SAVANNAH, G.A. – Goaltender Seth Eisele stopped all 29 shots he faced, and the South Carolina Stingrays scored four goals to shut out the Savannah Ghost Pirates, 4-0, on Friday night at Enmarket Arena.
South Carolina (33-18-1-0) had early chances to open the scoring, but Savannah (26-21-3-1) netminder Vinnie Purpura was sharp, stopping five shots in the first six minutes. Stingrays goaltender Seth Eisele matched him, turning aside multiple Ghost Pirates opportunities in the opening frame.
In the final minutes of the first period, both teams traded chances before the Stingrays broke through. Simon Pinard wired home his team-leading 22nd goal with 18 seconds remaining to give South Carolina a 1-0 lead heading into the second.
The Stingrays wasted no time adding to their lead in the second. South Carolina went to the power play just 33 seconds in, and Kyler Kupka made the Ghost Pirates pay eight seconds later. Kupka drove the net and tucked home a backhand to double the Stingrays’ lead to 2-0.
Savannah pressed for a response, but Eisele and the Stingrays kept the Ghost Pirates’ offense at bay. With less than seven minutes left in the period, South Carolina added to its lead. Stan Cooley knocked home a rebound to extend the advantage to 3-0.
In the third, South Carolina added another goal just over six-and-a-half minutes in. Zac Funk cleaned up a rebound to give the Stingrays a 4-0 lead with 13:28 remaining in regulation.
With a four-goal lead, South Carolina killed off multiple penalties down the stretch, and Eisele remained perfect in net as the Stingrays secured a 4-0 shutout of the Ghost Pirates.
Eisele stopped all 29 shots he faced, earning his third shutout of the season and the sixth of his professional career. Cooley, Funk, Pinard, and Romain Rodzinski each recorded multi-point games in the victory.
The Stingrays wrap up their season series with the Jacksonville Icemen tomorrow night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.