Luchuk, LeBlanc lead Solar Bears to wild 7-6 win over Stingrays

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. —  Aaron Luchuk and Chris LeBlanc teamed up in the third period to wrestle victory from the jaws of defeat as the Orlando Solar Bears (25-18-3-1) took down the South Carolina Stingrays (19-15-7-3) in a 7-6 win on Wednesday night at the North Charleston Coliseum.

In a game that featured several lead changes, the Solar Bears found themselves trailing 6-5 with just over five minutes remaining in regulation, but a save on LeBlanc by Stingrays netminder Alex Dubeau resulted in an injury for the goaltender that forced him from the game, thrusting South Carolina to turn to backup goaltender Matt Jurusik. Luchuk scored at 15:10 to tie the score, and then stole the puck from a defender less than two minutes later to set up LeBlanc for the eventual game-winner.

VIEW BOX SCORE

First PeriodSouth Carolina goal: Max Gottlieb (4) at 9:13. Assisted by Dan DeSalvo and Cole Ully.Shots: ORL 13, SC 8

Second PeriodOrlando goal: Chris LeBlanc (9) at 6:02. Assisted by Aaron Luchuk and Mark Auk.Orlando goal: Anthony Repaci (3) [PP] at 8:10. Assisted by Nolan Valleau and Aaron Luchuk.Orlando goal: Kyle Topping (7) [SH] at 11:31. Assisted by Nolan Valleau and J.J. Piccinich.South Carolina goal: Andrew Cherniwchan (9) [PP] at 12:23. Assisted by Darien Craighead and Max Gottlieb.Orlando goal: Krystof Hrabik (4) at 12:55. Assisted by Joe Garreffa and Fabrizio Ricci.South Carolina goal: Justin Florek (10) [PP] at 17:20. Assisted by Mark Cooper and Dan DeSalvo.Shots: ORL 10, SC 7

Third Period South Carolina goal: Caleb Herbert (6) at 4:52. Assisted by Dan DeSalvo and Brett Supinski.Orlando goal: J.J. Piccinich (8) [PP] at 7:21. Assisted by Tristin Langan and Mark Auk.South Carolina goal: Cole Ully (15) at 7:40. Assisted by Dan DeSalvo and Tyler Nanne.South Carolina goal: Cam Askew (7) at 10:19. Assisted by Andrew Cherniwchan and Darien Craighead.Orlando goal: Aaron Luchuk (16) at 15:10. Assisted by Chris LeBlanc.Orlando goal: Chris LeBlanc (10) at 16:46. Assisted by Aaron Luchuk.Shots: ORL 15, SC 16

Goaltending:ORL: Clint Windsor, 25-for-31SC: Alex Dubeau, 27-for-32; Matt Jurusik [L], 4-for-6

THREE STARS:1) Aaron Luchuk - ORL2) Nolan Valleau - ORL3) Dan DeSalvo - SC

NOTABLES:

• The Solar Bears improved to 4-2-0-0 against South Carolina this season; the win, combined with Greenville’s loss at Florida, moves Orlando back into third place in the Eastern Conference
• Orlando’s seven goals matched the team’s previous season-high (Dec. 30 vs. Florida, 7-4 win)
• Luchuk (1g-3a) became the first Solar Bears player this season to record four points in a game, and matched his previous career-best
• LeBlanc (2g-1a) enjoyed the third two-goal game of his career, and his first since Dec. 20, 2019 at SC (6-4 L); his second goal was the eighth game-winning tally of his career, moving him into a tie with Scott Tanski and Patrick Watling for second-most in franchise history
• The four goals scored by the Solar Bears in the second period came in a span of 6:53, the fasted four goals by the club scored this season  

NEXT GAME:

The Solar Bears continue their season-high nine-game road trip when they take on the Jacksonville Icemen at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on Thursday, April 15 at 7 p.m. The Solar Bears return home to host Orlando Magic Night, presented by Amway, against the South Carolina Stingrays at the AdventHealth Rink at Amway Center on Friday, April 30 at 7 p.m.