Stingrays Weekly Report: April 24, 2023

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The South Carolina Stingrays trail the Florida Everblades 1-0 in the opening round of the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs after falling last Saturday at home. This week, the Stingrays and Everblades square off in a potential four-game week starting tonight at the Coliseum before heading south to Florida for a trio of games.

DIVISIONAL SEMIFINALS:Florida Leads 1-0LAST WEEK: 0-1-0-0

SATURDAY: FLORIDA EVERBLADES 5, SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS 0(North Charleston Coliseum – North Charleston, SC)

Florida jumped out to an early lead on a power play goal midway through the first period before adding two more prior to the expiration of the opening stanza. The Stingrays sent 16 shots on net in the second frame but Florida found the back of the net twice more for the 5-0 lead. South Carolina pressured the Everblades’ netminder with another 17 shots in the final frame before closing out the contest without a marker.

THIS WEEKMonday, April 24: Game 2 vs. Florida Everblades, 7:05 p.m. (North Charleston Coliseum)Wednesday, April 26: Game 3 at Florida Everblades, 7:30 p.m. (Hertz Arena)Friday, April 28: Game 4 at Florida Everblades, 7:30 p.m. (Hertz Arena)Saturday, April 29: Game 5 at Florida Everblades, 7:00 p.m. (Hertz Arena)*Video Coverage: FloHockey; Radio Coverage: Stingrays Broadcast Network & Caps Radio 24/7*If Necessary

POSTSEASON RIVALRYThe two teams have squared off in the postseason seven times before, with South Carolina winning four of those series with the most recent taking place in the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals during the Stingrays’ run to the Kelly Cup Championship. The Everblades took the first three postseason matchups against one another, winning the 2002 Wild Card Game, the 2004 Southern Divisional Finals, and the 2005 American Conference Quarterfinals. The teams have faced off in four more series since then with South Carolina winning each series and posting an overall record of 13-7. Each of the last four series had the same result: South Carolina advanced to the next round, making their way to the Kelly Cup Finals in each season. The Stingrays beat Florida in 2009 where they advanced to win their ECHL record third Kelly Cup. The Stingrays also won the 2015 East Division Finals, 2017 South Division Finals, and the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Everblades.

The Stingrays are currently tied for the most Kelly Cup Championships in ECHL history with three while the Everblades are close behind following their second Kelly Cup victory last season. South Carolina appeared in an ECHL-record six Kelly Cup Finals and Florida is close on their heels with five appearances in the Stingrays’ 30-year history, accounting for over a third of the Eastern Conference representatives since 1993. South Carolina has made it to the postseason a record 27 times with Florida right behind them at 23 appearances in 25 seasons of their own, resulting in the two most appearances in the league’s history. In a tight South Division, it would be no surprise if either of these teams make a deep run in this year’s postseason.—Playoff Tickets On Sale Now for Game 2! Grab your tickets to the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs at Ticketmaster.

2023-24 Season ticket plans are on sale now! 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--