NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Orlando Solar Bears (31-27-4-1 / .532) face the South Carolina Stingrays (23-36-6-0 / .400) in the first match of a weekend home-and-home set that opens tonight at 7:05 p.m. at the North Charleston Coliseum.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- Orlando is 4-2-0-0 against the Stingrays this season.
- Michael Brodzinski leads the Solar Bears in scoring against South Carolina this season with nine points (1g-8a) in five games.
- Alexei Melnichuk is expected to start tonight for the Solar Bears. The Tampa Bay Lightning-contracted goaltender went 2-0-0 in three outings last week with a 1.95 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage to capture Warrior ECHL Goaltender of the Week honors.
- Steven Oleksy is set to play in his 700th professional game tonight – the former Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals defenseman has skated in 20 games with the Solar Bears since his acquisition from the Toledo Walleye in late January.
- Orlando is 8-3-0-0 when scoring first on the road this season.
- The Solar Bears are 15-7-0-0 when allowing three or fewer goals on the road this season.
- Orlando leads the ECHL with 19 wins when tied after the first period.
- The Stingrays relieved Ryan Blair of head coaching duties on March 7, appointing Brendan Kotyk as the team’s interim head coach. Since the change behind the bench, South Carolina has gone 5-6-0-0 in its last 11 contests.
NEXT GAMES: The Solar Bears head out on the road to begin a home-and-home series with the South Carolina Stingrays on Friday, April 1 at 7:05 p.m. at the North Charleston Coliseum. Orlando returns home to host the Stingrays on Saturday, April at 7 p.m. at the AdventHealth Rink at Amway Center for First Responders Appreciation Night, presented by VyStar Credit Union. Earlier in the day, the Solar Bears will host the Guns ‘N Hoses Police vs. Fire charity game at 2 p.m.
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