The Stingrays doubled up the Savannah Ghost Pirates 6-3 in front of over 6,000 fans at the North Charleston Coliseum on Vice on Ice Night. Jacob Graves, Charlie Combs, Ryan Hofer, Romain Rodzinski, Justin Nachbaur, and Reilly Webb scored for the Stingrays, while goaltender Mitchell Gibson made 30 saves in the victory.
The Stingrays got on the board at 9:41 into the first period. In the offensive zone, Jace Isley sent a diagonal cross-ice pass that found Graves, who wired a shot through screens and past Savannah Goaltender Keith Kinkaid for his third goal of the season. Isley and Engelbert picked up the assists.
The Stingrays would double their lead a little more than 3 minutes later. Romain Rodzinski took the puck near the blue line on the power play and sent a slapshot toward the net. Amid the chaos in front of the net, in which Austin Magera also got a stick on the puck, Combs swooped in and got the puck past a lunging Kinkaid to make it 2-0. Magera and Rodzinski picked up the assists on Combs' 17th of the season.
South Carolina would strike again less than five minutes later to extend their lead to three. Jayden Lee kept the puck alive in the offensive zone before finding Isley behind the net. After searching for a man in front, Isley feathered a pass to Hofer, who one-timed at home for his eighth goal of the season. Isley and Lee picked up the assists.
The Rays quadrupled their lead less than a minute into the second. After some fancy moves to keep control in the offensive zone, Tyler Weiss sent the puck to the top of the zone for Webb. Webb slid the puck over to Rodzinski, who skated in and sent a wrist shot into the back of the net for his second goal in three games. Weiss and Webb picked up the assists.
The Ghost Pirates got on the board 6:45 into the second. South Carolina's Seth Eisele briefly took Gibson's place in goal while Gibson tended to an equipment issue. While falling to the ice, Savannah's Josh Davies snuck a shot by Eisele to break South Carolina's shutout.
The Stingrays would re-establish their four-goal lead with less than a minute left in the second period. On a play that started in the defensive zone, Nachbaur sent the puck ahead into the offensive zone. Weiss patiently waited around the Savannah defender and sent a pass to a streaking Nachbaur, who slotted it home for his ninth of the year.
The Ghost Pirates got a goal back 3:42 into the third. Zach Uens beat Mitchell Gibson with a quick wrist shot to make it 5-2.
South Carolina re-established its four-goal lead once again 8:09 into the third. The play started when Jamie Engelbert got the puck to Webb at the blue line. Webb's one-timer went off the end wall, bounced off the back of Kinkaid, and found its way over the goal line for Webb's third goal of the season. Rodzinski and Engelbert picked up the assists.
Savannah picked up their third goal of the game, 17:28 into the third. Nick Granowicz buried his fourth goal of the season with a little more than two and a half minutes to go in the game to make it 6-3.
South Carolina's next game is Sunday afternoon at the North Charleston Coliseum against the Ghost Pirates. Puck drop is set for 3:05 pm, and the theme for the game is Disability Awareness.
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