via the Stingrays
With the series moving to Manchester after tonight, the South Carolina Stingrays sent their fans home smiling and hopeful of their chances at a comeback.
South Carolina came back from three different one-goal deficits to beat the Manchester Monarchs 5-3 in game three of the Eastern Conference Finals of the Kelly Cup Playoffs.
Manchester leads the series 2-1. The remaining games of the series will be played from SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire. SNHU could not host any of the opening games with graduations already scheduled. Game four comes Friday night.
Zac Lynch had the only goal of the opening period, coming on the power-play after South Carolina failed to convert on a 5-on-3 advantage.
Cody Corbett and Joey Leach cancelled out the Ashton Rome tally between the two in the middle period. The goals were the first for both defensemen in these Kelly Cup Playoffs.
Olivier Archambault got his biggest goal of the playoffs, scoring shorthanded to spark a third period comeback for the Stingrays. Steven McParland and Rob Flick added insurance goals.
Parker Milner stopped 23 pucks on his way to the first Stingrays win of the series. Sam Brittain made 27 saves in his first loss of the series.
An early third period power play granted the Monarchs another one-goal lead. With a twister pass from Leitner, Daniel Champini beat Milner easily on the glove side.
Minutes later, the Stingrays were caught for too-many-men on the ice. After a missed shorthanded chance earlier, Kelly Zajac teamed up with Olivier Archambault to score and tie the game again.
The Archambault goal gave the bench momentum to strike again, with McParland winning a net-front battle to take the first lead of the series. Off a shot from Max Nicastro, McParland outmuscled Colton Saucerman to sweep the puck into the net.
Flick brought the crowd to its feet with an insurance marker, teeing off from the faceoff circle and blowing his slapshot by Brittain.
The Stingrays withstood a two-minute assault to end the game, as Manchester head coach Richard Seeley pulled Brittain for the extra skater. Manchester could not solve Milner, and the Stingrays skated away to cheers from the home crowd at the North Charleston Coliseum.
Photos of Game 2 by Sarah Hobday.
http://thesinbin.net/photos-manchester-monarchs-vs-south-carolina-stingrays-51317/
