ORLANDO, FLA – In the first seven meetings between the Orlando Solar Bears and the South Carolina Stingrays, the Solar Bears controlled things for the most part. Orlando won five of those contests, giving Central Florida’s ECHL team confidence that it could handle its rival from North Charleston.
Now all of a sudden, the Stingrays have gotten a hold of the Solar Bears number.
Led by two goal game from Dan DeSalvo, Max Novak and captain Andrew Cherniwchan, the visiting Stingrays (23-18-9-3) parlayed a four-goal third period into a 7-4 victory over Orlando (28-21-4-1) in front of a COVID-restricted crowd of 2,250 at the Amway Center on Sunday. Cole Ully added four assist to the cause for South Carolina, which had seven players with at least two points on the day.
Tristin Langan and Krystof Hrabik led the Solar Bears with a goal and an assist each while Anthony Repaci chipped in with two helpers. Michael Joly and Matthew Spencer netted the other two Orlando goals.
With a day off Saturday after Friday night’s 6-2 Stingrays win, both teams expected to be ready for Sunday’s matinee. The host Solar Bears got on the scoreboard first when during a power play, the puck worked its way to Joly after Langan fanned on a shot attempt and South Carolina failed to clear. Joly ripped a shot from the left faceoff circle that clanged in behind Stingrays goalie Alex Dubeau off the crossbar. For Joly it was his 12th goal of the season and fourth with Orlando.
Just under three minutes later, the Stingrays struck back. Playing on its own man advantage, South Carolina countered when one time Solar Bear Novak collected the rebound of his own shot that was blocked and beat Solar Bears netminder Clint Windsor for his fourth of the year. Late in the first frame, the visitors took the lead when Novak sent Tyler Nanne in on a partial beakaway. With no defender stopping him, Nanne went over Windsor’s catching glove for his third and a 2-1 Stingrays lead after one.
Orlando opened the second period like it did the first. Repaci got the puck to Hrabik who fired on net. Dubeau got a piece of it but it squirted away and in for the rookie’s fifth of the season at 3:43. It didn’t take long for South Carolina to regain the lead when Novak was in the slot to pick up the rebound of a shot by Matthew Weis. Novak picked his spot and hit the twine for his second of the game and fifth of the season.
Late in the period, the Solar Bears had a chance to tie things up when Luchuk and Joe Garreffa had a two-on-none chance but Dubeau made a huge left leg save. As his teammates attempted to go the other way, Orlando reclaimed the puck and Langan ended up in front to redirect a shot from Mark Auk home for his 22nd tally of the season.
Tied at three as the final twenty minutes began. South Carolina went on a goal scoring binge, netting three scores in a span of 5:12 to take control for good. First at 1:48, DeSalvo converted the rebound of a Novak shot for his 13th on a power play. Then just 21 seconds later, a Connor Moore steal at center ice led to a wide open DeSlavo in the slot and he bagged his second of the night and 14th of the year to make it a 5-3 Stingrays lead.
Cherniwchan completed the trio of lamp lighters at the seven minute mark. He muscled the puck away from a couple of Solar Bears along the boards, skated for the net and buried the puck over Windsor’s left shoulder for his 12th and a commanding 6-3 margin.
Orlando wasn’t quite done. At the 9:49 mark, Tad Kozun led a rush into the South Carolina end. Hrabik got into the play and took a feed that created a two-on-one situation. Hrabik saw Spencer charging into the slot, hitting him with a pass. Spencer did the rest, one-timing the biscuit into the open side of the cage for his third of the year.
The Solar Bears still had some time to mount a further attack but Dubeau was ready for the challenge. Spencer’s tally was the last shot that got past him on the way to a 26 save night. Cherniwchan completed the scoring at the 12:58 mark when he deftly redirected a shot by Moore over Windsor (26 saves) for his second of the afternoon and 13th of the year.
With the victory, South Carolina drew within one in the season series which Orlando controls having a 5-4 advantage following Sunday’s loss. The two teams will meet again Monday night at the Amway Center at 7 p.m.
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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