Solar Bears rally to clinch playoffs with 3-2 win

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Orlando Solar Bears (37-25-4-1) rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the third period for an incredible 3-2 comeback win over the South Carolina Stingrays (32-31-5-1) on Saturday night at the North Charleston Coliseum to clinch a spot in the 2019 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

Click here for the box score.

Patrick Gaul opened the scoring for the Stingrays with a backhand goal at the right circle that beat Connor Ingram at 18:28 of the first period.

Mason Mitchell extended South Carolina’s lead to 2-0 at 5:41 of the second period when Jonathan Charbonneau’s shot struck the post and rebounded to Mitchell at the right circle.

The Solar Bears began the comeback at 1:47 of the third frame as Tayler Thompson snapped a shot from the right circle past the blocker of Parker Milner to get Orlando on the board and give Thompson his seventh of the season.

The Solar Bears then tied the score at 2-2 at 5:21 when Troy Bourke’s shot struck the right post and bounced off of Chris LeBlanc into the net for LeBlanc’s ninth of the season.

Orlando took its first lead of the night at 10:39 when Thompson won a face-off back to Michael Brodzinski, whose shot from the blue line was tipped past Milner by Alex Schoenborn for his ninth of the season.

Ingram picked up the win with 35 saves on 37 shots against; Milner took the loss with 30 stops on 33 shots against.

THREE STARS1) Tayler Thompson – ORL2) Patrick Gaul – SC3) Connor Ingram – ORL

NOTABLES:

• The win ensured Orlando its third consecutive trip to the ECHL postseason, and fifth overall in seven seasons of operation.
• Orlando’s magic number to clinch second place in the South Division – and ensure home ice advantage for the South Division Semifinals – is four points.
• The win marked the sixth time this season that Orlando has achieved victory when trailing after the second period, which is the second-most among all ECHL clubs. The Maine Mariners lead the ECHL with seven wins when trailing after the second frame.
• LeBlanc’s goal gives the forward a two-game goal streak (2g).

NEXT GAMES: The Solar Bears complete their five-game road trip when the team visits the Greenville Swamp Rabbits at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Sunday, March 31, at 3 p.m. The Solar Bears return to the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center to host the Jacksonville Icemen on Tuesday, April 2 at 7 p.m. 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.