Solar Bears drop back-and-forth tilt with Stingrays

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – Despite scoring three goals in the first period and Chris LeBlanc registering his first multi-goal game of the season, the Orlando Solar Bears (11-12-4-1) suffered a 6-4 loss to the South Carolina Stingrays (20-2-3-0) as Dan DeSalvo recorded three goals to lead the home team to victory on Friday night at the North Charleston Coliseum.

Box Score

Tristin Langan gave Orlando a 1-0 lead at 4:38 of the first period when he beat Parker Milner for his seventh of the season during a four-on-four sequence.

DeSalvo scored twice in a 32-second span, beating Zachary Fucale at 8:20 and 8:52 to give South Carolina a 2-1 lead.

LeBlanc buried his seventh of the season at 13:08 to tie the score at 2-2 when he slipped behind a pair of defenders and tucked the puck past Milner.

Mikhail Shalagin put Orlando ahead once again when he snapped a shot from the high slot into the net at 14:05 for his sixth of the season.

DeSalvo tied the score for South Carolina with his third of the evening at 6:34 to complete the hat trick.

Matthew Weis then drilled a shot into the net from the top of the circle to give the Stingrays a 4-3 lead at 15:50.

LeBlanc got his second of the night when he intercepted a DeSalvo pass at the Orlando blue line and raced up the ice and deked out Milner for a shorthanded breakaway goal at 1:59 of the third period, tying the score at 4-4.

Jordan Klimek scored the eventual game-winner at 3:33, and Andrew Cherniwchan tallied a shorthanded insurance goal for the Stingrays at 11:20.

Fucale took the loss with 28 saves on 34 shots against; Milner picked up the win with 25 stops on 29 shots against.

THREE STARS:

1. Dan DeSalvo – SC
2. Max Novak – SC
3. Mark Cooper – SC  

NOTABLES:

• LeBlanc takes sole possession of the team’s goal-scoring lead, and has six points (3g-3a) over his last five outings
• Johno May assisted on both of Orlando’s first two goals, and now has eight points (4g-4a) in five games for Orlando since his acquisition from Greenville on Dec. 13
• Langan recorded his second consecutive multi-point game, and has four points (1g-3a) over his last two games
• Shalagin scored for the second consecutive game, and has three goals over his last five games
• Orlando’s three goals in the first period were the most scored by the team in the opening frame this season  

NEXT GAMES:

The Solar Bears finish their pre-holiday break schedule when they visit the Atlanta Gladiators on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 7:05 p.m. at Infinite Energy Arena. The Solar Bears return home to face the Jacksonville Icemen on Thursday, Dec. 26 at 7 p.m. for a Thirsty Thursday, presented by Coors Light; fans can take advantage of $5 domestic drafts during the game. 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.