NORTH CHARLESTON, SC. - Thanks to Micah Miller's second overtime winner this season, the South Carolina Stingrays picked up a 3-2 overtime win on Sunday afternoon in front of 5,075 fans at the North Charleston Coliseum on Mascot Mania day, presented by Chipper Dog BBQ. Erik Middendorf, Charlie Combs, and Miller scored for the Stingrays, while goaltender Seth Eisele stopped 24 of 26 shots.
Stingrays got on the board on their first shot of the game. Jordan Klimek sent a breakout pass to Kyler Kupka, and Kupka walked into the offensive zone before sending a cross-ice pass to Middendorf. Middendorf beat Reading goaltender Vinnie Purpura to give South Carolina a 1-0 lead. Klimek and Kupka picked up the assists on Middendorf's 15th goal of the season.
South Carolina doubled their lead 14:36 in. Alexander Suzdalev protected the puck before dropping it off for Combs. Combs danced through two Reading defenders before snapping a shot by Purpura to make it 2-0 Stingrays. Suzdalev and Klimek assisted Combs' 13th goal of the year.
Reading got one goal back less than 5 minutes into the second period. Sam Sedley's shot off the faceoff beat Eisele made it a 2-1 game.
Reading tied up the game with 6:21 to go in the second. Off a set play on an offensive zone faceoff, Matt Miller tipped home a shot past Eisele to make it 2-2.
The third period saw no goals, and Reading outshot the Stingrays 5-3. For the third consecutive game, South Carolina would go to overtime.
South Carolina would pick up the victory just one minute into the overtime. After Austin Magera failed to gain the zone, he dropped the puck back to Miller, who found his way into the zone. Miller got around a Reading defender and shoveled a backhander home for the win. Magera and Connor Moore assisted Miller's sixth game-winning goal of the year.
The Stingrays will take on the Savannah Ghost Pirates on Wednesday, January 29, at 7:05 PM at the North Charleston Coliseum.
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