a stick save to foil Samuels-Thomas’ attempt from inside the right circle.

Josh Gratton pulled the Stingrays ahead for good when he deflected a shot from Tad Kozun past Boes at 16:40, and added another tally during a 5-on-3 man advantage to cap the scoring.

Boes took the loss with 27 saves on 32 shots against; Redmond earned the victory for South Carolina with 39 stops on 42 shots against.

THREE STARS1) Angus Redmond – SC2) Josh Gratton – SC3) Jonne Tammela – ORL

NOTABLES

• Tammela had his second consecutive three-point game and led Orlando for the week with six points (3g-3a) in three games.
• McAuley’s assist on Tammela’s first goal gives the forward a four-game point streak (2g-3a).
• Mike Monfredo assisted on Tammela’s second goal, giving the defenseman a two-game assist streak.

NEXT GAMES: The Solar Bears continue their road trip when they face the Atlanta Gladiators on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 7:35 p.m. at Infinite Energy Arena. The Solar Bears return home to host the Jacksonville Icemen on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. for a Wine Down Wednesday. Fans can take advantage of $5 wine specials during the game. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets for the game.

Fighting Four Packs presented by CenturyLink:

Gear up for the second half of the 2018-19 season with a Fighting Four Pack, presented by CenturyLink! Pick any four remaining home games and get $65 dollars in gift certificates to Dick’s Sporting Goods, First Watch, QDOBA Mexican Eats and a FREE center ice ticket to the Saturday, Feb. 23 game against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, part of Hockey Fights Cancer Weekend, presented by XYMOPrint. 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 XYMOPrint as 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.