Bear Bites: Week of April 11, 2022

ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s a down-to-the wire finish to the 2021-22 regular season, as the Orlando Solar Bears will play three games this week to close out their 10th season of ECHL hockey. Orlando and the Jacksonville Icemen will face each other twice this week, with each team hosting a match at their respective home venue. The Solar Bears are competing with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits for the fourth and final playoff spot within the South Division; the two teams face each other on Friday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

THIS WEEK’S GAMES:

• Tuesday, April 12 vs. Jacksonville Icemen – 7 p.m.
• Friday, April 15 at Greenville Swamp Rabbits – 7:05 p.m.
• Saturday, April 16 at Jacksonville Icemen – 7 p.m.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE:

• Monday, April 11 at RDV Sportsplex Ice Den – 10 a.m.
• Tuesday, April 12 at AdventHealth Rink at Amway Center – Morning skate/Gameday
• Wednesday, April 13 at RDV Sportsplex Ice Den – 10 a.m.
• Thursday, April 14 at RDV Sportsplex Ice Den – 8 a.m. – Travel day
• Friday, April 15 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena – Morning skate/Gameday

All Solar Bears practices at the RDV Sportsplex Ice Den are open to the public. Practice times are subject to change.

PLAYOFF PICTURE:

Entering this week, the Solar Bears are currently seeded in fifth place in the South Division and have 71 points through 68 games (.522), with three games remaining. Orlando’s biggest threat to securing a spot in the 2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs is the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, seeded fourth in the South Division with 73 points through 68 games, with four games remaining. Currently, the Solar Bears can finish with a maximum of 77 points in 71 games for a points percentage of .5422, while the Swamp Rabbits can finish with a maximum of 81 points in 72 games for a points percentage of .5625. Orlando and Greenville face each other once more this season on April 15.

As of today, the Magic Number for the Solar Bears is currently nine points: Orlando must presently win its remaining three games (six points) – while Greenville must be prevented from earning at least three out of the eights points available from its remaining four games – for Orlando to secure a playoff berth. Should the Solar Bears go 3-0-0-0 this week, including a regulation win against Greenville, Orlando would only require the Swamp Rabbits to suffer an overtime/shootout loss in one of its other three games for the Solar Bears to qualify for the playoffs. The Swamp Rabbits’ Magic Number is currently six points following a three-game sweep of Rapid City this past week. Greenville is at Jacksonville on Wednesday before hosting the Solar Bears on Friday, and concludes its season with a pair of games at Norfolk on Saturday and Sunday.

The Orlando Solar Bears along with VyStar Credit Union, have announced the launch of a co-branded debit card, available now for all VyStar Credit Union members.

Fans can get a Solar Bears debit card when they open a VyStar account with a minimum balance of $5 at any branch location. They can also apply for membership online at apply.vystarcu.org but will need to visit a branch to get a Solar Bears card. Current members can request a co-branded card by visiting a branch, calling 800-445-6289 or speaking to a VyChat representative at www.vystarcu.org.

AT A GLANCE

SEASON RECORD: 32-29-6-1 (.522)LAST WEEK’S RECORD: 1-1-1-0RECORD IN LAST 10 GAMES: 3-4-2-1SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS: 5th of 7

ACTIVE LEADERS

TOP SCORER: Tristin Langan – 44 pointsMOST GOALS: Brian Bowen – 21MOST ASSISTS: Michael Brodzinski – 35 assistsPIM LEADER: Ross Olsson – 113 PIMPLUS-MINUS LEADER: Tyler Bird – +10

LAST WEEK’S GAMES:

Monday, April 4 vs. Florida Everblades: 3-2 OTLAaron Luchuk and Tye Felhaber scored, but the Solar Bears only came away with one point in the final meeting of the regular season against the Everblades as Jake Jaremko scored in sudden-death for Florida.

Wednesday, April 6 vs. Norfolk Admirals: 4-1 LTye Felhaber scored again and Orlando put up 41 shots on goal, but Norfolk’s Dylan Wells turned in a 40-save performance as Orlando fell in the opener of the two-game set with Norfolk.

Thursday, April 7 vs. Norfolk Admirals: 7-4 WAaron Luchuk and Luke McInnis each put up three points, and Tye Felhaber scored for the third consecutive game as the Solar Bears turned in their largest offensive output of the season with a win over the Admirals to close out the week.

BITES:

• Orlando leads its series with Jacksonville with a 7-5-0-0 record.
• The Solar Bears are 2-2-1-1 against the Swamp Rabbits.
• Tye Felhaber enters the week with a three-game goal-scoring streak (3g).
• Michael Brodzinski played in his 300th professional game on Thursday; he’s played 192 games of his pro career with Orlando.
• The Solar Bears are 14-2-3-0 when Luke McInnis records at least one point.
• Aaron Luchuk enters the week with a four-game point streak (3g-4a).
• Brad Barone leads all active ECHL goaltenders with a .920 save percentage and is second in saves (1,338); his next win will give him sole possession of the club mark for wins in a season (tied with Clint Windsor at 23).
• The Solar Bears are 22-5-4-0 when scoring first.
• Orlando is eighth on the penalty kill at 82.8%.

BEARS IN THE NHL:

Several former Solar Bears have appeared on NHL rosters during the 2021-22 season – here we will track their performance:

* Currently assigned to AHL

BEAR TRACKS PRESENTED BY PINK WHITNEY BY NEW AMSTERDAM VODKA:

Brian Bowen joins us for the latest episode of Bear Tracks, presented by Pink Whitney by New Amsterdam Vodka. The Massachusetts native talks about his several seasons spent in the SPHL after a college career at the University of Vermont, his ties to an assistant coach of a current Solar Bears division rival and how he was able to enjoy a breakout season in the ECHL before an injury has kept him sidelined over the last several games.

BECOME A VYSTAR CREDIT UNION MEMBER! 

VyStar Credit Union is the official credit union of the Orlando Solar Bears – take advantage of member benefits including discounted tickets and more! 

CLICK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BECOMING A VYSTAR CREDIT UNION MEMBER