Momentum key in new season
The Orlando Solar Bears enter a new season with momentum on their side.
First, they won a playoff series for the first time in franchise history after sweeping the South Carolina Stingrays in April.
Then an offseason move lined them up as an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
So it’s easy to see why the Solar Bears, despite having just five players back, are rolling forward with confidence. They open the 2018-19 regular season Saturday against the Atlanta Gladiators at Amway Center. Game time is 7 p.m.
Solar Bears coach Drake Berehowsky knows the team will need some molding with so many new faces but is also excited about what his team has shown him.
“They’re all young guys who want to prove something and they’re going out and showing us that,” said Berehowsky, whose team went 2-1 in the preseason.
“These guys have come together real fast and they’re very close already. It’s a tight-knit group and all of them have showed [themselves] well here.”
Defenseman Nolan Valleau and forward Hunter Fejes headline the returning players. Valleau led Orlando defensemen with 34 points (8 goals, 26 assists) last season and was an ECHL all-star. Fejes put up 14 goals and 18 assists in 35 games after coming to Orlando in a January trade. He also led the team in scoring during the playoffs.
Other returnees include defenseman Mike Monfredo (23 points in 60 games) and forward Chris LeBlanc (21 points in 60 games). Forward Tayler Thompson, currently a reserve, also is back.
As far as newcomers, the Solar Bears aren’t lacking for players who showed some offensive skill last season at the ECHL or AHL level. Forwards Brady Shaw (28 points last season), Alexandre Ranger (23 points), Vincent Dunn (22 points), Ryan Siiro (28 points), Brent Pederson (26 points), Colby McAuley (28 points) and Stefan Fournier (22 points) could play key roles as the Solar Bears look to utilize their team speed.
McAuley has been assigned to Orlando via the AHL’s San Jose Barracudas.
“Our main asset is our speed, and we have to use that to our advantage,” said Fejes.
In addition, defensemen Cody Donaghey and Michael Brodzinski and forward Alex Schoenbom are under contract with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, and goaltender Martin Ouellette is assigned via his contract with the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.
Valleau sees the effects of last season’s playoff victory spilling over.
“I think it’s more of a confidence, maybe a little swagger, that we got knowing that we can beat any team in this division on any given night,” he said.
No matter what the roster looks like, the goal is the same: win a championship. That starts by finishing with a winning record, securing a playoff spot and taking it “one series at a time,” said Berehowsky.
“We try not to look very far ahead of us,” he said. “We try never to get too high or too low.”
After going 33-30-6-3 to finish third in the South Division and reach the playoffs, the Solar Bears rolled to a 4-0 sweep of No. 2 conference seed South Carolina. But the victory was followed by a 4-1 loss to the rival Florida Everblades that closed Orlando’s season.
Chasing a team for the division title is one thing. When that team is also your rival, it only intensifies that pursuit, especially when they end your season. Berehowsky said the playoff loss left a “bad taste” with many of the Solar Bears.
“Now we only have a handful of guys returning from last year, so this is a new season for us,” Berehowsky said. “We have a fresh roster. I hope that handful of guys who were here last year make those [new] guys understand how they felt and the rivalry that we have with Florida.”
One area Berehowsky won’t have to worry about is goaltending, with the addition of Ouellette. He earned 15 playoff wins in helping the Everblades reach the Kelly Cup final last season, where they lost to Colorado. In 42 games last season, Ouellette was 33-5-1-2 with a 2.02 goals against average.
“He’ll win games for you, No. 1,” Berehowsky said of Ouellette. “He’ll win games by himself. But on other nights he’ll allow you to get your feet underneath you.”