Bears Bites | Week of Dec. 4

VyStar player appearances are back! 

Come meet some Solar Bears on Tuesday, December 5 at VyStar Credit Union's Lake Mary Branch!

Where: 4699 W Lake Mary Blvd, Lake Mary, FL 32746
When: 1:45-2:45 pm

AT A GLANCE:
SEASON RECORD: 9-7-1-1 (.556)
LAST WEEK’S RECORD: 2-2-0-0
RECORD IN LAST 10 GAMES: 5-4-1-0
EASTERN CONFERENCE PLACE: 7th of 14

ACTIVE LEADERS:
TOP SCORER: Steve Jandric – 15 points
MOST GOALS: Steve Jandric – 10 goals
MOST ASSISTS: Patrick Newell– 9 assists
PIM LEADER: Tyler Bird – 25 PIM
PLUS-MINUS LEADER: Chris Harpur - +9

LAST WEEK’S GAMES:
Monday, November 27 vs Savannah: 4-3 W
Aaron Luchuk scored his first two goals of the season to get the Solar Bears a two-goal lead. Orlando held a 3-1 lead in the third, but the Ghost Pirates battled back to tie. Veteran forward Brayden Low broke the tie with a power play goal with just over four minutes left to give the Bears the home victory.

Wednesday, November 29 at Jacksonville: 2-7 L
The Solar Bears never led Wednesday night in Jacksonville. Down 2-0, Tyler Bird pulled Orlando within one goal, but that's as close as they would get. Jacksonville scored four times in the third period to pull away for a 7-2 decision.

Friday, December 1 at Jacksonville: 2-5 L
The Solar Bears spotted Jacksonville four goals on Friday night, including two goals on the man advantage. Orlando scored two third period goals from Patrick Newell and Jérémie Biakabutuka, but an empty net goal from Jacksonville sealed the Solar Bears fate.

Sunday, December 3 at Atlanta: 2-1 W
Poised to end the road trip on a high note, the Solar Bears edged the Atlanta Gladiators Sunday afternoon by a 2-1 score. Team goal scoring leader Steve Jandric got the Bears on the board 1-0 in the second period. An Atlanta power play goal tied the game, but on a Solar Bears power play in the third period, Patrick Newell deflected an Aaron Luchuk pass to give the Solar Bears a 2-1 lead. Goaltender Colten Ellis made it stand with his 23 saves.

The ECHL, North America’s Premier “AA” Hockey League, and the Orlando Solar Bears, proud affiliate of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, announced ECHL regular season game No. 268 versus the Greenville Swamp Rabbits originally scheduled for Friday, December 8, 2023, at AdventHealth Rink at Amway Center will be rescheduled for Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets that have the original game date of December 8, 2023, will be honored for the new game date. For ticket information, please contact the Orlando Solar Bears at clientservices@orlandosolarbearshockey.com OR for Ticketmaster buyers: please contact Ticketmaster directly at (800) 653-8000. 

BITES: 

• Steve Jandric scored his team-leading 10th goal of the season in Sunday's 2-1 victory in Atlanta.
• Colten Ellis has won his last four starts in goal, posting a 2.19 goals against average and .934 save percentage in those four starts.
• Tyler Bird's 10 minute misconduct 12/1 at Jacksonville tied him with C.J. Severyn for second all-time in Orlando Solar Bears franchise penalty minutes. (208)
• The Solar Bears are 5-0-0-0 when scoring first on the road this season.
• Orlando is 3-0-1-0 this season when tied after the second period this season.

BEARS IN THE NHL:

Several former Solar Bears currently occupy spots on NHL rosters for the 2023-24 season – here we will track their progress:

• Connor Ingram - Goaltender - Arizona Coyotes - 14 GP, 10-3-0, .926%
• Darcy Kuemper - Goaltender - Washington Capitals - 12 GP, 5-5-2, .894%
• Mason Marchment - Forward - Dallas Stars - 22 GP, 7g-8a
• Ryan Reaves - Forward - Toronto Maple Leafs - 17 GP, 1g-0a
• Spencer Martin - Goaltender - Columbus Blue Jackets - 10 GP, 2-6-1, .902%