ORLANDO, Fla. - The Solar Bears couldn't hit the broad side of the net with a 10-foot hockey stick, but it wasn't from a lack of trying.
Cleveland Lumberjacks goalie Rick Tabaracci merely saw to it that his former Orlando teammates shot nothing but blanks in a 2-0 'Jacks win last night at TD Waterhouse Centre.
While Tabaracci was busy stopping a flurry of shots, rookie center Kyle Calder helped Cleveland make the most of its limited scoring opportunities by contributing a goal and an assist to Nathan Perrott as the 'Jacks (34-22-8) evened the season. series with Eastern Conference -leading Orlando (38-18-7) at 3-3.
"The defense really battled hard," Cleveland coach Perry Ganchar said. "Obviously to get a shutout on the road is great and the credit has to go to the goaltender.
"We didn't have a lot of scoring opportunities, but we made the most of them. It was just a couple of bang-bang type of plays and some hard work in front of the net," Ganchar said. "So it was good to see the puck go in for some guys who work hard."
A NHL veteran of 11 seasons, Tabaracci began the season in the 1M with the Solar Bears, where he posted an 11-6-4 record and 2.58 goals-against average. His early-season mark included a 1-0-2 record vs. the Lumberjacks.
The Atlanta Thrashers, the parent club of the Solar Bears, dealt Tabaracci to the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 19 and he was subsequently assigned to the Lumberjacks. This was the first time he has faced his former club.
"It's always a funny feeling whenever you're playing against guys that you got to know pretty well," Tabaracci said. "The game is such a competitive game that you really have to try to set those things aside when you play.
Showing that his allegiances have changed completely, Tabaracci raced across the ice to deck Solar Bears goalie Scott Langkow during a melee that broke out in the final seconds of the second period. Still, Tabaracci saved his best work for in the nets, where he stopped 26 Orlando shots before he and Langkow were ejected for fighting and leaving the crease.
"It was unfortunate," Tabaracci said of a game that included a combined 226 penalty minutes. "I really thought over the last couple of nights - I really hate to say it - but I thought the officiating contributed as much as anything to the animosity that was building up between the two teams."
ORLANDO, FL - Before 10,397 at TD Waterhouse Centre (formerly Orlando Arena), the visiting Cleveland Lumberjacks shut out the Orlando Solar Bears by a 2-0 score. The two clubs combined for 226 penalty minutes, the majority of which came during a second-period brawl that saw the ejection of both starting netminders - Scott Langkow from Orlando and former Solar Bear Rick Tabaracci from Cleveland. With the loss, Orlando falls to 38-18-7 (83 points) on the 1999-2000 International Hockey League (IHL) season.
Lumberjacks center Kyle Calder opened the scoring with his 11th goal of the season at 18:18 of the first period. Left wing Jeff Christian and defenseman Remi Royer picked up the assists.
Cleveland concluded the scoring at 3:41 of the second period as right wing Nathan Perrott tallied his sixth of 1999-2000, assisted by Calder. At the 19:19 mark of the period, a series of altercations erupted that led to the ejection of four players from each club.
For the game, the Solar Bears out-shot the Lumberjacks by a 35-14 count with Tabaracci making 26 saves to earn the win and Cleveland netminder Marc Lamothe making nine saves to preserve the win. Langkow stopped 11 shots and picked up the loss, while Orlando's Scott Fankhouser made one save in relief of the ejected starter. The Solar Bears went 0 for 7 on the power play, and the Lumberjacks went 0 for 2 with the man advantage.
A crowd of 10,397 went to the Solar Bears' God, Family and Country Night, and a fight broke out.
Actually, a lot of fights broke out. In between fights, the fans were treated to a pretty good hockey game dominated by the Cleveland Lumberjacks, who stopped Orlando's four-game unbeaten streak with a 2-0 victory in an International Hockey League game at Orlando's arena.
Orlando outshot Cleveland 35-14 but was zero-for-seven on the power play. Cleveland was zero-for-two with the man advantage.
The fight-filled game had 226 penalty minutes and was highlighted by a second-period slugfest between Cleveland goalie Rick Tabaracci and Orlando goalie Scott Langkow that took place in front of the Lumberjacks' bench. Tabaracci played for the Solar Bears earlier this season.
"Tensions were high,'' Solar Bears Coach Pete Horachek said. "We haven't had one like that in a long time.''
In all, eight players were ejected, including Tabaracci and Langkow.
The Lumberjacks scored at the 18-minute, 18-second mark of the first period when Kyle Calder one-timed the puck past Langkow.
It seems every time hockey tries to change its reputation as a bunch of goons on ice it shoots itself in the foot. The Orlando Solar Bears gave it a shot with a God, Family and Country Night. But it turned into Friday Night at The Fights instead.
The fight-filled game had 226 minutes in penalties. The highlight was a second-period slugfest between Cleveland Lumberjacks goalie Rick Tabaracci, the ex-Jet, and his Orlando counterpart Scott Langkow. Funny thing is, Tabaracci began the season as a Solar Bear.
"It was unfortunate," said Tabaracci, who stopped 26 shots before he and Langkow were ejected for leaving the crease to fight in the 2-0 Cleveland victory. "I really hate to say it, but I thought the officiating contributed as much as anything to the animosity that was building up between the two teams."