ORLANDO, Fla. – Braydon Barker scored twice for his first professional goals, and Brad Barone made 34 saves as the Orlando Solar Bears (11-7-1-0) pushed their home win streak against the Jacksonville Icemen (9-8-1-1) to 23-0-0-0 with a 4-1 victory on Thursday night at the AdventHealth Rink at Amway Center.
The victory, coupled with a Florida Everblades loss to the Trois-Rivières Lions, moves Orlando into first place in the South Division.
Luke McInnis opened the scoring with a late first period strike that eluded Charles Williams.
In the second period Dmitry Semykin netted his first of the season with the Solar Bears off a one-time pass from Pavel Vorobei, making his North American professional debut. Barker netted his first pro goal to make it 3-0 with a wrap-around attempt at the left post, then capped the scoring in the third period with a power-play score that deflected in off a Jacksonville defender.
1st PeriodORL Goal: Luke McInnis (3) at 19:37. Assisted by Tristin Langan.SHOTS: ORL 11, JAX 9
2nd PeriodORL Goal: Dmitry Semykin (1) at 8:20. Assisted by Pavel Vorobei and Canon Pieper.ORL Goal: Braydon Barker (1) at 10:43. Assisted by Tristin Langan.SHOTS: ORL 6, JAX 16
3rd PeriodJAX Goal: James Sanchez (5) [PP] at 4:19. Assisted by Christopher Brown and Ara Nazarian.ORL Goal: Braydon Barker (2) [PP] at 10:42. Assisted by Jackson Keane.SHOTS: ORL 10, JAX 10
GoaltendingORL: Brad Barone, 34-for-35JAX: Charles Williams, 23-for-27
NOTABLES:
- Orlando improved to 3-2-0-0 in the head-to-head series against Jacksonville this season; the home team has won each game so far.
- The Solar Bears improved to 10-0-0-0 when scoring first.
- Barone has won his last four straight outings dating back to Nov. 20 vs. Maine, posting a 4-0-0 record with a 1.21 goals-against average and a .965 save percentage in that span.
- Orlando is 8-0-0-0 at home when scoring three or more goals.
- Tristin Langan finished the night with a pair of assists.
- Both teams went 1-for-3 on the power play.
NEXT GAMES: The Solar Bears begin a six-game road trip when they visit the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 7:05 p.m. at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The Solar Bears are back on home ice when they host the Atlanta Gladiators for Teddy Bear Toss Night, presented by Janney Roofing, on Tuesday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. at the AdventHealth Rink at Amway Center.