MAITLAND, FL – In the closing seconds of Saturday night’s second period in game two, the Orlando Solar Bears and goalie Cal Heeter were under seige. The South Carolina Stingrays were trailing 2-0 and on a power play looking for their first goal in almost five periods of play.
The pressure was intense and with just over two seconds left on the clock, Solar Bears defenseman Alex Gudbranson dove to snuff out a Stingrays shot that Heeter may or may not have been able to get to. As the horn sounded, both Heeter and Gudbranson got up off the ice, looked at each other and high-fived before skating off to the locker room.
During the regular season, a moment such as the one witnessed on Saturday might have not meant much. However, in the first round of the 2018 ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs, that high-five on a defensive play in the dying seconds of the second period tells you everything you need to know about the mindset of the Solar Bears.
They mean business.
That business will continue Thursday night when Orlando and South Carolina drop the puck in game 3 of the best-of-seven South division semifinals at the Amway Center. With the Solar Bears up two wins to none and the next three games (if necessary) in the City Beautiful, harnessing the emotions that were on display over the weekend may be a key to closing out the Stingrays without having to go back out on the road.
“I think we’re all pretty jacked up for [the] playoffs. It’s a whole new ballgame out there. You see emotions starting to show and everypone in here seems to really care,” Orlando veteran forward Joe Perry said following Tuesday’s practice at the RDV Sportsplex Ice Den. “That’s kind of what’s carried us through the first two games – just how much we care and how much we want it. I’d look to see more of that coming up.”
In the wake of a seven game winless streak against the Stingrays during the stretch run to the playoffs, the Solar Bears taking one contest at the North Charleston Coliseum would have been just what the doctor ordered. Coming away with two wins, however, was a statement of how focused Orlando is on the task at hand: winning the series and moving to the divisional final.
That focus has been especially noticeable on special teams. Orlando’s power play, which had plenty of ebbs and flows during the regular season, shook off an 0-for-4 effort in game 1 by getting a Max Novak man advantage goal in game two. That score equaled the Solar Bears output on the power play in the last seven contests against the Stingrays, who were the best penalty killing team in the history of the ECHL during the 2017-18 season.
The biggest improvement was killing penalties. After allowing South Carolina to net eight goals in those late season meetings, Orlando has been perfect in the playoffs. The Solar Bears have faced nine Stingrays advantages and denied every one of them and added a brilliant Hunter Fejes short-handed tally in game 1 for good measure.
“They’ve been playing hard. Guys are paying the price to make plays,” Solar Bears head coach and general manager Drake Berehowsky told the assembled media on Tuesday. “I’m really proud of the huys right now. The bootheels are dug in and they’re playing for each other.”
The beneficiary of the effort – and the biggest story of the first two games – has been Heeter himself. The St. Louis native has been the lynchpin to everything the Solar Bears have accomplished so far.
“[It’s] just determination and execution are the two biggest things for us,” Heeter said about the special teams play. “It we’ve got those things going for us at any given point, we’re going to be a tough team to play against.”
Facing off against South Carolina’s Parker Milner, the 2017-18 ECHL Goaltender of the Year, Heeter has been more than Milner’s equal. Milner’s stats for the first two games include 39 saves on 42 shots faced, a .929 save percentage and a 1.52 goals against average – all of them worthy of leading the league.
Heeter has outdone his opposition by stopping 59 of 60 shots for a .983 save percentage and a microscopic 0.50 goals against average with one shutout and most importantly two wins.
“He’s been playing really well. We knew he has that ability and he’s played well all year,” Berehowsky said about his netminder. “He’s really come to the forefront right now and hopefully he’ll keep it going.”
The work being done by Heeter has been a huge inspiration to the rest of the Solar Bears team. They have matched Heeter’s effort and the results have been stunning.
“He’s been solid right now for us and we need that. He makes the first save and out defense has been doing a really good job of clearing out rebounds and making it easy for him,” Perry said. “I think we’re playing well defensively too and he’s definately the backbone.”
Asked about Saturday’s in-game interaction with Gudbranson, Heeter, who is better known for the ferocity with which he defends his crease, said it was all about the importance of the moment.
“They [South Caolina] were on apower play right there at the end of the second period so I think for us to get out of that period still with the lead was huge,” Heeter said. “It took a lot of effort from everyone on the ice there right at the end to make sure we kept them off the board. It was a big turning point for the game to get that kill there and go into the third and retain our lead so it was really important.”
A year ago, the Solar Bears were in a similar position, having won two on the road against the Florida Everblades before an injury to Ryan Massa in game four led to a comeback by the Everblades. Perry, who with Chris Crane are the lone remaining members of that Orlando team, said that the Solar Bears need to stay the current course of play in order to avoid the same result.
“We’ve just got to stay focused. We can’t change anything,” he said. “We played the exact same way the first two games and stuck to our structure and did all [of] the little things right. If we start changing things or we starting making hope plays and stuff like that, they’re a good enough team where they can turn this thing around quickly so we’ve got to stick with it.”
Heeter agreed with Perry that sticking to the same formula used in North Charleston should put Orlando in a good position to win.
“We’ve got to play hard. We have to play committed. We have to play disciplined. Sixty minutes hard,” Heeter said. “We can’t let them get under our skin. We can’t get distracted or unfocused. We just have to keep our nose to the grindstone so to speak.”
As for the emotional side, Perry said the team is hoping that the fans will up their games as well, filling the Amway Center and creating an energy that will become the “seventh man” on the ice.
“It’s going to be huge. We hope everyone can make it,” Perry said. “The boys feed off the energy of the crowd. If we can have a great crowd and feed off of them, it’s going to be huge.”
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