ORLANDO, FLA – There are many things that say April all over them: the Masters golf tournament, the return of Major League Baseball, the Easter holiday. In the state of Florida, a newer entry has been added to the list of events that happen every year:
The Orlando Solar Bears and Florida Everblades meeting in the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs.
For the third season in a row and fourth in five years, the Solar Bears and Everblades will hook up in a best-of-seven series – the second straight South Division finals series between the two bitter rivals – beginning Friday night at Hertz Arena in Estero. On the line is a trip to the Eastern Conference finals against the winner of the North Division finals between Newfoundland and Manchester.
Unless hockey fans in the Sunshine State have been living inside a conch shell, they are most likely well versed in just how much Florida and Orlando hate each other. Who could forget the line brawl at the end of Game 4 of the 2017 series that turned what looked to be a sure victory by the Solar Bears into an epic comeback by the Everblades that allowed them to take the series in seven games. Then there was the 2018 get together where after sweeping South Carolina in the divisional semifinals, the Solar Bears were taken out by the Everblades on the way to a trip to the Kelly Cup Finals and an eventual loss to the Colorado Eagles in Game 7.
Florida finished the regular season with the second best record in the entire ECHL, 50-16-5-1 and 106 points. Orlando finished a somewhat distant second to the Everblades in the South, posting a 41-25-5-1 record for 88 points.
Despite that disparity in the standings, this season’s matchup looks to be one that is about as level as it can get. For starters, the teams met twelve times during the regular season with each side posting a 6-3-3 record against the other. No less than six of the twelve games went past sixty minutes with four decided during the three-on-three five minute overtime period and two going to a shootout. Both sides won three games at home as well as three in the other team’s building.
Leading the way against the Solar Bears during the regular season was forward and well-known Orlando killer John McCarron. McCarron notched seven goals and four assists for 11 points. Defenseman Derek Sheppard was next in points with three goals and five assists for 8 points while forwards Nathan Perkovich (6 goals, 1 assist) and Blake Winiecki (3 goals, 4 assists) were close behind.
On the Orlando side, rookie Mathieu Foget led the Solar Bears against the Everblades with four goals and seven assists for 11 points, the same point total as defenseman Michael Brodzinski (3 goals, 8 assists) put up. Forwards Brent Pedersen (5 goals, 4 assists) and Dylan Fitze (5 goals, 4 assists) were next on the list just ahead of forward Otto Somppi and blueliner Cody Donaghey who each registered four goals and four assists for 8 points.
Florida began its post-season taking on its other in-state rival, the Jacksonville Icemen. After picking up two wins at home, one via overtime, the Everblades headed north and promptly lost two in Jacksonville (a place where they lost four times during the regular season) before winning Game 5. Back on home ice in Game 6, Florida blew open a tied game with four goals in a span of 3:13 early in the second period on the way to a series closing 5-1 triumph.
Three Everblades led the way against the Icemen and are among the league leaders in scoring. McCarron (3 goals, 5 assists), Winiecki (5 goals, 3 assists) and defenseman Ben Masella (2 goals, 6 assists) are currently tied for third place in the ECHL scoring race. Winiecki, McCarron and defenseman Matt Finn all posted a plus-6 rating to rank in the top five but were not the best on the team as Masella put up a plus-8, good enough to be tied for best rating in the league.
Goalie Jeremy Helvig posted a respectable 2-2 record in net with a solid 2.47 goals against average but a less than thrilling .873 save percentage. His running mate, Callum Booth, got the call in both Games 5 and 6, winning both while recording a 1.00 goals against average and a tied for second best .947 save percentage.
Following a surprising shutout loss in Game 1 at home to South Carolina, Orlando went on a mission and successfully completed it. The Solar Bears won the next four games, including three on the road in North Charleston to take the series four games to one. One of those wins away from home was an epic double-overtime victory that took more than 90 minutes of playing time to complete.
Leading the way against the Stingrays was forward Hunter Fejes, Fejes, who had been on a lengthy callup to AHL Manitoba, arrived in time for Game 3 and made an immediate splash, scoring twice including the double-OT game winner. In three games played, Fejes logged 4 goals and 1 assist for five points. Forwards Mitch Hults (3 goals, 1 assist), Jonne Tammela (1 goal, 3 assists) and Troy Bourke (1 goal, 3 assists) also chipped in with timely scoring. Defenseman Alexander Kuqali logged the best plus/minus rating on the team with a plus-6 followed by blueliner Kevin Lohan’s plus-5.
Goalie Connor Ingram, who has been with the Solar Bears since early March after being sent down from AHL Syracuse, has been nothing short of spectacular. He has a 4-1 record next to his name along with a sterling 1.64 goals against average, third best behind Florida’s Booth, and a save percentage of .947 that puts him even with Booth. Ingram set a Solar Bears franchise record with 55 saves in the Game 3 classic that went to double overtime.
In team stats, Florida had a better time on the power play, connecting three times in 14 chances for a success rate of 21.4 percent as opposed to Orlando which scored three goals in 12 chances for a 13.6 percent number. Both teams excelled on the penalty kill with the Everblades killing off 14 of 16 opposition man advantages for a success rate of 87.5 percent while the Solar Bears denied 23 of 26 chances for a rate of 88.5 percent.
Taking a deeper dive into the numbers, the Everblades averaged 3.50 goals per game in the series against Jacksonville, just slightly higher than the Solar Bears’ 3.20 goals per game against South Carolina. Both teams allowed on average just two goals per contest. Florida averaged 33.5 shots on net per game in the opening round but allowed a mere 19.5 per contest while Orlando’s shots per game came out to 35 each night while the Solar Bears gave up 34 per game to the Stingrays.
So what are the keys to the series? Both teams have the capability of quick strike on offense so defense and goaltending will play a huge role in deciding which side wins. Special teams, naturally, will have a say but it could be how aggressive the penalty killers are and whether they can create shorthanded goals that could sway things. This will be an emotional series as it always is between two bitter rivals so keeping one’s head and staying out of the penalty box will be important.
Individually, both teams are missing key cogs as Orlando’s Foget and Florida’s Joe Cox, the Everblades leading scorer in the regular season with 27 goals and 61 points, were lost to injuries in the division semifinals. Should Cox return to the lineup, he will make it that much more difficult for the Solar Bears to defend against all of Florida’s weapons. McCarron, Winiecki, Masella, Perkovich, Finn, Kyle Platzer and Justin Auger have the ability to beat any goalie in the league so keeping them in check will be priority one.
Orlando will lean on its team-first mentality that has done well for them. Of course, Fejes and the rest of the affiliation-assigned players between Tampa/Syracuse and San Jose (totaling ten in all including Bourke, Tammela, Donaghey, Brodzinski, Colby McAuley and Alex Schoenborn to name a few) need to be leaders while the likes of Fitze, Tayler Thompson, Chris LeBlanc and Pedersen need to compliment the “hired help”.
The one advantage that looks to be in favor of the Solar Bears is in net with Ingram playing to the level of an AHL All-Star, which he was at one point this season. However, Helvig and Booth can throw a wrench into the proceedings and lift the Everblades from the back end.
From an intangibles standpoint, the Everblades have won all four post-season series against the Solar Bears so confidence should not be a problem. Orlando has the revenge factor in its column, wanting to avenge all those losses and erase the playoff curse that Florida seemingly holds over its heads.
So the stage is set, the numbers are laid out and the game plans are laid down. Whichever team can execute its concepts will take this series. Which team will do that? That remains to be seen but it should be entertaining to find out.
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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