The KIA Center, Orlando.
The home of the Orlando Solar Bears – the ECHL affiliate of the NHL team Tampa Bay Lightning – was filled with excited fans from both sides last night as the Lightning took on the Florida Panthers.
First Period of Hockey
Don’t be fooled by the score. If ping pong were played on ice, then last night’s NHL preseason game between the two Stanley Cup winners was the ultimate contest!
Scoring came fast in each of the three periods of play with the Panthers taking a first period lead of 2-0 with a goals by Zac Dalpe and A.J. Greer. The Lightning’s Darren Raddysh and Tobie Bisson struck back hard, though, and closing out the period with a 2-2 tie.
Second Period
Though the scoring slowed down, the pace sure didn’t, but with hockey, does it ever? The Lightning were the first, this time with Darren Raddysh’s second goal of the game. Two minutes later the Panthers’ Sandis Vilmanis found the back of the net tying the score for the second period 3-3.
Third Period
The third period of this hockey game was nothing short of war. It’s probably what you’d see if a panther really did take on multiple lightning strikes! Though Conor Geekie of the Lightning stuck first, the Cats came scratching back just 28 seconds later with a goal by Jesper Boqvist.
Less than two minutes later the Bolts found the net again with Niko Huuhtanen’s goal, then the Panthers pounced with three unanswered goals by Wilmer Skoog, Tobias Bjornfot and Ryan McAllister putting Florida up 7-5.
And that’s when the storm really hit. They say lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place, well this time it struck three times in a row. The first two goals by Maxim Groshev and Dylan Duke which tied the score 7-7. Then, with only two seconds left in regulation play, Conor Geekie scored his second goal of the game, bringing the crowd to their feet!
As an action photographer, I’m used to fast-paced sporting events, war photography and quick moving wildlife. This was my first NHL photo shoot and actually my very first hockey game! I am not ashamed to tell you that I was tired after trying to keep up with all the action on that ice, and I wasn’t even down at glass level!
Check out all our shots of the game on our Instagram page! And if you’d like more in-depth statistics on the Tampa Bay Lightning’s NHL hockey preseason game against the Florida Panthers, you’ll find great information on the ESPN site and a exciting recap on the NHL site.
