The South Carolina Stingrays opened the season with five consecutive wins after defeating the Savannah Ghost Pirates 7-3 before 4,223 fans at the North Charleston Coliseum. South Carolina scored a season-high seven goals and recorded a power-play goal in its fifth consecutive game.
Seven South Carolina skaters recorded multiple points, while the teams combined for five goals during the second period. The five-game winning streak marks the South Carolina Stingrays’ best season-opening start since the 2002-03 season.
South Carolina Stingrays Take Early Lead
Josh Wilkins opened the scoring nine minutes into the first period after receiving a breakout pass, deked past a defender and scored. The Savannah Ghost Pirates responded quickly to tie the game at 1-1, but South Carolina regained the lead before the period ended.
Alex Gaffney scored on a cross-crease feed from Kyle Jackson in the final minute of the opening period. The goal marked Gaffney’s first professional goal.
“It was awesome,” Gaffney said. “A lot of hard work. It was a great pass by Jackson, and Wilkins as well on the line, so I’m glad I got it.”
Five Goals in the Second Period
Philip Tresca tied the game for Savannah less than three minutes into the second period while the Ghost Pirates were on the power play. It was the first power-play goal the South Carolina Stingrays had conceded this season.
South Carolina regained the lead on its own power play when Zack Andrusiak’s slapshot deflected off Ryan Sandelin’s left shoulder pad and into the net. Kyle Jackson scored 20 seconds later to make it 4-2, but Max Dorrington answered just over a minute after that to cut the lead to 4-3.
Tyler Weiss restored South Carolina’s two-goal advantage with a breakaway goal with just over five minutes remaining in the period. The Stingrays carried a 5-3 lead into the third period.
Prokop Scores Twice
Four minutes into the third period, Weiss fed Josh Prokop from behind the net for Prokop’s first goal as a South Carolina Stingray. Prokop added his second goal of the night with three minutes remaining to complete South Carolina’s seven-goal performance.
Ben Kraws made 25 saves for South Carolina and remained undefeated in four starts in net. The Stingrays’ offense produced a season-high seven goals in the victory.
“We were just playing hard,” Alex Gaffney said. “We were playing fast, we were playing quick in transition. We’ve got very skilled guys, so the goals were going to come.”
South Carolina Stingrays Schedule Note
The South Carolina Stingrays return to the North Charleston Coliseum on Sunday, November 1, for Scooby Doo Day/Undie Sunday, presented by Gildan. South Carolina will host the Atlanta Gladiators at 3:05 p.m.
“Whenever you start undefeated, especially 5-0, you can’t ask for anything better,” Gaffney said. “We just got to keep going.”
Maryland Sports Blog Take
The South Carolina Stingrays combined a season-high offensive output with timely scoring throughout the 7-3 victory. The five-goal second period created separation, while Prokop’s two goals in the third period finished the win.
South Carolina also extended its power-play scoring streak to five consecutive games and opened the season with five straight victories. Kraws’ 25-save performance and the contributions from seven multiple-point skaters highlighted a complete team effort.
Source: Original report
