The Jacksonville Icemen (21-15-1-0) scored twice in the opening minutes and held on the rest of the way for a 3-1 win over the South Carolina Stingrays (20-16-2-0) on Tuesday night at the North Charleston Coliseum.
Forward Matt Pohlkamp picked up the only goal of the game for South Carolina in the second period, while goaltender Angus Redmond turned aside 26 saves for the Rays in a losing effort.
Jacksonville was able to establish an early lead with two goals in the first four minutes of play to get ahead of SC 2-0. First Jake Randolph scored on a blast from the high slot at 2:18, before Cody Fowlie found the back of the net while the Icemen were shorthanded at 3:53.
Pohlkamp scored his second goal in three games with his 11th tally of the season at 4:14 of the second, deflecting a shot by Christian Horn past goaltender Mikhail Berdin. Forward Sam Fioretti was credited with the second assist on the play, his 12th helper of the season.
But South Carolina was unable to get any closer either later in the second or during the final frame. The Rays out-shot Jacksonville 8-5 in the third period, but were held off the scoreboard during the last minutes of the game.
Cam Maclise scored an empty net goal at 19:27 of the third to seal the 3-1 victory for the Icemen. Berdin earned the win in between the pipes for Jacksonville with 20 saves.
Neither team scored on the man-advantage in the contest, with Jacksonville going 0-for-3 while South Carolina ended at 0-for-2. The Icemen had the edge in shots on goal by a 29-21 margin.
South Carolina returns to the ice on Friday against the Orlando Solar Bears at the North Charleston Coliseum at 7:05 p.m. On Saturday, the Stingrays will Pack The House for Military Appreciation Night against Orlando. The first 3,500 fans at the game will receive a Stingrays rally towel before the 7:05 p.m. game! Â Tickets are on sale now!
To bring your group to the game, call the Stingrays Front Office at 843-744-2248! For single game tickets, visit ticketmaster.com.