Fitze, Tammela score in 2-1 win over Icemen

ORLANDO, Fla. – Dylan Fitze and Jonne Tammela scored in the first period and Martin Ouellette came up with 27 saves as the Orlando Solar Bears (24-18-3-0) picked up a 2-1 win over the Jacksonville Icemen (24-21-1-2) on Friday night at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center.

Click here for the box score.

Fitze opened the scoring late in the first period when he backhanded an Alexander Kuqali rebound through the crease and past Jacksonville netminder Tanner Jaillet at 17:47 for his eighth of the season.

Tammela then made it 2-0 with his 13th of the season when he snapped a shot past Jaillet from the left wing at 18:58.

Christophe Lalancette got the Icemen on the board exactly at the 10:00 mark of the third period when he snapped a shot over the glove-side shoulder of Ouellette.

With Jaillet pulled for an extra skater in Jacksonville’s bid to tie the score, the Solar Bears hung on until the final seconds of regulation. Orlando secured the two points as Chris LeBlanc won a critical defensive zone faceoff and the defense pinned the puck into the corner as time expired.

Ouellette earned the win with 27 saves on 28 shots against; Jaillet took the loss with 34 saves on 36 shots against.

THREE STARS1) Martin Ouellette – ORL2) Dylan Fitze – ORL3) Alexander Kuqali – ORL

NOTABLES

• Orlando improved to 6-2-0-0 on the season against the Icemen with the victory – the two teams are now tied in points (51), although Jacksonville maintains its third-place seed due to the tiebreaker of more regulation and overtime wins. The Solar Bears are also a lifetime 8-0-0-0 against the Icemen at home.
• Both Fitze and Tammela now have two-game goal streaks (2g).
• Mike Monfredo’s assist on Tammela’s goal gives the defenseman a four-game point streak (1g-3a).

NEXT GAMES: The Solar Bears hit the road to battle the Icemen tomorrow, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Arena. Orlando’s next home game is Single & Mingle Night against the Icemen on Friday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. 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.