The Orlando Solar Bears opened their 2016 season with a 6-3 offensive romp over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
The Orlando Solar Bears opened their 2016 season and 10th “anniversary” season with an offensive romp, defeating the Greenville Swamp Rabbits 6-3 at Amway Center on Saturday.
Forward Matt Rupert scored twice, his first in the first period to put Orlando up 2-0 in a game Orlando was never really challenged. The closest Greenville got was 2-1 at the end of the first and 4-3 early in the third quarter. Eric Baier scored a short handed goal late in the third period before the Solar Bears added an empty net goal late.
Brady Vail opened the scoring just three minutes into the season, foreshadowing the offensive onslaught Orlando put on Allen York. Vail also added three more assists for Orlando.
The Solar Bears ultimately got the thing that mattered in the win. They created plenty of pressure in producing 30 shots on goal and controlled the game. Maybe some of the defensive lapses that made the game tighter in the third period could be cleaned up. Certainly three penalties, two late in the game protecting a one-goal lead, had to irk coach Anthony Noreen a little bit.
Overall, though, Orlando took care of business and gave the home fans a preview of what they can see from the team for the rest of the season.
Anthony Noreen summed it up this way for Avery Maehrer of the Orlando Sentinel:
“You always want to start with a win. These guys have put a ton of work in. . . . There were a lot of drills we were doing with a lot of red faces and a lot of tongues hanging out of their mouth, a lot of tired guys after practice. This is why. We want them to be rewarded for their hard work.”
Orlando got contributions from several newcomers and a few players who were holdovers from last year’s teams. It was an overall all-around team effort to pick up the win. A win the 9,000-plus that watched the opener at Amway Center could be happy about.
