DULUTH, GA. - The Stingrays picked up their third victory in their last four games over the Atlanta Gladiators on Wednesday night. Micah Miller, Ben Hawerchuk, Erik Middendorf, Charlie Combs, Kyler Kupka, Josh Wilkins, and Jacob Graves scored for the Stingrays, while South Carolina goaltender Garin Bjorklund made 22 saves in the victory.
1:30 into the game, Miller put the Stingrays on the board early with a tally against his former team. He tapped in a backhand feed from Zac Funk for his eleventh goal of the season. Funk picked up his first point as a Stingray on the play.
Hawerchuk made it 2-0 Stingrays when he knocked in a centering pass from Graves for his third goal of the season. Ryan Cranford put Atlanta on the board 19 seconds later with a redirection for his fifth goal of the season.
Combs restored the two-goal lead for the Stingrays when he sped up the right wing side and rifled a wrist shot past Atlanta goaltender Drew Deridder. Middendorf made it 4-1 South Carolina after he finished off a beautiful give-and-go play with Wilkins.
The second period featured one goal from each team. Kupka deflected in a Jayden Lee shot for Kupka's team-leading 15th goal of the season, while Carson Denomie buried a shorthanded tally for Atlanta.
The Gladiators cut their deficit to 5-3 in the third period when Cranford buried his second goal of the game. The score stayed that way until Wilkins added an empty net tally in the final two minutes, and Graves tacked on an insurance marker with 38 seconds remaining in the game.
The Stingrays' road trip continues in Greenville when the Stingrays take on the Swamp Rabbits on Friday at 7:05 pm.
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