Advertisement

Toronto and Montreal’s ECHL affiliates did battle on Thursday evening in the first of a three-game mini-series over a four-day span.

While the Beast and Solar Bears compete in different divisions, both teams are in desperate need of points this weekend as they look to secure playoff berths.

First Period

Despite outshooting their hosts 21-10 in the opening period, Orlando found themselves trailing after the opening 20 minutes. The Solar Bears wasted two early power play opportunities and were reliant on Ryan Massa in between times for saves on Jordan Henry, Brandon Marino, Guillaume Asselin and Brandon Maclean.

The deadlock was broken just before the midway point. Seconds after Orlando’s Justin Buzzeo contrived to fire wide on a breakaway attempt, Brampton went back down the ice and scored through David Vallorani’s 28th of the season.

The Solar Bears wasted a 3-on-1 break upon resumption of play and fell behind by two on their first penalty kill of the game after Connor Crisp slipped the puck past Massa.

The chances kept coming for Orlando, but they couldn’t find the clinical pass or shot, even during a four-minute power play; the Solar Bears hit a post and Beast goaltender Zach Fucale was in excellent form between the pipes.

The Solar Bears finally solved Fucale inside the last three minutes of the period after Buzzeo’s heads-up play from the left point found Denver Manderson alone in front and Manderson made no mistake with his one-time finish.

Second Period

Eric Faille should really have tied up proceedings on two separate occasions before the intermission, but it didn’t take long for the Solar Bears to draw level. Less than five minutes into the middle frame, Brenden Miller rifled home on the power play, finally breaking through after a series of blocked shots by Brampton’s excellent PK unit.

The Beast pushed back immediately, drawing a penalty in the process. David Ling nearly put Brampton ahead on the man advantage but struck the iron, while the Beast were fortunate not to allow a shorthanded goal after a turnover presented Tony Cameranesi with the puck in the slot.

In a more evenly-contested middle frame, Brampton regained the lead with four minutes remaining. A broken play fell kindly for Marino, who beat Massa with an tidy top-shelf finish.

Third Period

The road team came out with some jump to begin the final frame but almost fell behind by two if not for Massa, who threw himself across the crease to deny Crisp on a backdoor play three minutes into the period.

The game was then turned on its head with two goals in the span of 2:27.

After taking an outlet pass from Eric Baier, Faille drove into the Brampton zone with speed, split two defensemen and faked going around the net before sliding the puck back across Fucale into the bottom corner of the net.

Orlando did an excellent job of getting traffic in front of Fucale all game long and it paid dividends on the game-winning goal; a speculative long-range shot from Daniel Maggio was tipped home by Joe Perry for his 32nd of the season.

As hard as Brampton pushed for a tying goal, Orlando kept them to the outside for the most part, with their need for the two points evident in how they scrapped for loose pucks. One last throw of the dice by Brampton saw them pull Fucale with two minutes remaining, but they could not break down the stubborn Solar Bears defense.

A mix-up at the red line eventually sealed Brampton’s fate, as Eric Faille picked up possession and slid the puck into the empty net to clinch a vital two points for Orlando.


Post Game Notes

– A feisty game produced eleven power play opportunities; Brampton was 1-4 with the extra man while Orlando went 1 for 7.

– Orlando hoisted themselves back into fourth place in the South Division and now trail Cincinnati and Greenville by one and two points respectively.

– Orlando was previously 4-18-1-2 when trailing after two periods, making this a big comeback victory for them. This was also just their second win in their last eight road games.

“We’re working hard and trying to play our way out of a slump,” said head coach Drake Berehowsky. “We may not have won all the games, but we were always in those games and giving ourselves a chance to win. Sometimes you just go through those lulls in a season.”

– Denver Manderson recorded the 78th assist in his Solar Bears career, passing Jacob Cepis for the franchise lead.


Marlies Watch

Eric Faille was the standout player with three points. He is now Orlando’s outright leading scorer. Faille noted after the game that Marlies management was happy with his play in Toronto but opportunities were limited and they wanted him to get some confidence back with the Solar Bears. He’s certainly done that, as 62 points is a career high for Faille.

Tony Cameranesi caused havoc at times with his speed, creating the best of his chances through hounding Brampton on the forecheck.

Jon Jutzi and Ty Stanton were both solid contributors on defense; nothing flashy, but they’re reliable troops for Drake Berehowsky.

Daniel Maggio played a strong, physical game, as is his way. His shot from the blue line contributed to the game winner.

Ryan Massa played for the Marlies last season and attended Leafs camp this past summer. He was excellent in making 32 saves for the victory, and commented after the game on how the extra workload has allowed him to get into a groove of late.

Shane Conacher was the lone disappointment. He hit the ground running after a long layoff for injury, even getting some time with the Marlies as a result. He has just one point in his last five games after nine in previous 12.

Brenden Miller scored in his Marlies debut in February and netted once for the Solar Bears last night. He led all skaters with seven shots.

Chase Witala was a scratch.