ORLANDO, FLA – A proud team like the Florida Everblades does not like failure. When that failure comes in the form of back-to-back losses to its in-state arch rival, the only recourse is to come out battling harder.
Saturday night at the Amway Center in Orlando, the Everblades did just that and came away with a win.
Led by Nathan Perkovich’s two goals and a goal and an assist from Derek Sheppard, the visiting Everblades (38-15-5-0) avenged two consecutive losses by defeating the Orlando Solar Bears (31-20-4-0) 4-2 in front of an announced crowd of 8,234. Mathieu Foget and Brent Pedersen scored the goals for the Solar Bears in a losing effort.
Orlando forward Alex Schoenborn (blue jersey) is sandwiched between Florida goalie Jeremy Helvig (left) and Nathan Perkovich during Saturday’s game (Photo courtesy of Fernando Medina / Orlando Solar Bears)
“I don’t think we put enough pucks at the net. When you put pucks at the net, you’re going to get second and third opportunities [and] things start opening up,” Solar Bears Head Coach and General Manager Drake Berehowsky said. “We just didn’t do a good enough job doing that tonight.”
With 13 goals in two games against the best team in the ECHL’s Eastern Conference and the South Division, the host Solar Bears were certainly confident that they could come away with a third straight win over Florida. If they were to do that, they would need another performance from netminder Corbin Boes like he served up on Wednesday along with a similar offensive explosion.
Like they did on Friday at home, the Everblades were charged up and ready to fire shots at will. It took just 3:32 for the visitors to score when Kyle Platzer set up Perkovich who beat Boes with a shot past the netminder’s blocker glove from the left faceoff circle for his 16th goal of the season.
It took Orlando more than fourteen minutes to collect three shots on Everblades goalie Jeremy Helvig but eventually the Solar Bears did pull even.It came at the 14:46 mark when Zach Frye’s shot from out high was deflected by Trevor Olson. The puck veered to the side where Foget banged it home for his 16th of the year – 15 of them coming with Orlando.
“It was good patience from Frye and then just putting the puck on net,” Foget said. “[It] was a lucky bounce off Ollie’s [Olson] stick and shin pad and I had the whole net so I was pretty fortunate.”
The Solar Bears celebrate a goal by Brent Pedersen (back left) during the second period on Saturday (Photo courtesy of Fernando Medina / Orlando Solar Bears)
Despite being outshot 19-7 in the first period, the Solar Bears found themselves tied at one heading into the middle frame. That position got better when an early power play led to a lead. It took Orlando a mere twelve seconds into the man advantage to score when Troy Bourke threaded a pass into the slot where Pedersen one-timed it past Helvig’s glove hand for his 10th of the season and third in four periods after returning from Manitoba.
“I just found some open ice in the middle there,” Pedersen said. “Bourke is a really good playmaker. He drew a couple of guys to him and was able to feed it to me in the middle. Olson was right in front of the net so the goalie didn’t have much to see so fortunately those two made great plays and I was able to put it in the net.”
The special teams theme continued but this time it was Florida that benefitted. After Orlando’s Matthew Spencer went to the penalty box at 9:49, the Everblades cashed in ten seconds later when Michael Neville set up Blake Winiecki in front. Boes stopped Winiecki’s first try but he could not stop the rebound. Winiecki was able to rap it into the back of the net for his 15th of the year.
Five minutes later, the Solar Bears had an opportunity to jump back in front while on a power play but it was the Everblades who lit the goal light. Sheppard did the honors, converting an odd-man transitional rush into a shot that snuck between Boes’ legs for Sheppard’s 12th and a 3-2 lead.
“It’s happening [allowing short-handed goals] a little too much for us right now,” Berehowsky said. “We have to realize that the power play unit has to work harder than the penalty killers. We’ll address it by watching video. There’s got to be the threat of being taken off of it. We’ve got guys coming back [from injuries] that can fill those roles and if it doesn’t produce or if things like that continue to happen then we have to change it out.”
The Solar Bears nearly evened the score in the dying seconds of the middle stanza. Chris LeBlanc, who was in the lineup for the first time in a while, fired a shot that beat Helvig to the top corner of the net but a split second before the puck tickled the twine, the buzzer hit zero so the score did not count.
Florida went for the kill in the third, taking the puck to the net early and often. Playing with a carryover power play, the Everblades extended their lead to 4-2 when Perkovich redirected a shot by Sheppard past Boes for his second of the night and 17th of the season.
Florida’s Grant Arnold (white, center) screens Orlando goalie Corbin Boes during Saturday’s game (Photo courtesy of Fernando Medina / Orlando Solar Bears)
Moments later, Neville was taken down from behind on a break-in, drawing a penalty shot. Neville was injured on the play so Patrick Bajkov took the free try but Boes (44 saves) outwaited the Everblades forward, forcing him to fire the puck over the net.
Florida’s continued rushes – and on several occasions collisions with Boes – eventually caused tempers to flare. Things boiled over with 7:08 left in the third period and it led to Orlando’s Dylan Fitze and Florida’s Winiecki drawing ten minute misconducts for continuing the altercation that ended their nights.
Berehowsky pulled Boes with a little under two minutes left in regulation but Helvig (20 saves) and his defensive corps kept the Solar Bears from getting any closer.
Foget said he felt that the Solar Bears failed to stick with what had gotten them two wins in three days, allowing the Everblades to strike back.
“We didn’t stick to the game plan at all tonight. In the third period, I think we played our game and it showed,” Foget said. “The first period we came out flat [and] the second period we were getting outshot 19-7 in the first which is unacceptable and we know that.”
Orlando now faces a road trip unlike any other as they will head out on Wednesday for a three-game excursion to St.John’s, Newfoundland. Berehowsky said that since many of his players have never been to “The Rock” as Newfoundland is known, the trip will be part business and part fun.
“It’ll be fun I think. We’ll have our hands full with that team [Newfoundland Growlers]. They’re a good team,” Berehowsky said. “A lot of guys haven’t been there before so it’ll be a good experience to see what it’s all about.”
Orlando’s Alex Schoenborn (left) and Florida’s Patrick McCarron battle during Saturday’s second period (Photo courtesy of Fernando Medina / Orlando Solar Bears)
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