South Carolina Stingrays

Stingrays Week 19 Recap: Delayed Gratification

Steven McParland (via @Sarah_Hobday)

The South Carolina Stingrays and Rapid City Rush were all set to play Friday night. Fans were in their seats and players were warming up for the first of a three-game series. Then officials with the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center and the ECHL determined the ice was not safe. The game got delayed another day.

WEEKEND (first time)

Before the games, goaltender Joe Cannata got recalled the AHL Hershey after a 3-0-0 record in three starts with the Stingrays. ECHL All-Star Steven McParland returned from his three games with AHL Chicago, getting one assist and two minor penalties in his brief stint.

Domenic Monardo stayed hot, scoring two late goals on Saturday before being held pointless on Sunday.

Steven Summerhays made 22 stops out of a possible 23 in the 4-1 win on Saturday night. McParland announced his return to the lineup with the first goal of the game, followed soon after by Colton Saucerman’s game-winner on the power play in the first period.

Mike Monfredo got the lone goal for Rapid City on their fifth power play chance.

The Rush made the most of the rematch on Sunday, with Adam Morrison stopping 23 of 25 Stingrays’ shots while his offense took revenge with five goals for a 5-2 win.

Anthony Collins and Logan Nelson scored early in the second period, only to see Joey Leach pull South Carolina back within one. Hunter Fejes’s power play goal was enough for the Rush, but Austin McKay and Nicholas Miglio added third period tallies.

Patrick Gaul and Patrick Megannety combined for the second Stingrays goal, Megannety’s first point with South Carolina.

Megannety followed that up Monday night with his first South Carolina goal. Morrison stopped 41 shots total as the Rush stormed back for the 5-2 win.

The Stingrays had the run of play, only to find Morrison standing in their way at most chances. The only other goal for South Carolina came as a five-on-three expired when McParland hammered home a rebound.

Michael Young, Hunter Fejes, and Mark Cooper were enough for the Rush to take the game. Logan Nelson added another in the third, followed by a Cooper empty netter.

With 14.8 seconds left, Marcus Perrier and Wade Epp were in the middle of a “grab your partner and dance” ending to the game. Both Stingrays were ejected, with Perrier giving the linesman a hard way to go as he got escorted off. Andrew Cherniwchan would have had a breakaway had the whistle not blown.

The Rush are still in last place in the Mountain Division which, like the South, has every team as a 20-win team after tonight’s game.

NEXT WEEK

The Colorado Eagles are the ECHL’s hottest team. They have won 15 consecutive games, and will welcome South Carolina to Budweiser Events Center for the second three-game series the teams will play this season.

These will not be the final games out West for South Carolina, who will return to North Charleston next week against Florida. March 26 marks the last date with a Western Conference team when they play the Indy Feul.

In the last meetings, Colorado won twice, while South Carolina took the final game with a 5-2 scoreline.

CURRENT STANDING

4th in South Division, 30-23-2-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL), 63 points, 0.573 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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