Solar Bears throttle Swamp Rabbits, 5-1

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Michael Brodzinski and Chris LeBlanc recorded their first three-point games of the season and Johno May dished out two assists in his debut with his new team as the Orlando Solar Bears (9-10-4-1) hammered the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (12-12-0-1) by a 5-1 score on Friday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Box Score

The Solar Bears drew the first lead of the game when Kevin Lohan knocked the puck behind the net from the slot, allowing Trevor Olson to scoop it up and stuff it past Callum Booth on a wrap-around at the left post at 16:45 of the first period for his fifth goal of the season.

The Swamp Rabbits answered when Jacob Pritchard sped up the left side of the ice and roofed a shot over the shoulder of Zachary Fucale at 19:49 to even the score at 1-1.

The Solar Bears pulled ahead in the second period when May intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and carried the puck into the Greenville zone on a 2-on-1 with Jimmy Lodge. May’s initial shot was stopped by the pads of Booth, but the rebound popped out to Lodge who fired the puck into an open net for his second of the season at 8:26.

Orlando rode a three-goal surge in the final frame to close out the scoring, as Brodzinski continued the scoring binge with his second of the season following a face-off win from LeBlanc back to May, who found Brodzinski for a wrist shot that beat Booth at 3:44.

Brodzinski then lobbed a rainbow pass out of the defensive zone ahead to Mikhail Shalagin, who raced down the loose puck at the Greenville blue line and flipped the puck behind Booth at 11:59 for his fourth of the season.

After Greenville’s Nathan Perkovich and Travis Howe were ejected from the game at 13:43 and Matt Marcinew was sent off for tripping at 16:46, the Solar Bears capitalized on the two-man advantage. LeBlanc finished a tic-tac-toe play with Brodzinski and Hunter Fejes to bury his sixth of the season past an out-of-position Booth at 17:02.

Fucale earned his fifth win of the season with 28 saves on 29 shots against; Booth took the loss with 29 stops on 34 shots against.

THREE STARS:

1. Michael Brodzinski – ORL
2. Johno May – ORL
3. Zachary Fucale – ORL

NOTABLES:

• The win, along with Atlanta’s loss tonight to Jacksonville, pushes Orlando back into fourth place in the South Division. The Solar Bears sit two points behind Greenville for third with one game in hand
• LeBlanc (1g-2a tonight) is now tied with Tristin Langan for the team lead in goals with six; the third-year pro also has six points (2g-4a) over his last six games
• Fejes’ assist on LeBlanc’s goal in his return from his try-out with the Manitoba Moose extends his point streak with the Solar Bears to four games (2g-3a) dating back to Nov. 14 vs. Florida
• Brodzinski now has eight points (1g-7a) over his last six games
• May recorded his two assists
• May recorded his two assists in his first game with Orlando after his acquisition earlier in the day from Greenville in exchange for Mike Monfredo and future considerations
• Orlando went 1-for-4 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill  

NEXT GAME:

The Solar Bears continue their road trip when they visit the Jacksonville Icemen at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. The Solar Bears return home to face the Kansas City Mavericks for the first time since the 2016-17 season on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. for a Wine Down Wednesday; fans can take advantage of $5 wine specials 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.