Biloxi, MS – The South Carolina Stingrays scored two goals in :13 seconds in the second period from Matt Scherer and Keith Johnson, but fell to the Mississippi Sea Wolves 4-2 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum tonight.
“Not to sound like a broken record, but I thought we competed hard tonight,” said Head Coach Jared Bednar. “Each loss is getting harder to take, but if we keep playing like this, we are going to win a lot of games this season.”
The first period did not get started the way the Stingrays were planning, and within the first minute of play, they found themselves down by a goal. At the :48 second mark, Jeff Kyrzakos got his fifth goal of the year, an uncontested shot through the legs of Ian Vigier. The goal would be the only tally in the period, as the Rays skated to the locker room trailing by one.
The Rays answered back in the second period on Matt Scherer’s fifth goal of the year at 2:59. The goal was assisted Johann Kroll and Spencer Carbery to tie the game up at one. Just :13 lucky seconds later, the Rays would take their first lead of the night on a breakaway by Keith Johnson, his ninth of the year. The goal came at 3:12 and was assisted by Maxime Lacroix. The Rays held the lead until 16:14 when Kryzakos scored his second goal of the night on the power play to tie the game up at two.
The Sea Wolves would take their second lead of the game in the third period on Ryan Menei’s sixth goal of the year, at 2:46, from Coutu and Mark Rooneem to make it 3-2. The Rays would pull Vigier in the final minute to get the extra attacker, but Rooneem would salt this one away with an empty net goal at 19:16 to make it 4-2, the eventual final.
The winning goaltender was Ryan Munce who stopped 40 of the 42 shots he faced. The losing goaltender was Vigier who stopped 27 of the 30 shots he faced. The Rays went 0-3 on the power play while killing off four of the five short handed situations they faced.
The Rays will be back on Tuesday when they host the Gwinnett Gladiators from the North Charleston Coliseum. Game time will be at 7:05 P.M. You can here the game live on ESPN Radio 910 the TEAM starting with the Benitos Pre-game show beginning at 6:50. Don’t forget, Monday Night Hockey, the Stingrays Coach’s show, resumes tomorrow from 6-7 at the new Jim and Nick’s in North Charleston
Don’t miss all the fast-paced, hard-hitting action! Individual tickets can be purchased at the North Charleston Coliseum box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (843) 554-6060 and online at www.ticketmaster.com.
Full and partial season tickets are available by calling (843) 744-2248 or by visiting online at www.stingrayshockey.com. Stingrays Hockey – A Whole Lot Cooler!
South Carolina Stingrays 2 at MississippiSea Wolves 4 - Status: Final
Jan 25, 2009 - MississippiCoast Coliseum
1st Period
Scoring - 1. Mississippi, J. Kyrzakos (5) (J. Coutu, J. Hall) 0:48
Penalties - B. Farynuk Sc (hooking - minor 55.2) 1:45, S. Carbery Sc (elbowing - minor 46.2) 4:39, P. Oliveto Mis (holding - minor 54.2) 9:40, P. Oliveto Mis (hooking - minor 55.2) 19:32
2nd Period
Scoring - 2. South Carolina, M. Scherer (5) (J. Kroll, S. Carbery) 2:59
3. South Carolina, K. Johnson (9) (M. Lacroix) 3:12
4. Mississippi, J. Kyrzakos (6) (M. Melanson, K. Peto) 16:14 PP
Penalties - K. Johnson Sc (instigating - minor 47.10) 0:19, B. Busniuk Sc (slashing - minor 61.2) 6:13, P. O'Brien Sc (tripping - minor 57.2) 15:18
3rd Period
Scoring - 5. Mississippi, R. Menei (6) (J. Coutu, M. Rooneem) 2:46
6. Mississippi, M. Rooneem (8) (J. Tejchma, R. Menei) 19:16 EN
Penalties - P. Oliveto Mis (interference - minor 56.2) 3:59
