ESTERO, FLA – When the announcement came on Tuesday afternoon, the excitement of having an NHL-caliber goalie between the pipes lit up the Orlando Solar Bears fan base bright enough to be seen from space. Wednesday night that netminder did what he did so many times a year ago: delivered a clutch win.
Garret Sparks, who was assigned to the Solar Bears by the Toronto Maple Leafs one day earlier, showed the talent that made him an instant hero last year as he shut down the Florida Everblades in a 4-1 Orlando win. Sparks made 25 saves to earn the victory which gave him at least one win at three different levels of hockey (NHL, AHL and ECHL) in less than a full season.
The win was only the third for the Solar Bears this season against the South division and Eastern conference leading Everblades (31-14-0-1, 63 points). It also kept Central Florida’s ECHL team alive to take the first annual Sunshine Cup series away from its southwest Florida rival.
Sparks was just one of several Toronto-assigned players who pitched in to give the Solar Bears (19-19-2-4, 44 points) their second straight win, the team’s best consecutive game performances since an early January road trip. Rookie Jack Rodewald scored twice while Zach Bell and Eric Faille each netted one as Orlando turned a deficit after two periods into a confidence-building triumph.
Sparks, who at times struggled with the AHL Toronto Marlies after returning from an injury, may have been as much in need of a solid start as his new Orlando teammates. With a gap in the Marlies’ schedule, Sparks arrived in the City Beautiful for an extra start and a chance to work on his game.
The only blemish on Sparks’ night came 3:02 into the contest when Brant Harris converted the rebound of a Matt Willows shot for his fifteenth goal of the 2015-2016 campaign.
Florida netminder Anthony Peters matched Sparks save for save as the two goalies engaged in a forty-minute epic struggle. Neither one was willing to give an inch after Harris’ tally as the game took on the air of last April’s 1-0 playoff overtime classic won by the Everblades.
Early in the third, the front offices in Orlando and Toronto held their collective breaths as Sparks went down in a heap, the result of a collision with a Florida player in his crease. Sparks collected himself and stayed in the game, letting his teammates know that he had their backs.
Orlando finally found a way to beat Peters (32 saves) midway through the final frame. Bradford made the key pass, finding Bell who was cruising into the right circle. Bell wasted little time in ripping a shot between Peters’ legs for his second of the year and more importantly the game-tying score.
Twenty-one seconds later, Florida made an uncharacteristic error by turning the puck over in its defensive end. Vail took control and fed it to Rodewald who beat Peters to put the Solar Bears in front.
With Sparks looking more confident with each successive save, the Everblades knew they were in trouble as time continued to slip away. Peters was pulled with about a minute to go but it was the visitors who took advantage. Rodewald scored his second of the game and ninth of the year into the empty net with 48 seconds left and Faille buried his 19th into the open net with 1.2 seconds left to cap the scoring.
Orlando will be in action next on Friday when the Atlanta Gladiators visit the Amway Center.
Contact the author at Don.money@prohockeynews.com
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