ORLANDO, F.L. - The Stingrays suffered a 5-0 loss at the hands of the Orlando Solar Bears at the Kia Center on Sunday night. South Carolina finished the game with 52 shots on goal, their highest shot total of the season, but the Rays could not solve Solar Bears netminder Alexis Gravel, who earned the first shutout of his professional career. South Carolina’s Seth Eisele finished the game with 15 saves on 19 shots.
The first period started back and forth with solid offensive chances on both ends, but it remained scoreless until Jarrett Lee gave the Solar Bears a 1-0 lead off a highlight reel kick-pass from Alex Frye. The Solar Bears extended their lead to 2-0 late in the first period with a goal from former Stingray Hudson Thornton with a shot from the left point with under a minute to play.
The Solar Bears came out swinging in the second period, jumping out to a 3-0 lead courtesy of a blistering shot from Andrew Coxhead that beat Eisele blocker side. Orlando made it 4-0 when Jack Adams tipped a Hudson Thornton shot from the point that beat Eisele with just over four minutes left in the middle period.
The Stingrays tallied a season-high 24 shots in the third period, but the only tally of the final frame was an empty net goal from Spencer Kersten that made it 5-0.
The Stingrays are back in action Friday night against the Jacksonville Icemen at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena.
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