Duluth, GA – The South Carolina Stingrays got their first win in over two years at the Arena at Gwinnett Center, getting goals by Chris Chaput and Travis Morin and outlasting the Gwinnett Gladiators 2-1.
“I really like the way we came out tonight,” said Head Coach Jared Bednar. “We played great on the penalty kill, and did what we had to do in the third period to finish it off.”
The Rays got on the board early, setting the tone for the game, when Chaput got a pass from Cail MacLean and was able to flip a shot over the right shoulder of Gwinnett goaltender Craig Kowalski. The assists went to MacLean and Morin at 1:09 and was Chaput’s 24th goal of the year. The rest of the period was back and forth, but neither team could score.
The second period was much the same as neither team could get on the board until the very end. On the power play, Rory Rawlyk uncorked a shot from the top of the far side circle which was tipped by Morin passed Kowalski. The goal was Morin’s 31st of the year from Rawlyk and Paul McIlveen, to give the Rays a 2-0 lead after two periods of play.
In the third period, the Rays played defensive hockey and were able to keep the Gladiators at bay until Chad Painchaud got his 6th goal of the season, to cut the lead in half. Even with the lead reduced to only one goal, and with the Gladiators pulling their goalie for the extra attacker,
South Carolina was able to hold on for the 2-1 victory.
This was the first time they won at the Arena at
Gwinnett
Center since March 26, 2006, 10 straight games. The winning goaltender was Davis Parley who stopped 32 of the 33 shots he faced. The losing goaltender was Kowalski who stopped 25 of the 27 shots he faced. The Rays went 1-4 on the power play while killing off all five short handed situations they faced.
The Rays are back in action tomorrow night when they welcome in the Florida Everblades in another game with playoff implications. Once again its CMN night for the Stingrays so come out and support the Children’s Miracle Network and pick up your exclusive Nate Kiser Bobble head doll. Game time will be at 7:05 P.M.
Don’t miss all the fast-paced, hard-hitting action! Individual tickets can be purchased at the North Charleston Coliseum box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (843) 554-6060 and online at www.ticketmaster.com.
Discounted groups tickets, birthday packages, Kids Club information and fundraiser opportunities are available by calling (843) 744-2248 or by visiting online at www.stingrayshockey.com. Stingrays Hockey – A Whole
Lot Cooler!
