Stingrays Weekly Report: October 24, 2022

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The South Carolina Stingrays enter the week in a tie for the top spot in the South Division with the Savannah Ghost Pirates and Jacksonville Icemen after sweeping the Norfolk Admirals last Friday and Saturday. This upcoming weekend, the team will travel to Greenville for a pair of matchups against the in-state rivals, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.

STINGRAYS RECORD:2-0-0-0LAST WEEK: 2-0-0-0

FRIDAY: SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS 5, NORFOLK ADMIRALS 2(Norfolk Scope Arena – Norfolk, VA)

The Stingrays kicked off the 2022-23 campaign behind a 5-2 victory on Friday at Norfolk Scope Arena. Rookies led the way netting four of the five goals for South Carolina. Carter Turnbull scored the first goal of the season for the Stingrays, followed by Matt Anderson and Kevin O’Neil before the Admirals tallied two of their own. Tarek Baker and Jarid Lukosevicius completed the scoring with a pair of goals in the third period. Jeremy Brodeur stopped 21 of 23 shots in his Stingrays debut.

SATURDAY: SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS 8, NORFOLK ADMIRALS 1(North Charleston Coliseum - North Charleston, SC)

Tarek Baker opened the scoring before a retaliation goal from Norfolk evened the score at the end of the first period. South Carolina netted seven consecutive goals in the final two periods, led by Carter Turnbull and Jonny Evans with two goals apiece. Jarid Lukosevicius, Kevin O’Neil, and Justin Florek all added markers in the contest. Riley Morris halted 19 of 20 shots to earn the win in his professional hockey debut.

THIS WEEKFriday, October 28: at Greenville Swamp Rabbits, 7:05 p.m. (Bon Secours Wellness Arena)Saturday, October 29: at Greenville Swamp Rabbits, 7:05 p.m. (Bon Secours Wellness Arena)Video Coverage: FloHockey; Radio Coverage: Stingrays Broadcast Network

STINGRAYS LEADERSGoals: 3 – Carter TurnbullAssists: 3 – Tarek Baker, Kevin O’NeilPoints: 5 – Tarek Baker, Kevin O’Neil, Carter TurnbullPlus/Minus: Plus-6 – Tarek BakerPenalty Minutes: 8 – Justin FlorekShots On Goal: 9 – Justin FlorekWins: 1 – Jeremy Brodeur, Riley MorrisGoals Against Average: 1.00 – Riley MorrisSave Percentage: 0.950 – Riley Morris

THE DECADE MANCaptain Andrew Cherniwchan played in both games this past weekend, officially marking his 10th season with the Stingrays since breaking into the league in the spring of 2011. This milestone means the veteran forward has passed Mr. Stingray, Brett Marietti, who played in nine complete seasons in South Carolina.

IT'S ALIVE!Last season, South Carolina averaged a league-worst 2.60 goals per game. Two games into this season, the offense has come alive as the new-look Stingrays have the best goal differential (+10) and second-best goals per game average through the opening weekend (6.5). South Carolina’s eight-goal performance during Saturday night’s home opener is a single-game high for the league this season. Moreover, the Stingrays have league-highs with 14 assists and 22 total points on Saturday.

ROOKIES LEAD THE WAYThe Stingrays’ 13 rookies shined bright under the lights, accounting for 10 of the team’s 13 goals and helping the team to a perfect opening weekend. The top-four point scorers on the team (Turnbull, O’Neil, Baker, and Evans) rank in the top 10 in the ECHL for points scored and are also the top four rookies in the league. Additionally, Riley Morris saved 19 of 20 shots, placing him with the sixth-best save percentage in the league.

A SPECIAL TEAM INDEEDSouth Carolina’s power play has clicked at 22.2% (2-for-9) through the first two games of the year, up nearly seven points from last season’s power play percentage. The Stingrays’ penalty kill stayed perfect, knocking off all six attempts they saw through the weekend series.

DEFENSIVE REVIVALIn five of their six Kelly Cup Final appearances, the Stingrays were one of the top defensive squads and allowed less than three goals per game on average for the entire season. Between the tandem of Jeremy Brodeur (21-for-23 on Friday) and Riley Morris (19-for-20 on Saturday), the Stingrays have allowed a league-best 1.50 goals against average and 21.50 shots against average this year.

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--StingraysHockey.com--