PREVIEW | Icemen Back Home Against Stingrays

After a long five-game road trip that stretched into Canada, the Icemen (1-6-1-0, 3 pts) are back home for the fourth time in the 2017-18 season presented by Community First Credit Union. The two-game homestand starts on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 10:30 a.m. as the South Carolina Stingrays (7-1-2-0, 15 pts) are in town for the first-ever School Day game.

These two teams have grown quite familiar with each other, as both teams have played against the other once at home this season. In both occasions, the Stingrays were victorious in low-scoring games. In the second game in franchise history on Oct. 21, the Stingrays visited Jacksonville and held the Icemen to two goals as Andrew Cherniwchan scored twice shorthanded to propel his club to a 3-2 win. Just 15 days later, the Stingrays hosted the Icemen in a close game that ended 3-1 in favor of South Carolina.

Defense has been the strong point for South Carolina this season, as the club sits third overall in goals allowed with a 2.40 average. The Stingrays have also been phenomenal down a man on the road, as Icemen fans experienced first-hand a few weeks ago. The South division rivals are one of only three teams in the whole league who are perfect on the penalty kill away from home.

With the Icemen power play struggling in eight games this season, Jacksonville will need to focus on defense against a Stingrays team that sits middle in the pack with an average of 3.10 goals per game. Staying out of the box will also be an important factor for the Icemen as the team looks for its first-ever home win on Tuesday. Currently, Jacksonville is averaging 5.5 penalties per game, although the penalty killing unit has been impressive with a 88.6% success rate.

Fans can still get tickets for tomorrow's School Day game at 10:30 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Arena by clicking here.

Matchup Breakdown

Records:

Jacksonville Icemen: 1-6-1-0 (7th in South division)

South Carolina Stingrays: 7-1-2-0 (2nd in South division)

Power Play:

Icemen: 2/35 – 5.7% (27th in ECHL)

Stingrays: 6/38 – 15.8% (16th in ECHL)

Penalty Kill:

Icemen: 39/44 – 88.6% (5th in ECHL)

Stingrays: 37/43– 86.0% (9th in ECHL)

Players to Watch:

#22 F Bobby MacIntyre – 4G, 4A – 8PTS +4 Rating

In his debut with the Icemen on Wednesday, Kostalek scored the game-opening goal. Kostalek’s presence on the ice boosted the Icemen to a dominating 5-0 victory.

#28 F Andrew Cherniwchan (SC) – 5G, 2A – 7PTS +5 Rating

Joel Lowry shares the lead on the team in goals with five on the season. The left winger is the only player on the team with both a PPG and a SHG.