JACKSONVILLE F.L. – The South Carolina Stingrays (6-5-2-0) earned their third consecutive victory over the Jacksonville Icemen (5-6-2-0) in a 4-0 shutout win on Wednesday night. Jackson Leppard scored twice, and Mitchell Gibson stopped all 17 shots he faced.
For the second consecutive game, Leppard opened the scoring. Josh Wilkins fired a turnaround shot from the top of the right circle that got tipped in front by Jack Adams. Leppard pounced on the loose puck and hit the post initially, but on the second effort, he backhanded the puck into the open net to give the Stingrays the lead. South Carolina held a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.
The second period's only goal came with just 1:42 left in the middle frame. Benton Maass fired a stretch pass off the right wing boards to Leppard, who darted ahead on a breakaway and beat Jacksonville goaltender Michael Houser with a wrist shot under the blocker.
The Stingrays added some much-needed insurance goals in the third period. Matt Tugnutt buried his second goal of the season when he crashed the net and swept in the rebound off a one-timer from Maass. Wednesday was Maass's third multi-point game of the 2023-24 season. He finished the night with two assists.
Wilkins made it 4-0 with 8:45 remaining in the third period when he knocked in the rebound off a shot from Leppard. The goal was Wilkins' team-leading sixth goal of the season.
The Stingrays are back in action on Black Friday against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Puck drop is set for 7:05 pm at the North Charleston Coliseum.
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