Orlando offense explodes, takes fourth place

EVANSVILLE, Ind – For several months, the Orlando Solar Bears have been chasing a playoff spot. Sunday morning when the team awakes in Evansville, it will find that for now anyway the chase is completed.

Thanks to an offensive explosion paced by Brock Montgomery’s two goals and a 53-save effort by goalie Garret Sparks, the Solar Bears defeated the Evansville IceMen 10-3 at the Ford Center Saturday night. Combined with yet another loss by the Greenville Road Warriors, Orlando now has control of the ECHL East division’s final post season position, albeit by one slim point.

The ten goals represents a franchise high for Orlando (30-21-4-3, 67 points) since it joined the ECHL. Most of the damage came in a five-goal first period, four of which came before the contest was eight minutes old.

Sparks, who was playing in his first game in ten days, was just as much a key to the victory. He faced a franchise-high 56 shots in the contest – 43 in the final two periods – in picking up his 15th win of the season.

The Solar Bears onslaught started less than a minute in when defenseman Eric Baier hit the back of the net with a bomb from the point. Thirty-five seconds later, Johnny McInnis converted the rebound of a Denver Manderson drive to double the lead.

Peter Sivak netted his first goal in an Orlando uniform off the rebound of a Patrick Watling shot at the 5:20 mark to give the visitors a three goal margin. Scott Tanski then redirected a Bryce Aneloski shot home at 7:59 to put Orlando ahead by four. Manderson capped the big opening frame with an unassisted short-handed tally from the wing.

Orlando’s offense continued to push for more in the second. Aneloski was in the right place to pop home the rebound of an Eric Knodel shot that hit the post for goal number six at the 5:18 mark of the frame. Late in the period during a four-on-four situation, Watling stole the puck at center ice and broke in. With a defender doing everything he could to bring Watling down from behind, the young forward was able to slide the puck into the net for a 7-0 lead.

While all this scoring was going on, Sparks was putting on a clinic at the other end. Following a 13-save first, he stood up to all 22 shots the IceMen fired at him in the middle stanza.

The third period was a point-counterpoint frame with the teams trading scores. Evansville finally dented the scoreboard when Myles Bell scored a power play goal 3:23 in. That was answered with Montgomery’s 12th of the season 92 seconds later.

A two-man advantage allowed the IceMen to score again when Spencer Humphries beat Sparks. Less than a minute later, Montgomery took a feed from Knodel and drove the net, finishing with a backhander into the goal.

Evansville’s Jordan Simms netted his first of the season before Orlando’s Max Nicastro fired a wrist shot home for his fourth of the season and the team’s tenth and final tally.