The Solar Bears
are eliminated from the ECHL playoffs by 5-2 home loss to Florida in Game 5.
Going into Game 5 of Orlando’s second-round ECHL playoff series against the Florida Everblades on Sunday afternoon at Amway Center, a major penalty at the end of the previous game was a concern for fans as well as players and coaches.
But it turned out to be another major penalty less than six minutes into the contest that doomed the Solar Bears in a 5-2 loss that gave the Everblades a 4-1 series win.
Orlando captain Sean Zimmerman was suspended for Game 5 due to an instigating penalty in the final five minutes of regulation in Friday’s Game 4 — it occurred with less than six seconds remaining in the win. Florida’s Brett Bulmer was also suspended for fighting in the same incident.
“Zimm’s a heck of a leader and obviously the locker room’s not the same without him,” first-year forward Chris LeBlanc said. “But it happened, the league made a call and we had to go with what they decided.”
Solar Bears coach Drake Berehowsky added a couple of Xand-O reasons Zimmerman was missed.
“He’s one of our best penalty killers and a physical presence,” the coach said. “But I’m not allowed to talk about officiating, so it is what it is.”
Add a five-minute major boarding penalty given to one of the Game 4 heroes, Martins Dzierkals, with a game misconduct resulting in ejection, and Orlando was in an early pickle.
“We lost one of our best offensive players and were short[-handed] for five minutes,” Berehowsky said.
The Everblades took advantage of the infraction by scoring twice. The first goal was from Mitchell Heard with 12:52 left in the first period on assists from Steven Lorentz and Michael Kirkpatrick. The second goal came just 32 seconds later by Spencer Smallman, unassisted.
A third Florida goal with 3:58 left in the first from Kirkpatrick led to Berehowsky pulling goalie Mackenzie Skapski and putting Cal Heeter back in after sitting on the bench for the equivalent of a game and a half.
“I didn’t like the start,” Berehowsky added. “We got behind, but I’m proud of the guys with the way they battled back. I know this team and they’re pretty resilient and have some character in there. The guys started getting their feet going a little better and played better.”
Whether it was the goalie switch or the realization that the season was on the line, the Solar Bears were energized with better defensive play and more activity on offense in the final 40 minutes.
LeBlanc scored both goals for the Solar Bears in the second period — the first less than seven minutes in, and the second with 3:53 left — after they fell behind 4-0. Those were his third and fourth goals of the playoffs.
“We dug ourselves a little hole and our mindset was to take it one shift at a time, one goal at a time,” LeBlanc said.
Orlando turned up the heat even more after LeBlanc’s second tally, earning a power play that carried over into the third. The Bears ended up outshooting the Everblades 42-38 in the game — the first time Orlando outshot any opponent in nine playoff games this season — and came oh-so-close to scoring, including a puck deflecting off the crossbar.
“We gave it all we had,” LeBlanc added. “We were buzzing there [in the third period], but we couldn’t get a bounce. Unfortunately we got down a little too much early.”
Florida advances to the ECHL semifinals to face the winner of the North Division final between Manchester and Adirondack, a series led 3-2 by Adirondack. Everblades coach Brad Ralph said he was happy to get some rest best the next series, which won’t start until at least Friday.