NORTH CHARLESTON, SC – Forward Rob Ricci scored the game-winning goal in overtime and forwards Derek DeBlois and Andrew Rowe each registered four-point games as the South Carolina Stingrays (11-5) took down the Toledo Walleye (8-9) 6-5 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the North Charleston Coliseum Wednesday night. The Stingrays lead the best-of-seven series 3-0.
The Stingrays quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead and carried a 3-1 advantaged into the first intermission. Forward Wayne Simpson kicked off the scoring 5:11 into the contest lifting a shot over the glove of Walleye netminder Jeff Lerg (L, 22 saves on 28 shots) from between the faceoff circles. DeBlois and Rowe picked up the assists. Moments later, Rowe gave the Stingrays a two-goal advantage from defenseman Michal Cajkovsky and DeBlois at 7:08. Forward A.J. Jenks put the Walleye on the scoreboard at 8:18 skating around Stingrays goaltender Jeff Jakaitis (W, 18 saves on 23 shots). Off the following faceoff, Stingrays forward Patrick Gaul responded with his fourth goal of the playoffs unassisted at 8:44.In the second period, the Stingrays carried over the momentum as DeBlois tipped a rebound past Lerg at 3:35 from Rowe and Simpson. Walleye forward Martin Frk capitalized on the power play at 11:50 to make it 4-2. The two sides traded tallies again in the final two minutes of the period with DeBlois picking up his seventh goal of the playoffs at 18:04 with help from Simpson and Rowe followed by Toledo’s Kyle Bonis with 40 seconds to play.
Frk struck twice in the third period to complete the hat trick and force extra hockey. He lit the lamp 53 seconds into the stanza beating Jakaitis with a drive between the leg pads and made it 5-5 at the 5:41 mark on the power play. Early in overtime, defensemen Wade Epp and Cajkovsky exited the Stingrays’ defensive zone and found Ricci along the left-wing boards to float in the game-winning tally over the shoulder of Lerg at 2:05. The Walleye went 2-for-4 on the power play while the Stingrays did not receive a man advantage.
The Stingrays and Walleye collide in Game 4 on Friday, May 22 at 7:05.
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