Orlando goalie Rob Madore (29, right) made 52 saves in the Solar Bears win Sunday night (Photo courtesy of F. Medina & G. Bassing / Orlando Solar Bears)
ORLANDO, FLA – A year ago, Orlando Solar Bears head coach Anthony Noreen led the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms on a 17-game winning streak that lasted nearly two full months and catapulted the Phantoms to the top of the league. Sunday night at the Amway Center, Noreen’s new team was looking to extend its recent run to just one-third the length of Youngstown’s stretch while pushing toward a playoff spot.
It was not easy but thanks to a rookie and two veterans, Noreen’s charges made their drive for five a success.
Defenseman Eric Baier scored his second goal of the game on a classic end-to-end rush to give Orlando (22-19-2-4, 50 points) a 4-3 overtime win over the Elmira Jackals (25-22-2-1, 53 points) in front of an announced crowd of 5,411. Rookie Jack Rodewald added two goals of his own in support of goalie Rob Madore who made 52 saves to break a personal three-game losing streak.
“I was very fortunate last year to be part of a streak that lasted a long time. One of the things I always reminded our guys to do and it’s the same thing with these guys is don’t look at what we’ve done the last couple days, don’t look ahead, just stay in the moment,” Noreen said when comparing the Youngstown streak to the current Orlando run. “This is probably the most fun we’ve had all year as a group. You want to keep it going [and] enjoy it. When you look back on a season, it’s always these types of things that you remember so we’ve got to keep rolling.”
Eric Baier scored two goals including the game-winner in overtime on Sunday (Photo courtesy of F. Medina & G. Bassing / Orlando Solar Bears)
Staying hot while playing a fourth game in five days was not going to be easy for the Solar Bears. Just like Orlando, Elmira was facing its third game in three days but the visiting Jackals seemed to have the fresher legs early on. Madore had to be ready and he proved it by turning away all 19 Jackals shots in the opening frame.
The game looked like it would be scoreless heading into the intermission but Baier had other ideas. Eric Faille managed to get the puck into the low slot area and Baier charged in to get it. He fanned on his original shot attempt but was able to kick the puck to his stick and drag it around Elmira goalie Alex Vazzano and score with 14.4 seconds left on the clock.
The lead lasted a little over three minutes into the middle frame. At the 3:27 mark, former Solar Bear Tyler Currier dished a behind-the-back pass to the front where Matt Garbowski beat Madore for his second goal of the season.
Orlando regained the lead 9:11 in when Brady Vail went backhand with a pass to Rodewald who was uncovered at the top of Vazzano’s crease. All the Solar Bears rookie had to do was pop it home for his tenth goal of the year. That score was matched 1:11 later when Mark Bennett scored his sixth on a shot that got past Madore’s stick side.
A late power play gave the Solar Bears a chance to grab the lead at the break and Rodewald made the Jackals pay. It began when Faille dropped a pass down to Matt Rupert in the slot. Rupert advanced it to Rodewald who patiently dragged it around Vazzano and slid it into the open net for his eleventh.
“Maybe two months ago, that [puck] would have been on his stick and he maybe would have thrown it into the goalie or thrown it wide.” Noreen said about the poise Rodewald showed. “Just the poise and confidence he had to pull it around the goaltender and put it in, that’s a sign of things to come. He’s got a bright future.”
Madore continued to be a huge part of the story as the game continued into the final stanza. The Jackals were firing from every angle in an attempt to catch the veteran netminder off guard but Madore seemed to get stronger with every puck he saw.
“It’s nice to get shots at times because you can get into a little bit of a flow,” Madore said. ” Some games you like having no shots [and] some games you like having more shots. We won so I’ll say I liked having more shots tonight.”
Elmira took advantage of an Adam Reid penalty midway through the period to tie the game. Justin Bernhardt and Cason Hohmann worked the puck back to the blueline where Kyle Bushee lined up a shot. Using Hohmann as a screen, Bushee’s drive eluded Madore for the defenseman’s fourth of the season and a tie score.
Neither team found the back of the net in the remaining eight minutes of regulation, sending the game to overtime. Madore bought his team some time with a couple of early saves.
With less than 90 seconds left before a potential shootout, Faille sent the puck across the ice to Baier. A strong skater by nature, Baier found another gear as he drove into the Elmira defensive zone. Baier was able to turn the defender and put a perfectly placed shot over Vazzano’s left shoulder, sending the goalie’s water bottle flying off the top of the net and the fans into a celebratory roar. For Baier, it was his eighth of the season.
Baier admitted after the contest that the extra ice during the three-on-three overtime suits his style and skating skills perfectly.
“No matter how tired I am, I just like the open ice and get to skate,” Baier said. “I kind of lick my chops when we get it [the puck] and I can try to wheel up the ice.”
Orlando is off until Wednesday when the Indy Fuel comes to the City Beautiful for a three game set.
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