ORLANDO, FLA – Now that most of the teams playing this season in the ECHL are past the midpoint of the schedule, points are starting to become more and more critical. When precious playoffs spots are on the line, and will continue to be until early June, finding a way to scrounge up a point can be critical to later success.
Tuesday night at the Amway Center, the Orlando Solar Bears found themselves in a hole early in the second period, a situation much like the one the Solar Bears found themselves in not too long ago. And like that earlier contest, Orlando found a way to prevail and get two points when they easily could have come away with none.
After spotting the Swamp Rabbits (20-13-8-3) three goals, the host Solar Bears (22-17-3-1) scored three times in a span of 14:26 between the second and third periods and gutted out a 4-3 win in a shootout in front of a COVID-restricted crowd of 2,250. Karlis Cukste, Aaron Luchuk and Mark Auk netted the goals in regulation before Joseph Garreffa bagged the game-winner in the shootout.
Goalie Clint Windsor, who was victimized by Greenville early on, came back to play a pivotal role by shutting down the Swamp Rabbits for the final 44:53 of playing time then stared down three tries by the visitors in the skills competition. That shutout streak included making six saves in overtime, most of which came during a four-minute power play that carried over from late in regulation.
Garreffa, who had not been selected to take a shootout shot during his time with the Allen Americans and Orlando up to this point, looked like a veteran as he bore down on Swamp Rabbits netminder Ryan Bednard in round one. The left-handed shooting forward weaved into the Greenville end and when he got close to the cage, fired a wrist shot to Bednard’s stick (far) side for what proved to be the winner. It was the only goal scored as Bednard stopped the Solar Bears other two tries while Windsor denied Matt Bradley, Garrett Thompson and Jack Sadek to seal the win.
The way the first period played out was certainly not what the Solar Bears nor their fans hoped to see. Greenville, which sits in the third spot in the Eastern conference standings, came out with a purpose. Just three minutes into the contest, the Swamp Rabbits turned a counter attack into a goal when Jesse Schultz made a pinpoint pass across the ice to Thompson on the backside of the play. Thompson wasted no time in banging the puck past Windsor for his 10th of the season to make it 1-0.
The visitors doubled their lead 11:37 in when Nick Poehling converted the rebound of a shot by Bryce Reddick for his fifth. And with the way Bednard was playing in the first, the Swamp Rabbits’ 2-0 lead at the first intermission was looking good.
It got better for Greenville in the second when while playing with a carryover man advantage from the first, Orlando was hit for a second penalty. Although the Solar Bears survived 32 seconds of five-on-three power play time by the Swamp Rabbits, the visitors did score when Thompson from the corner went across the slot to Patrick Bajkov and the Florida Panthers prospect blasted a shot from the faceoff circle for his 11th and a 3-0 cushion.
Orlando began its comeback at the 8:56 mark with the first ever ECHL goal for San Jose Sharks prospect Cukste. Garreffa initiated the play when he poked the puck along the boards toward the blueline. Cukste met the vulcanized rubber disc and directed it toward the Greenville net. The shot appeared to fool Bednard, who did have some traffic in front, and settled into the cage.
A couple of ticks shy of three minutes later, the Solar Bears drew within 3-2 when Luchuk was in the right place to redirect a shot by Tristin Langan. Langan had pulled off the halfboards at the top of the near side faceoff circle and Luchuk had established a position in front of a defender, getting his stick blade into the right spot for the tip-in and his 14th goal of the year.
As the third period began, the home team had the momentum and took advantage of a Greenville penalty. J.J.Piccinich got control and fed Auk at the point. He put a shot on net that may or may not have hit someone or something in front. Either way, it went careening over Bednard’s shoulder for Auk’s fifth and tied the game at 3-3.
Much of the period was a penalty fest and both sides had three chances with the power play. The third one on the Solar Bears came with less than a minute remaining in regulation and could have been costly as Piccinich was sent off for a double minor for high sticking.
Orlando got through the first 30 seconds of the penalty kill but still had 3:30 to go in the overtime, which meant a four-on-three advantage for the Swamp Rabbits for half of the extra period. Windsor was called on to make four key saves during the Greenville power play. The visitors finished the seven minutes of overtime outshooting Orlando 6-1 but because of Windsor, the contest went to a shootout.
After Garreffa’s score in the top of the first round, Greenville’s Thompson actually beat Windsor but the shot caught the crossbar and stayed out. That was as close as anyone came to lighting the lamp and after denying Sadek in round three, Windsor did a victory dance as his teammates mobbed him on the ice.
Tuesday was just the first of a four-game set between the two teams this week, Round two is set for Thursday at the Amway Center before the scene resets to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville for games on Saturday and Sunday.
Notes: Final shots were 44-38 in favor of Greenville… The Swamp Rabbits went 1-for-5 on the power play while the Solar Bears went 1-for-4… Greenville’s Bednard finished the night with 34 saves and two more in the shootout while Windsor stopped 41 of 44 during play and all three in the shootout… Tuesday’s game was a milestone one for Orlando forward Jerry D’Amigo. The contest was D’Amigo’s 600th professional game… Luchuk is now tied with Langan and Jake Coughler for the Solar Bears goal-scoring lead with 14.
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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