ESTERO, FLA – Over the course of his seven-year professional hockey career, Taylor Doherty has played in more than 300 games, 256 of those in the American Hockey League and 86 more in the ECHL. Despite all those contests, he had not played in a single playoff game until Wednesday night when the Orlando Solar Bears faced off with the Florida Everblades.
And boy was his post-season debut one for the books.
Doherty scored two goals and added an assist while teammate Chris Crane picked up a goal and three points as the fourth-seeded Solar Bears surprised the top-seeded Everblades 4-2 in game one of the best-of-seven South division semifinals in front of an announced crowd of 2,356 at Germain Arena. Goalie Ryan Massa made 30 saves, including 15 in the third period, to earn his first professional playoff victory and give his team a 1-0 series lead with game two set for Friday night in Estero.
With a 10-4 regular season record against their in-state rivals, the Everblades certainly were expected to come out like gangbusters in the first period but the opening frame started in a much more defensive mode as neither team could muster up a lot of scoring chances. Neither Massa nor Florida netminder Alex Nedeljkovic was tested, especially Massa who faced two Everblades power plays in the first ten minutes.
That second Florida man advantage ended up being the genesis of Orlando scoring the first goal of the contest. With Doherty in the box for high sticking, the Solar Bears did an outstanding job of keeping the Everblades to the outside, giving Massa clear lanes to see the puck and adding in a couple blocks to help their goalie out. As the penalty ended, Crane and Eric Faille broke out on a two-on-one rush with Doherty jumping in as a third man. Faille made a cross-ice pass to Crane who looked up and saw Doherty driving straight for the top of the crease. Crane slid a perfect pass to the 6-foot-7 blueliner who redirected it past Nedeljkovic for his first ever playoff goal and point.
Realizing that they were facing a much different team than the Solar Bears squad they had beaten 10-0 last Saturday, the Everblades began to search for a response and it came via the transition game. It came at the 14:13 mark when Florida defenseman – and former Orlando player – Bryce Aneloski stole the puck from the Solar Bears and sent Matt Berry off on a rush up ice. Berry got into the Orlando defensive zone, cut across a defender into the slot and fired the puck past a moving Massa to even things up at one.
With the teams tied at the start of the second period, the Solar Bears were handed their first power play of the game 3:15 into the frame and made the Everblades pay. Late in the man advantage, Crane moved the puck down the wing to Nedeljkovic’s left to Mason Marchment. As Crane made the pass, Doherty once again jumped up and sat himself in front of the net. Crane eventually got the puck back from Marchment and made a perfect pass to the slot where Doherty rifled it home for his second of the game and a lead that the visitors would not relinquish.
Buoyed by the confidence given to it by Doherty’s play, Orlando began to push for a third tally and got it just past the midpoint of the middle stanza. Toward the end of an extended push in the Florida end, Darik Angeli sent a pass back to Doherty at the point. Doherty let loose with a shot that was blocked but the puck caromed into the face-off circle where Crane had skated to. Crane got control of the disc, wheeled around and zipped a shot that found the back of the net for a 3-1 Solar Bears lead. For Crane, it was his 12th career ECHL playoff goal in 29 games with Ontario, Allen and now Orlando.
The Everblades, knowing that another Orlando goal might be a final nail in the coffin on this night, began to open up the offense but the Solar Bears went right with them. The goalies took center stage over the final minutes of the period, especially Nedeljkovic who robbed Justin Buzzeo on what looked like a sure score.
Faced with a two-goal deficit to start the third, the Everblades went on the offensive right off the opening face-off. John McCarron forced an Orlando turnover in its defensive zone, leaving the puck for Brendan O’Donnell to make a play. O’Donnell immediately put a pass on the stick of Berry in front where he dragged it around Massa and tucked it in for his second of the game just eleven seconds in.
Massa, who earlier in the week said he was relishing the opportunity to lead his team in the playoffs, took over from there. He robbed Brant Harris with a glove save moments after Berry’s tally and later took a sure goal away from Mitchell Heard with a big save. The second year goalie from Littleton, Colorado was especially tough during a four-on-three Florida man advantage with nine minutes left in regulation, making several key saves to keep the Solar Bears in front.
With 90 seconds left, Florida head coach Brad Ralph pulled Nedeljkovic (26 saves) in favor of an extra attacker. Despite the pressure, Massa and the Solar Bears stayed cool under fire as the Everblades looked for the equalizer. Orlando was able to ice the game when Denver Manderson got the puck at the top of the circles in his defensive end and lifted a backhander that slid all the way down into the center of the empty net with 38.9 seconds to go.
Having done what they set out to do – winning a game on the road – the Solar Bears now have an opportunity to take two straight in a building that was their personal den of horrors during the regular season. On the other side of the ice, the Everblades now know they will have to up the ante lest they lose two consecutive games at home and fall into a big hole.
Notes: Orlando ran its record when leading after two periods to 25-0-1, including a perfect 12-0-0 mark on the road, this year… The three-point night by Doherty and Crane tied the ECHL franchise’s record for most points in a single post-season game. The record holder: Florida’s Aneloski… Orlando defenseman Eric Baier played in his 13th post-season game with the Solar Bears… With two goals, Florida’s Berry now has six career ECHL playoff goals in eleven games between Utah and the Everblades… The game marked both the first time the Solar Bears had scored a series-opening goal and won the first game of a playoff series… Forward Ryan Moore, who was signed by Orlando out of Flint in the Ontario Hockey League on Friday, played his first pro game on a line with Faille and Joe Perry… Orlando’s power play finished the night 1-for-3 while Florida went 0-for-4.
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