JACKSONVILLE, FLA – On Wednesday, February 9th, the Jacksonville Icemen hosted the Orlando Solar Bears in the seventh meeting of the season between the two in-state rivals. Led by Tye Felhaber who scored two goals and added an assist, the visiting Solar Bears took care of the Icemen with a 5-2 victory at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena for their first win in Jacksonville this season.
In the first period, there was only one goal scored and it was by Orlando. It came on a power play when Andrew McLean set up Odeen Tufto for a shot from the near faceoff circle and beat Jacksonville goalie Charles Williams for Tufto’s third score of the season.
The Solar Bears took control of the contest, scoring three times in the second. First at 2:23, Felhaber broke into the Jacksonville end with Tufto. Felhaber kept the puck and rocketed a shot home on the stick side for his third of the year. Three minutes later, Joe Garreffa took a pass from Fehlaber and buried a drive from above the near faceoff dot past Williams’ glove for his eighth and a 3-0 cushion.
Felhaber finished off the middle period, collecting a blocked shot off the stick of Tufto and snapping into the back of the net for his second of the night and fourth in four games with Orlando.
Jacksonville finally got onto the scoreboard 4:44 into the third period during the Icemen’s second five-on-three power play of the game. Ara Nazarian passed the puck from the end boards to Abbott Girduckis on the wing. Girduckis curled into the far circle and whipped a shot past Solar Bears netminder Brad Barone for his tenth of the season, cutting the deficit to 4-1.
Defenseman Michael Brodzinski restored Orlando’s four goal lead at the 11:48 mark. He held a clearing attempt in the Jacksonville defensive end and faked out an oncoming defender to get loose. Brodzinski skated into the far circle and deposited a hard wrist shot into the back of th cage for his seventh of the year to make it a 5-1 game.
The Icemen did inch a bit closer during another two-man advantage late in the contest. Nazarian did the honors, swatting the rebound of a shot by Girduckis that had gone airborne in for his seventh of the season but it was too little, too late as Orlando went on to take their fourth win ocer Jacksonville this season.
Contact the photojournalist at trina.kirk@prohockeynews.com
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