Stingrays Weekly Report - December 16

It was another dominant week for the South Carolina Stingrays, who picked up seven of a possible eight points with a 3-0-1 record in four games. The Stingrays have the best winning percentage in the ECHL at 0.854 and their 41 total points are tied with Allen for the most in the league. South Carolina has secured points in 11 straight games and 13 consecutive road contests, which are both league-highs this season. The Stingrays are also the top defensive club in the ECHL, allowing just 2.08 goals per contest. In three of their four games last week, the Rays held their opponent to one goal or less.

This week South Carolina will once again face-off with the Orlando Solar Bears, welcoming their South Division rival back to the North Charleston Coliseum this Friday night for their seventh matchup of the season. The Rays then travel to Jacksonville for their final game before the ECHL’s holiday break on Saturday night at 7 p.m.

STINGRAYS RECORD: 19-2-3-0LAST WEEK: 3-0-1-0

TUESDAY: SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS 2, ORLANDO SOLAR BEARS 1(North Charleston Coliseum – North Charleston, SC)Dan DeSalvo scored twice and Parker Milner stopped 20 shots as the South Carolina Stingrays took down the Orlando Solar Bears for the fifth time during 2019-20 by a final score of 2-1 on Tuesday night at the North Charleston Coliseum.

FRIDAY: NORFOLK ADMIRALS 5, SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS 4(Norfolk Scope – Norfolk, VA)A power play goal in overtime by Zack Phillips gave the Norfolk Admirals a 5-4 win over the South Carolina Stingrays on Friday night at the Norfolk Scope. South Carolina, who outshot the Admirals 42-24 in the game, got goals from four different skaters in the contest including forwards Dan DeSalvo, Tim Harrison and Max Novak, as well as defenseman Jordan Klimek. Defender Tom Parisi also picked up two assists in the game.

SATURDAY: SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS 3, GREENVILLE SWAMP RABBITS 0(North Charleston Coliseum – North Charleston, SC)On a night that saw fans in North Charleston donate 11,754 stuffed animals, the South Carolina Stingrays shut out the Greenville Swamp Rabbits 3-0 on Saturday at the North Charleston Coliseum behind another spectacular defensive effort. Goaltender Parker Milner earned his league-leading fifth shutout by stopping all 16 shots he faced while Dylan Steman brought the teddy bears to the ice by scoring his third goal of the year just 2:13 into the game. Linemates Mark Cooper and Dan DeSalvo each had two points in the victory.

SUNDAY: SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS 2, JACKSONVILLE ICEMEN 1(North Charleston Coliseum – North Charleston, SC)The final game of the weekend was an eventful affair for the South Carolina Stingrays who knocked off the Jacksonville Icemen by a final score of 2-1 to extend their point streak to 11 games in a contest that featured 118 penalty minutes on 25 different infractions Sunday afternoon at the North Charleston Coliseum. Netminder Logan Thompson earned the win for South Carolina with 26 saves, but his day was cut short after he engaged in a goalie fight with his counterpart, Jacksonville’s Michael McNiven in the third period. Parker Milner came in for the final 12:43 of action and made 12 saves to preserve the victory for the Stingrays. Forward Cole Ully also had a big day, posting a “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” with a goal, an assist and a five-minute fighting major.THIS WEEKFriday, December 20 – vs. Orlando Solar Bears, 7:05 p.m. (North Charleston Coliseum)Saturday, December 21 – at Jacksonville Icemen, 7 p.m. (Veterans Memorial Arena)STINGRAYS LEADERSGoals: 11 – Andrew CherniwchanAssists: 19 – Dan DeSalvoPoints: 27 – Dan DeSalvoPlus/Minus: Plus-15 – Andrew CherniwchanPenalty Minutes: 29 – Cole UllyShots On Goal: 85 – Mark CooperWins: 10 – Parker MilnerGoals Against Average: 1.61 – Parker MilnerSave Percentage: 0.935 – Parker MilnerMILNER CONTINUES TOP-NOTCH PLAYGoaltender Parker Milner added another shutout to his already impressive 2019-20 campaign Saturday night, blanking Greenville with 16 saves for his league-high fifth shutout which is also his career-high. The Pittsburgh native hasn’t lost a game in regulation during 12 starts this year and has a record of 10-0-2 along with an ECHL best 1.61 goals-against average and a 0.936 save percentage.DESALVO DOING BIG THINGSForward Dan DeSalvo added two more assists to his scoring total on Saturday night during the team’s win over Greenville. The attacker posted two points in three of South Carolina’s four games last week, beginning with a two-goal effort on Tuesday night before adding a goal and an assist on Friday in Norfolk. DeSalvo leads the club with 27 points this season on eight goals and 19 assists. The Bowling Green State University alum has played in all 24 of South Carolina’s games this season while earning a +12 rating. DeSalvo also has a team-leading seven power play points on three goals and four assists as well as three game-winning goals.

STEMAN STARTS FUR FRENZYForward Dylan Steman netted his third goal of the season on South Carolina’s second shot of the night Saturday to begin the team’s annual Teddy Bear Toss. A total of 11,754 stuffed animals were collected during the event, breaking the club’s former record of 8,750 set last season. The Hanover, Minn. native centered the puck from the right corner of the offensive zone and saw it glance off a Greenville defender and into the goal to give SC a 1-0 lead. Steman has posted a total of seven points this season in 21 games for the Rays.PENALTY KILLING PROWESSSouth Carolina currently has the second-best penalty killing percentage in the ECHL, discarding 88.3% of their opponents' power play opportunities this season. In 94 times shorthanded so far this year, the Rays have allowed just 10 power play goals. SC has been particularly good on the penalty kill in their eight home contests, allowing just two goals to give themselves a 92.9% success rate in 28 opponent chances which leads the league. On the road, South Carolina has killed off 86.4% of its 66 penalties.

—Tickets for all of the team’s upcoming 2019-20 home contests are on sale now via Ticketmaster.

For all the latest news and updates, follow the Stingrays on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.