The Jacksonville Icemen took to home ice Wednesday night, looking to continue their recent success. Last week, the team picked up three wins in four games, and goalie Matt Vernon received the league’s Goaltender of the Week honors. Squaring up with the Orlando Solar Bears, the Icemen sought to extend their win streak to three games and shake off some early-season adversity.
The Rundown:
The Icemen got off to a dominant start in the opening frame of hockey. Jacksonville did well to stay in control of the tempo of the game, being hard fought to give up possession of the puck and keeping action in the Solar Bears’ defensive end. Brendan Harris got the team on the board just 6:20 into the period, cleaning up on a great feed out in front by Logan Cockerill. Craig Martin got the secondary assist on the play. The Icemen’s offensive dominance would pay off again just 1:28 later when Martin netted a goal of his own. Martin’s goal was assisted by Derek Lodermeier and goaltender Matt Vernon. Vernon stopped all seven shots he faced in the first period, while the Icemen put 15 shots on Solar Bears goaltender Evan Fitzpatrick.
Compared to the quick start of the first period, Jacksonville took some time getting their skates under them in the opening minutes of the second. Solar Bears forward Tyler Bird pulled Orlando within one just over 90 seconds into the period. Orlando spent more time in their offensive end during the middle frame, but Bird’s goal was the only shot that could find its way past Matt Vernon. Despite more of a push from the Solar Bears, the Icemen stayed true to their game and continued opening up space on the ice. Recent trade pick-up Luc Brown registered his fourth goal of the season and his first one in an Icemen uniform at about the halfway mark of the second to make it a 3-1 game. Luc Brown’s first Icemen goal was assisted by forward Derek Lodermeier and defenseman Brandon Fortunato.
The third period of action was all Icemen, as the team extended their lead by four goals in the last 20 minutes of play. Garrett Van Wyhe registered his fourth goal of the season off a feed from Chris Brown 6:31 into the frame. Van Wyhe was tripped up on the play at the blueline but regained his footing and made it a costly play for Orlando. Wasting no time to pad the scoreboard, just 10 seconds later, rookie Logan Cockerill would net the Icemen’s fifth goal of the night and his second of the year. The 5-1 goal was a result of Cockerill jamming the puck past Solar Bears goaltender Evan Fitzpatrick. Fellow rookie forward Riley Fiddler-Schultz joined him in the scoring extravaganza, registering the sixth Icemen goal of the evening on a shorthanded chance. RFS’s third goal of the season came with help from Logan Cockerill and netminder Matt Vernon.
The Solar Bears would get one back with 4:10 left to play, but the second goal of the night would land far from closing the gap the Icemen created. The 6-2 goal was scored by Orlando defenseman Chris Harpur. The seventh and final Jacksonville goal of the evening was new addition Luc Brown’s second of the night. Brown posted the 7-2 Icemen goal in the dying seconds of the final period and was assisted by Domnick Mersch and Derek Lodermeier.
Let The Good Times Roll:
Truthfully, I can’t just sign off by saying it was a good game, and I have no notes. Though, that is what tonight’s win feels like. The Icemen did a fantastic job at controlling the game, and did so through dominant puck possession. It was a rare occasion for Orlando to see any extended time in the offensive zone, and when they did try to set up shop in the Icemen end, Jacksonville did well at forcing the puck towards the boards and winning puck battles.
Through the first 40 minutes, neither team saw time in the penalty box. Each team got a chance to work with the man advantage in the third period, but neither was able to convert. The limited chances on special teams may not help with the powerplay troubles, but playing a disciplined game is one effective way to ensure the opposition isn’t gaining much,h either.
Thirteen different Icemen players registered a point on the night, with six of seven Icemen goals coming from a unique goal scorer. Thanksgiving Day pick-up Luc Brown was the only Icemen player to score more than once.
Most impressively, Matt Vernon had two assists in Wednesday’s win. Vernon has been a stud in net for the Icemen so far this season and now moves to 5-2 on the year when starting. His performance in the weeknight match-up doubles down on his previous Goaltender of the Week performance last week. Vernon stopped 20 of the 22 shots he faced. According to the ECHL record book, his two-point night moves him to second all-time on the ECHL’s list of most points in a single game by a goaltender.
Click here to see the full game gallery from ITR Photographer Andrew Fielder
The Icemen are back at home Friday night for another showdown with the Solar Bears. The team will then wrap up their long homestand on Saturday, December 2nd, when they take on the Trois-Rivieres Lions. The game against Trois-Rivieres is one of the rare out-of-division match-ups the team has on the schedule this year. It’s also the annual Teddy Bear Toss game.
One thought on “ECHL: Icemen Let Loose In 7-2 Win Over Solar Bears”