The South Carolina Stingrays opened the 2026-27 season 2-0-0-0 with victories over the Jacksonville Icemen and Greenville Swamp Rabbits. South Carolina defeated Jacksonville 5-1 on Friday, October 16, before Tyler Kopff scored the overtime winner in a 4-3 victory over Greenville on Saturday, October 17.
The Stingrays have started 2-0-0-0 in consecutive seasons and for the fourth time since the 2019-20 campaign.
South Carolina Stingrays Rally Past Jacksonville Icemen
South Carolina opened the season with a come-from-behind 5-1 victory over the Jacksonville Icemen. The Stingrays trailed 1-0 late in the second period before scoring twice ahead of the second intermission and adding three goals in the third.
Kopff scored against his former team in the opener. The forward then followed that performance by scoring the overtime winner against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits the next night.
Tyler Kopff Scores Overtime Winner Against Greenville
The South Carolina Stingrays defeated the Greenville Swamp Rabbits 4-3 in overtime on Saturday, October 17. After a two-goal lead disappeared, South Carolina went to overtime for the first time this season.
Just under two minutes into the extra period, Kopff scored on a one-timer past Greenville netminder Mattias Sholl. The goal gave the Stingrays the victory and completed a two-goal opening weekend for Kopff.
Kopff scored two goals in 10 games with Jacksonville last season. He matched that total in South Carolina’s first two games of the 2026-27 season.
South Carolina Stingrays Leaders Through Two Games
Alex Dostie and Kopff led South Carolina with two goals each. Alex Gaffney led the Stingrays with three assists, while Jeremie Biakabutuka paced the team with a plus-4 rating.
Zack Andrusiak and Rhett Parsons each recorded seven penalty minutes. Garin Bjorklund and Ben Kraws each earned one win, while Bjorklund posted a 1.01 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage.
South Carolina Continues Home-Opener Success
South Carolina won its third consecutive home opener with the overtime victory over Greenville. The Stingrays have won their home opener in five of the last six seasons and are 27-3-4 all time in home openers across 34 seasons.
The Stingrays return to the North Charleston Coliseum on Friday, October 30, against the Savannah Ghost Pirates. The game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and will feature Emo Night, presented by Fan Cave Tickets.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
The South Carolina Stingrays opened the season with two different types of victories. South Carolina erased a late deficit against Jacksonville before Kopff ended the Greenville game in overtime.
Kopff’s two-goal start is the clearest individual storyline after the opening weekend. Bjorklund also produced strong early goaltending numbers as the Stingrays prepare to return home against Savannah.
Source: Original report
