South Carolina Stingrays

Stingrays Week 12 Recap: Streakers

Jordan Ruby, signed last week with Adam Carlson injured, got his first start with the Stingrays, making 18 saves on 19 shots for the win. via @Sarah_Hobday

To follow up a three-win week, the South Carolina Stingrays went ahead and won four more games. After closing out the Tulsa Oilers and the Greenville Swamp Rabbits at home, the Stingrays played the Swamp Rabbits and the Atlanta Gladiators to one-goal affairs on the road.

Before this week, the longest winning streak for South Carolina this season was three, done back in November. Their last loss came on December 23 against the Norfolk Admirals. Since that setback, the Rays have five regulation wins and one each in overtime and the shootout.

Parker Milner made his fourth straight start, getting his fourth straight win with 19 saves against the Tulsa Oilers. Kale Kessey feasted on a rebound for the only Tulsa goal of the night halfway through the first period.

Late in the second while shorthanded, a big hit from Wade Epp allowed Dylan Margonari to get the puck out of the zone for Marcus Perrier. He would find Rob Flick, who danced around  Dennis Brown and goaltender Jamie Phillips to score his 14th of the year. Derek DeBlois would find Joe Devin for a goal inside of two minutes to give the Stingrays a 2-1 lead after two periods.

Reversing roles from their first goal, Flick fed Perrier for his fourth goal of the season in the last two minutes of the third. DeBlois would ice the game with an empty-netter for his ninth of the season.

Trevor Gilles and former Stingray Danick Paquette tussled in the first period before any scoring occured. Gilles got in 10 left-handed shots before Paquette fell to the ice and the linesmen stepped in.

For the fourth and fifth consecutive times this season, South Carolina defeated Greenville in their next two contests. Milner tended the blue paint again, stopping all 20 shots that came his way for the win on Friday, his first shutout this season, and settling for the shootout win on Saturday with 24 saves.

The Stingrays finished off the Swamp Rabbits early on Friday night at the North Charleston Coliseum. Following a dump-in, Steve Weinstein hit Kelly Zajac along the Stingrays bench. Zajac spotted Olivier Archambault with ice ahead of him, and Archambault would score on the ensuing breakaway.

Rob Flick added to his team-best tallies with goal numbers 15 and 16 in Friday’s contest. His first came on a rebound off the shot from Devin, and his second came by deflection on Max Nicastro’s shot. The Stingrays were up 3-0 before the Swamp Rabbits got their second shot on goal.

Trevor Gerling and Patrick Gaul hit each other a few times toward the end of the second. It took some convincing, but Gaul dropped his gloves with Gerling. After Gerling landed eight rights, Gaul delivered a one-punch knockdown to send the fans into a frenzy. This was Gaul’s first fight since facing off with Ryan Cruthers in Game 3 against the Reading Royals during the 2015 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

In the rematch, there would be no scoring until DeBlois came in for his 10th on the year, eight minutes into the second period at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. With a secondary assist, Zajac put up a point for the fifth straight game.

Paul Zanette broke the game-and-a-half long shutout on a rebound chance off Milner, followed soon after by Tim McGauley’s first as a Stingray. McGauley deflected Alex Brooks’s shot past Jeff Malcolm to regain the one-goal lead.

Gerling scored his sixth goal of the year to tie the game in the third, forcing the extra frames upon the Stingrays and Swamp Rabbits.

Greenville missed on all three of their chances, while South Carolina only needed Olivier Archambault’s goal in the first round to take their sixth win in a row.

From Greenville, it was on to Atlanta for a matinee performance with the Gladiators. Jordan Ruby, signed last week with Adam Carlson injured, got his first start with the Stingrays, making 18 saves on 19 shots for the win.

Archambault found Domenic Monardo for the opening tally nine minutes into the game, and then scored himself in the second period to put the Stingrays up for good.

Trevor Mingoia pulled one back for the Gladiators in the third, but Ruby silenced the comeback efforts after that. The Stingrays now hold the longest active winning streak in the league at seven.

NEXT WEEK

It will be a three-game set between the Stingrays and the division-leading Florida Everblades. The first contest will come on Wednesday night at 7:30, followed by Friday at the same time, then a 7:00 start on Saturday from Germain Arena.

The Everblades, as with all their Wednesday games, are offering $2 hot dogs, $2 beer, and $2 wine all night. For college students with a valid ID, tickets are also $5 and parking is free.

Saturday is “Canadian Night.” If the Caps Canadian Night is any indication, that means fans should be ready if called upon to chug a bottle of maple syrup.

CURRENT STANDING

2nd in South Division, 33 games played, 20-11-1-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL), 42 points, .636 points percentage

Max Wolpoff

Churchill High School graduate (2015) and current Boston University journalism student. Follow me on Twitter (@Max_Wolpoff) for game-day tweets or my random musings about being a college student.

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