DULUTH, Ga – After playing a four overtime game Friday night, the last thing either of these teams wanted to see was another game decided in OT. But it wasn’t to be. In a game that featured specials teams play, the South Carolina Stingrays defeated the Gwinnett Gladiators 4-3 in two overtime periods.
After matching each other goal-for-goal during regulation, Maxime Lacroix put away the game-winner at 16:52 of the second overtime. Gwinnett had just failed on a golden opportunity to win the game with a two-minute power play after the Stingrays flipped the puck out of play for a delay of game, but couldn’t capitalize. Lacroix had two goals and two assists.
Neither team was able to score in the first period. Both goaltenders, seemingly fully recovered from Friday’s four OT marathon, were able to stop everything thrown their way.
Each team scored twice in the second period. Three of the four goals were scored on the power play.
South Carolina opened the scoring with a power play goal by Brett Flemming at 4:35, assisted by Pierre-Luc O’brien and Lacroix. Gwinnett answered back at 13:36 with a power play goal of their own by Nikita Kashirsky, assisted by Dallas Jackson and Bryan Brutlag.
Less than 30 seconds later, the Stingrays retook the lead at 14:05. Lacroix scored his first goal and was assisted by Chris Higgins and Zach Tarkir, who scored the 4OT game-winner on Friday. The Gladiators once again tied the score with Kashirsky’s second power play goal of the game at 16:54. An assist went to the goaltender, Marc Cheverie.
It didn’t take long for the Stingrays to jump back into the lead as Higgins beat Gwinnett goaltender Cheverie at the 1:30 mark. It looked like that might be enough, especially when Gwinnet’s Joey Haddad committed an untimely tripping penalty with four minutes left in regulation. The Gladiators were able to kill the penalty and Will Colbert (from Jackson and Andy Brandt) beat Stingray goaltender Rob Madore at 18:20 to tie the game at three, sending it into a second straight overtime.
Neither team could solve the goaltenders in the first OT. Gwinnett had the most shots (12) and the best opportunity early in the period, hitting the post. South Carolina had fewer shots (7), but more quality opportunities, but couldn’t cash in.
The win catapults the Stingrays into the next round of the playoffs against the Kalamazoo Wings, dates and times to be determined.
Contact the writer at: mitch.cooper@prohockeynews.com
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