NORTH CHARLESTON, SC. - The Stingrays earned a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory against the Orlando Solar Bears in front of 5,744 fans to take a 2-0 series lead in Game 2 of their first-round series in the 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs presented by Neal Brothers. Josh Wilkins scored a hat trick, and Alexander Suzdalev scored the overtime winner for the Stingrays, while goaltender Mitchell Gibson stopped 15 of 18 shots in the victory.
The game remained scoreless after the first period, with the Stingrays outshooting the Solar Bears 15-6. Justin Nachbaur and Andrew Perrott each dropped the gloves in the period.
The Stingrays took the lead in the second period with a goal from Wilkins. Wilkins sent a backhanded pass towards the net as the puck chipped high off a Solar Bears defenseman. Orlando goaltender Jon Gillies lost the puck in the air as it trickled off his back and into the net, putting the Stingrays on the board 3:04 into the period. Wilkins doubled South Carolina's lead late in the second period. Blake Thompson fired a slap shot at the top of the left circle on Gillies, and Wilkins was in front of the net to redirect the puck.
Orlando got on the board with a power play goal from Jaydon Dureau. Mark Auk found Dureau at the point for a wrist shot past Gibson.
Wilkins regained the two-goal lead late in the third period for the Stingrays with a power play tally. Kyler Kupka fired a cross-ice pass to Wilkins for a redirection past Gillies, solidifying a hat trick for Wilkins.
Orlando pulled Gillies for an extra attacker with just over two minutes remaining in the game and capitalized with a goal from Aaron Luchuk to make it 3-2. Luchuk buried a one-timer from the right circle for his second goal in this year's playoffs. The Solar Bears kept Gillies pulled for an extra attacker, and just 37 seconds later, Orlando's Spencer Kersten scored on a wrist shot from the high slot to tie the game at three with 1:08 remaining in regulation.
The two teams went to sudden death overtime, and Suzdalev was the hero. The Russian winger tallied the game-winning goal 2:06 into the extra session with a top-shelf wrist shot after a feed from Micah Miller that sent the North Charleston fans into a frenzy.
The best of seven series will shift to Orlando next week. Games three and four will be at the Kia Center on Monday, April 21, at 7 P.M. and Wednesday, April 23, at 7 P.M. If necessary, game five will also be in Orlando on Thursday, April 24, at 7 P.M.
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