ORLANDO, FL – The South Carolina Stingrays fell, 4-0, in the first of two straight meetings against the Orlando Solar Bears on Thursday evening at the Kia Center.
Orlando (26-35-4-1) was awarded a power play early in the first and capitalized. Jarid Lukosevicius opened the scoring 6:23 in giving the Solar Bears a 1-0 lead.
South Carolina (41-21-1-3) could not find an answer after Lukosevicius’ opener, and Orlando added to its lead in the final minutes of the period. Xavier Lapointe doubled the Solar Bears’ advantage with 4:45 remaining in the first.
In the second period, the Solar Bears continued to build on their lead. Lukosevicius scored his second of the night at 8:10 of the middle frame before Massimo Lombardi made it 4-0 with 1:27 remaining in the period.
The Stingrays went to goaltender Ty Taylor at the start of the third period and the netminder played well in relief of Alexis Gravel who started the night in net for South Carolina. Taylor turned aside all 13 shots he faced in the final 20 minutes, but offensively, the Stingrays could not figure out Orlando goaltender Connor Ungar who finished with a 27-save shutout as the Solar Bears beat the Stingrays, 4-0.
South Carolina and Orlando meet again on Friday evening. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. from the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida.
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South Carolina returns to the North Charleston Coliseum on Saturday, April 4, against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits for Rock the Retro Night, presented by IBEW Local 776, at 6:05 p.m.. The full schedule can be viewed on our website here.
The Stingrays are heading to the 2026 Kelly Cup Playoffs, presented by Plumb Pro+, for the 30th time in franchise history. Tickets for Round 1 home games 1 and 2 are available now at stingrayshockey.com and Ticketmaster.com.
2026-27 Season ticket plans are on sale now! For more information or to purchase, contact the Stingrays by phone at 843-744-7418 or submit this form.
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About the South Carolina Stingrays: The South Carolina Stingrays have been proud members of the ECHL since the 1993-94 season, making them the longest continuously operating member club of the league still playing in its original city. The Stingrays have won the Kelly Cup three times, the second most of any ECHL franchise. The Stingrays are the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals and AHL’s Hershey Bears. Visit www.StingraysHockey.com