ORLANDO, FLA – Throughout the 2016-2017 ECHL regular season, fans of the Orlando Solar Bears have seen flashes of just how good the Solar Bears could be. There have also been nights when the Orlando team looked out of sorts. Saturday night at the Amway Center, it was the “good” Solar Bears who came to play and boy did they ever.
Orlando’s Justin Buzzeo celebrates his first period goal (Photo courtesy of Fernando Medina / Orlando Solar Bears)
Goalie Ryan Massa stopped all 42 shots he faced and Justin Buzzeo, Shane Conacher and Taylor Doherty provided the offense as the Solar Bears shut out the Florida Everblades 3-0 in front of an absolutely electric crowd of 8,243. The victory gave Orlando a three games to one lead in its best-of-seven South division semifinal series with a possible series-clinching game five Sunday afternoon in the City Beautiful.
“I think there’s still more to us. We played I thought a pretty good game,” Solar Bears head coach Drake Berehowsky said when asked if Saturday night’s performance was the pinnacle of effort. “I’m proud of the guys for coming out and working so hard but I think we have more [to give].”
While Massa’s first professional post-season shutout and Buzzeo’s first period tally created a incredible buzz within the Amway Center, it was the end of the contest that most everyone will be talking about for days and weeks to come. The final minute was marred by a huge line brawl that included both goalies – Massa and Florida’s Alex Nedeljkovic – and produced ten combined game misconducts and the bulk of the game’s 182 penalty minutes.
The Solar Bears, in an effort to avoid falling into an early hole like they did on Thursday, came out intent on protecting their “house” and that intensity helped them gain the early advantage. Buzzeo, who had come to Orlando in a trade deadline deal from Atlanta, opened the scoring 7:28 into the first period with a goal that had to be seen to be believed. Taking a pass from Daniel Maggio at his own defensive blue line, Buzzeo turned on the jets and quickly entered the Florida end. Once there, he kicked into an even higher level of skating, turned defenseman Jake Baker and put the puck over the left shoulder of Nedeljkovic just under the crossbar for his second goal of the series.
“It was awesome. He’s a skilled player and he makes those plays,” Berehowsky said about the Buzzeo tally. “He’s one of those players that finishes like that and that’s why we made the move to get him.”
Goalie Ryan Massa (right) tries to find the puck as Florida’s Mitchell Heard (white) and an Orlando defender battle for position (Photo courtesy of Fernando Medina / Orlando Solar Bears)
The rest of the first period and the entire second frame belonged to the goalies, especially Massa. The raucous crowd wildly cheered louder and louder with each successive save the second-year pro netminder made, marveling at the skill level Massa was playing at. He was especially good – as were his teammates – late in the opening stanza when they killed off overlapping penalties that gave the Everblades 3:35 of successive power play time including 25 seconds of a 5-on-3 advantage.
Nedeljkovic, who was the tough luck loser in both games one and two at the start of the series, made one of his best saves early in the second when Orlando’s Chris Crane scooped up a rebound and though he had a sure goal. Nedeljkovic had other ideas, diving across the crease and extending his catching glove to snare Crane’s attempt. Much like Orlando in the first, Florida faced an extended Solar Bears man advantage period of 3:26 in the middle frame, holding the home team to just two shots during the overlapping penalties to keep it a one-goal game.
As the third period began, everyone in the building knew that the next goal – whether it be a second tally by Orlando or a tying score by Florida – would be absolutely huge. That goal came at the 7:18 mark when Crane sent Conacher down the wing boards to Nedeljkovic’s left. Reaching the goal line. Conacher sent a pass toward the crease where teammate Darik Angeli was trying to get open for a redirect. The puck never got to Angeli, instead hitting the skate of an Everblades defenseman and skidding across the line for the rookie’s first post-season goal and a little bit of insurance.
Playing with desperation, the Everblades turned up the heat on Massa and the Orlando defense but the men in black stayed cool under fire. While the forwards, in particular Joe Perry, were selling out to block shots, the defensemen were clearing sight lines for Massa to see the puck. The goalie did his part, gobbling up everything coming his way. His best save in the stanza may have come just past the midpoint when he slid across the crease to smother a rebound attempt by Michael Kirkpatrick.
Florida head coach Brad Ralph pulled Nedeljkovic (31 saves) with 3:14 left on the clock, adding more fuel to an ever increasing firestorm of shots and pressure. The Solar Bears withstood the heat, finally putting the game out of reach when Doherty bagged his third goal and sixth point of the series with an empty net score from his own defensive zone.
Part of the late game mele that broke out between Florida and Orlando Saturday night (Photo courtesy of Fernando Medina / Orlando Solar Bears)
Not too long after the ensuing face-off, the Everblades frustrations and the general animosity between the two bitter rivals bolied over. Florida’s Mitchell Heard and Orlando’s Mason Marchment dropped the gloves at center ice, drawing the attention of everyone in the building. While that was going on, a secondary altercation between the Everblades Dalton Smith, Massa and Solar Bears defenseman Eric Baier broke out. It took no time for the ice to look like a yard sale of sticks, gloves, helmets and other gear as everyone on the ice converged. Even Nedeljkovic, shedding equipment along the way, sped from his net to join in the mele. In all five players from each team including both goalies were given game misconducts for continuing an altercation. Heard got the worst of it, picking up 29 minutes in the fracas. Backup goalies Anthony Peters for Florida and Mitch Gillam for Orlando finished up the final 46 seconds of play between the pipes.
Following the game, Florida Coach Ralph pointed to several areas he felt his team came up short in as well as noting the performance by Orlando’s Massa in net.
“We didn’t play our best hockey. We didn’t manufacture goals [and] the Massa kid played well, ” Ralph said. “We need to perform. We didn’t connect on passes tonight. We weren’t able to get pucks deep when we had to. We need to simplify our game. Really, we just need to play in their end more a lot more than we have been.”
On the other side of the building, Berehowsky talked glowingly about his goalie and what he gives the team on a regular basis.
“He’s solid. He plays hard every night. He competes,” Berehowsky said of Massa. “In order to have a championship team, I think you need great goaltending and he’s a great goalie right now.”
Berehowsky also took note of the fans and how his team took inspiration from them.
“It’s amazing and we need them back again [on Sunday],” Berehowsky said. “They were fantastic. It was great to hear them and see them on their feet standing and cheering for us. The guys really appreciate it as well.”
Notes: Massa is now the ECHL Solar Bears leader for most wins in a post season by a goalie with three victories, surpassing Garret Sparks… Neither power play was effective in the contest as Florida went 0-for-4 while Orlando was 0-for-3… Daniel Maggio returned to the Solar Bears lineup after being on the injured reserve list and picked up the primary assist on Buzzeo’s goal… Both of Buzzeo’s goals in the series have been game winners… Conacher’s goal allowed him to extend his points streak to three games… Sunday’s game five is set for 4 p.m. at the Amway Center. Should the Everblades force a game six, it will be played Tuesday at Germain Arena in Estero.
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