Lackey leads Solar Bears to 4-1 win over Swamp Rabbits

GREENVILLE, S.C. — One night after earning his first professional shutout, Michael Lackey turned in another stellar performance as the goaltender helped lead the Orlando Solar Bears (11-8-1-0) to a 4-1 win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (9-6-5-2) on Sunday afternoon at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

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The Solar Bears built a 3-0 lead through two periods of play after Tyler Bird scored his fourth of the season midway through the opening frame, and Nikita Pavlychev scored the game’s eventual game-winner less than two minutes into the second period.

After a potential power-play goal from Chris LeBlanc at 12:45 of the second was overruled following video review, Jake Coughler scored at 15:37 to give Orlando a sizable lead heading into the second intermission.

The Swamp Rabbits launched an all-out assault on the Orlando net in the third period, as Lackey and the Solar Bears faced a season-high 20 shots in the stanza. Patrik Bajkov spoiled Lackey’s bid for a second consecutive shutout at 9:40 of the third period, but the goaltender shut the door the rest of the way and Aaron Luchuk added an empty-net goal at 18:38 to seal the win.

Lackey finished the day with a 37-for-38 effort; Lethemon took the loss with 20 stops on 23 shots against.

THREE STARS:1) Nikita Pavlychev - ORL2) Michael Lackey - ORL3) Patrik Bajkov - GVL

NOTABLES:

• Orlando improved to 8-0-0-0 when scoring first
• Lackey has posted a 0.50 goals-against average and a .982 save percentage over his last two outings
• The Solar Bears are 11-1-1-0 when scoring three or more goals; Orlando’s record is 8-0-0-0 when scoring four or more
• Bird and Coughler’s goal gives both players a two-game goal-scoring streak (2g)
• Orlando is 7-0-0-0 when Bird records at least a point
• May (1g-2a) has a three-game point streak
• Langan (4a), Kuqali (2a), LeBlanc (2a) and Piccinich (2a) each have two-game assist streaks  

NEXT GAME:

The Solar Bears return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at Hertz Arena when they face the Florida Everblades at 7:30 p.m. The Solar Bears are back on home ice to host the Florida Everblades at the AdventHealth Rink at Amway Center on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m.

2020-21 Season Ticket Memberships on Sale Now:

Upgrade to Solar Status and become a Season Ticket Member today. Season ticket memberships for the 2020-21 season are now on sale and start as little as $279 – CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

New Mobile App: 

Download the new Orlando Solar Bears mobile app today — get access to your game tickets, news, updates and more! Download in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store today.

2020-21 Season Presented by XYMOPrint:

The 2020-21 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 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and members of the ECHL, the premier “AA” hockey league in North America. In eight 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 the AdventHealth Rink 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.