Stingrays welcome February

NORTH CHARLESTON , South Carolina – Did you happen to hear the cheering on sunday across the entire the Charleston metropolitan area from members of the South Carolina Stingrays hockey club and their fans? The cheering wasn’t due to the competitive nature of the Super Bowl, but rather that the month of January was finally over.
The Stingrays posted a record of 4-8-2 in January. The Rays entered the month contending for first place with the Florida EverBlades in the ECHL’s South Division.

However, by month’s end, the Rays were clinging to second place over the third place Charlotte Checkers by just three points. They managed to do so only because of a tenacious 5-4 comeback win at home on January 31^st in front of 6,506 attendees, including a large number of visiting Checkers’ fans.
Racked by call ups and injuries, the Rays found themselves with a depleted defensive corps, and without a regular full-time goaltender over most of January. Ian Vigier was called up from the Columbus Cottonmouths of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) filled in well winning six straight games before the travel back and forth between Columbus and Charleston seemed to wear on him.
The Ray’s previously potent offense managed only eight goals in Vigier’s last four appearances, all losses. Despite his overall performance, in which the Rays were very competitive in the four straight losses, the team was suddenly unable to win due to managing no more than two goals in any of the four games.
Also, Vigier had one stint of four games in four nights divided between Columbus and South Carolina with plane trips between each game and not much practice time with either club. He finished his first ECHL assignment posting an overall record of 6-4-1 with a goals against average of 2.83 and a save percentage of 0.911.
The Rays moved to settle the goaltending issue last week via a trade with the Victoria Salmon Kings for Granby, Quebec native Jonathan Boutin. The third round draft choice in 2003 of the Tampa Bay Lightning will report to the Rays as soon as his immigration paperwork is completed.
Meanwhile, the short term assignment of Jeremy Duchesene, who played earlier with the Mississippi Sea Wolves before a call-up to the Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL) is meant to bridge the gap until Boutin is able to clear immigration.
Unfortunately, the Rays responded to Duchesene’s first game on January 30^th with one of the teams worst performance in the past three seasons. Skating against the first place Florida EverBlades, the Stingrays were beaten 7-1 and were never in the game.
Thus, Saturday’s game against Charlotte, the last one in January, was an important test for both Duchesne and the rest of the Stingrays. It didn’t go well early. The Stingrays, who trailed through much of the game, had to overcome 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3 Charlotte leads.

Finally, the Stingrays were able to break their team’s five game winless streak as well as a five game winless streak against Charlotte with two straight third period goals. Rookie Michael Dubuc tied the score at 4-4 with his 22^nd goal of the season on a breakaway, and Spencer Carbery followed with his game winning 10^th goal.  
Carbery’s, goal came at 14:07 of the third period, and the Stingrays who came alive in the last period, dominated the balance of the game. Other Stingray goals came from defensemen Victor Dovgan and Brad Farynuk, as well as forward Travis Morin who added two assists for a three point evening. Charlotte goal scorers were Michel Leveille, Brad Ralph, Ryan Hilliers and Jeff Miles.
While a one game winning streak to start February may not signal a turn-around, the Stingrays will have to believe it does when they face the Florida Everblades for four straight games.   The Rays travel to Florida for two games Tuesday and Wednesday before hosting the Everblades at home next Friday and Saturday.
The series is especially crucial to South Carolina given their January results, and the tightening race for second through fourth place in their division.
Contact the author at Phil.Brand@prohockeynews.com
Photos courtesy of the South Carolina Stingrays
www.stingrayshockey.com