DULUTH, GA – Trailing late in the first period of Game 6 in the South Division Semifinals, the South Carolina Stingrays scored three unanswered goals while Garin Bjorklund stopped 28 shots to beat the Atlanta Gladiators, 3-1, on Monday night at Gas South Arena. With the victory, the Stingrays win the seven-game series, 4-2, to advance to the South Division Finals.
South Carolina went to the penalty kill quickly in Game 6. Jalen Luypen was called for goaltender interference 31 seconds in sending Atlanta to the power play. The Stingrays killed off the penalty and would have to kill another past the midway mark in the first.
While the Gladiators could not capitalize on the man advantage, Atlanta did capitalize on a Stingrays turnover. Jack O’Brien intercepted a pass in South Carolina’s end, beating goaltender Garin Bjorklund from inside the near circle giving the Gladiators a 1-0 lead.
Trailing by one, the Stingrays pressed for an equalizer late in the first. Stan Cooley battled deep in the attacking zone, wrapping the puck around the near post where Atlanta forward Carson Denomie batted the puck into his own net tying Game 6 at one with 2:01 remaining in the opening frame.
In the second, South Carolina got opportunities on the power play. Despite not scoring, the Stingrays pressured the Gladiators early in the second and broke through over eight minutes in.
Justin Nachbaur let a shot go that kicked off the left pad of Atlanta netminder T.J. Semptimphelter where Romain Rodzinski knocked home the rebound lifting the Stingrays ahead, 2-1.
Bjorklund denied all eight shots he faced in the middle frame, keeping the one-goal lead intact for the Stingrays heading to the third period.
Atlanta started the third period on the power play and went to the man advantage two more times in the final frame. Bjorklund continued to be stellar in net, denying multiple chances in front of the net preserving the lead.
The Gladiators pulled Semptimphelter with just under three minutes remaining, bringing out the extra attacker. Just over a minute later, Jalen Luypen knocked the puck out of the defensive zone and scored an empty-net goal with 1:46 left, icing the 3-1 Game 6 victory and series win for South Carolina over Atlanta, 4-2.
Bjorklund saved 28-of-29 shots in the victory, winning all four games in net for the Stingrays. Seven different players recorded a point in the series-clinching victory.
South Carolina advances out of the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2021. It is South Carolina's first time winning a seven-game series since the 2017 Kelly Cup Playoffs.
Head Coach Dave Warsofsky joins Ryan Blair, Ryan Warsofsky, Spencer Carbery, Jared Bednar and Rick Adduono as the only head coaches in franchise history to advance out of the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs in their first year as head coach.
The Stingrays meet the Florida Everblades in the South Division Finals starting on Friday evening for Game 1. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. from Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida.