ORLANDO, FLA – During its month-long run of home games at the Amway Center, the Orlando Solar Bears team has been searching to find a consistency of play that would produce wins. With two games to go, the victories are starting to come but finding the right “groove” still needs some work.
Patrick Watling picked up a goal and can assist in Friday night’s Orlando loss (Photo courtesy of F. Medina & G. Bassing / Orlando Solar Bears)
Friday night, David Gilbert notched a hat trick to lead the visiting Kalamazoo Wings (23-24-4-1, 51 points) to a convincing 5-2 win over the Solar Bears (23-21-2-5, 53 points) in front of an announced crowd of 5,721. The loss was just the second in regulation since February 10th for Orlando.
The loss overshadowed two reasonably significant positive points: Eric Faille picking up his 20th goal of the season and Patrick Watling scoring for the first time since returning to the lineup following an injury. Unfortunately for both, another off-key start for the Solar Bears put a damper on their accomplishments.
“I thought we had a really good first couple of shifts where we were in their zone the whole time. [We] lost a sort out on the way back [and] their first shot goes in the net which obviously can’t happen,” Solar Bears head coach Anthony Noreen said. “[Then we] left the puck laying out front on the second one and now it is 2-0 and you go from what could have been a pretty good start where maybe one goes in the net to chasing two. Teams are too good in this league [to make mistakes against].”
The tone for the contest was set before the game was four minutes old. Just 2:05 into the opening period, Kalamazoo’s Eric Kattelus took the puck in the corner to the right of Orlando goalie Rob Madore. Kattelus had more than enough space to send a pass across the slot to a wide open Gilbert who one-timed it past Madore for his twelfth of the season.
Ninety-two seconds later, Dane Fox’ shot was blocked in front but the puck bounced to Curtis Valk. Valk calmly threaded the puck to Ludwig Blomstrand who fired home goal number twenty of the year. The game was 3:37 old and the Solar Bears were down by two.
“The first couple of shifts, we were in their zone. We were turning around (rolling the lines) and buzzing,” Faille said about the start of the game. “They scored two quick ones and I think from that point on it was tough [for us] to get back in the game.”
It did not help that the Wings allowed just five first period shots on netminder Joel Martin through the first twenty minutes. That all changed early in the second when an Orlando power play when Watling set up Faille for a shot that whistled past Martin’s stick into the lower corner of the net.
It stayed a one goal game until the 13:16 mark of the middle frame when Kalamazoo struck again. The play began with Justin Kovacs driving the net for a shot that Madore stopped. In the rebounding action, Alex Mallet got his stick on the puck for a second shot that the Orlando goalie also stopped. This time the disc squirted to the side where Gilbert was waiting to pop it home for his second of the game.
Two minutes later, with the teams playing four-on-four hockey, Mallet outfought two Solar Bears for the puck along the boards. He then found Gilbert alone in the high slot for a slap shot that went top corner for his hat trick score.
Down by three, the Solar Bears needed a quick response. It came when Faille backhanded a pass to Watling who ripped it into the back of the net for his first goal since October.
“It was a long time waiting,” Watling said. “It’s just good to get that monkey off your back.”
Noreen pulled Madore (28 saves) after two periods, inserting Ryan Massa between the pipes trying to light a fire under his team. Even with a man advantage opportunity early in the third period, the jump start never materialized as Kalamazoo almost completely shut Orlando’s offense down.
Fox pushed the lead to three when his drive hit Massa in the shoulder but still had enough momentum to flip over the goalie and settle into the net. Fox’ 22nd of the season proved to be the final tally as Martin (28 saves) went into lockdown mode over the remaining thirteen minutes to secure the victory.
With two more meetings over the next three days, including a contest Saturday night, Noreen said he was happy that the chance to put Friday’s loss in the rear view mirror is coming quickly.
“Tonight, we’re going to hit the reset button. We’re going to get a game plan for tomorrow. We’re going to get up, have some energy tomorrow and get ready to get after it,” he said. “That’s the best thing about this game. Obviously there’s a lot you could be disappointed at and be down about after this game. It’s over. It doesn’t change anything for tomorrow. Let’s get better, let’s improve, let’s attack the game tomorrow night.”
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