NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The South Carolina Stingrays defeated the Orlando Solar Bears 5-3 in the first game of the Kelly Cup Playoffs in front of 5,256 hockey fans. Ryan Hofer scored twice, while Connor Moore, Jayden Lee, and Charlie Combs also contributed to the Stingrays’ victory. In goal, Garin Bjorklund made 19 saves out of 22 shots to secure the win for the Stingrays.
The Stingrays got off to a strong start in the first period as Moore scored a goal set up by Tyler Weiss. Weiss managed to outmaneuver his defender in the left-wing corner before passing the puck to Moore. Moore received the pass and then chipped the puck into the top corner, past Orlando goaltender Jon Gillies.
Lee scored the second goal for the Stingrays just 2 minutes and 45 seconds into the second period. Alexander Suzdalev carried the puck into the zone, but his shot narrowly missed the goal, creating an opportunity for Lee to execute a wrap-around. Lee seized the chance and successfully extended the Stingrays’ lead to 2-0.
Aaron Luchuk scored a power-play goal for the Solar Bears, putting them on the board in the middle of the second period. His shot on Bjorklund went wide, but he followed up with a rebound and scored on the blocker side, bringing the score to 2-1.
In less than two minutes, Hofer scored an impressive goal to extend South Carolina’s lead by two goals. He toe dragged around his defender and then placed the puck into the top right corner, bringing the score to 3-1 in favor of the Stingrays.
Jack Adams reduced the Stingray lead by redirecting a shot from Kris Myllari in front of Bjorklund. Then, Anthony Bardaro tied the game at three just 31 seconds later by scoring a wrist shot from the left-wing circle.
South Carolina was in need of a response, and Combs was able to regain the Stingray advantage just 46 seconds later. Micah Miller took the shot on goal while Combs rushed the net and tipped the puck past Gillies.
Seven minutes later, Hofer added another goal by tapping in a cross-ice feed from Erik Middendorf during the rush, bringing the score to 5-3. The final score remained 5-3, securing the Stingrays a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven series.
Click here to read an in-depth recap of the game by ITR’s Stephanie Delafleur
Check out this photo gallery from Inside The Rink’s Julie Taylor for highlights from the game.
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