After a thrilling overtime winner against Florida on Saturday, Jacksonville gets its second straight overtime victory Wednesday in Orlando.
Overtime games have been the order of the day for the Jacksonville Icemen lately. Following an OT victory over the Kelly Cup Champion Florida Everblades last Saturday, the Icemen prevailed 2-1 in Orlando against the Solar bears on Wednesday, also in an extra period.
Davis Koch nailed the game-winner on Saturday against Florida. On Wednesday, it was Garrett Van Wyhe’s turn to play hero, netting a shot past Solar Bears goaltender Alexis Gravel late in overtime.
The first goal of the game didn’t occur until past the midway point of the second period. Zach Jordan took a cross-ice feed from Koch, who had two assists on the night, then sent a shot past Gravel from the right circle for a 1-0 Jax lead. It was the seventh tally of the season for Jordan, who leads the team in points against the Solar Bears with four (2-2-4).
The Icemen have been virtually unstoppable when leading after two frames, coming into Wednesday 9-0-1 in that situation.
The Solar Bears dug in, but didn’t tie the game until the third period. Jack Adams notched his fourth goal of the year with help from Spencer Kersten, who has seven points in his last five games and leads Orlando with 22 points.
The two netminders battled the rest of the way and into overtime, with Icemen goalie Matt Vernon making several key saves down the stretch.
The Icemen controlled the puck through most of the overtime, but it took over four minutes before Van Wyhe finally drove home the game-winner. After getting the puck into the Jacksonville attacking zone, Van Wyhe beat an Orlando defender and put the shot into the net for a 2-1 Icemen victory.
Vernon made 35 saves out of 36 shots to earn the victory for Jacksonville, who improves to 14-8-2. The Solar Bears are still looking for their first win when trailing after two periods, going 0-9-2 over that span. Their overall record falls to 11-13-3. They also possess the worst home record in the South Division at 3-7-2.
The Icemen travel to Greenville to take on the Swamp Rabbits on Thursday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:05 Pm ET.
The Solar Bears’ next action is on Friday in Atlanta against the Gladiators at Gas South Arena. Puck drop is slated for 7:30 Pm ET.