South Carolina Stingrays men’s ice hockey opened its weekend road trip with a 5-0 victory over the Savannah Ghost Pirates on Friday night at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia. Ryan Sandelin scored three goals, recording the South Carolina Stingrays’ first hat trick of the season and the first hat trick of his professional career.
Sandelin now has four goals in his first three games with South Carolina. Ben Kraws stopped all 27 shots he faced to earn his second win in as many starts and record the South Carolina Stingrays’ first shutout of the season.
South Carolina Stingrays Build Early Lead
Sandelin opened the scoring three minutes into the game when he finished a 2-on-1 break. Kraws made his first save more than eight minutes into the contest, stretching out his left pad to deny a chance from Savannah’s Riley Hughes.
Kraws stopped all five shots he faced in the first period, preserving South Carolina’s 1-0 lead. Early in the second period, Sandelin scored on the power play for his second goal of the game, beating Savannah goaltender Vinnie Purpura to make it 2-0.
Two minutes later, Cam Morrison tapped in a feed from Jalen Luypen with 14:48 remaining in the second period. The Savannah Ghost Pirates received two power-play opportunities in the period, but South Carolina killed both chances and carried a 3-0 lead into the third.
Ryan Sandelin Completes First Professional Hat Trick
Sandelin completed the hat trick eight minutes into the final period when he broke through the defense on a breakaway and beat Purpura. The goal extended the South Carolina Stingrays’ lead to 4-0 and marked the first professional hat trick of Sandelin’s career.
Luypen scored South Carolina’s first shorthanded goal of the season with just over six minutes remaining. He scored on a breakaway while the Stingrays were on the penalty kill, and Kraws stopped all 15 shots he faced in the third period.
The shutout was the sixth of Kraws’ ECHL career and his first since March 29, 2025. South Carolina is 3-0-0 for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
South Carolina Stingrays Schedule
South Carolina remains on the road the following evening for its first meeting against the Orlando Solar Bears. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida.
The Stingrays are scheduled to return to the North Charleston Coliseum on Friday, October 30, against the Savannah Ghost Pirates. The game is set for 7:05 p.m. and is identified as Emo Night, presented by Fan Cave Tickets.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Ryan Sandelin provided three goals, Ben Kraws stopped 27 shots and Jalen Luypen recorded a goal and an assist in the South Carolina Stingrays’ 5-0 victory.
The 3-0-0 start is South Carolina’s first through three games since the 2022-23 season. The Stingrays will next face the Orlando Solar Bears on the road.
Source: Original report
