McAuley, Ouellette lift Solar Bears to 3-2 shootout win

ORLANDO, Fla. – In their first game back on home ice in a month, the Orlando Solar Bears (23-18-3-0) rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the third period, and Colby McAuley and Martin Ouellette starred in the shootout to give Orlando a 3-2 shootout victory over the Jacksonville Icemen (24-20-1-2) on Wednesday night at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center.

Click here for the box score.

Garrett Ladd opened the scoring at 5:38 of the first period when he knocked a Cody Fowlie rebound past Martin Ouellette to make it 1-0 in favor of the visitors.

Dylan Fitze tied the score with his seventh of the season for Orlando when Everett Clark coughed the puck up in the Jacksonville zone. Fitze made his way through the left circle and fired a shot that was initially stopped by Mikhail Berdin, but the forward batted his own rebound into the back of the net at 6:28 to get the Solar Bears on the board.

The Icemen retook the lead when Garet Hunt made it 2-1 at 6:08 of the second period when he tapped a centering feed from David Broll past Ouellette.

Jonne Tammela netted the tying score at 4:12 of the third period when he deflected a point shot from Mike Monfredo into the net for his 12th of the season.

Both teams secured a point with a tie score at the end of regulation, and neither team found the back of the net in the five-minute sudden-death overtime, sending Orlando to its second shootout appearance of the season.

After the first three rounds of the shootout went without a goal, Mike Robinson scored for Orlando in the top of round four, but Fowlie equalized for Jacksonville to send the shootout to a fifth round. Colby McAuley beat Berdin low to the glove side, and Ouellette made a poke-check on Cam Maclise to secure the victory.

Ouellette earned the win with 27 saves on 29 shots against; Berdin took the shootout loss with 44 saves on 46 shots against.

THREE STARS1) Colby McAuley – ORL2) Dylan Fitze – ORL3) Martin Ouellette – ORL

NOTABLES

• The Solar Bears are now 8-0-3-0 in games played past regulation this season. Orlando is 2-0 in the shootout. Orlando’s 19 points earned by playing past regulation lead the Eastern Conference and are second overall.
• Orlando improved to 5-2-0-0 on the season against the Icemen with the victory
• McAuley’s assist on Tammela’s goal extends his point streak to eight games (3g-8a), a new season-high for Orlando skaters.
• Monfredo’s assist on Tammela’s goal gives the defenseman a three-game point streak (1g-2a).

NEXT GAMES: The Solar Bears host the Jacksonville Icemen again on Friday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. for 80s Night. Make sure to stock up on the hairspray and wear your favorite 80s threads! The best 80s outfit will be going home with a gnarly Solar Bears prize pack. 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.