South Carolina Stingrays Update
Feb. 8, 2010
The South Carolina Stingrays completed the first week of February with a win, a loss, and a shootout defeat, adding three points to their ECHL-high 71 to remain atop of the South Division, 13 points ahead of second-place Charlotte.
Making a second stop to the Queen City on their current road swing, the Rays on Thursday looked to avenge a 3-2 overtime loss from their last meeting. Maxime Lacroix, the one-time Bear and Stingray who assisted on the game-winner in the prior head-to-head on Jan. 29, had an even bigger game this time around, potting two goals and setting up two others as the Cyclones doubled-up SC, 6-3.
Cincy jumped out to a 3-0 lead after twenty minutes before tacking on another in the latter half of the second period, with Brett Robinson, who also finished with four points, registering back-to-back lamp-lighters. Trent Campbell erased the goose egg for South Carolina late in the frame, scoring a power play marker on playmakers from Keith Johnson and Jason Fredricks.
Johnson struck early in the third to cut the Cyclones’ advantage to one goal, bagging his team-leading 20th, unassisted, at 1:20. Lacroix and Matt Pierce answered for Cincinnati, though, elevating Chuck Weber’s club to a 6-2 lead. Matt Scherer’s man advantage strike at 17:29 was as close as the Rays would get on this evening, falling to the North Division’s top team for the second time in seven days.
Robert Mayer claimed his second win in as many starts against SC, stopping 20 of 23 while Shane Connelly suffered South Carolina’s sixth straight setback with just 27 saves on 33 shots.
Looking to turn the tide and return to the win column, Cail MacLean’s team ventured to the Keystone State for a pair of contests against the Johnstown Chiefs, owners of the worst record in the ECHL.
The Stingrays opened the scoring for the first time in eight games, with Gregg Johnson depositing a power play goal at 11:54 of the first on helpers from younger brother Keith and defenseman Grant Farrell. The Chiefs scored the next two markers, however, to go up 2-1 at 11:57 of the second. That lead lasted a mere six seconds, though, as Gregg Johnson set up Campbell’s 12th at 12:03.
Dylan Yeo netted the eventual game-winner two minutes into the third, with a pair of rookies, Trevor Bruess and Jake Hauswirth, chalking up assists as the Rays snapped their winless skid with a 3-2 victory.
Connelly picked up the win with a 20-for-22 save effort while his counterpart, Lancaster native John Murray, turned aside 40 of 43 to garner third star of the game honors in defeat.
Closing out the northern portion of their road swing on Saturday, SC looked to depart the Cambria County War Memorial Arena with their third win in as many tries this season against Johnstown.
Following a scoreless first stanza, Troy Schwab and the Chiefs struck the first blow at 11:17 of the second, beating Connelly to make it 1-love. With two ticks remaining in the second, though, Bruess broke through for the Stingrays, putting the puck past former Bears goalie Kris Mayotte to knot the score at 1-1.
Dain Prewitt provided the Rays with a short-lived lead at 2:51 of the third, bagging his ninth of the campaign, before the Chiefs replied 19 seconds later on Schwab’s second of the evening. Sean Berkstresser regained the advantage for Johnstown at 6:25, but Gregg Johnson collected the equalizer less than a minute later to send the contest into overtime.
With the Stingrays and Chiefs unable to cross the goal line in sudden death, a shootout beckoned for the two teams at opposite ends of the standings. Campbell and Gregg Johnson tallied goals for SC, but Connor Shields, Chanse Fitzpatrick, and Greg Gallagher each hit paydirt for Johnstown, handing the East Division’s cellar dwellers a 4-3 win.
Connelly, between the pipes for the third time in as many days, deflected 29 of 32 in 65 minutes before stopping 3 of 6 in the skills competition as the Rays lost for the seventh time in eight games. Mayotte, meanwhile, pocketed the victory with a 39-save performance in regulation and OT before sweeping away four of six in the shootout.
