JACKSONVILLE, FLA – The Jacksonville Icemen beat the South Carolina Stingrays 4-2 in front of a sold-out crowd of nearly 9,000 people at Veterans Memorial Arena in the first game of the 2018-19 season on Saturday, October 13th.
The first period was physical and all defense, remaining scoreless until South Carolina’s Kevin McKernan put the Stingrays on the board at 17:12, sending the Icemen into the locker room down 1-0. Jacksonville evened the score in the second with a power play goal from Blake Kessel, assisted by Everett Clark and Wacey Rabbit.
Tied 1-1 going into the third, South Carolina wasted no time taking back the lead when Jake Kamrass buried a pass from Joey Leach and Andrew Cherniwchan at 0:34. Jacksonville answered back with a goal from Garet Hunt by way of Matt Ustaski and Cody Fowlie. South Carolina had a chance to regain the lead on a power play, but instead Cody Fowlie found the back of the net with a shorthanded goal assisted by goaltender Mikhail Berdin to go up 3-2. Alexis D’Aoust put the Icemen up 4-2 on a goal assisted by Jake Randolph and Jack Glover.
In his ECHL debut, Mikhail Berdin made 24 saves for the Icemen, adding an assist and nearly a goal. It would have been his second goal in as many years after scoring an empty netter in the USHL for Sioux Falls last season.
Text courtesy of Jacksonville Icemen
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