ORLANDO, FLA – Friday night at the Amway Center, the Orlando Solar Bears had two objectives: to make it rain teddy bears on the ice and to avenge Thursday night’s loss to the Florida Everblades. Mitch Hults and Dylan Fitze made sure both items were accomplished.
Orlando’s Dylan Fitze (13, red) beats Florida goalie Jamie Phillips for the overtime game-winning goal Friday night (Photo courtesy of Fernando Medina / Orlando Solar Bears)
Hults scored two goals including the one that brought 8,362 stuffed animals from the stands and Fitze provided the game-winning goal in overtime as the Solar Bears (14-11-2-0) edged their in-state rivals 4-3 in front of an announced crowd of 7,323. Trevor Olson added a goal for Orlando while goalie Martin Ouellette made 25 saves to beat his former team for the third time this season.
Fitze, one of a number of rookies on the Solar Bears roster, scored his second game deciding tally in spectacular fashion. Following up a shot that missed the Orlando net and rang around the boards, Fitze chipped the puck into the neutral zone. He chased it down and with lightning speed outraced Everblades defenseman Patrick McCarron for a breakaway before beating Florida goalie Jamie Phillips to the top corner of the net, setting off a big celebration on the ice and an even larger one in the stands.
“I had actually just gotten on [the ice]. They [Florida] had turned it back and had a three-on-two so I was coming [in] a little late. I saw that the guy had missed the net and when he did it kind of hit a stanchion on the glass and it popped to me,” Fitze said when asked to describe how the play unfolded in front of him. “I went to my forehand so I was able to chip it by him and then I knew once I chipped it that I was going to have him because he was looking behind him. Then I just tried to cut back door to avoid his stick and got a shot off.”
The fact that the Solar Bears even got to overtime seemed liked a fantasy in the first period as for the second straight night, Orlando was offensively challenged in the opening frame. Defensively the Solar Bears were victimized by Florida forward John McCarron who tallied a pair of redirection goals in the stanza. The first, coming at the 6:30 mark, was a redirect of a feed from Blake Winiecki from the top of Ouellette’s crease. The second was a tip-in of a shot from up top by Zach Nastasiuk with 5:06 left before the first intermission.
“It’s something with young teams that’s going to happen. We maybe have to change the way they warm up or certain things they do before the game where we try to change the meeting times and stuff like that,” Solar Bears Head Coach Drake Berehowsky said about the opening frame doldrums his team has been suffering. “We might have to tinker a little bit more.”
Orlando’s Mitch Hults (25, red) celebrates his teddy bear toss goal with teammate Mathieu Foget (Photo courtesy of Fernando Medina / Orlando Solar Bears)
Early in the second, Orlando was handed its first power play of the game when the Everblades were tagged for having too many men on the ice. It took some hard work but when Mathieu Foget (two assists) fed Hults from the corner, the Stoughton, WI native wasted no time in driving it past Phillips for his third of the season and igniting the sea of teddy bears.
“Those goals are always fun. I don’t know how many teddy bears we got out there. It’s cool because everyone’s excited, the bench is going and even the other team gets out there and helps pick up the bears which is awesome to see especially at home,” Hults, who scored a teddy bear toss goal just over a year ago (December 16, 2017) for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls against Stockton, said. “Getting goals like that any time in your career is a special moment. It’s always fun to get those goals for sure.”
The energy created by the goal and the ensuing celebration got the Solar Bears going and it led to yet another man advantage score. At the 12:59 mark, Foget made a perfect cross-ice pass to Hults who was just inside the top of the faceoff circle to Phillips’ left. Using Chris LeBlanc as a screen, Hults fired a shot that found the back of the net for his second of the night and fourth of the season. It also drew the home team even at 2-2.
“I think they just kept it simple. They shot pucks, they moved it quickly, they executed what we drew up for them,” Berehowsky said when asked why the Orlando power play was so successful. “When you execute the way it’s supposed to be done, you should have success.”
Orlando took its first lead of the game a little past the midpoint of the third period. LeBlanc took the puck behind the Florida net and emerged on the other side, He saw Olson in space in the slot and slipped a feed there. Olson took the puck on his backhand, shifted it to his forehand and went top corner glove side on Phillips (19 saves) for his third of the year.
Orlando goalie Martin Ouellette made 25 saves including this one in overtime to pick up his ninth win Friday night (Photo courtesy of Fernando Medina / Orlando Solar Bears)
The lead lasted just shy of four minutes before the Everblades answered. It came off the stick of Nathan Perkovich who fired a shot from along the goal line that caught Ouellette on the back and bounced in for his tenth tally of the season to even things at 3-3.
Ouellette and Phillips were rock solid the rest of the way, sending the contest into the extra period where Fitze played the part of Santa Claus, giving the home fans an early Christmas present in the form of a victory.
After the game, Fitze said that the difference between Thursday night’s loss and Friday’s win for the Solar Bears was all about attention to detail.
“I think it was just the little things. I think we got back to playing a simple game. We got pucks in behind their defense and we got guys in on the forecheck,” Fitze said. “I thought yesterday we were a little too fancy at times.Tonight I thought we had guys slashing on the pucks, chipping them out of the zone and I think it showed as a team whole that they couldn’t handle our speed tonight.”
The teams will complete their three game set prior to the Christmas break Saturday night in Estero. For Hults, who will be experiencing his first three-in-three set, said he expects the Everblades to hit back hard and the Solar Bears to match the intensity.
“It’s going to be chippy to be sure. I know we get [Curt] Gogol back [from a one game suspension]. I’m not sure if he’s going in or not but that guy brings energy like that Fitzy-Olly [Olson] line,” Hults said. “I think they’re [Florida] going to bring the intensity back. It’s the last game before the break for them too I’m assuming. Three in three and we’ve seen the guys faces twice in a row now so some guys might be holding grudges. This will be my first three-in-three in my pro career so it’ll be exciting to see.”
Notes: The 2-for-3 effort by the Solar Bears on the power play was the third time this year they scored twice with the man advantage in a game… Hults joined Nick Petersen (2012), Colton Jobke (2013), Ben Rosen (2014), Christopher Clapperton (2015), Brock Montgomery (2016) and Joe Perry (2017) on the Solar Bears list of Teddy Bear Toss goal scorers… Hults has three goals against the Everblades this season, all of them coming on the power play… The ECHL announced that the trade between Orlando and Fort Wayne that saw Brady Shaw head to the Komets in exchange for Aiden Muir and future considerations was voided. A resolution of the trade is expected to be announced on Saturday. Shaw played for Fort Wayne Friday night and scored a goal… The Solar Bears on Friday announced the signing of forward Mike Robinson out of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. He was immediately pressed into service in Friday’s game.
Orlando captain Mike Monfredo (center) holds one of the more than 8,000 stuffed animals thrown on the ice Friday night (Photo courtesy of Fernando Medina / Orlando Solar Bears)
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