Solar Bears see nine-game home point streak halted in loss to Everblades

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Solar Bears (31-20-4-0) saw their season-high nine-game home point streak come to an end following a 4-2 loss to the Florida Everblades (38-15-5-0) on Saturday night at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center.

Click here for the box score.

Nathan Perkovich opened the scoring for the visitors when he snapped a shot from the left circle over the blocker of Corbin Boes at the 3:32 mark of the first period.

The Solar Bears equalized at 14:46 when Trevor Olson knocked down a shot by Zach Frye from the high slot, and Mathieu Foget pounced on the loose puck at the side of the net and stuffed it past Jeremy Helvig for his 16th goal of the season.

Brent Pedersen pulled Orlando ahead with a power-play goal at the 4:19 mark of the second period after Troy Bourke fed Pedersen for a one-timer in the slot, and the rookie hammered a shot past the glove of Helvig to make it 2-1.

Blake Winiecki netted a power-play goal for Florida at 9:59 to even the score at 2-2 during a scramble in front of the net that resulted in Winiecki kicking the puck back to his stick and stuffing it past Boes.

The Everblades re-took the lead at 14:15 when Derek Sheppard squeaked a shot through the arm of Boes during a shorthanded sequence for the visitors.

Perkovich tallied another power-play goal for the Everblades just 1:06 into the third period to max out the scoring at 4-2 in favor of Florida.

Patrik Bajkov was awarded a penalty shot for Florida at 1:40 after Michael Neville was hauled down on a breakaway, but Boes prevented Bajkov from widening the Everblades’ lead as the goalie out-waited Bajkov, forcing the forward to shoot over the net.

Although the Solar Bears pulled Boes for an extra skater with over a minute left in regulation, Orlando was unable to generate an additional goal to close the gap.

Boes took the loss with a season-high 44-save effort on 48 shots against; Helvig picked up the win with 20 stops on 22 shots against.

THREE STARS1) Nathan Perkovich – FLA2) Derek Sheppard – FLA3) Steven Lorentz – FLA

NOTABLES:

• The loss was Orlando’s first defeat in regulation on home ice since Jan. 5, a 2-1 loss to South Carolina. Orlando’s home point streak ends tonight after the team went 8-0-1-0 from Jan. 6 through Feb. 27 at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center. In that time, the Solar Bears have moved up from fourth place in the South Division to second place, with a two-point lead on third place Jacksonville, with three games in hand.
• The Solar Bears still maintain the lead in the regular season series with Florida, as Orlando holds a 5-3-1-0 record against the Everblades with three games remaining in the series.
• Olson’s assist on Foget’s goal extended his point streak to eight games (7g-5a).

NEXT GAMES: The Solar Bears hit the road for a three-game set with the Newfoundland Growlers, starting with the opening battle at Mile One Centre on Friday, March 8 at 5:30 p.m. EST. The Solar Bears return home on Wednesday, March 13 at 7 p.m. for a Wine Down Wednesday against the Florida Everblades, featuring $5 wine specials 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.