Fucale shines again for Solar Bears in win over Steelheads

BOISE, Idaho – Zachary Fucale turned aside all 44 shots he faced for his second consecutive shutout win, as the Orlando Solar Bears (5-7-1-1) picked up a 3-0 victory over the Idaho Steelehads (8-5-2-2) on Wednesday night at CenturyLink Arena.

Box Score

The Solar Bears took a 1-0 lead in the first period when Hunter Fejes directed the puck back to the blue line, where defenseman Rich Boyd stepped into a shot that beat goaltender Colton Point to the glove side at 4:18 for his first professional goal.

A late second-period penalty to Idaho’s Joe Basaraba resulted in Orlando entering the third period with a 5-on-4 man advantage.

The Solar Bears capitalized on the power play just 27 seconds into the third stanza when Alexey Lipanov sent a tape-to-tape pass across the slot to Mikhail Shalagin, who snapped a shot past Point for his second goal of the season.

The Steelheads pulled Point for an extra attacker in the final two minutes of regulation, and Trevor Olson sealed the game with an empty-net tally at 19:59 for his third goal of the season.

Fucale’s second victory of the season was made possible by a season-high 44 saves, including a game-high 16 in the third period; Point took the loss with 19 stops on 21 shots against.

THREE STARS:

1. Zachary Fucale – ORL
2. Hunter Fejes – ORL
3. Rich Boyd – ORL  

NOTABLES:

• Fucale’s 44 saves set a new club record for saves by a goaltender in a shutout, breaking the record of 43 set by Patrick Killeen on March 20, 2013 vs. Greenville; Fucale is also the first Solar Bears goaltender to record back-to-back shutouts since Maxime Clermont managed the feat on March 9, 2015 vs. Cincinnati and March 11 at Toledo
• The Solar Bears went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill, pushing their streak of not surrendering a power-play goal to 11 games since Oct. 25; The Solar Bears have gone 42-for-42 with the PK over that span and lead the ECHL on the season with a PK rate of 93.4%
• Fejes’ assists gives him a three-game point streak (2g-2a)
• Lipanov’s assist on Shalagin’s goal gives the forward a two-game point streak (1g-1a)
• Olson’s goal gives the forward a two-game goal-scoring streak (2g)
• Olson and Cody Donaghey tied for the team lead with three shots on goal  

NEXT GAMES:

The Solar Bears continue their road trip when they visit the Utah Grizzlies on Friday, Nov. 22 at 9:10 p.m. ET at Maverik Center. The Solar Bears return home to host the Norfolk Admirals on Tuesday, Nov. 26 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. 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.