SAVANNAH, GA - The South Carolina Stingrays opened their weekend road trip with a decisive 5-0 victory over the Savannah Ghost Pirates on Friday night at Enmarket Arena.

Ryan Sandelin led the way for the Stingrays, recording the team’s first hat trick of the season and the first of his professional career, now totaling four goals in his first three games with South Carolina. Ben Kraws earned his second win in as many starts, stopping all 27 shots he faced and posting the team’s first shutout this season.

The Stingrays started early as Sandelin scored on a 2-on-1 break to put South Carolina in front just three minutes into the game.

Kraws made his first save over eight minutes in, stretching out his left pad to shut down a chance from Savannah’s Riley Hughes. The netminder stopped all five shots he faced in the first period, keeping the one-goal lead intact. 

With the Stingrays on the power play early in the second period, Sandelin wired a shot past Savannah’s netminder, Vinnie Purpura, for his second goal of the game, pushing the Stingrays ahead, 2-0. Two minutes later, Cam Morrison tapped in a feed from Jalen Luypen to make it 3-0 Stingrays with 14:48 remaining in the second period.

The Ghost Pirates had two power-play opportunities in the second period, both of which were killed off by the Stingrays, as South Carolina took the three-goal lead to the third.

Eight minutes into the final frame, Sandelin broke through the defense for a breakaway, beating Purpura for his first professional hat trick and extending the lead to 4-0. 

On the penalty kill with just over six minutes remaining in the game, Luypen scored South Carolina’s first shorthanded goal of the season on a breakaway to make it 5-0 Stingrays. Kraws shut the door in the third period, stopping 15 shots as South Carolina rolled to a 5-0 victory over the Ghost Pirates. 

The shutout for Kraws was his sixth of his ECHL career and his first since March 29, 2025. The Stingrays are now 3-0-0 for the first time since the 2022-23 season. 

South Carolina remains on the road tomorrow evening with its first meeting against the Orlando Solar Bears. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. from the Kia Center in Orlando, Fla. 

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The Stingrays return to the North Charleston Coliseum on Friday, October 30th for Emo Night, presented by Fan Cave Tickets, against the Savannah Ghost Pirates at 7:05 p.m. The full schedule can be viewed on our website here.

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