The Orlando Solar Bears finally found some fight and finally found the puck in the back of the net. A rough first period gave way to a much better second for the homestanding Solar Bears, seeking a first win in this three-game set with the Manchester Monarchs.
There might have been the positive of seeing the puck go into the back of the net and the solace of a point, but there was still no important home victory for Orlando.
Derek Arnold scored the only goal in the shootout for Manchester to deliver a 4-3 win to the Monarchs and a three-game sweep of the Solar Bears at Amway Center on Friday.
Orlando scored three goals in the second period to take a 3-2 lead into the final 20 minutes. Rylan Schwartz continues his hot play to score Orlando’s first goal and his ninth of the season. The Solar Bears scored two more goals in the latter stages with T.J. Foster scoring his 16th and Johnny McInnis scoring on the power play with about a minute and a half remaining in the period.
The Solar Bears were holding onto their lead but not for long. At the 8:33 mark in the third period, Matt Leitner beat Ryan Massa to tie the score and eventually send the game to overtime.
If there was a message following Thursday’s loss to Manchester for Orlando it was to get the puck into scoring positions and to force the defense to react to it. He wanted to see the players take the puck to hard areas and scrap for opportunities.
The Solar Bears appeared to do that. They tallied 33 shots after getting 40 on Thursday night, marking the first time the Solar Bears had 30-plus shots in back-to-back games since Dec. 10-11. That is a positive for the offense as the team scored three goals for the first time since a 6-2 win over Fort Wayne on Jan. 12.
If this gets Orlando back on track, then this game will be more productive than just a point.
But it is still a loss for the Solar Bears. Another defeat in a game where the team had it going for it.
