ECHL South Division Finals – Game 1 Recap: Orlando Solar Bears vs Florida Everblades

The Florida Everblades opened the South Division Finals with a strong showing, defeating the Orlando Solar Bears 5–3 in Game One at Hertz Arena before a crowd of 5,512 on Friday night. With the victory, Florida Head Coach Brad Ralph became the first coach in ECHL history to reach 100 postseason wins, improving his all-time playoff record to 100-58, including 80-40 with the Everblades.

First Period: Early Control and Opening Goal

Florida opened the scoring just 5:38 into the game as Cole Moberg fired a one-timer from the right point past Jon Gillies for the 1–0 lead.

GOAL (05:38): Cole Moberg (FLA) – Even Strength | Assists: Chris Doherty, Carson Gicewicz

Orlando ran into penalty trouble midway through the period. Chris Harpur was called for high-sticking at 10:53, though Florida failed to convert. The Everblades then took a penalty of their own at 15:23, when Carson Gicewicz was sent off for high-sticking. Orlando couldn’t capitalize, and shortly after, Tyson Feist was assessed a cross-checking minor at 18:32. The period ended with another Solar Bears penalty—Djibril Touré was called for tripping at 19:58, giving Florida a power play to start the second period.

Florida dominated the opening frame in puck possession and chances, outshooting Orlando 11–3.

Second Period: Florida Pulls Away with Four-Goal Burst

The Everblades wasted no time on the man-advantage, scoring just 1:34 into the second period when Jesse Lansdell redirected a shot on the power play to make it 2–0.

GOAL (21:34): Jesse Lansdell (FLA) – Power Play | Assists: Jordan Sambrook, Kobe Betts

Orlando struggled to slow Florida’s momentum. Jordan Sambrook made it 3–0 with a goal at 12:23 off a setup from Lukas Craggs.

GOAL (32:23): Jordan Sambrook (FLA) – Even Strength | Assists: Lukas Craggs

Just under three minutes later, Colton Hargrove added another at 15:13, increasing the lead for Florida to 4–0.

GOAL (35:13): Colton Hargrove (FLA) – Even Strength

Tempers flared late in the period with Chris Doherty taking a roughing penalty at 15:46. At 18:38, a flurry of penalties broke out: Orlando’s Harpur and Kodsi were assessed minors for cross-checking and roughing, respectively, while Lansdell was penalized for cross-checking on the Florida side. The Everblades made the most of the situation when Carson Gicewicz buried a power-play goal at 18:56 to push the lead to 5–0.

GOAL (38:56): Carson Gicewicz (FLA) – Power Play | Assists: Alex Kile, Cole Moberg

Orlando swapped goalies after the fourth goal, with Ryan Fanti replacing Jon Gillies. Florida held a 9–6 shots advantage in the second and finished the frame with a 5–0 lead.

Third Period: Orlando Pushes Back

Orlando showed life early in the final period. Hudson Thornton got the Solar Bears on the board at 1:25 with a wrist shot from the slot.

GOAL (41:25): Hudson Thornton (ORL) – Even Strength | Assists: Jaydon Adams

At 3:29, Tyson Bird was called for slashing, but Florida failed to score on the power play. Orlando then added a second goal at 6:44 when Ara Nazarian finished off a feed from Stephen Kersten and Alex Bardaro.

GOAL (46:44): Ara Nazarian (ORL) – Even Strength | Assists: Stephen Kersten, Alex Bardaro

Alex Bardaro received a roughing penalty at 10:02, but the Solar Bears held firm on the penalty kill. At 14:36, Djibril Touré brought Orlando within two goals with a low shot through traffic.

GOAL (54:36): Djibril Touré (ORL) – Even Strength | Assists: Kris Myllari, Maxime Roelens

Shortly after the goal, Thornton was penalized for roughing at 15:47, but with no impact to the scoreboard. Florida was outshot 9–7 in the final period but had maintained control and closed out the win.

Game Summary and Special Teams Impact

Florida finished 2-for-7 on the power play, while Orlando went 0-for-2. The Everblades outshot the Solar Bears 27–18, with goaltender Cam Johnson improving to 5–0 in the playoffs after stopping 15 shots.

Final Stats Summary

Final Score: Florida 5, Orlando 3
Shots on Goal: Florida 27 (11–9–7), Orlando 18 (3–6–9)
Power Plays: Florida 2/7, Orlando 0/2
Penalty Minutes: Florida 6 (3 infractions), Orlando 16 (8 infractions)

Goaltending

Up Next

Game Two of the South Division Finals is set for Saturday night at Hertz Arena before the series shifts to Orlando for Game Three on Tuesday.