March 29, 2010
The South Carolina Stingrays enjoyed a light schedule this past week, playing just one game, but fell 4-2 on Friday to the Reading Royals. The loss, coupled with a trio of wins last week by the surging Charlotte Checkers, dropped the Rays to second place in the South Division and fourth in the American Conference. With three contests remaining in the regular season, Cail MacLean’s club owns a 38-19-12 mark (88 points), one point behind Charlotte.
Hosting Reading on Friday, SC looked finish the season series with their fourth win in five games versus their North Division foe. Two familiar faces, as well as some new blood, were found in the lineup, with Michael Dubuc (Hershey) and Nikita Kashirsky (Manitoba) returning from the AHL, and defensemen Jeff Caister and Derek Keller, both out of St. Lawrence University, making their professional debuts.
Prior to opening faceoff, however, the Rays introduced Rob Concannon, a member of the team’s first Kelly Cup championship in 1997, as the new team president. Concannon replaces Darren Abbott, a former radio broadcaster for the Stingrays, who left earlier this month to take the same position for the American Hockey League’s Manchester Monarchs. The club also welcomed current Washington Capitals pro scout Jason Fitzsimmons, who backstopped the Rays to the 1997 Kelly Cup before moving onto assistant and head coaching duties with the team, to the Stingrays Hall of Fame.
The Royals got out to a 1-0 lead on Andrew Sarauer’s team-leading 24th goal, a power play marker, at 13:30 of the first period. Johann Kroll knotted the contest at 12:43 of the second, registering his third goal of the year on assists from brothers Gregg and Keith Johnson.
The stalemate lasted less than three minutes, though, as Jimmy Fraser regained the advantage for Reading with a short-handed goal at 15:04. Kashirsky, wearing a Stingrays jersey for the first time since Jan. 17, potted his first ECHL goal in over three months at 5:41 of the third stanza, squaring the score at deuces.
Over the second half of the final frame, however, the Royals’ special teams rang up their third goal of the night on Aaron Brocklehurst’s power play lamp-lighter at 10:47, giving the Toronto Maple Leafs affiliate a 3-2 advantage. Daniel Steiner, recently returned following a lengthy stay with the Rochester Americans, sealed the victory with an empty-netter at 19:39.
Goaltender Matt Dalton garnered his 21st win of the campaign for Reading, turning aside 39 of 41 shots to earn first star of the game honors. Shane Connelly, meanwhile, finished with a 16-for-19 performance in defeat for South Carolina.
The Rays close out the regular season this week with three games in the Peach State, visiting Gwinnett on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
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