'Blades unable to complete comeback in loss to Solar Bears

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Solar Bears scored the first four goals of the game and held on for a 4-2 victory over the Florida Everblades on Friday night at the Amway Center. BOX SCORE Orlando (1-3-0-0-0, 2 pts.) scored twice in the first and twice more in the second to earn its first win of the season and send the Everblades (3-1-0-0, 6 pts.) to their first loss. Although Orlando had just two shots on goal near the halfway point of the first, it then scored twice in less than a minute to jump out to a 2-0 edge. Orlando opened the scoring on a goal by Taylor Doherty, who skated to the slot and then beat Everblades goaltender Cam Johnson over the blocker at the 10:23 mark of the first. Hunter Fejes made it 2-0 just 38 seconds later when he deflected Doherty’s initial chance from the point past Johnson. Orlando tabbed two more goals in a four-minute span in the second to increase its lead to four and chase Johnson, who was replaced by Ken Appleby in goal. Solar Bears captain Mike Monfredo scored off a two-on-one rush with 7:43 gone in the second, and Brent Pedersen snapped up a loose puck and beat Johnson from the bottom of the right circle at the 11:10 mark of period two. But Florida quickly responded to get on the board thanks to Blake Winiecki’s third goal of the season. Orlando goaltender Spencer Martin managed to kick out John McCarron’s initial shot from the right corner, but Winiecki tracked down the rebound at the back post and shoveled it in with 7:41 left in the second period. The Everblades fought back within two on Cam Maclise’s first goal with the team late in the third. He fired a shot from the right-wing boards that deflected past Martin to turn it into a 4-2 score with 47 seconds left in regulation. Despite pulling netminder Ken Appleby for an extra attacker and earning a power play, Florida could not find the back of the net again after Maclise’s goal.  NOTESFlorida outshot Orlando 10-2 in the first half of the opening period before Orlando scored its first goal…Friday was the first of 14 meetings between Florida and Orlando this season and the first of six matchups at the Amway Center…Appleby stopped all 13 shots he faced in relief of Johnson in his third appearance of the season…Justin Auger netted an assist on Winiecki’s goal to extend his season-opening point streak to four games…Florida was outshot 34-32, the first time this year it hasn’t possessed the edge in shots on goal. NEXT UPFlorida returns home on Saturday night to finish off this weekend's home-and-home series with the Solar Bears. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Hertz Arena.

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