ORLANDO, FLA – Given the way the Orlando Solar Bears had played during the past few weeks, head coach Anthony Noreen was looking for something to spark his team. Maybe it was the ugly holiday sweater jerseys and the annual teddy bear toss or maybe it was getting more quality practice time. Either way, the Solar Bears broke out of their funk in a big way.
Ryan Rupert scored two goals in Orlando’s win Saturday night (Photo courtesy of F. Medina & G. Bassing/Orlando Solar Bears)
Paced by two goals from Ryan Rupert and the 28-save performance of goalie Ryan Massa, the Solar Bears (9-6-1-3, 22 points) demolished the Atlanta Gladiators (10-8-1-0, 21 points) 4-0 in front of an announced crowd of 6,072 at the Amway Center Saturday night. Christopher Clapperton chipped in with a goal and an assist and Eric Faille added a score to help Orlando end a five-game winless streak.
“We hadn’t had a real practice or let alone two or three in a row in three weeks. We challenged the guys pretty good. After the game on Monday night, we had a long meeting [behind] closed door with all of us and like I said we challenged them,” Noreen said after his squad’s first win since November 20th. “The message obviously got across because Tuesday was the best workout we had all year and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were far and away the best practices we had all year. We figured it would carry over to tonight and there was really nothing left to say other than just do what we did all week and I think the guys did an excellent job of that.”
Monday’s loss to the South Carolina Stingrays in front of the home fans was a wake-up call for the entire team, leaving the players needing redemption in the worst way on Saturday. With the crowd filled with Scout Night youngsters and everyone ready to toss stuffed animals onto the ice after the first Solar Bears goal, there was a lot riding on the outcome and how Orlando played.
The answer to the second question came early. Although there were still some mistakes being made, the Solar Bears did not let them haunt the team. A new sense of energy was flowing as Massa, fresh off his first career AHL win the previous weekend with the Toronto Marlies, confidently erased every shot that Atlanta fired at him in the first period.
At the other end, Orlando’s offense was generating some opportunities that came with a higher sense of urgency than in recent contests. The effort kept Gladiators netminder Matt Ginn busy enough as he matched Massa save for save through a scoreless opening period.
A spirited fight between Atlanta’s Patrick D’Amico and Orlando’s Brad Richard brought the crowd into the game early in the second. With neither team looking like it was going to allow the first score, the fans were itching for the Solar Bears to break the ice and when it did it was quick.
Just past the nine minute mark of the frame, T.J. Foster pushed the puck up the boards to Clapperton. The rookie turned on the jets and flew down the right wing into the Atlanta defensive end. As he got level to the faceoff dot, Clapperton swooped toward the slot and as Ginn began to shift his weight, he roofed the puck over the goalie’s left shoulder. It was Clapperton’s second goal of the season and it set off a sea of flying stuffed toys onto the ice.
The fans did not have time to even sit down before the Solar Bears’ quick-strike offense kept the momentum going. After a dump-in, Jack Rodewald pressured Ginn behind the net, causing the goalie to cough up the puck. Rodewald calmly slid a pass to Rupert who ripped it into the open net for his first goal since being sent down by the AHL Marlies to get playing time. In the space of eleven seconds, Orlando had two shots on net and two goals that left the Gladiators reeling.
Rupert, who was playing on a line with his brother Matt and Rodewald, admitted that his score – his first in a Solar Bears uniform since early last season – was a big relief.
“The first two games that I was down here, I was a little gassed but now I think I’m back in shape – back in game shape,” Rupert said. “Tonight I tucked a couple in the net but I was trying a little too hard to get the first one to get the teddy bears flying. Once Clappy got it I settled down and they came.”
Orlando goalie Ryan Massa turns away Atlanta’s Tyler Murovich Saturday night (Photo courtesy of F. Medina & G. Bassing/Orlando Solar Bears)
While all that was going on, Massa was spinning a gem of a game at his end of the ice. Thanks to his defense and the extra efforts of the forwards, he was seeing the puck and making all the stops he needed to make.
“I was just applying the things that I was able to work on with Piero Greco, their (Marlies) goalie coach up in Toronto,” Massa said. “I just tried to keep things pretty simple tonight – stay composed and give the guys a chance to win tonight.”
Those chances rose greatly two minutes into the final frame when Rupert was fouled on a breakaway by Atlanta’s Ian Barteaux. Referee Zac Blazic awarded Rupert a penalty shot and he made the Gladiators pay, getting Ginn (23 saves) to bite on a fake before drawing the puck around the netminder and firing it home.
Clapperton made the key play on the fourth and final Solar Bears tally, making a backhand pass to the high slot where Faille was standing all alone. Faille quickly rifled a shot past Ginn for his team-leading eleventh goal of the season and a commanding four goal lead.
From there it was left to Massa to go after his first professional shootout. He faced two Atlanta power plays down the stretch and was equal to the task, keeping the Gladiators from scoring on those shots that his defensemen did not block.
Beyond the individual effort, Massa’s performance was just one piece of Solar Bears trivia on Saturday. His win came on the same night that teammate Rob Madore (who had Jonathan Bernier as his backup) made 23 saves in a Marlies win over Manitoba. At the same time, Garret Sparks picked up his second NHL victory, making 27 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the St. Louis Blues 4-1. It meant that three goalies who had played for Orlando at some point during the 2015 calendar year all won at different levels of the Toronto affiliation ladder.
“It speaks to the depth in the organization from top to bottom,” Massa said about the noteworthy night. “It’s been a great opportunity for both Robbie and I to get some American [Hockey] League time right now early in the season. Right now I’m here in Orlando and my job is to give the team I’m playing for a chance to win. I was happy with the effort tonight and tomorrow’s another big test.”
The Solar Bears and Gladiators will square off again Sunday afternoon at the Amway Center. Game time is set for 3 pm.
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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