PHN photos by Trina Kirk
JACKSONVILLE, FLA – After posting nine points in his first eight games, Orlando Solar Bears forward Jonne Tammela did not dress for the next five games prior to the Christmas break. No information was given as to why the Ylivieska, Finland native was not in the lineup. Thursday night at the Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Tammela returned to the ice and made sure that everyone knew he was ready.
Players from both teams converge in front of Orlando goalie Corbin Boes during Thursday night’s game (PHN photo by Trina Kirk)
Tammela – a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect – notched a hat trick, including the game winner in the third period, as the visiting Solar Bears (15-11-3-0) picked up a come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Jacksonville Icemen (17-12-1-0) in front of an announced crowd of 6,138. Tammela’s heroics spoiled a big night for two members of the home team as Garrett Ladd and Maxime Fortier each tallied a goal and two assists in a losing effort for the Icemen.
As has been the case, both teams came out of the holiday with roster changes. It did not seem to bother the Icemen as they were able to jump out to a two goal lead before the first period was thirteen minutes old.
After forcing Solar Bears goalie Corbin Boes to make a couple of early big stops, Jacksonville went on the power play and a familiar face gave the Icemen the lead. Christophe Lalancette, who started the year in Orlando before being traded and eventually ending up in a Jacksonville uniform, redirected a shot by Fortier past Boes for his first goal of the season.
Six minutes later at the 12:21 mark of the opening frame, an Orlando turnover in its own defensive zone bit them.Again it was Fortier with the setup as he fed the puck to the slot where Ladd went top shelf for his fifth of the year and a 2-0 Icemen lead.
Late in the period, the Solar Bears were able to cut the Jacksonville lead in half and take some momentum into the break. The play started when Mike Monfredo threw a pass ahead to Tammela who skated the puck into the Icemen defensive zone. He made a drop pass to Corey Kalk who moved into position to put a shot on Jacksonville netminder Mikhail Berdin. Berdin made the save but Tammela, who had continued on toward the net after his pass, collected the rebound and jammed it between the goalie’s pads for his fourth goal of the season.
Jacksonville goalie Mikhail Berdin focuses on the puck during Thursday night’s game (PHN photo by Trina Kirk)
Thanks to Boes and Berdin, the second period went scoreless. The two goalies went toe-to-toe with big saves, continually frustrating the opposition’s offense. Boes was the busier of the two, having to make eleven saves during the middle frame while facing two Jacksonville power plays. At the other end, Berdin was tested early during a carryover Orlando man advantage and finished the stanza with five saves on five Solar Bears shots faced.
The visitors, who entered Thursday’s contest with a 2-11-1-0 record when trailing after two periods, needed a spark to their offense and it was Tammela who gave it to them. Just 3:14 into the final frame, Tammela took a feed from Cody Donaghey in the right faceoff circle. Tammela then proceeded to duck his way around a Jacksonville defender and put the puck just inside the left post for his second of the night and fifth of the season.
After a flurry of action that saw both goalie make saves that maintained the tie, the Solar Bears got some luck to take their first lead of the night. At the 8:12 mark, Mike Robinson, playing in just his third game with Orlando, had a puck glance off of him and on net. Berdin tried to grab the puck but was off-balance and fell into his net with the puck following him across the line. The referee ruled it a good goal, which gave the rookie Robinson his first professional tally and more importantly put his team up 3-2.
The lead lasted all of two minutes and 37 seconds as the Icemen pressed hard and evened the score. It came when a shot by Ladd was stopped by Boes but the puck fell loose in the crease. In the ensuing scramble, Boes made two more saves before Fortier finally put a backhander into the net for his eighth of the year and a 3-3 tie with 9:11 left in regulation.
Both teams knew the next score would be important and it was the Solar Bears, specifically Tammela, who came through in the clutch. Orlando pinned Jacksonville in its own zone. Eventually defenseman Michael Brodzinski got to the puck in the corner and threw it to the front of the net. It ended up on Tammela’s stick and he fired it home to complete his hat trick, giving the visitors a 4-3 lead with 5:11 left in regulation.
The Icemen did not give up easily, pressing for the equalizer in the closing minutes. With Berdin (22 saves) pulled for an extra attacker, the Icemen went on a power play with 52.3 seconds to go. Ever with a two-man advantage, Jacksonville was not able to score as the Solar Bears defense kept the Icemen from getting a shot at Boes (33 saves) to secure the win.
The teams will match up again Friday night in Jacksonville before heading to Orlando to finish their three game set at the Amway Center Saturday night. Both games are set for 7 p.m. puck drops.
Orlando’s Trevor Olson (11, white) and Jacksonville’s Garet Hunt (24, black) exchange not so pleasant greetings during Thursday’s game (PHN photo by Trina Kirk)
Notes: Orlando went 0-for-3 on the power play, ending its streak of consecutive games with a man advantage goal at four. Jacksonville went 1-for-4 with the man advantage in the contest… Tammela’s hat trick was the second by and Orlando player this season. The first came on November 10th when Brady Shaw struck for three against South Carolina… Solar Bears forward Chris LeBlanc played in his 100th professional game and celebrated by picking up an assist to run his point streak to three games (1 goal,4 assists). Orlando’s Mathieu Foget also extended his point streak to three games (4 assists) with a helper… The Solar Bears had two new faces in the lineup as goalie Charlie Millen, who was acquired from Reading late last week, backed up Boes. Defenseman Kevin Lohan, who came from Toledo in the three-way trade that sent Justin Kea from Fort Wayne to Orlando in the Brady Shaw deal before being immediately moved to the Walleye, saw his first action with Orlando… The Solar Bears also announced that defenseman Etienne Boutet was called up and signed to a PTO by the AHL’s Stockton Heat.
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at trina.kirk@prohockeynews.com
Follow the author on Twitter @phnsingleaedit or @prohockeynews
You must be logged in to post a comment.