Stingrays forward Josh Wilkins entered Sunday afternoon’s contest against the Savannah Ghost Pirates needing two points to reach 200 in his ECHL career.
South Carolina needed those two points, as Wilkins assisted on the game-tying goal in the first period and then scored the eventual game-winning goal in the second as the Stingrays beat the Savannah Ghost Pirates, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon at the North Charleston Coliseum in front of 4,972 fans.
For the second straight game, the visitors got off to a fast start in North Charleston. Savannah (28-23-3-1) opened the scoring nearly eight minutes in as Nick Granowicz gave the Ghost Pirates a 1-0 lead.
South Carolina (37-18-1-0) did not wait long to respond. Josh Wilkins sent Charlie Combs in on a breakaway, and Combs tied the game with 10:21 remaining in the opening period.
Both sides traded chances over the next eight minutes, and the Stingrays took the lead late in the first. Dean Loukus wired home the go-ahead goal with 1:58 left in the period, giving South Carolina a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
In the second, the Stingrays struck again quickly. South Carolina’s forecheck forced a turnover deep in the attacking zone when Simon Pinard found Wilkins on the doorstep, who tapped home his 20th goal of the season and 200th point of his ECHL career, doubling the Stingrays’ lead to 3-1.
The Ghost Pirates searched for an answer and cut into South Carolina’s lead in the final five minutes of the period. Josh Lopina deflected a shot from the point to make it 3-2, cutting the deficit in half.
Early in the third period, the Stingrays weathered a flurry of chances from the Ghost Pirates, with South Carolina netminder Ty Taylor making several key saves. As both teams traded opportunities, the Stingrays held on to their one-goal lead.
As time wound down, Savannah pulled its netminder for an extra attacker. The Ghost Pirates generated several chances in the final minute, but South Carolina held on to beat Savannah, 3-2.
Taylor stopped 28 shots, including all 10 he faced in the third period, to earn his sixth win of the season. Wilkins led all players with two points on the day, while Loukus has now scored in each of the last two contests.