The South Carolina Stingrays took on the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Golden Ticket Night. Both teams reign at the top of the Eastern Conference and the Southern Division, with Greenville leading the pack by eight points. Spencer Meier would replace Bryce Montgomery on the back end tonight, as Mitchell Gibson would get the start between the pipes,
Both clubs came out, fighting for the first goal momentum. The Stingrays went on an early advantage as the Swamp Rabbit headed to the box for a trip. The Stingrays would only get a couple of shots off before going off of the power play. A true back-and-forth battle for the entirety of the period, with the physicality increasing after every minute of play. With about six minutes left, Jack Adams attempted the wrap-around but barely missed the goal line.
Greenville snuck one past Mitchell Gibson two minutes into the second period as Nikita Pavlychv got the rebound off of a pad save. The Stingrays continued to pressure Ryan Bednard, leaving many pucks in front of the net. Nicky Leivermann chased down a Rabbit on a breakaway, ultimately giving them a penalty shot. The 1-1 opportunity was less than exciting, as he fanned on the shot for an easy stop for Gibson.
Jon McDonald came down the ice and turned and found his man, Jack Adams, for a seamless goal execution with a little over a minute left in the period. Jack Adams had the luck of the Irish as he sent the puck flying past Bednard, evening the score and firing up the crowd.
The Stingrays went on a man advantage within the first three minutes of the third period, as Nick Leivermann was tripped by Mark Louis. With 26 seconds left in the power play, Leivermann took a high stick and bled, giving the Rays a two-man advantage and a four-minute power play. South Carolina would get a few golden opportunities on net but quickly realized they could not penetrate Greenville’s coverage of the net and goal line.
With three minutes left in the period, Michael Kim sends an absolute missile towards Bednard from the blue line, giving the Stingrays a late lead and their first of the game. After post-game review, the goal was later given to Kameron Kielly on the deflection. Truly, the coliseum was buzzing and was a world of pure imagination as the time wined down, solidifying the win.
The Stingrays will head to Jacksonville to face the Icemen on the 16th and 22 before returning home on December 23rd to face the Flordia Everblades before Christmas.
