By: Stingrays Media
The South Carolina Stingrays (31-24-10-3) piled up 50 shots on their way to a 6-2 victory over the Wheeling Nailers (21-35-6-1) on Saturday night at the North Charleston Coliseum.
Defender Tyler Nanne recorded his first professional two-goal game in the win, while forwards Brett Supinski and Matthew Weis each scored a goal and an assist and Dan DeSalvo recorded two assists.
The win kept South Carolina locked in a tie with the Orlando Solar Bears for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference for the 2021 Kelly Cup Playoffs.
Wheeling got ahead early with the opening goal of the game at 9:16 of the first from former Stingray Austin Fyten.
But Max Novak evened things up at 1-1 with his eighth of the year before the end of the frame, deflecting the puck off his skate and into the back of the net from DeSalvo and defender Doyle Somerby.
The Rays took control of the game in the middle period, scoring three times while outshooting the Nailers 18-4.
First, captain Andrew Cherniwchan netted his 20th goal of the season at 3:52 off the rush from forwards Dylan Steman and Caleb Herbert to make it 2-1 SC. Then Supinski backhanded his 14th of the year home from behind the net, squeezing the puck just inside the left post at 9:57 from Weis and defender Tariq Hammond.
Nanne blasted a shot past goaltender Louis-Philip Guindon at 16:38 for his sixth of the year to make it 4-1 Rays. The lone assist on the goal went to Supinski.
Before the end of the middle frame, Wheeling's Matt Alfaro cut the SC lead down to 4-2 with a tally at 17:49.
But the Rays came back for more in the third, again registering 18 shots on goal in the final stanza. Nanne struck for his second of the night and seventh on the season on the power play at 8:59 from DeSalvo and Justin Florek to make it 5-2
Weis closed the scoring at 12:57 of the third with his ninth of the year from defender Max Gottlieb.
The Rays went 1-for-6 on the power play while holding Wheeling to a 1-for-4 mark on the man-advantage. SC goaltender Hunter Shepard earned the 10th win of his rookie season with 17 saves, while Guindon took the loss with 44 stops.
South Carolina is 5-0-0 this season against the Nailers with one matchup between the two remaining that will take place on Tuesday night at the North Charleston Coliseum at 7:05 p.m.
