Bear Bites: Week of Feb. 8, 2021

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Solar Bears continue their seven-game road trip this week as they face the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in a trio of games at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES: 

• Thursday, Feb. 11 at Greenville Swamp Rabbits at 7:05 p.m. 
• Saturday, Feb. 13 at Greenville Swamp Rabbits at 7:05 p.m. 
• Sunday, Feb. 14 at Greenville Swamp Rabbits at 3:05 p.m. 

SEASON RECORD: 9-7-1-0 (.559) LAST WEEK’S RECORD: 1-1-0-0 RECORD IN LAST 10 GAMES: 5-4-1-0 EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS: 5th of 7 

ACTIVE LEADERS: TOP SCORER: Aaron Luchuk – 13 points MOST GOALS: Chris LeBlanc – 5 goals MOST ASSISTS: Aaron Luchuk – 10 assists PIM LEADER: Matthew Spencer and Devante Stephens – 12 PIM PLUS-MINUS LEADER: Tyler Bird and Devante Stephens – +4 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES: 

Friday, Feb. 5 at Florida: 3-2 SOW Tristin Langan scored in the second period and netted the eventual shootout-winner in the sixth round as Orlando rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the third period to force overtime and orchestrate a comeback win over Florida for its first road win at Hertz Arena this season. 

Saturday, Feb. 6 at Florida: 4-1 L Matthew Spencer scored the lone goal for the Solar Bears late in regulation as Orlando saw its three-game winning streak snapped by the Everblades in a split of the weekend series. 

BEARS IN THE NHL: 

Several former Solar Bears occupy spots on NHL rosters or taxi squads during the 2020-21 season – here we will track their progress: 

*Indicates currently on taxi squad 

BITES: 

• Following Friday’s win, Orlando is now 6-0-0-0 when scoring first, for a 1.000 win percentage that leads the Eastern Conference 
• Chris LeBlanc's next goal will be his 40th career tally with Orlando – the fourth-year pro would become just the third play in Solar Bears history to record 40 goals with the club, joining Eric Faille (51) and Joe Perry (53) 
• The Solar Bears are 5-0-0-0 in Friday games this season 
• Aaron Luchuk needs six more points for 100 in his career (36g-58a) 
• The Solar Bears are 9-1-1-0 when scoring three or more goals 
• Mark Auk needs two more games to reach 100 in his career; the defensemen ranks third in scoring among all ECHL blueliners with 13 points in 15 games split between Orlando and Rapid City 
• Garret Sparks ranks fourth in goals-against average (2.21) and fifth in save percentage (.928)
• Alexander Kuqali, Tristin Langan, and Aaron Luchuk are the only players to have played in every single game for Orlando this season 

BEAR TRACKS: 

Zack Andrusiak scored in his Solar Bears home debut on January 31 against South Carolina, and he joined Solar Bears broadcaster Jesse Liebman for last week’s episode of Bear Tracks. The pair discussed Andrusiak’s time playing junior hockey in the Pacifc Northwest, how he navigated becoming a free agent this fall with the Idaho Steelheads opting out of the 2020-21 season and his Los Angeles Dodgers fandom. 

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