Slow start dooms Solar Bears in loss to South Carolina
A slow start was too much for the Orlando Solar Bears to overcome Tuesday.
The Solar Bears yielded four power-play goals and were outshot 40-27 in a 6-3 loss to the South Carolina Stingrays in front of an announced crowd of 5,559 at Amway Center.
“When you get a slow start you don’t just dig yourself in a hole by giving up goals. Now you’re taking lazy penalties, now you’re having to do a lot more work to get pucks out and your goalie’s having to do a lot more work,” Solar Bears coach Anthony Noreen said. “It just wears on everybody.”
Orlando (8-4-1-2, 19 points) entered the game having earned a point in each of its last six outings. The Solar Bears get back on the ice Friday in Atlanta.
Austin Fyten put the Stingrays (9-6-1-1, 21 points) in front for good, 3-2, on a goal with seven minutes to play in the second period when he found an open net as goalkeeper Rob Madore tried to regain position.
South Carolina extended its lead to 5-2 with 5:31 to play after David Pacan scored for the second time. A goal by Eric Faille followed three minutes later but failed to spark a late Orlando rally. Pacan added his third goal of the period in the final minute.
The Solar Bears were pelted with shots early on without offering much in response on the other end. Madore averted the barrage by making seven of his 34 saves in the opening 10 minutes, but the opposition could not be diverted in the later stages.
Denver Manderson snapped Orlando’s lethargic spell when he broke loose down the middle of the ice for the first goal of the night, putting the Solar Bears in front two minutes into the second period off a feed from Brett Findlay.
Brendan Ellis tied the game three minutes later when his deep shot bounced into the net.
South Carolina took a brief 2-1 lead nearly 30 seconds later before Findlay’s eighth goal of the season quickly followed to knot the score up again.
“You don’t want to go into a game and be slow and get behind early,” Findlay said. “When we have good starts we’re a hard team to skate with and we thrive on our energy.”