Stingrays Weekly Report: January 30, 2023

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The South Carolina Stingrays enter the week tied for second place in the South Division with the Jacksonville Icemen and Greenville Swamp Rabbits after picking up one point in the series against the Florida Everblades. The Stingrays have an upcoming three-in-three this weekend as the team heads north to Massachusetts to take on the Worcester Railers.

STINGRAYS RECORD:23-10-4-1LAST WEEK: 0-2-1-0

WEDNESDAY: FLORIDA EVERBLADES 3, SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS 2(Hertz Arena – Estero, FL)

The Stingrays climbed back from a two-goal deficit with Kevin O’Neil’s 13th goal of the season in his return from the AHL and Tarek Baker’s fifth tally of the year in his second game off the IR. Florida netted the go-ahead goal with nearly six and a half minutes left in regulation and held on for the 3-2 victory to open the three-game series in Estero.

FRIDAY: FLORIDA EVERBLADES 4, SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS 3(Hertz Arena – Estero, FL)

The Everblades jumped out to a 2-0 lead through the first 20 minutes on Friday night in Florida. The teams traded goals the rest of the way with Josh Wilkins and Justin Florek netted power play goals in the second and Benton Mass bringing the Stingrays within one in the third frame. Florida closed out the Stingrays behind 38 saves from Evan Fitzpatrick in net.

SATURDAY: FLORIDA EVERBLADES 2, SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS 1 (OT)(Hertz Arena – Estero, FL)

South Carolina took their first lead of the series on Josh Wilkins tally in the first period. Florida netted one goal in the second frame and forced overtime in a tight defensive battle. Joe Pendenza completed the comeback for the Everblades with an overtime goal as the Stingrays picked up their only point of the week.

THIS WEEKFriday, February 3: at Worcester Railers, 7:05 p.m. (DCU Center)Saturday, February 4: at Worcester Railers, 7:05 p.m. (DCU Center)Wednesday, February 5: at Worcester Railers, 7:00 p.m. (DCU Center)Video Coverage: FloHockey; Radio Coverage: Stingrays Broadcast Network

STINGRAYS LEADERSGoals: 23 – Carter TurnbullAssists: 22 – Bear HughesPoints: 41 – Carter TurnbullPlus/Minus: Plus-12 – Connor MoorePenalty Minutes: 78 – Evan WardleyShots On Goal: 136 – Carter TurnbullWins: 10 – Clay Stevenson, Tyler WallGoals Against Average: 2.19 – Clay StevensonSave Percentage: 0.926 – Clay Stevenson

LONG DISTANCE CALLINGThe Stingrays, much like the rest of the South Division, have dominated opponents outside the division. South Carolina is 3-0 against the Norfolk Admirals, leading to the 22-2-1 overall record in inter-divisional games. This weekend, South Carolina heads north to take on the North Division’s Worcester Railers for a set of three games at the DCU center. The Stingrays are 4-1 all-time against Worcester after falling in the only matchup against one another last season.

STRIKE WHILE THE IRON’S HOTDespite picking up only one point last week, South Carolina is still in a great position in the South Division. The Stingrays are tied for second with 51 points and have played the least number of games in the league, leaving room to move up in the standings while other teams are dormant. The Stingrays have a great opportunity this weekend against a struggling Worcester team. After starting the year 16-2-1, the Railers have gone 6-15-2 since and are coming off three straight victories.

THE RIVER RUNS DEEPSouth Carolina has dealt with a flurry of injuries this season and have been without their captain since January 13th. The Stingrays have missed players for months at a time but have recently started to get back some main players like Tarek Baker, Chaz Reddekopp, and Evan Wardley. In last Sunday’s game, defenseman Benton Maass left the game after a scrum in the second period and Wardley was removed from the game at the end of regulation, leaving the Stingrays with only four defensemen during overtime. Despite the injuries this season, South Carolina has held their own due to the depth of the roster and the ability to insert anybody into the lineup and still be successful.—Save money with group tickets! For more information or to purchase, contact the Stingrays by phone at 843-744-2248 or submit this form.

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--StingraysHockey.com--