DULUTH, Ga. – The Orlando Solar Bears (26-29-5-1) got goals from Tayler Thompson and Johno May, but ultimately fell by a 3-2 score to the Atlanta Gladiators (29-28-1-2) on Friday night at Infinite Energy Arena.
Orlando remains in fifth place in the South Division as a result of the loss and sits three points behind both Atlanta (fourth place) and Greenville (third place)
Thompson opened the scoring at 5:16 of the first period when he corralled Eric Drapluk’s shot attempt and stuffed his own rebound past Chris Nell for his third goal of the season.
The Gladiators reeled off three straight goals in the second period, as Scott Conway (2:41), Derek Nesbitt (5:18) and Logan Nelson (14:48) beat Patrick Munson to establish a two-goal edge.
The Solar Bears attempted a comeback in the third period when Trevor Olson fed May, who broke in up the left side and jammed the puck through the legs of Nell for his 17th of the season at 14:13 to pull Orlando to within one.
Munson took the loss with 30 saves on 33 shots against; Nell earned the win with 37 stops on 39 shots against.
THREE STARS:
- Logan Nelson – ATL
- Derek Nesbitt – ATL
- Scott Conway – ATL
OTHER NOTABLES:
- May’s goal was Orlando’s 16th shorthanded goal of the season, which leads the ECHL and set a new club single-season record, passing the mark of 15 originally set during the 2018-19 campaign
- Olson extended his point streak to three games (2g-2a) with his assist
NEXT GAME:
The Solar Bears return home to host the South Carolina Stingrays on Wednesday, March 11 at 7 p.m. for a Wine Down Wednesday – fans can take advantage of $5 wine specials during the game. CLICK HERE for tickets to this game.
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