Solar Bears drop rubber match to Steelheads

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Solar Bears (34-23-4-1) closed out their three-game series against the Idaho Steelheads (37-22-3-2) with a 7-2 loss on Tuesday night at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center.

Click here for the box score.

The Solar Bears took an initial 1-0 lead when Mathieu Foget backhanded his 19th of the season past Tomas Sholl at 3:25 of the first period on the power play.

The Steelheads tied the score when a point shot from Charlie Dodero deflected off the skate of Connor Chatham and past Corbin Boes at 5:13 to draw Idaho level.

The Steelheads then took the lead at 10:45 when Elgin Pearce knocked the puck into the back of the net off a goalmouth scramble.

Nolan Gluchowski beat a screened Boes at 10:45 on the power play to put Idaho ahead 3-1, prompting the Solar Bears to replace Boes with Connor Ingram.

Idaho continued to find the back of the net in the second period, as Spencer Naas lit the lamp at 1:23 of the second frame, and Steven McParland tallied another power-play goal for the visitors at 12:30 to give Idaho a 5-1 lead.

Orlando stopped the bleeding at 18:31 as Mitch Hults flipped a pass over to Jackson Playfair, who settled the pick down before snapping a shot past Sholl to cut Orlando’s deficit back to three goals.

The Steelheads countered with two more goals in the third period to close out the scoring, as Will Merchant scored on an empty-net goal at 15:52 and Spencer Naas scored at 18:24.

Boes took the loss with 11 saves on 14 shots against, while Ingram made 24 stops on 27 shots against in relief; Sholl picked up the win as he turned aside 38 of 40 shots.

THREE STARS1) Tomas Sholl – IDH2) Steven McParland – IDH3) Connor Chatham – IDH

NOTABLES:

• Orlando’s magic number to clinch a berth in the 2019 Kelly Cup Playoffs remains at six points.
• Troy Bourke assisted on Foget’s goal, extending his point streak to six games (3g-10a).

NEXT GAME: The Solar Bears square off against the Atlanta Gladiators on Thursday, March 21at 7 p.m. for a Thirsty Thursday, presented by Coors Light. Fans can take advantage of $5 domestic draft beers throughout the game. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets for this game.

2019-20 Season Ticket Memberships on Sale Now:

Upgrade to Solar Status and become a Season Ticket Member today. Season ticket memberships for the 2019-20 season are now on sale and start as little as $270 – CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

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.

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.