WHEELING, WV – Early last week, Orlando Solar Bears forward Brett Findlay thought he had scored the goal that tied him for the top spot in goals scored in ECHL team history. Less than 24 hours later, that score was changed and given to teammate Joe Perry, leaving Findlay sitting in second spot itching to move back into the three-way tie with Jake Cepis and Brady Vail.
Wednesday night, Findlay got that tying score and one more as part of a three-point night in Orlando’s 5-2 win over the Wheeling Nailers in front of an announced crowd of 1,440 at WesBanco Arena. The victory, the third straight triumph for the Solar Bears (15-7-2-0, 32 points), pulled Orlando within one point of the Florida Everblades for first place in the South division.
Findlay’s record-setting tallies were just part of the story on Wednesday. The victory was the Solar Bears’ fourth in six games on their ten-game odyssey as well as the team’s tenth since Drake Berehowsky took over behind the bench. It was also a big bounce back game for goalie Ryan Massa who recovered from two sub-par starts on the trip to make 39 saves, including one on a first penalty shot awarded to the Nailers (11-8-2-0, 24 points).
For the fifth consecutive time on the road trip, the Solar Bears opened the scoring. It came on an early power play when Taylor Doherty got the puck to Eric Faille in the right circle and he blew a shot past Wheeling goalie Sean Maguire at the 5:49 mark of the first period. The score was Faille’s ninth of the season.
Faille’s tally was the only goal of the opening frame thanks to the work of Maguire and especially Massa. Midway through the period, Wheeling’s Josh Shalla stole the puck and started to breakaway. Orlando’s Denver Manderson impeded Shalla just enough for referee Andy Howard to award a penalty shot to Shalla. Massa had made a save on the original attempt and came up big on the free try, staying with the crafty forward through a couple of fakes to make a save with his blocker glove.
The host Nailers, who were coming off two weekend losses to Brampton, came out with much more intensity at the start of the second period and it paid off quickly. Just 47 seconds into the middle frame, Adam Krause put a shot on Massa that the netminder stopped. The rebound skidded out to the left circle where Cody Wydo snapped it back at the net before Massa could recover for his eighth goal of the year.
The goal was just the start of a barrage by the Nailers as they put ten shots on the Orlando net in the first 7:28 of the stanza. Massa, who had allowed six goals in both of his previous two starts, proved he was more than up for the challenge by shutting Wheeling’s offense down on every attempt through the rest of the period.
Orlando’s power play, which had scored twice in both games against Atlanta over the weekend, made it three games in a row with a pair when Findlay fed Tony Cameranesi for a hard wrister from the top of the left circle that zipped past Maguire’s catching glove at the 8:39 mark. The score was the ninth of the season for the rookie.
Just under three minutes later, rookie Chase Witala was in the right place to redirect a shot from the point from Trevor Ludwig into the back of the net for his second of the year and a 3-1 Solar Bears lead.
Late in the period, the Nailers thought they had trimmed the Orlando lead to one when Garret Meurs put a shot on net that Massa got to just as the puck arrived at the goal line. Referee Howard originally ruled it a good goal but after a lengthy discussion with his linesmen and the goal judge, reversed the call to no goal. The reversal drew the ire of the fans as well as Nailers head coach Jeff Christian but the decision was final.
The third period belonged to Findlay. Four minutes in, Manderson stole the puck and sent it forward to Findlay who went one-on-one with Wheeling defenseman Danny Fick. Findlay put a move on Fick, sliding the puck between the defender’s legs and going around him. Once clear of Fick, Findlay slid a backhander between Maguire’s legs at the 4:18 mark for his seventh of the season and the record-tying 35th goal in a Solar Bears uniform.
The three-way tie with Cepis and Vail lasted all of two and a half minutes before Findlay had the record all to himself. It came when during a penalty kill, Maguire came out to play the puck along the boards. Manderson turned on the jets and challenged the netminder, causing a turnover that led to Manderson unselfishly feeding Findlay for a slam dunk into the wide open net. Findlay’s second of the night and eighth of the season was the end of the night for Maguire who was immediately replaced by Doug Carr.
Late in regulation, Christian Hilbrich was able to sneak one past Massa for his second goal of the season but it was too little too late as the visiting Solar Bears headed off with the win.
Notes: With the victory, Orlando ran its all-time record against Wheeling to 8-0-0…The 15-7-2-0 start through 24 games is the best opening to a season for the Solar Bears since they joined the ECHL in 2012…Maguire finished the game with 25 saves on 30 shots faced in 46:45 of playing time while Carr was a perfect 8-8…Orlando is off until Friday when they head to Kalamazoo to face the Wings in a two-game set. Wheeling’s next game is also Friday when Fort Wayne comes to town for the front end of a home-and-home set.
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