Stingrays To Open 2020-21 Season In North Charleston On December 11

The South Carolina Stingrays, proud affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals and AHL’s Hershey Bears, announced the schedule for the first part of their 2020-21 regular season Thursday. The team’s home opener for their 28th ECHL season will take place on Friday, December 11 against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits at the North Charleston Coliseum at 7:05 p.m.

The Stingrays will host a “Red Out” on opening night presented by BELFOR Property Restoration and are encouraging all fans to wear red as the team dons its new red jersey for the first time. The jersey, announced in August, has a similar design to what the Capitals wear, aligning the Rays with their NHL affiliate.

Fans in attendance will receive red rally towels upon entry to the building. In addition, the team will be honoring all frontline workers that have sacrificed so much for our community during the last eight months to keep us safe.

“Over the last six months, our team has worked in conjunction with the ECHL and its other members on a plan to safely return to play for the 2020-21 season,” said Stingrays President Rob Concannon. “The safety of our fans and players is our top priority. We are thrilled and committed to playing hockey starting at home on December 11th.

“It will be a little different than past seasons and we still have work to do, but we are really looking forward to starting our 28th season of hockey in the Lowcountry. Our staff, players, fans, and corporate partners are very excited, and we can’t wait to see everyone. We will have more information about seating and social distancing guidelines in the next few weeks.”

"Like many other small businesses in our community, we have worked hard to design a safe return for our business of professional sports,” said Stingrays Principal Owner Todd Halloran. “We could not launch our new season without the dedication and cooperation of the front office, our league officials, other ECHL teams, the North Charleston Coliseum, our fans, and state and county officials. We are pleased to do our part in bringing back in-person sports entertainment to Charleston County in a safe and responsible way."

The Stingrays and the North Charleston Coliseum have announced a reduced capacity of 2,700 for hockey games at the present time.

“We are excited about the opportunity to re-engage with our staff, guests, partners and the Lowcountry community,” said Frank Lapsley, General Manager, SMG - North Charleston Coliseum, Performing Arts Center and Charleston Area Convention Center. “We recognize that this will be a long road but it's important to take those first steps.”

“The Coliseum staff has worked tirelessly since COVID's inception to remain fully up to date about care and prevention best practices are being developed and improved on a daily basis. Utilizing our corporate VenueShield program, we have prepared a comprehensive program of environmental hygiene protocols in response to evolving guest, staff and partner expectations, stemming from the pandemic. VenueShield, is an all-inclusive and best-in-class program that has been developed with input from the world's leading health agencies, venue management professionals and content providers. The program has been tailored to meet the State of South Carolina's strict SCDHEC & CDC guidelines that have allowed us to obtain the Governor’s exception that will allow events to return to the facilities. We look forward to December 11th's puck drop and the resumption of the finest sports and entertainment in the region.”

BELFOR Charleston provides property restoration services for fire, water, mold, wind and storm damage in the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville Metropolitan area. In an effort to help businesses impacted by COVID-19, BELFOR is responding to the current global pandemic by offering a groundbreaking cleaning and sanitizing solution for businesses and facilities.

A full list of the Stingrays’ first 10 contests for the 2020-21 season can be seen below. All dates on the 2020-21 schedule are subject to change.

More information, including the rest of the team’s 72-game schedule and promotions will be announced soon as the club prepares for the 2020-21 season.

Season tickets are on sale now! For more information or to purchase, contact the Stingrays by phone at 843-744-2248 or submit this form.For all the latest news and updates, follow the Stingrays on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Stingrays 2020-21 Schedule Through January 14:(Stingrays home games in BOLD)December 11 vs. Greenville (7:05 p.m.)December 18 at Jacksonville (7:00 p.m.)December 19 vs. Jacksonville (6:05 p.m.)December 26 at Greenville (7:05 p.m.)December 27 vs. Greenville (3:05 p.m.)January 1 at Greenville (2:05 p.m.)January 2 at Jacksonville (7:00 p.m.)January 6 at Orlando (7:00 p.m.)January 8 vs. Wheeling (7:05 p.m.)January 9 vs. Wheeling (6:05 p.m.)