March 8, 2010
by: Joe Shetrom
The South Carolina Stingrays split a pair of matchups against the Cincinnati Cyclones this past week in what could be a preview of a third straight American Conference Finals between the two teams. With only nine games remaining in the regular season, Cail MacLean’s club remains perched atop the South Division standings with a 36-16-11 mark, ten points ahead of second-place Florida.
Kicking off their two-game set against Cincinnati on Friday, the Rays were down to just 14 skaters, with Dylan Yeo earning a recall to Hershey one day prior. The team did receive some help earlier in the week, though, when goaltender Todd Ford, who last played on Dec. 27, was returned from the AHL’s Texas Stars.
Following a scoreless first period, including a mere two shots on goal by the Cyclones, Chuck Weber’s club grabbed the initial lead when Jimmy Kilpatrick kicked off a three-point night with an even strength goal at 6:27. Trevor Bruess and the Stingrays responded four minutes later on the man advantage, however, squaring the score going into the second intermission.
2008-09 Stingray Maxime Lacroix, who collected five points over two games against SC earlier this year, struck for his 14th goal at 3:20 of the third to regain the edge for the visitors before Brian O’Hanley followed two minutes later with his sixth marker, the eventual game-winner. Jay Cascalenda trimmed Cincy’s lead to one with his first ECHL goal at 7:51, but the Cyclones’ Brett Robinson answered quickly at 8:42 to double-up South Carolina, 4-2.
Robert Mayer saw just 22 shots come his way, but turned aside 20 to record his third win against the Rays in 2010. Ford, meanwhile, dropped to 16-7-1 this season with a 21-for-25 save effort.
Hoping to exit the season series with one win in their pocket, SC hosted Cincinnati Sunday afternoon in the final head-to-head meeting featuring the conference’s top two point-producing clubs. Already decimated with call-ups and injuries, the Stingrays’ lineup took yet another hit when defenseman Johann Kroll signed with the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters. The Cyclones, though, would have to go without the services of Lacroix, who was summoned to the Hamilton Bulldogs.
Robinson, who concluded the scoring in Friday’s contest, led off with an even strength goal at 6:31 of the first period, the fourth time in four games Cincy has drew first blood on SC. On their first power play opportunity, however, South Carolina hit paydirt, when Rob Ricci connected on his 20th of the year at 9:08 on assists from Nick Klaren and Bruess.
The Stingrays doubled their goal-scoring efforts in the middle stanza, with Jake Hauswirth and Scott Bartlett lighting the lamp to enter the second intermission with a 3-1 lead. In the third, Ricci struck for SC’s third unanswered goal at 4:25 before O’Hanley sliced the advantage in half at 8:13 for the Cyclones.
Cascalenda potted his second goal in as many contests â€" South Carolina’s third power play marker of the day â€" at 10:14, putting the home team up by three goals. Ricci bookending the final frame’s scoring with a short-handed marker â€" his third of the 2009-10 campaign â€" to garner his first pro hat trick and capping a 6-2 win, the Stingrays’ 20th on home ice.
The five blueliners on South Carolina’s roster, none of whom began the season with the team, combined for six points, including a trio of playmakers from Klaren. Ford, making his 25th start of the season, swept aside 20 of 22 for the victory. Mayer, on the other hand, was finally solved by the Rays, who hung six goals on the rookie backstop.
The Stingrays remain at home this week, welcoming the Florida Everblades for three big games in three nights on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
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