The Orlando Solar Bears came home from a long road trip where they seemed to regain their footing and get back into the Playoff race in the ECHL Eastern Conference. This was a chance at home to build on things and keep the momentum moving forward.
From the first shift, coach Anthony Noreen and likely the Solar Bears knew something was off.
Adirondack did not score until the end of the first period, but the problems were apparent. The Solar Bears did not have their best, most precise effort. Eventually they would fall.
The hits came as the Solar Bears struggled to break out and create their own opportunities. A blocked shot rebounded right to Ryan Lomberg and he walked into the net and scored.
He did it again on a power play going on a rush and receiving a pass after a nifty stop from Peter MacArthur. He did it again on a wrap around in the second period. He did it again on pass from below the red line to him in the slot for a one-timer.
Lomberg scored four times in the game, recording a hat trick by the end of the second period and the Adirondack Thunder dominated the Orlando Solar Bears 6-2 at Amway Center on Thursday, halting some of the momentum of a successful road trip in a game where the team needed a much better effort.
“I thought Rob [Madore] made some huge saves early,” coach Anthony Noreen said. “I thought our d-men blocked a ton of shots early. But you can only bend so long before you break and let one in. I thought the first period, we bent as much as I have seen us all year. You get through the first, it’s 2-0. You have a pretty good push at the beginning of the second. From that point on, it was pretty much a dead even hockey game. It’s just too hard against good teams to dig a hole like that.”
Adirondack held a 21-5 shot advantage through the first period and Orlando struggled to get much sustained offensive pressure. Solar Bears players were sacrificing their bodies plenty too to deflect shots and keep them from getting to goalie Rob Madore.
Inevitably the dam would crack with the pressure the team was constantly under throughout the game.
Lomberg scored his first goal on a rebound off a blocked shot that he walked into a scoring area quickly and beat Madore with. The hits would seemingly keep coming.
Orlando had a few nice flurries but could not find the back of the net until it was too late. From there it was simply a clinic for Adirondack as the pressure built and the Orlando defense crumbled.
The Solar Bears trailed 5-0 before finally scoring on a power play goal with 8:05 to play. Branden Miller received the puck on a broken play on the power play and one-timed it into the net.
It was some evidence of the the Solar Bears showing some life, but it came too little too late with the Thunder already coasting to the finish line.
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The Solar Bears finished with 26 shots on the game, trailing the Thunder 44-26 in shots on goal.
“It’s tough to come home and lose,” Miller said. “You don’t want to say it is for lack of effort. We have to play for a full 60 like we have been on the road. We have been struggling to do that at home. Hopefully we can buckle down and play like we have been on the road.”
The Solar Bears’ long two-week road trip did end and the team made their way back in the last few days. Miller said it was possible they still had “bus legs” coming out of the road trip. Orlando certainly looked sluggish early on.
That is only an excuse though. The Solar Bears are in desperate need of every point they can get at this point to stay in the Playoff race.
Laying an egg is simply not an option.
With 12 games remaining, the Solar Bears still sit four points behind the Elmira Jackals for the final playoff spot with three games in hand. With Elmira off tonight, Orlando had an opportunity to pick up at least one point on the team while they were idle (tonight’s game was played on Thursday instead of Friday because of tomorrow’s Orlando Magic game).
Time is quickly running out. And no matter the excuse or the fatigue from all the travel, every game matters for a team trying to climb its way back into the race.
The Solar Bears had to find the same energy and urgency they found on the road.
“Obviously the road trip, we did what we needed to do,” Noreen said. “We did what was expected and worked our rear ends off the whole time and earned those points. Very disappointed to come back here and have that performance tonight.
“I thought it had nothing to do with anything with our structure. I think it was a little bit of road trip hangover. Bottom line, you are a pro hockey player, we got to do whatever you can to take care of yourself. It was evident from the first shift, what our legs look like. We just didn’t have it tonight. At this point of the season, you’ve got to have it all the time.”
The Solar Bears will get another chance Saturday in a rematch with the Thunder. They will need a much better effort to close that gap and pick up those precious points.
