ORLANDO, Fla. – The Florida Everblades spotted the Orlando Solar Bears a pair of first-period goals, but four unanswered goals including three markers in the third period proved to be the difference in a complete 4-2 victory over the Orlando Solar Bears Saturday night at Kia Center.
The Everblades dominated puck possession throughout most of the first period, but it was Orlando that emerged with a 2-0 lead after the opening 20 minutes. Brayden Low found the net at 3:19 of the opening stanza, converting the Solar Bears’ first shot of the contest. Alex Frye doubled the home team’s lead at 13:52, scoring from heavy traffic in front of the Everblades’ net with just two seconds remaining in Orlando’s first power-play shift of the night. Despite trailing by a pair, the Blades won the first period shot battle 14-7.
Kade Landry got the Everblades on the board at 11:36 of the middle period. The defenseman took a pass from Jesse Lansdell, carried the puck from his own blue line, weaved through the Orlando defense and buried his second goal of the season to cut the home team’s lead to 2-1. The Blades continued dominating the shot battle, claiming a 13-4 edge in the second frame to pull ahead 27-11 after 40 minutes.
With the comeback underway, Isaac Nurse opened a big third period for the Everblades, tying the game with at the 5:41 mark with his 10th goal of the season, finishing off a three-on-two rush that tied the game at 2-2. Later in the third, Tarun Fizer snapped the deadlock with a power-play goal at 14:54, putting the Everblades on top 3-2, while Blades captain Oliver Chau closed out the scoring with an empty-net goal, his 19th tally of the season, in the final seconds.
Florida used an 11-4 advantage in shots on goal in the third period to end the game with a huge 35-18 edge in the shot department. Cam Johnson stopped 13 shots and earned the victory in goal for the Everblades.
