ORLANDO, Fla. – In their first game back on home ice in a month, the Orlando Solar Bears (23-18-3-0) rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the third period, and Colby McAuley and Martin Ouellette starred in the shootout to give Orlando a 3-2 shootout victory over the Jacksonville Icemen (24-20-1-2) on Wednesday night at the ARS.com Rink at Amway Center.
Garrett Ladd opened the scoring at 5:38 of the first period when he knocked a Cody Fowlie rebound past Martin Ouellette to make it 1-0 in favor of the visitors.
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Dylan Fitze tied the score with his seventh of the season for Orlando when Everett Clark coughed the puck up in the Jacksonville zone. Fitze made his way through the left circle and fired a shot that was initially stopped by Mikhail Berdin, but the forward batted his own rebound into the back of the net at 6:28 to get the Solar Bears on the board.
The Icemen retook the lead when Garet Hunt made it 2-1 at 6:08 of the second period when he tapped a centering feed from David Broll past Ouellette.
Jonne Tammela netted the tying score at 4:12 of the third period when he deflected a point shot from Mike Monfredo into the net for his 12th of the season.
Both teams secured a point with a tie score at the end of regulation, and neither team found the back of the net in the five-minute sudden-death overtime, sending Orlando to its second shootout appearance of the season.
After the first three rounds of the shootout went without a goal, Mike Robinson scored for Orlando in the top of round four, but Fowlie equalized for Jacksonville to send the shootout to a fifth round. Colby McAuley beat Berdin low to the glove side, and Ouellette made a poke-check on Cam Maclise to secure the victory.
Ouellette earned the win with 27 saves on 29 shots against; Berdin took the shootout loss with 44 saves on 46 shots against.
THREE STARS
1) Colby McAuley – ORL
2) Dylan Fitze – ORL
3) Martin Ouellette – ORL
NOTABLES
• The Solar Bears are now 8-0-3-0 in games played past regulation this season. Orlando is 2-0 in the shootout. Orlando’s 19 points earned by playing past regulation lead the Eastern Conference and are second overall.
• Orlando improved to 5-2-0-0 on the season against the Icemen with the victory
• McAuley’s assist on Tammela’s goal extends his point streak to eight games (3g-8a), a new season-high for Orlando skaters.
• Monfredo’s assist on Tammela’s goal gives the defenseman a three-game point streak (1g-2a).