The Stingrays secured their third consecutive win with a 5-4 overtime victory over the Jacksonville Icemen on Sunday afternoon. Josh Wilkins scored the overtime winner, while Kyler Kupka (x2), Charlie Combs, and Tyler Weiss also scored for South Carolina. Garin Bjorklund stopped 39 of 43 shots in the win.
Brendan Harris opened the scoring for Jacksonville with a power-play goal 11:13 into the first period. The Stingrays tied the game 41 seconds into the second period on their first power-play opportunity when Combs knocked in his 15th of the year on a snapshot from the slot.
The Stingrays took the lead 12 minutes later when Weiss beat Jacksonville’s goaltender Matt Vernon with a turnaround shot from the left wall for his third goal in his last two games.
Jacksonville evened the game at two when Liam Coughlin snuck behind the defense and beat Bjorklund with a backhand on a partial break. They retook the lead when Olivier Nadeau redirected a Noah Laaouan shot for Jacksonville’s third power-play goal of the afternoon. The Stingrays trailed 3-2 after 40 minutes.
Kupka tied the game at three with a wrist shot from the left circle 4:06 into the third period. The Icemen pulled back in front five minutes later when Nadeau scored on a shot from right in front of the net to give Jacksonville their fourth power-play goal of the game.
The Stingrays needed their power play to deliver and tie the game again. Kupka one-timed a Wilkins feed late in South Carolina’s third power play opportunity to even the score at four apiece. The goal was Kupka’s team-leading 25th of the year and his ninth power-play tally of the season.
The two teams went to overtime, and Wilkins secured the extra point for the Stingrays with a nice move from forehand to backhand after he collected a feed from Combs. The goal was Wilkins’ 14th of the season.
The Stingrays are back in action on Wednesday morning when the Worcester Railers come to town for the team’s annual Education Day game. Puck drop is set for 10:30 am.
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