NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charlie Combs and Stan Cooley recorded hat tricks, while Seth Eisele made 41 saves, as the South Carolina Stingrays routed the Savannah Ghost Pirates 7-1 on Sunday afternoon at the North Charleston Coliseum in front of 5,564 fans.
South Carolina (35-18-1-0) set the tone early in the first period. Stan Cooley forced a turnover in the offensive zone and snapped home the opener to give the Stingrays a 1-0 lead just 5:12 into the game. Less than three minutes later, Romain Rodzinski doubled the lead with 12:00 remaining in the opening frame.
Stingrays netminder Seth Eisele, playing in his third straight game this weekend, kept Savannah (27-22-3-1) off the board in the first period as South Carolina carried a 2-0 lead into the second.
In the middle frame, the Stingrays poured it on. Charlie Combs scored on the power play for his 200th professional point, giving South Carolina a 3-0 lead. Just 38 seconds later, Cooley tucked home his second of the day, pushing the Stingrays ahead by four.
South Carolina did not let up. Combs notched his second goal of the day with 9:03 remaining in the period, then completed his first ECHL hat trick in the final minute of the frame as the Stingrays carried a 6-0 lead into the third.
Nearly nine minutes into the third period, the Ghost Pirates scored on the power play to trim the Stingrays’ lead to 6-1. South Carolina restored its six-goal cushion with six minutes remaining in regulation, as Cooley blasted home his third goal of the day to secure his first professional hat trick and cap the 7-1 victory.
Eisele stopped 41 of 42 shots for his 17th win of the season, marking victories in eight of his last nine appearances. Combs, Cooley, and Rodzinski each recorded three-point games, while John Fusco and Kyler Kupka contributed two assists apiece. In total, 11 different Stingrays recorded at least a point in the victory.
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South Carolina returns to the North Charleston Coliseum on Friday, March 6th, against the Atlanta Gladiators for STEM Night presented by Mercedes-Benz Vans Charleston at 7:05 p.m. The full schedule can be viewed on our website here.
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