GREENVILLE, SC – By all appearances, Orlando Solar Bears rookie forward Jack Rodewald is about as quiet and unassuming as any hockey player could be. Friday night, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits found out that the young Toronto Maple Leafs prospect has a cold-blooded side to him.
Rodewald followed the rebound of his own shot and scored 2:33 into overtime to give visiting Orlando (10-8-1-3, 24 points) a 3-2 victory in front of an announced crowd of 3,300 at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville. The win ended the Solar Bears’ two-game losing streak short and provided a shot of confidence after Thursday’s tough loss.
The winning score came during the five-minute three-on-three extra period. After taking a feed from defenseman Brad Richard, Rodewald broke out with teammate T.J. Foster on a two-on-one break. Once in the Greenville defensive end, Foster drew the defender to him and slid a pass to a wide-open Rodewald in the slot. Swamp Rabbits goalie P.J. Musico made a terrific pad save but the rebound came right back to Rodewald who lifted it over the netminder for his fourth goal of the season and the win.
After showing some flaws the night before, Orlando wanted very much to get back to a tighter defensive game on Friday. Goalie Ryan Massa, who gave up six on Thursday, held the Swamp Rabbits (11-11-3-0, 25 points) at bay in the early going with a quick glove hand that robbed Michael St. Croix about six minutes in.
Massa’s confident play allowed his teammates to be patient and look for their opportunities to score. One such chance became the game’s opening score when Matt and Ryan Rupert set up defenseman Eric Baier for a shot that banked home off his skate past Musico at the 14:28 mark. The goal was Baier’s sixth of the season and his 20th point, one away from matching his total from a year ago.
The teams put on a defensive battle throughout much of the second period as Massa and Musico had the nets on lockdown. The most excitement for the crowd came at the 8:18 mark when a big hit near the benches turned into a tag team war with two separate fights going on simultaneously. Orlando’s Max Nicastro and captain Carl Nielsen took on Greenville’s Jordan Knacksteadt and Troy Donnay in the twin bill with Nielsen drawing an instigator penalty that gave the Swamp Rabbits a power play.
Orlando held the lead until the final minute of the frame when for the second night in a row, its power play had defensive issues. With just 30 seconds remaining in the period, Bretton Cameron took advantage of a defensive lapse by the Solar Bears to set up Jack Combs who beat Massa for a short-handed tally, Greenville’s third in two nights. Combs’ eleventh goal of the season got the crowd buzzing as the teams headed to the intermission knotted at one.
The Swamp Rabbits thought they had taken the lead early in the third when Massa made a save but the puck dropped into the crease very close to the goal line. With defenseman Mark Louis’ help, Massa was able to sweep the puck away before it had a chance to cross the line, much to the disappointment of the Greenville team and fans.
The Solar Bears regained the lead at the 7:26 mark of the final frame when Foster threw a pass from below the goal line to the front of the net. Brady Vail was in the right place as the puck caromed off his skate and behind Musico (34 saves) for the forward’s eighth goal of the year. Greenville answered back a little over 1:44 later when Knackstedt took a feed in the slot and whipped a shot past Massa (28 saves) to even things up once again.
Massa held the fort in the early moments of overtime, making a big pad save on Greenville sniper Josh Nicholls and seconds later using his blocker glove to parry away another attempt. Massa’s heroics paved the way for Rodewald to net his first game-winner of the season.
Orlando will hit the ice again on Saturday night in Duluth, Georgia when the Atlanta Gladiators will host the Solar Bears. Game time is set for 7:05 pm.
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