JACKSONVILLE, FLA – After not playing a game since their home debut last Saturday, the Jacksonville Icemen returned to home ice to play a South Carolina Stingrays team who opened their season last night and are in the middle of a five game road trip to start the season. The home fans went home disappointed as the Stingrays won the game 3-2 on the second short-handed goal of the game by Andrew Cherniwchan.
The first period basically opened up with a fight, when Jacksonville’s Garet Hunt and South Carolina’s Trevor Gilles dropped the gloves 80 seconds into the game. This would primarily be the only excitement of the first period as the two teams played a defensive frame. Only five shots on goal were recorded in the first half of the first period with the final shot count ending up 7-4 in favor of the Stingrays.
Jacksonville opened the scoring for the game at 2:08 of the second period when Elgin Pearce, from behind the net, fed Alexander Goulet out frontand Goulet beat Stingrays goalie Jeff Jakaitis high to the glove side.
The Stingrays tied the game at 7:50 of the second when Patrick Gaul’s shot deflected off the leg pads of goalie Jamie Philips right onto the stick of Joe Devin, who had a basically open net goal.
The Stingrays took the lead 100 seconds later on the first of Cherniwchan’s two short-handed goals. Cherniwchan stole the puck in the Jacksonville defensive end and beat Philips low after crossing in front of him, making him commit before firing the puck home.
The second period featured a call that is seldomly seen. A Jacksonville penalty was ending and forward Emerson Clark was waiting to come back on the ice. The penalty box door opened and Clark touched the puck before a skate hit the ice. Clark was called for being an illegal player and served two more minutes in the box.
Jacksonville tied the game with 1:58 left in the second when on a two-on-one break, Bobby MacIntyre beat Jakaitis low on the far stick side.
The only scoring in the third period was Cherniwchan’s second short-handed goal of the game. Cherniwchan basically came in on Philips the same way that he did in period two, this time getting Philips on his back and sliding it past him for what proved to be the game winner.
Jacksonville pulled Philips with ninety seconds left. The Icemen had a couple of good chances to tie the game but were unable to as the Stingrays took the game.
Icechips: Jacksonville head coach Jason Christie has now coached more games in the ECHL than anyone else, passing John Marks with game 1,009… Attendance was 7,683 as a followup to last week’s sell-out crowd… Jacksonville ended up out-shooting the Stingrays 22-21 for the game… Jacksonville had 15 minutes in penalties, South Carolina had 13… Jacksonville ends its opening three game home stand Thursday when they host Atlanta. South Carolina continues their opening five game road trip Friday night in Norfolk.
Contact the author at kenneth.holdren@prohockeynews.com
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