ELMIRA, NY – Starting the 2015-2016 ECHL season with three home victories gave the Orlando Solar Bears a lot of confidence as they headed out on their first road trip of the year. Friday night they learned that it will take more that just swagger to be successful.
The Solar Bears (3-1-1-0, 6 points) squandered a two-goal lead in the third period and eventually lost 4-3 to the host Elmira Jackals in overtime. Colin Jacobs was the hero for Elmira, scoring the game-winning goal 1:41 into the extra period while the Jackals were on a penalty kill.
Both teams were coming off of losses on Wednesday and wanted badly to get back on the winning track. Elmira (3-3-0-0, 6 points) had more jump in the early stages of the opening period but Orlando goalie Rob Madore – the tough luck loser at Adirondack two night earlier – was on his game and kept the Jackals off the scoreboard.
Madore’s play allowed the Solar Bears to get on the board first. The play started with Eric Baier feeding the puck to Brett Findlay in the slot. With defenders converging on him, Findlay fed the disc to Eric Faille who slid it past Elmira netminder Sam Marotta at the 11:24 mark of the frame. It would be the only goal of the period, a frame that featured a spirited fight between Orlando’s Brenden Miller and the Jackals Taylor Stefishen.
Less than a minute into the second, Elmira knotted the score when Mike Seidel beat Madore out of a scramble in front of the Solar Bears net. Scott Jacklin nearly put the Jackals in front less than two minutes later when he came out of the penalty box and took a pass that created a breakaway. Once again it was Madore to the rescue as he stoned Jacklin to keep the score even.
Orlando’s special teams – specifically its power play – kicked in again for the second straight game with a pair of goals. The first came at the 6:57 mark when Johnny McInnis showed great hand-eye coordination by redirecting an Eric Baier shot out of mid-air and past Marotta. Less than two minutes later, Brady Vail got on the scoresheet when he fed Lindsay Sparks who netted his first goal as a member of the Solar Bears. The man-advantage tally put the visitors up by what appeared to be a commanding 3-1 lead.
Looking for a spark, Elmira’s Nathan Oystrick dropped the gloves with Orlando’s Zach Bell right off the ensuing face-off. The pair went toe-to-toe in a heavyweight battle that saw Bell’s jersey get ripped off his body and tossed aside. It would be the end of Bell’s night as the referee ruled that Bell did not have his fight strap attached properly, earning the young defenseman a game misconduct.
Needing a big third period comeback, the Jackals got things started when former Solar Bear Tyler Currier ripped a one-time shot high to Madore’s glove side and into the back of the net. The goal sparked Elmira’s offense, creating a barrage of shots that Madore calmly knocked away time after time.
With less than nine minutes left in regulation, the Jackals pulled even by taking advantage of the Orlando defense. Nick Zappia was able to find Cason Hohmann with a pass that sent one of Elmira’s top scorers in alone on Madore. Hohmann made a move and snapped the puck past Madore (38 saves) to tie the game at three. Neither netminder allowed anything to get past them after that point, sending the contest into a five minute three-on-three overtime period.
Just 27 seconds into the extra stanza, Elmira’s Stefishen was whistled for hooking, creating a four-on-three advantage for Orlando. The Jackals circled the wagons and protected Marotta (30 saves) well, allowing just one shot in the first seventy seconds of the power play. It was then that Joe Houk got control of the puck and launched a perfect stretch pass that sent Jacobs away on a breakaway. Jacobs did not waste the opportunity, beating Madore to end the game.
Outside of allowing the game-winning score, Orlando’s special teams were solid once again, scoring twice on five attempts with the man advantage and killing off all five of Elmira’s power play opportunities. Defenseman Baier led the Solar Bears offense with three assists.
Orlando will finish its road trip Saturday night in Reading, Pennsylvania against the Royals. Game time is set for 7 pm.
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