Written by Keaton Hanley
ESTERO,FL – The Orlando Solar Bears used three power play goals in the third period to shine past the Florida Everblades 5-3 in front of a sellout crowd announced at 7,498 at Germain Arena Saturday night.
The Blades got on the board first with a goal from Stephen MacAulay who’s been on fire as of late, scoring in five of his last six games. MacAulay found himself with the puck in the right side circle before spinning and shooting one by Massa’s glove side on the short side with a sneaky goal.
The Solar Bears would tie things up with 11:33 left in the first period off of a goal from Daniel Maggio as he slapped one by Peters’ blocker side after a pass from behind the net from Eric Faille. With the game tied at one the Blades and Solar Bears headed into the intermission.
Stephen MacAulay gave the Blades the 2-1 lead in the second period with an incredible solo effort where he took the puck along the boards and got out into the slot before wristing one by Massa’s blocker side.
While on the power play, the ‘Blades coughed up the puck in their own end before a streaking Brendan Miller picked up the puck in the slot. Miller cruised down the slot and snapped a shot past Peters’ blocker high, tying the game at two. Yet again, the two teams found themselves tied heading into the intermission.
Newcomer Brendan Harms broke the tie once again for the Blades early in the third as he picked up his first professional goal off a rebound from a Kevin Raine shot. The goal by Harms put the ‘Blades back on top by a 3-2 count.
The Solar Bears tied things up for the third time on the night taking advantage of the power play. A quick tic-tac-toe play down low ended with the puck in the back of the net off of Joe Perry’s stick at the top of the crease.
Chris Crane got the first lead of the game for the Solar Bears after the Blades took a delay of game penalty. Peters stopped a shot by Patrick Watling as well as Crane’s initial rebound attempt. However, the puck hopped back to Crane for a second chance, and he flipped it high into the net past the outstretched Peters to put the Solar Bear in front 4-3.
Orlando carried that lead till the end of the game due to the Blades picking up a pair of late penalties against which limited any comeback attempted. The Solar Bears would convert for their third power play tally of the game off a one-timer by Miller on the 5-on-3, ending the game with a 5-3 score.
Florida failed to earn a point to secure a playoff on its own Saturday night. Florida can still clinch a spot on late Saturday with a Cincinnati loss in Alaska.
Florida now hits the road for four-game northern swing that begins on Wednesday in Kalamazoo. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.
Upcoming Home Games & Promotions Wednesday, March 29 vs. Kalamazoo, 7:30 p.m. – The final $2 Wednesday of the season! Fans can enjoy $2 hot dogs, $2 beers, $2 wines all night long! Wednesday is also College Night. College students receive a $5 tickets with free parking when they present their College ID at Germain Arena.
Friday, March 31 vs. Kalamazoo, 7:30 p.m. – Joins us for dinner & hockey, as kids eat FREE in the Breakaway Sports Pub with the purchase of an adult entree! The first 400 fans will receive FREE passes to the Naples Zoo! There will also be a Jason's Deli giveaway as well! We will be celebrating youth hockey throughout the night with the Junior Everblades Hiockey Association.
Saturday, April 1 vs. Kalamazoo, 7:00 p.m. – First 500 fans (aged 12 and under) will receive a FREE Everblades Jersey courtesy of Wendy's! It is also Storybook Prince & Princess Night, featuring themed characters and photo booth in the concourse! From 5-7 p.m. there will be live music and bounce houses for the kids!
Ticket Information
Game Tickets: Everblades tickets may be purchased at the Florida Community Bank Box Office located at Germain Arena, or at any Ticketmaster outlet, or online atwww.ticketmaster.com
Special Offer! Purchase any new ticket package for the 2016-17 season, and receive an Everblades jersey t-shirt and a $20 gift card from Ford's Garage! Locations include Cape Coral, Downtown Fort Myers and Miromar Outlets in Estero. We offer several tickets packages designed to help fit your budget and schedule
Discounted Group Tickets: Bring your group of 10 or more to a game at a discounted price, and you may also receive an Everblades souvenir! Group tickets are available for all home games. For more information on group tickets, call 239-948-7825.
This release courtesy of Fort Myers Technical College & Cape Coral Technical College
The Everblades are the proud ECHL affiliateof the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes###