Solar Bears fall to Admirals, 3-2

ORLANDO, Fla. – Despite a power-play goal from Chris LeBlanc and a club-record 12 shots on goal from Hunter Fejes, the Orlando Solar Bears (0-2-0-0) couldn’t overcome a 49-save performance from opposing netminder Brandon Halverson and fell to the Norfolk Admirals (1-2-0-0) by a 3-2 score on Friday at the Jewett Orthopaedic Rink at Amway Center.

Box Score

The Solar Bears came out flying in the first period, outshooting the Admirals by a 19-6 margin, but Halverson came up with several big stops for the visitors to keep the score tied 0-0 at the end of the opening frame.

Zachary Fucale, meanwhile, made several key stops for Orlando to shore up the team’s defensive efforts. The goalie notably made a brilliant goal-line save at the 8:20 mark when the puck trickled through the crease, before Fucale reached behind his body and covered the puck with his glove before it could enter the net.

Norfolk eventually opened the scoring at 2:01 of the second frame when Christian Horn netted a power-play strike for the Admirals.

Charlie O’Connor made it 2-0 for the visitors at 7:58 of the third period when he snapped a shot through the legs of Fucale.

LeBlanc netted his first goal of the season at 9:12 when Fejes sent a pass into the slot from the left side of the offensive zone, allowing LeBlanc to beat Halverson and find the back of the net with a power-play tally.

The Solar Bears pulled Fucale late in the game for an extra attacker, but Alex Rodriguez buried an empty-net goal for Norfolk at 18:29 to once again restore the two-goal edge for the visitors.

Despite the setback, Orlando pulled Fucale again and pushed back at 19:02 when Cody Donaghey blasted a one-timer past a screened Halverson to pull the hosts back to within a goal, but the Solar Bears eventually ran out of time in their comeback attempt.

Fucale took the loss with 26 saves on 28 shots against; Halverson earned the win for Norfolk with 49 stops against 51 total shots.

THREE STARS:

1. Brandon Halverson – NOR
2. Alex Rodriguez – NOR
3. Chris LeBlanc – ORL

NOTABLES:

• Fejes and Tristin Langan both led Orlando with two points, as each player earned assists on both goals by the Solar Bears
• Fejes’ 12 shots on goal led the Solar Bears and set a new franchise single-game record for shots on goal by an individual skater, breaking the record previously shared by Colby McAuley (March 9, 2019 at Newfoundland), Eric Faille (Nov. 17, 2016 vs. Greenville) and Eric Baier (Nov. 8, 2015 vs. Florida) – the effort came in Fejes’ first game back with the team after re-signing with the team earlier in the week for his third season with the organization
• Ivan Kosorenkov (2g-0a), Donaghey (1g-1a), Fejes (0g-2a) and Langan (0g-2a) are all tied for the team lead in scoring
• Fucale’s .929 save percentage following Friday’s game ranks him 11th in the league

NEXT GAME:

The Solar Bears face the South Carolina Stingrays on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. at North Charleston Coliseum. The Solar Bears return home to face the Florida Everblades at the Jewett Orthopaedic Rink at Amway Center on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets for this game.

Purchase Single-Game Tickets:

Single-game tickets for all Solar Bears home games are now on sale at the Amway Center box office and Ticketmaster. CLICK HERE to download the calendar for the 2019-20 season.

Order New Jerseys:

The Orlando Solar Bears will wear new jerseys for the 2019-20 season. An extremely limited quantity of replica jerseys are available for purchase online, with adult sizes available for $149.95 and youth sizes available for $109.95. Fans can visit bit.ly/OSBJerseys to place their order today.

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.

2019-20 Season Presented by XYMOPrint:

The 2019-20 Orlando Solar Bears season is presented by XYMOPrint, Orlando’s digital printing experts. As a special offer, fans who call XYMOPrint at (888) 223-9390 from now until June 15, 2021 and reference the Solar Bears will receive 15% off their first order and a free Orlando Solar Bears poster!

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 seven seasons of operation, the team has qualified for the Kelly Cup Playoffs five times. The Solar Bears are owned and operated by the Orlando Magic and the DeVos Family, and play 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.