Stingrays Weekly Report - November 4

After beginning the season with a 5-1 record during the month of October, the South Carolina Stingrays continued their hot start into November with an 8-2 victory over the Orlando Solar Bears in their only contest last week on Sunday afternoon. The team piled up 53 shots on goal in the win, the second-most in a game by an ECHL team this season. SC continues to hold first place in the ECHL’s South Division standings as they get set for a weekend series in Greenville against the Swamp Rabbits. The Rays have scored the first goal of the game in all seven contests they’ve played this year and are leading the ECHL in both shots on goal per game (41.0) and least shots against per game (22.71).

This weekend’s series in Greenville marks the first regular season meetings between the two in-state rivals. SC will face-off against the Swamp Rabbits nine times during the 2019-20 season. The two clubs met twice during the preseason on the first weekend of October, where the Rays earned two victories by scores of 4-2 and 4-1.

STINGRAYS RECORD: 6-1-0-0LAST WEEK: 1-0-0-0SUNDAY: SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS 8, ORLANDO SOLAR BEARS 2(Amway Center – Orlando, FL)The Stingrays continued their dominating start to the 2019-20 season with a decisive 8-2 victory over the Orlando Solar Bears at the Amway Center on Sunday afternoon. 13 Stingrays players recorded a point in the lopsided win, led by forward Max Novak who had four points on two goals and two assists. Cole Ully also had two goals in the game, while Mitch Vanderlaan had a goal and an assist in his first appearance of the season and Dylan Steman added two assists. Goaltender Logan Thompson earned his second win of the season with 15 saves.THIS WEEKFriday, November 8 – at Greenville Swamp Rabbits, 7 p.m. (Bon Secours Wellness Arena)Saturday, November 9 – at Greenville Swamp Rabbits, 7 p.m. (Bon Secours Wellness Arena)STINGRAYS LEADERSGoals: 6 – Casey BaileyAssists: 8 – Dan DeSalvoPoints: 9 – Dan DeSalvo, Max NovakPlus/Minus: Plus-10 – Tom ParisiPenalty Minutes: 13 – Mark CooperShots On Goal: 45 – Casey BaileyWins: 4 – Parker MilnerGoals Against Average: 1.72 – Parker MilnerSave Percentage: 0.925 – Parker MilnerNOVAK’S BIG NIGHTForward Max Novak led the way for the Rays in Orlando on Sunday, posting a team-high four points on two goals and two assists along with a +6 rating. The high-scoring forward is now tied for the team lead in scoring this year with nine points (2g, 7a). Novak, a native of Oak Ridge, N.J., is in his fifth professional season out of Union College. His +6 rating is the highest for any ECHL player in a single game this season.PLUSSES FOR PARISIDefenseman Tom Parisi’s +10 rating through seven games is tied for the best mark in the ECHL. The blueliner is also the team's scoring leader among defensemen with six points on two goals and four assists, and has rackd up 27 shots on goal which ranks fifth among all ECHL d-men.

VANDERLAAN IMPRESSES IN FIRST GAMEForward Mitch Vanderlaan scored his first professional goal and added an assist in his first career ECHL game Sunday afternoon, opening the scoring for South Carolina with a deflection just 1:47 into the first period. Vanderlaan also assisted on Max Novak’s first goal late in the second frame. The Hanwell, New Brunswick native, who was the team captain at Cornell University as a senior last season, also finished with a +3 rating in his Stingrays debut.

DESALVO DOES IT ALLForward Dan DeSalvo is currently tied for the team lead in scoring this season with nine points on a goal and eight assists. The Rolling Meadows, Illinois native has posted a point in all but one of the Stingrays’ first seven games and has had three multi-point outings. Most recently, the attacker assisted on Mark Cooper’s tally in the third period of Sunday’s game. DeSalvo, who is in his fifth professional season, spent most of his 2018-19 campaign in the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters. The 27-year-old has played 177 games at the AHL level in his career with Cleveland, the Manitoba Moose and the Hartford Wolf Pack.

—South Carolina is back at home for three games in three days November 15, 16 and 17. Nov. 16 is the team’s first ever Hockey Fights Cancer Night! Tickets for all of the team’s upcoming 2019-20 home contests are on sale now via Ticketmaster.

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