Inside the Rink is ready to kick off its coverage of the ECHL for the 2024-25 Season. Each week, we will highlight three matchups as our must-see games across the league. Here are our picks for this week.
Flo Hockey Game of The Week: South Carolina Stingrays vs Worcester Railers
Wednesday at 10:05 am and Friday at 7:05 Pm
Location: DCU Center
The Worcester Railers have turned things around after losing their first two games of the season, winning five of their last seven games. Anthony Repaci, who is coming off an injury-shortened year, has been red hot of late, putting up six goals in his last three games, including a hat-trick on Sunday afternoon vs Norfolk Admirals. He would also be named the ECHL Player of the Week. One of the big things to watch in this series is the goaltending, as the Railers have gotten solid goaltending from all three of their netminders this season and are allowing 2.56 GAA, which is seventh in the league.
On the other end of the ice, the South Carolina Stingrays have been led by rookie goaltender Seth Eisele, who is 3-0-1 on the season with a 1.50 GAA, .948SV%, and one shutout. Garin Bjorklund also holds a GAA of 1.98 in his two starts this season for South Carolina. Unlike the Railers being led by Repaci offensively, South Carolina has five players who have scored two or more goals this year, as Kyler Kupka and Micah Miller each have four goals and are tied for the team lead in that category. South Carolina has also had a dominant PK to start the year, as they currently sit at 92% on the PK, which is second in the league. The Stingrays are one of three teams, along with Adirondack Thunder and Tahoe Knight Monsters, to not allow a PP goal on the road this season.
Norfolk Admirals vs Toledo Walleye
Friday Night and Saturday Night at 7:05 EST
Location: Norfolk Scope
The Norfolk Admirals and Toledo Walleye will open up a two-game set on Friday Night from Norfolk Scope, as the Admirals are currently on a nine-game point streak and are returning home after a four-game road trip last week. Brady Fleurent leads the charge for the Admirals with 12 points (3G,9A) in 11 games, and Carson Golder has lit the lamp six times so far this season as he leads the team in goals. Norfolk has had some issues finding a reliable goaltender after Kristian Stead went down with a broken finger as they are currently running with Joe Cannata (Signed on November 1st) and Dante Giannuzzi, who began the season with the Maine Mariners before being waived and claimed by the Norfolk Admirals.
The Walleye have gotten off to a great start this season going 7-3-1 in their first ten games, led by the reigning MVP Brandon Hawkins, who has seven goals and ten assists for 17 points. One of the bigger signings this off-season was Jalen Smerek, signing with Toledo after spending the past two seasons with the Cincinnati Cyclones and has already made an impact with the Walleye, putting up eight assists in the first ten games of the season. Despite their record, the Walleye have struggled away from Huntington Center this year, as two of their three losses have come on the road.
Tahoe Knight Monsters vs Tulsa Oilers
Friday Night at 10:30 Pm PST and Saturday Night at 10:00 PM PST
It’s been a promising start to the season for the Tulsa Oilers, who are currently atop the Mountain Division and will look to even up the series after getting shutout on Wednesday Night. One of the biggest factors to the Oilers early success has been their offense as they currently have three players who have hit the double-digit point total through the first ten games of the season. They’ve taken advantage of their opportunities as they lead the league on the PP (31.3%). Talyn Boyko, who spent his rookie year with the Cincinnati Cyclones, posting a 13-9-1 record with a 3.42 GAA and . 888SV%, has gotten off to a great start with his new team in Tulsa, going 3-0-1 with a 2.45 GAA .916SV% in his first four starts this season.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters looked promising out of the gate. Jesper Vikman played solid hockey for Tahoe, going 3-0-1 with a 1.95 GAA and .930SV% in his first four starts, which earned him a call-up to the Henderson Silver Knights. Since then, the goaltending hasn’t been as great, with the tandem of Justin Robbins, who gave up six goals in his last start, and Dylan Myskiw, who gave up five goals in his only start of the season so far. One thing that has been working really well for Tahoe is their road PK, which has yet to allow a goal this season. The Knight Monsters currently have five players with three goals, and besides those five players, no one has found the net more than once this season. This is a big series for the Knight Monsters to prove to themselves that they can stay afloat without Vikman.
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