ORLANDO, FLA – If the Orlando Solar Bears are going to make the ECHL playoffs, they need to take care of business against teams that are below them in the standings. Saturday night at the Amway Center, the Gwinnett Gladiators fit that bill.
Led by Ben Johnson who had a goal and two assists and Peter Sivak who picked up a goal and an assist, the Solar Bears (33-22-4-3, 73 points) parlayed a three-goal second period into a 6-2 victory in front of an announced crowd of 7,884. Combined with Greenville’s loss to the Indy Fuel, Orlando’s lead for the fourth divisional play is three points with ten games to play.
“I think we’ve been clicking as a group lately and making this playoff push,” Johnson said. “I’m just trying to have fun out there and it has been a good ride so far.”
After Thursday night’s nail-biting win over the Gladiators (17-40-3-3, 40 points), Orlando needed to come out and be more assertive against East division’s cellar-dwellers. When Scott Arnold turned a defensive zone turnover into a shot that beat Solar Bears goalie Garret Sparks between the legs, it looked like the home team was going to be in another fight for points.
Before the opening frame ended, Orlando got back to even when Johnny McInnis scored his 14th goal of the season. McInnis drove the puck into the Gwinnett end and fired a wrist shot to the far corner past Gladiators netminder Mike Lee, bringing the crowd to its feet to both cheer and let out a sigh of relief.
Sivak gave the home team a lead 8:05 into the middle frame with his second goal in a Solar Bears uniform. It came from the circle to Lee’s left, beaten the goalie between the legs from a tough angle. Three minutes later, Greg Carey took advantage of an Orlando penalty, taking a cross-ice feed from Brock Higgs and blasting a one-timer home at the 11:21 mark to tie the game for the second time.
From that point on, the Solar Bears took control. At the 13:51 mark, Johnson redirected a Mike Keenan shot from the point past a surprised Lee to give Orlando a lead it would not give up. With just under a minute left in the period, Marshall Everson set up Jake Cepis for his 14th tally of the season, putting the Solar Bears up by two heading to the third.
Orlando’s power play increased the lead to three 5:16 into the third when Max Nicastro took a feed from Eric Knodel and drove a one-timer into the back of the net. Johnson then set up Brady Vail for a short-handed empty net goal with just over three minutes left to create the final score.
Sparks made 37 saves to pick up the win while Lee stopped 33 in suffering the loss.
Orlando head coach Vince Williams said that at this point, the team’s focus is a day-to-day situation as opposed to getting too far ahead.
“We just have to keep playing the right way. Obviously there’s a high level and sense of urgency for us to rep playing and not look too far ahead,” Williams said. “We haven’t really discussed anything more than just we have to be ready to go on Tuesday.”
Orlando and Gwinnett will finish their current three-game series Tuesday night.
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