The Orlando Solar Bears have named dual captains Eric Baier and Carl Nielsen as the young team looks to snap a winless streak.
The Orlando Solar Bears have officially named Carl Nielsen and Eric Baier as team captains Friday, giving the great hockey honor to two of the young team’s best and most promising players.
“I think Carl and Eric are two guys who exemplify everything we want an Orlando Solar Bear to be,” Solar Bears Head Coach Anthony Noreen said in a press release. “They’re guys that do things the right way in the community, in the locker room and on the ice, and they make the people they come in contact with better in all of those areas.”
For the young Solar Bears, these two 27-year-old players have already been a big factor for the team. They are two of the most consistent players on the roster.
Nielsen has dealt with injury early on this season, appearing in six games recording one assist. He has played 64 games overall with the Solar Bears with three goals and eight assists total.
Baier has had a big effect on the offense with five goals and 14 assists for a team-high 19 points. He has played in all 18 games to this point for Orlando. He served as the team’s captain last season.
Wearing the “C” in hockey is certainly one of the biggest honors a coach can bestow on his players. The Solar Bears had been going with three alternate captains to start the season as the young team took root.
Orlando has gotten off to a decent start, but are struggling some at this stage with a six-game winless streak. The Solar Bears are a young team and there is still a lot of maturing that needs to take place.
The team will get some re-enforcements for Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Gladiators.
Goalie Ryan Massa has been sent down to the Solar Bears after signing a professional tryout contract with the Toronto Marlies. Massa made 16 saves in his AHL debut in a 3-1 Toronto win. The rookie has played well for the Solar Bears with a 3-2-0 record and 3.45 goals against average.
