Solar Bears drop road opener to Icemen, 5-2

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Orlando Solar Bears (17-12-3-1) dropped the opener of their four-game set with the Jacksonville Icemen (13-13-1-3) by a 5-2 decision on Wednesday night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

VIEW BOX SCORE

Tyler Bird tied the score for the Solar Bears at 4:35 of the first period, just over a minute after Derek Lodermeier had given the Icemen a 1-0 lead.

Jacksonville then used a three-goal run to build a 4-1 edge by the midway point of the third period; the Solar Bears closed the gap when Aaron Luchuk scored eight seconds into Orlando’s first power play of the game at 17:48 with his 11th of the season, but Christopher Brown netted an empty-net goal at 18:17 to cap the scoring.

Clint Windsor took the loss with a 28-for-32 performance for Orlando; Charles Williams got the win for Jacksonville with a 31-for-33 effort.

THREE STARS:1) Brendan Warren - JAX2) Pascal Aquin - JAX3) Charles Williams - JAX 

NEXT GAME:

The Solar Bears remain on the road for their second game of the week against the Jacksonville Icemen at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on Friday, March 19 at 7 p.m. The Solar Bears are back home when they host First Responders Appreciation Night against Jacksonville at the AdventHealth Rink at Amway Center on Saturday, March 20 at 7 p.m.