The Stingrays wrap up their seven-game road trip Wednesday night in Charlotte, where they’ve posted a 2-2-1 mark in 2009-10, before returning to the North Charleston to host the Florida Everblades on Friday and Saturday.
Making a second stop to the Queen City on their current road swing, the Rays on Thursday looked to avenge a 3-2 overtime loss from their last meeting. Maxime Lacroix, the one-time Bear and Stingray who assisted on the game-winner in the prior head-to-head on Jan. 29, had an even bigger game this time around, potting two goals and setting up two others as the Cyclones doubled-up SC, 6-3.
Cincy jumped out to a 3-0 lead after twenty minutes before tacking on another in the latter half of the second period, with Brett Robinson, who also finished with four points, registering back-to-back lamp-lighters. Trent Campbell erased the goose egg for South Carolina late in the frame, scoring a power play marker on playmakers from Keith Johnson and Jason Fredricks.
Johnson struck early in the third to cut the Cyclones’ advantage to one goal, bagging his team-leading 20th, unassisted, at 1:20. Lacroix and Matt Pierce answered for Cincinnati, though, elevating Chuck Weber’s club to a 6-2 lead. Matt Scherer’s man advantage strike at 17:29 was as close as the Rays would get on this evening, falling to the North Division’s top team for the second time in seven days.
Robert Mayer claimed his second win in as many starts against SC, stopping 20 of 23 while Shane Connelly suffered South Carolina’s sixth straight setback with just 27 saves on 33 shots.
Looking to turn the tide and return to the win column, Cail MacLean’s team ventured to the Keystone State for a pair of contests against the Johnstown Chiefs, owners of the worst record in the ECHL.
The Stingrays opened the scoring for the first time in eight games, with Gregg Johnson depositing a power play goal at 11:54 of the first on helpers from younger brother Keith and defenseman Grant Farrell. The Chiefs scored the next two markers, however, to go up 2-1 at 11:57 of the second. That lead lasted a mere six seconds, though, as Gregg Johnson set up Campbell’s 12th at 12:03.
Dylan Yeo netted the eventual game-winner two minutes into the third, with a pair of rookies, Trevor Bruess and Jake Hauswirth, chalking up assists as the Rays snapped their winless skid with a 3-2 victory.
Connelly picked up the win with a 20-for-22 save effort while his counterpart, Lancaster native John Murray, turned aside 40 of 43 to garner third star of the game honors in defeat.
Closing out the northern portion of their road swing on Saturday, SC looked to depart the Cambria County War Memorial Arena with their third win in as many tries this season against Johnstown.
Following a scoreless first stanza, Troy Schwab and the Chiefs struck the first blow at 11:17 of the second, beating Connelly to make it 1-love. With two ticks remaining in the second, though, Bruess broke through for the Stingrays, putting the puck past former Bears goalie Kris Mayotte to knot the score at 1-1.
Dain Prewitt provided the Rays with a short-lived lead at 2:51 of the third, bagging his ninth of the campaign, before the Chiefs replied 19 seconds later on Schwab’s second of the evening. Sean Berkstresser regained the advantage for Johnstown at 6:25, but Gregg Johnson collected the equalizer less than a minute later to send the contest into overtime.
With the Stingrays and Chiefs unable to cross the goal line in sudden death, a shootout beckoned for the two teams at opposite ends of the standings. Campbell and Gregg Johnson tallied goals for SC, but Connor Shields, Chanse Fitzpatrick, and Greg Gallagher each hit paydirt for Johnstown, handing the East Division’s cellar dwellers a 4-3 win.
Connelly, between the pipes for the third time in as many days, deflected 29 of 32 in 65 minutes before stopping 3 of 6 in the skills competition as the Rays lost for the seventh time in eight games. Mayotte, meanwhile, pocketed the victory with a 39-save performance in regulation and OT before sweeping away four of six in the shootout.
The Stingrays wrap up their seven-game road trip Wednesday night in Charlotte, where they’ve posted a 2-2-1 mark in 2009-10, before returning to the North Charleston to host the Florida Everblades on Friday and Saturday.
