(via the Stingrays)
The South Carolina Stingrays scored three unanswered to take Game 2 from the Kalamazoo Wings and added two more in their 5-2 win at the Wings Event Center. One more road game awaits the Rays before they can return home for the remainder of the series.
Some early chances for the Rays eventually opened up the Kalamazoo defense. At one point in the first period, the Wings were outshot by the Stingrays 12-1. The shot margin ended at 19-4 after 20 minutes.
After holding the zone for the last 1:22, the Rays first power play ended, but they still held the puck. Derek DeBlois held the puck in as the last few seconds ticked off the David Gilbert penalty. He moved to the left faceoff dot, passed to Kelly Zajac at the right dot, who found Joe Devin parked at the backdoor to finish the passing sequence for the Stingrays lead.
In the middle frame, South Carolina kept the gas pedal pressed to the floor. Wade Epp stole the puck behind the net and went off for a change after passing to Nick D’Agostino. D’Agostino led the rush up ice, going cross-ice for David Paca, who found Caleb Herbert in the slot to tap it by Martin through the five-hole.
Herbert opted to tap the puck for Wade Epp on the blue line almost three minutes later. Epp wired a slap shot through Pacan’s passing screen to knock the water bottle off Martin’s net. That would be all the scoring South Carolina needed, but Kalamazoo did not go quietly.
With 8:37 left to play in the second, Tanner Sorenson held up Zajac while Justin Kovacs dispossessed the Stingrays forward. Sorenson drifted to the slot and awaited the pass from Kovacs. The puck wobbled on his tape, but settled in time for Sorenson to step in, wind up, and drive the puck past Dekanich.
Sacha Guimond grabbed a loose puck at the boards in the Stingrays’ zone and saw the open ice ahead of him. Gaining speed quickly, he powered to the bottom of the faceoff circle before putting a backhand on Dekanich. The puck squirted between the right arm and body of the Rays goaltender and rolled softly over the goal line.
With the third period looming, Kalamazoo had reversed the field of play, carrying a 10-6 shots on goal advantage during the second 20 minutes of action.
Then the Rays came back to life. Pacan’s no-look pass from the corner came to an undefended Brett Cameron. Cameron went backhand to forehand to backhand before potting the puck over an outstretched Martin. Austin Fyten, who finished with five shots on goal of his own, added an assist on the goal.
Three-and-a-half minutes later, Patrick Gaul and Marcus perrier played catch along the blue line to elude the Kalamazoo forecheck. Gaul continued up ice with Cameron and Stephen Vigier. Cameron carried the puck over the line, toe-dragged by Cory Pritz, and fired his second of the game past Martin.
Kalamazoo had some late chances, one where Trevor Gillies took a four minute double-minor for Attempted Spearing in the last three minutes, but Dekanich held fort, and the Stingrays took game two of this Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series.
The final road game of this series will be Monday night before the teams relocate to North Charleston for the remaining games.
