North Charleston, SC – The Hershey Bears, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the South Carolina Stingrays, announced multiple transactions Tuesday, assigning three players to South Carolina. The following players will report to the Stingrays: forward Ryan Dmowski, defenseman Jake Massie, and goaltender Hunter Shepard.
Dmowski, 24, who signed with the Stingrays this past offseason, had an extended stay with the Bears following an outstanding preseason where he scored twice and added one assist in two games. The forward spent time with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack the past three seasons, totaling 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 46 games. He also suited up for 12 games with the Maine Mariners in the ECHL during the 2019-20 season where he picked up seven points (three goals, four assists).
Prior to turning pro, the native of East Lyme, CT played four seasons at UMass-Lowell from 2015-19, appearing in 132 games and tallied 67 points (37 goals, 30 assists).
Massie, 24, joins his teammate of the last two years, Ryan Bednard, in South Carolina to begin the 2021-22 campaign after spending the last two seasons with the rival Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Massie signed with the Stingrays this offseason, but after an excellent showing in Hershey, the blueliner earned himself a contract with the Bears.
During his time in Greenville, the St-Lazare, QC native suited up for 33 games, scoring four goals and adding eight assists. Massie also earned a call-up to the Springfield Thunderbirds during the 2019-20 season, amassing five points (three goals, two assists) in 29 games.
The 6-foot-1, 179-pound defenseman spent three years at the University of Vermont before signing a pro contract. While at Vermont, Massie totaled 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) in 95 total games played.
Shepard, a fan favorite with the Stingrays, returns to the Lowcountry where he spent the majority of the 2020-21 season. The Cohasset, MN native posted a 12-6-1-1 record in 21 appearances last season, earning a 2.55 goals against average along with a .922 save percentage. The netminder also earned a call-up to Hershey for three games where he went 3-0 with a 1.00 goals against average to go along with a .969 save percentage.
The two-time national champion at the University of Minnesota-Duluth had a prolific collegiate career for the Bulldogs. Shepard started an NCAA-record 115 straight games from 2017 to 2020, was named NCHC Goaltender of the Year in 2019 and 2020, and was named a two-time All-American. The 6-foot-1, 209-pound goaltender set career records at UMD for wins (76), goals against average (1.94), save percentage (.922), and shutouts (17).
The Stingrays open the 2021-22 season on October 23 in North Charleston against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits at 6:05 p.m.
Single game tickets for all your Stingrays home games for the upcoming 2021-22 home season are on sale now via Ticketmaster.
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