Last week, I watched a tense, hopeful Solar Bears game at Amway Center. It had everything -- the Solar Bears falling behind, only to surge ahead, driven by the scrappy, physical efforts of F Zach Bell. Ahead by a seemingly impossible-to-defeat margin, the Solar Bears suffered defensive breakdowns that gave up goal after goal to the Swamp Rabbits in the third, until they finally lost in the last three seconds of the game.
The game revealed tendencies that the team has been showing all season -- the ability to play excellent hockey when fully engaged, and mental lapses when the team plays with a lead.