ORLANDO, FLA – After a week of crazy roster moves and other distractions and with Christmas a week away, the Orlando Solar Bears might have been forgiven if their collective focus was not as sharp as usual. Instead, the Solar Bears pulled together and with some added help from a returning star, they found a way to win.
Orlando goalie Martin Ouellette (black jersey) battles for position with Atlanta’s Derek Nesbitt during Sunday’s first period (Photo courtesy of Fernando Medina / Orlando Solar Bears)
Led by a 30 save effort by goalie Martin Ouellette and goals from Mitch Hults and Dylan Fitze, Orlando (13-9-2-0) were able to earn a 2-1 victory over the Atlanta Gladiators (5-13-5-1) in front of an announced crowd of 4,427 at the Amway Center Sunday afternoon. The win, the second in a row for the Solar Bears, kicked off a five games in seven days stretch heading into the ECHL’s holiday break.
“I’m proud of them all the time. They’re a young group that works hard every day,” Solar Bears Head Coach and General Manager Drake Berehowsky said when asked about his team’s focus. “I push them hard in practice and they’re all responding. Whether a guy’s in or a guy’s out [of the lineup] it seems like they all pull together. They’re a close knit group so I’m proud of this group right now.”
After winning Wednesday night in Jacksonville, Orlando had a few days off to rest but the time off was eventful away from the ice. On Thursday, forward Brent Pedersen received a call-up to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Then on Saturday, it was announced that leading scorer Brady Shaw had been put on team suspension.
With the roster in major flux, Berehowsky needed something to stabilize things – and his wish was granted when late Saturday night, the Rockford IceHogs released Solar Bears sniper Hunter Fejes, who had played in just seven games during his first call-up to the AHL this season.
Playing against a Gladiators team that had been decimated by call-ups, Fejes’ skill level seemed to spark his teammates. His presence paid dividends midway through the first period when Fejes forced an Atlanta turnover. Fejes sped up the ice with Hults on an odd-man rush which led to Fejes firing a shot on Glads goalie Sean Bonar. Bonar made the initial save but the rebound came out to Hults who buried it into the wide open net for his first as a Solar Bear.
“Fejes is great. I’m happy that he’s back for me,” Berehowsky said about the speedy forward’s impact. “For him, I think he’s going to be up [in the AHL] again. He’s going to play one day in the AHL. He’s a great player and it’s always nice to have him in my lineup.”
Orlando outshot Atlanta 15-4 in the opening frame but the visitors came out in the second with a hard pushback. The Gladiators started to press the Solar Bears, keeping Ouellette on his toes. Sporting his newly Tampa-inspired mask design for the first time in front of the home fans, Ouellette made 12 saves in the middle frame, frustrating the visitors at every turn.
Tempers flared late in the period when Atlanta’s Tyler Howe buried a Solar Bears player into the boards, drawing the attention and ire of team captain Mike Monfredo. Monfredo and Howe traded a few blows, sending a surge of energy through the crowd.
Orlando rookie Dylan Fitze (13, black) cashes in his own rebound for the eventual game-winner Sunday afternoon (Photo courtesy of Fernando Medina / Orlando Solar Bears)
That surge was felt by the Bears on the bench and in the final minute, they rode the wave to a second tally. Trevor Olson started the play by sending the puck to Fitze who drove hard toward the front of the Atlanta net from the corner. Bonar denied the first try but the Orlando rookie stayed with the play, getting to the rebound and flipping it over Bonar for his third goal of the season and a 2-0 lead for the home team at the intermission.
Holding the lead heading into the third period – a point that has been a harbinger of good things for the Solar Bears this season – Orlando did a good job of keeping things clean in front of Ouellette, allowing the netminder to do his job. One of Ouellette’s best saves of the day came during an early third period Gladiators power play when he stretched out his right leg to stop a wraparound try by Tanner Froese.
The Gladiators finally got on the board at the 13:43 mark of the third when Derek Nesbitt redirected a shot from the point by Vytal Cote home for his sixth goal of the season. The tally unleashed a furious Atlanta barrage, which at one point had Orlando pinned in its own defensive zone for what seemed like an eternity. During that sequence, Ouellette’s temmates came to his aid, making several blocks of shots and giving their goalie a chance to do his thing. The Saint-Hippolyte, Quebec native rewarded their efforts by holding the fort to pick up his second win in as many starts since returning from a call-up to the Syracuse Crunch.
Overall, Berehowsky was happy with the effort but he did see some points that he would like to see his Solar Bears improve on.
“I thought we played well in the first period. I think [in] the second period we kind of let off a bit and in the third, we didn’t play as well as we wanted to,” Berehowsky said. “We have to be better. I think we had too many turnovers. I think it was a little too casual.”
Things don’t get any easier as South Carolina hits the Amway Center on Monday night before the week ends with games against Florida at home on Thursday and Friday and then in Estero on Saturday. Asked if Sunday’s win set the proper tone, Berehowsky quickly pointed out that every game is important, especially the ones at home.
“I think every game is important. It doesn’t matter [about] setting a tone or not. We have to realize these are division games and we can’t let points slip away,”he said. “That’s number one and number two is that our home record isn’t as good as we want it and we have to work on that. That’s something the guys acknowledge and we talk about it and hopefully it corrects itself.”
Notes: On the subject of Shaw’s suspension, the team announced that it was due to “conduct detrimental to the team”. Berehowsky, when asked if the suspension was short-term or if Shaw’s days in Orlando were over, firmly stated that “you’ve seen the last of him here”… Late in the third period, a violent, accidental collision between Orlando forward Tayler Thompson and linesman Charlie O’Connor occurred along the boards. O’Connor appeared to be seriously cut on one of his hands and immediately left the ice and was taken to a local hospital. Thompson also appeared to be injured and did not return. The game’s final 4:39 were played with linesman Randy Dengler covering both blue lines… Orlando’s penalty killers successfully killed off the lone Atlanta power play they faced. Coming on the heels of a perfect 4-for-4 penalty killing night on Wednesday, it marked the first time this season that the Solar Bears had not allowed a power play goal in consecutive games… Orlando is now 11-0-0-0 when leading after two periods.
Orlando’s Alex Schoenborn (36, black) looks for the puck in front of Atlanta goalie Sean Bonar (Photo courtesy of Fernando Medina / Orlando Solar Bears)
Photo courtesy of Fernando Medina / Orlando Solar Bears
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