Solar Bears defeat Icemen to clinch home ice in first round of playoffs

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Solar Bears (39-25-4-1) clinched home ice advantage in the first round of the 2019 Kelly Cup Playoffs as the club picked up a 2-0 win over the Jacksonville Icemen (36-30-2-2) on Tuesday night at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center.

Click here for the box score.

The Solar Bears took a 1-0 lead when Colby McAuley sent a pass from the left corner into the slot for Troy Bourke, who wristed his 11th of the season past Angus Redmond at 5:39.

Orlando made it 2-0 at the 13:15 mark on the power play, as Chris LeBlanc dished the puck from the left circle to Alexei Lipanov at the right post, and the Tampa Bay Lightning prospect buried his first professional goal to extend the lead.

Through the second period, the Solar Bears continued to maintain their lead on the Icemen, thanks in part to Connor Ingram, who turned aside 14 chances, including a glove save on Maxime Fortier from the slot at the 10:14 mark of the frame.

The Solar Bears then smothered the Icemen in the third, limiting the visitors to just three shots on goal to secure the win.

Ingram earned the shutout victory by stopping all 30 shots he faced; Redmond took the loss with 37 saves on 39 shots against.

THREE STARS1) Connor Ingram – ORL2) Alexei Lipanov – ORL3) Tayler Thompson – ORL

NOTABLES:

• Although Orlando has locked up second place in the South Division, the final seedings – and Orlando’s first round opponent – have yet to be determined. The Solar Bears will open the South Division Semifinals next week at home, with Game 1 set for Wednesday, April 10 at 7 p.m. and Game 2 set for Friday, April 12 at 7 p.m. Further details about Orlando’s first-round schedule and opponent will be announced in the coming days.
• The Solar Bears lead the regular season series against Jacksonville with an 9-2-0-0 record, and conclude the series on Sunday at home. Orlando improved to a lifetime 10-0-0-0 at home against Jacksonville.
• The game was the 250th home game in franchise history – Orlando is a lifetime 131-88-15-16 (.586) on the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center ice.
• Bourke’s goal extends his point streak to four games (1g-3a).
• LeBlanc finished the night with two assists, extending his point streak to four games (2g-3a).

NEXT GAME: Fans can take advantage of $5 domestic draft beers when the Solar Bears host Thirsty Thursday, presented Coors Light on Thursday, April 4 as Orlando takes on the Atlanta Gladiators 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.