Stingrays Weekly Report - December 3

After six consecutive games on the road and 15 of their first 21 away from home, the South Carolina Stingrays are back in North Charleston for three matchups this week at the North Charleston Coliseum. Collecting two more points last week in Florida has the Rays in fourth place in the South Division standings with an overall record of 11-10-0-0. In addition, the team has stayed hot on special teams, killing 34 of their last 37 penalties and moving their PK percentage for the season up to 85.4%, which is 8th best in the ECHL.

South Carolina will first host Greenville Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m., before welcoming Jacksonville on Friday and Atlanta on Saturday. The Stingrays secured a victory against the Swamp Rabbits this season in their only meeting to date with a 7-4 win in their home opener on Oct. 20. 

STINGRAYS RECORD: 11-10-0-0LAST WEEK: 1-2-0-0WEDNESDAY: FLORIDA EVERBLADES 4, SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS 1(Hertz Arena – Estero, FL)Two early goals gave the Florida Everblades a lead they never relinquished Wednesday night, defeating the South Carolina Stingrays by a final score of 4-1 at Hertz Arena. Forward Tim Harrison scored for the Stingrays in the second period, while goaltender Parker Milner made his fourth straight start for SC and stopped 31 shots in a losing effort.

FRIDAY: SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS 3, FLORIDA EVERBLADES 2(Hertz Arena – Estero, FL)

With time running down in overtime, South Carolina Stingrays forward Patrick Gaul had the puck under control, but didn’t have a stick in his hands. Defenseman Tim Davison quickly gave his twig to Gaul, who seamlessly moved in on the Florida Everblades net and beat goaltender Jeremy Helvig to win the game, 3-2. The winner, Gaul’s third of the season, came with just six seconds remaining in overtime. The Stingrays also got goals from Shane Eiserman and Jonathan Charbonneau in the contest, while goaltender Parker Milner also came up big, stopping 38 shots.

SATURDAY: FLORIDA EVERBLADES 4, SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS 2(Hertz Arena – Estero, FL)

The Florida Everblades scored three times in the second period and held off the South Carolina Stingrays in the third to take the rubber game of a 3-game set between the two South Division opponents by a score of 4-2 at Hertz Arena on Saturday night. Rays forward Andrew Cherniwchan scored twice for South Carolina in the contest, while four different skaters added assists. Goaltender Parker Milner started the game and made 24 saves before being replaced by Gordon Defiel in the third period, who stopped all six shots that came his way.

THIS WEEKTuesday, December 4 – vs. Greenville Swamp Rabbits, 7:05 p.m. (North Charleston Coliseum)Friday, December 7 – vs. Jacksonville Icemen, 7:05 p.m. (North Charleston Coliseum)Saturday, December 8 – vs. Atlanta Gladiators, 7:05 p.m. (North Charleston Coliseum)Sunday, December 9, at Atlanta Gladiators, 3:05 p.m. (Infinite Energy Center)STINGRAYS LEADERSGoals: 12 – Grant BesseAssists: 15 – Jonathan CharbonneauPoints: 22 – Grant BessePlus/Minus: Plus-8 – Kevin McKernanPenalty Minutes: 40 – Andrew CherniwchanShots On Goal: 103 – Grant BesseWins: 6 – Parker MilnerGoals Against Average: 1.68 – Gordon DefielSave Percentage: 0.925 – Gordon DefielCHERNIWCHAN BECOMING RECORD BOOK WORTHYForward Andrew Cherniwchan had three points in the 3-game series in Estero, including two goals on Saturday night. He is averaging a point per game this season, scoring 21 points on eight goals and 13 assists. The Hinton, Alta. native is now 25th all-time among Rays skaters with 55 goals scored during his career in SC.

ROAD WARRIOR MILNERGoaltender Parker Milner has started six games in a row for South Carolina, all coming on the road. The netminder finished the month of November with a 3-2 record with a goals-against average at 2.37 and a 0.923 save percentage.

KOZUN CARRYING THE LOADForward Tad Kozun added three more assists last week and has scored points in four of SC's last five games. The Nipawin, Sask. native has 11 points (3g, 8a) in 12 games this season.

CHARBONNEAU CONTINUES TO IMPRESSForward Jonathan Charbonneau leads all rookies with 15 assists in 21 games this season and is sixth in rookie scoring with 19 points (4g, 15a). The attacker has six assists on the power play, which is fourth-best among rookies and his 71 shots on net is third among first-year skaters.Single-game tickets for all games during the 2018-19 season are on sale now at the North Charleston Coliseum Box Office and ticketmaster.com.

Groups of 10 or more feature discounted pricing and great benefits! For more information or to place an order call the Stingrays front office at 843-744-2248 or stop by 3300 W. Montague Ave. Suite A-200 during business hours.