HEARTBREAKER IN ORLANDO

ORLANDO, Fla. –  The Florida Everblades rallied to tie the game on three different occasions, including a comeback from a two-goal deficit in the third period, to force overtime, but a goal by Jaydon Dureau with one-tenth of a second left gave the Orlando Solar Bears a 5-4 victory over the Blades Sunday afternoon at Kia Center. 

Sunday’s game was the third overtime game between the Everblades and Solar Bears in three days, and the fifth straight overtime contest played between the ECHL South Division rivals. Despite the loss, the Everblades lead the season series 7-2-3-0 with one game left to play on March 15.

For the first time in the three-game series, Orlando got on the board first. With both teams down a skater due to coincidental roughing minors, Alex Frye’s four-on-four goal gave the Solar Bears a 1-0 lead at the 9:37 mark of the opening period, a lead that would hold up until the first intermission.

Business picked up in second period, with both teams finding their offense and scoring two goals apiece in the middle frame. The teams scored four alternating goals with Orlando eventually leading 3-2 after 40 minutes.

During that busy second period, the Everblades rallied on two separate occasions to tie the score. The red-hot Tarun Fizer scored for the second straight game, pulling the Everblades at 1-1 at the 6:28 mark, while Ben Brar brought the Blades even for a second time just two minutes later, potting his eighth goal of the season to knot the game at 2-2. Orlando received goals from Anthony Bardaro at 7:12 and Dureau at 11:16 to fill out the scoresheet in the middle frame.

In the third period, Jack Adams gave Orlando its first two-goal lead of the game, scoring a power-play goal at the 4:30 mark to take a 4-2 lead. 

Florida rallied to tie the game for the third time, as Gary Haden cut the Solar Bears’ lead to 4-3 with his sixth goal of the year at the 14:45 mark, while Fizer’s second goal of the contest at 19:15 knotted the game at 4-4 and sent the game to overtime.

In overtime, the game appeared to be heading to a shootout, but Dureau connected for his second goal of the game with just one-tenth of a second remaining on the clock.

The Everblades dominated the shot count for a second straight game, claiming a 45-22 advantage which included a 12-9 edge in the first period and a huge 30-7 margin over the final two frames of regulation.

With the Orlando series in the rear-view mirror, the Everblades are set to return to Hertz Arena to open a three-game set versus the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Wednesday, February 5. The 7:30 p.m. midweek tilt will feature the latest Hump Day Deal, offering fans $3 hot dogs, $3 Bud Lights and $3 Labatt Blues. Greenville will remain in town for games on Friday, February 8 and Saturday, February 8, at 7:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., respectively. Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

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BLADES BITS

Tarun Fizer scored two goals, finding the net for the second-straight contest, extending his point streak to four games. Over those four games, Fizer has four goals and a helper. His streak dates back to January 11 when he scored a goal in a 6-1 rout of host Idaho.

Ben Brar has scored four of his eight goals this season against Orlando. Brar also has a pair of assists, giving him six points in 10 games against the Solar Bears.

Gary Haden returned to the lineup and posted his second-straight multi-point game with a goal and an assist. He recorded three assists in a 6-0 win over Savannah in his last appearance on January 26, giving him five points on a goal and four helpers in the last two games. 

Sean Allen outpointed Orlando’s Kelly Bent in a spirited second-period scrap that extended his PIM total to 99 minutes, tops on the Everblades. In addition to the teams combining for four goals in the busy middle period, the Blades and Bears combined for 30 minutes on eight different infractions, four apiece, in the second period. Over the full 60 minutes, the teams logged a total of 52 minutes on 19 penalties. 

After both teams took 28 shots on goal in Friday night’s series opener, the Everblades dominated the shot count 84-47 over the final two games. The Blades claimed a 35-25 edge on Saturday, and followed with a 45-22 advantage in Sunday’s series finale.

Sunday’s overtime setback stretched the Everblades’ point streak to eight games (5-0-2-1). After 42 games this season, Sunday’s setback, coupled with Saturday’s overtime loss, marked the first time this season that the Everblades were defeated in consecutive games.

Sunday Afternoon’s Scoresheet

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