ORLANDO, FLA – There is always something special about playing a game on a holiday, especially around the holidays. Coming away with a win makes it that much more fun. Add to it being your rookie season and netting a game-winning tally and it means a whole lot.
Thursday morning at the Amway Center, a couple of rookies came up with huge plays to make Thanksgiving a winning one for the Orlando Solar Bears.
Ian Parker and Cole Moberg lit the goal light in the third period to give the Solar Bears (8-5-1-0) a 3-1 victory over the Norfolk Admirals (7-6-0-0) in front of a festive announced crowd of 3,103. A couple of other rookies, forward Canon Pieper and goalie Zach Emond, also contributed to the win as Pieper had a key assist on the other Orlando goal while Emond stopped 33 Admirals shots to collect the win.
The victory allowed Orlando to move its home record to start the season to a perfect 5-0-0-0. It was also an important way to start a four game set with Norfolk with contests coming on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
The first period of the game did not start well. Already playing with just nine forwards because of injuries, the Solar Bears saw Nick Bligh get hit hard into the glass near the benches. Bligh was able to get up and skate to the locker room but did not return.
Not too long after Bligh’s injury, his teammates opened the scoring. Michael Brodzinski carried the puck into the Norfolk end and dropped a pass to Pieper along the boards. Pieper looked up and saw blueliner Luke McInnis creeping in toward the top of the faceoff circle to the right of Admirals goalie Beck Warm. Pieper threaded a cross-ice pass to McInnis who whipped a wrist shot into the back of the net for his second of the season and a 1-0 lead.
It was the lone goal scored in the stanza as Warm and Emond were solid throughout the first twenty minutes. Warm made a great save when he robbed Jackson Keane midway through the period while Emond was a perfect 15-for-15.
Less than three minutes into the second period, Emond was put to a test when Fabrizio Ricci tripped Norfolk’s Noah Corson on a breakaway. Corson was awarded a penalty shot but Emond, who was assigned by the NHL’s San Jose Sharks to the Solar Bears on November 16th, stared down Corson and kept the puck out of the net.
The scored stayed at 1-0 until the final minute of the frame, Karl El-Mir sent Corson and Darren Craighead out on a two-on-one rush. Corson skated into the faceoff circle toEmond’s right before making a cross-ice feed to Craighead. Craighead cut in toward the cage and made a couple of stickhandling moves before tucking the biscuit past Emond’s left leg and in for his fifth of the season and a 1-1 tie at the second intermission.
The tone of the game changed early in the third period when Craighead took a penalty that sent the Solar Bears to a power play. Off the ensuing offensive zone draw, Parker chased down the loose puck and made a beeline to the crease. Once he got close enough, Parker scooped a backhander over Warm’s right shoulder for the go-ahead tally and Parker’s third goal of the season.
The teams played pretty evenly through most of the remaining time with the home team holding on to its slim lead. Orlando was finally able to tack on an insurance goal. Moberg, another San Jose assigned player, took control of the puck in the neutral zone and proceeded to carry it into the Norfolk end. He was able to get to the far faceoff circle and placed a shot perfectly between Warm’s legs for his first of the year and the final goal of the day.
The second game of the four-game set between the two teams is set for Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Amway Center.
Notes: Final shots were 34-34… Norfolk went 0-for-2 on the power play while Orlando went 1-for-2… Brodzinski’s assist on McInnis’ goal pushed the defenseman’s point streak to seven games (3 goals, 7 assists).
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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