Game Preview: Solar Bears at Icemen | Jan. 18, 2020

WHO: Orlando Solar Bears at Jacksonville IcemenVENUE: VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Fla.DATE: Saturday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m.WATCH: ECHL.TVLISTEN: OSB Radio via Facebook, Mixlr, and TuneIn

TONIGHT: The Orlando Solar Bears (15-15-5-1) face the Jacksonville Icemen (12-20-4-0) for the seventh of 11 meetings this season. Orlando owns a 6-0-0-0 record against Jacksonville this season, and is in the midst of a 13-0-0-0 run against the Icemen; the last time the Solar Bears suffered a loss to Jacksonville was on Dec. 28, 2018. The Solar Bears are coming off a 5-4 overtime loss Friday night at Atlanta, while the Icemen dropped a 4-1 road decision to the South Carolina Stingrays last night.

NO LIPANOV TO BREAK THE ICE: Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Alexey Lipanov had been Orlando’s leading scorer against Jacksonville prior to his reassignment to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch earlier this month - the rookie forward had five points (4g-1a). The Solar Bears will now rely on forwards Johno May - who has four points (3g-1a) in five combined games against Jacksonville with both Greenville and Orlando - and Chris LeBlanc (1g-3a).

WINDSOR A LIKELY CANDIDATE TO START: After Zachary Fucale got the start on Friday against Atlanta, the Solar Bears may opt to return to Clint Windsor between the pipes for tonight’s clash with the Icemen. The goaltender is 3-0-0 against Jacksonville this season with two shutouts, a 0.33 goals-against average and a save percentage of .988.

ABBANDONATO HAS CHANCE TO MATCH STREAK: After chipping in two assists last night, rookie forward Peter Abbandonato increased his point streak to five games (2g-6a); that streak matched Tristin Langan’s run from Dec. 2-10 (3g-2a) for the longest streak by a Solar Bears rookie this season. Abbandonato only needs to pick up a point tonight to match Johno May’s streak from Dec. 13-26 (5g-4a) for the longest point streak this season for an Orlando player.

DRAPLUK ENJOYING STRONG JANUARY: Eric Drapluk has been enjoying a strong first month of 2020 - the blueliner leads Orlando’s defensemen with four assists through five games and has recorded assists in back-to-back contests this week.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: No single individual player on the Icemen roster has scored more than one goal against the Solar Bears this season. Forward and captain Emerson Clark leads Jacksonville in scoring against Orlando with three assists.

NEXT GAMES:

The Solar Bears complete their six-game road trip on Sunday, Jan. 19 when they face the South Carolina Stingrays at the North Charleston Coliseum at 3:05 p.m. The Solar Bears return home to face the Jacksonville Icemen on Thursday, Jan. 23 for a Thirsty Thursday, presented by Coors Light – fans can take advantage of $5 domestic draft beers 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.