GREENVILLE, SC – The Orlando Solar Bears could be forgiven if they look a bit tired out on the ice, what with all the extra hockey they’ve played this week. Friday night, they added to the bonus minutes played column while proving once again that it’s not how you start but how you finish.
Visiting the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, the Solar Bears once again saved the best for last, coming from three goals down to send their game with the Road Warriors to overtime before Nick Petersen scored to give Orlando a 4-3 win. The win allowed the Solar Bears once again leapfrog idle Gwinnett into first place in the ECHL’s South division.
Petersen, who also had an assist to give him points in eight of the team’s nine games, jumped on the puck in the slot and ripped a shot past Greenville goalie Scott Stajcer 42 seconds into the extra period. It was his second game-winner of the young season and kept him atop the leading scorers list with 17 points.
Petersen’s clutch score wouldn’t have been possible were it not for another third period comeback. Down one with less than a minute to go, Ryan Ginand took advantage of a late power play and coach Drake Berehowsky pulling netminder John Curry to net the tying score from the right circle. The goal capped a comeback that once again proved the Solar Bears are true comeback kids.
Looking to score their second consecutive win over the Solar Bears, Greenville caught Orlando with two goals before the game was ten minutes old. An early power play allowed the Road Warriors to get on the board first when Scott Pitt collected a rebound in front of Curry and jammed it home at the 3:45 mark. A little over five minutes later, Pitt was in the right place at the right time to deflect a shot by Edwin Shea home, doubling the lead to two goals.
The best moment of the opening stanza for the visitors may have been when defenseman, Mike Liambas, playing in his first game since being acquired in a trade earlier in the week, went toe-to-toe with Greenville’s T.J. Reynolds. It would be the beginning of an eventful for Liambas, who was brought in to bring some added grit and toughness to the Solar Bears’ lineup.
When Kenndal McArdle beat Curry (28 saves) for a power play goal seven minutes into the middle period, things looked bleak for Orlando, who had lost the night before in Gwinnett. The Solar Bears dug deep and began to turn the contest around. At the 8:44 mark, they got the bounce they needed when the puck bounced off a hard-charging Scott Tanski into the net. Greenville thought that Tanski had deliberately steered the puck in with his skate but the officials felt otherwise, allowing the goal that kick started Orlando’s comeback.
Early in the third, the Solar Bears pressed the Road Warriors defense and it paid off. Kevin Baker got his stick on the puck, looking for someone to pass to. Liambas read the play from the point and dashed in, taking the feed from Baker and firing it past Stajcer (28 saves) to cut the lead to 3-2.
Helped by a series of Greenville penalties, Orlando kept the pressure on but Stajcer looked strong enough to carry the Road Warriors to a win. On this night however, the visitors were destined to win as Rob Kwiet was called for interference with 2:51 left in regulation. That allowed Berehowsky the opportunity to set up a two-man advantage that resulted in Ginand’s key score. In the overtime, Olivier Fortier (three assists in the game), Michael Wilson and Petersen stormed the Greenville end, creating a flurry of action that led to Petersen smashing the puck into the net.
Orlando will finish the week-long road trip in South Carolina Saturday night before coming home to start a seven-game homestand on Wednesday against Gwinnett.
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