Spencer scores to lift Solar Bears to 3-2 OT victory over Everblades

ORLANDO, Fla. —  Matthew Spencer picked up where he left off on Saturday night, scoring a goal and two assists for his second consecutive three-point game and played the role of hero by scoring the game-winner 49 seconds into overtime, lifting the Orlando Solar Bears (35-26-6-1) to a 3-2 OT victory over the Florida Everblades (40-19-4-3) on Sunday afternoon at the AdventHealth Rink at Amway Center.

The Solar Bears went 2-for-2 with the man advantage in regulation, as Nikita Pavlychev scored one the power play for the third straight game, opening the scoring in the first period. After Florida scored twice to take a 2-1 lead, Tristin Langan tied the score with a minute and three seconds left in regulation after the Everblades’ Cody Sol was whistled for high-sticking at 17:56 and Orlando pulled Clint Windsor to create a 6-on-4 advantage.

Windsor made 33 saves for his 22nd victory of the season to tie Florida’s Jake Hildebrand for the league lead; the victory was also Windsor’s 41st career win with the Solar Bears. Both statistics have tied Ryan Massa’s club records for wins in a single season (2015-16) and in career wins.

VIEW BOX SCORE

First PeriodOrlando goal: Nikita Pavlychev (5) [PP] at 7:24. Assisted by Matthew Spencer and Tristin Langan.Shots: ORL 14, FLA 10

Second PeriodFlorida goal: Blake Winiecki (19) at 4:45. Assisted by Alex Kile and Zach Berzolla.Shots: ORL 9, FLA 14

Third Period Florida goal: Myles Powell (17) at 12:47. Assisted by Joe Pendenza and Stefan Leblanc.Orlando goal: Tristin Langan (27) [PP] at 18:57. Assisted by Matthew Spencer and Aaron Luchuk.Shots: ORL 15, FLA 10

OvertimeOrlando goal: Matthew Spencer (9) at 0:49. Assisted by Aaron Luchuk and Jerry D’Amigo.Shots: ORL 1, FLA 0

Goaltending:ORL: Clint Windsor, 33-for-35FLA: Devin Cooley, 36-for-39

THREE STARS:1) Matthew Spencer - ORL2) Tristin Langan - ORL3) Clint Windsor - ORL

NOTABLES:

• Orlando’s “Magic Number” to secure a berth in the 2021 Kelly Cup Playoffs is now reduced to seven points
• Orlando is now 10-12-3-1 against Florida this season, with one home game remaining against their in-state rival
• The Solar Bears went 7-6-2-0 in the month of May; the team was 6-4-2-0 at home for the month and improved its home game unbeaten streak to 3-0-1-0 that began on May 23 vs. South Carolina
• Orlando went 5-for-13 (38.46%) against Florida on the power play for the weekend; the Solar Bears went 8-for-8 with the penalty kill over the three games
• Spencer’s three points (1g-2a) matched his previous career-high of three points in a single game, set last night against Florida; it was the second three-point game by a defenseman for Orlando this season
• Aaron Luchuk dished out a pair of assists to give him 72 points on the season (26g-46a), passing Eric Faille (70 points, 2016-17) for the most points by a Solar Bears player in a single season; his production today allowed Luchuk to overtake Wichita’s Aaron Beauregard to take over first place in the league scoring race; Luchuk also recorded five shots today for a total of 216 for the season, passing Joe Perry’s previous single season  club mark of (211, 2016-17) for the most shots in a single season
• Nikita Pavlychev now has a four-game point streak (3g-2a), and has scored a power-play goal in his last three contests
• Tristin Langan’s game-tying goal was his 27th of the season, moving him into third overall in league goal-scoring  

NEXT GAME:

The Solar Bears visit the Jacksonville Icemen at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on Tuesday, June 1 at 7 p.m. The Solar Bears return home to host the South Carolina Stingrays at the AdventHealth Rink at Amway Center on Thursday, June 3 at 7 p.m.