South Carolina Stings First, Defeat Icemen 4-1

Written by Jasen Mata

Final Score: [Jacksonville Icemen] [1] - [4] [South Carolina Stingrays] 

When: Wednesday, November 27, 2024 @ 7:00 P.M. EST

Where: [VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena] – [Jacksonville, Florida] 

Game Summary by Period 

1st Period: The word that best describes the Jacksonville Icemen’s start to the first period would be “uncomfortable”. The Icemen came out sluggish on both sides against the South Carolina Stingrays and South Carolina’s speed allowed them to strike early as Kyler Kupka scored the game’s first goal. Jacksonville responded with sound defense for the rest of the period, they were just unable to keep the puck long enough to spark any kind of offensive pressure. The Icemen's defensive strength was enough to prevent any more Stingray goals, even on a late South Carolina Power Play opportunity. Peter Tischke showed off with an impressive shot block during this time, which helped Matt Vernon and company escape the first period only down 1 over a strong Stingrays team.

Period Scoring Summary: 

End of 1^st Period Score: [Jacksonville Icemen] [0] – [1] [South Carolina Stingrays]

JAX: Did Not Score

SC: [Kyler Kupka] (Assist: [Alexander Suzdalev]) – [1:28]

2nd Period: Charlie Combs of the Stingrays added to their lead with an early second-period goal. Offense continued to be scarce for the Icemen in the second as Jacksonville would have had the prime opportunity to score on a 5-3 power play, but they were unable to capitalize. Jacksonville would continue to hold strong defensively eventually giving Zach Jordan a chance to score a short-handed goal, finally putting the Icemen on the board, despite being on a Penalty Kill. Just when the Icemen seemed to have a spark, Josh Wilkins quickly stole the momentum back with South Carolina’s third goal of the night. Overall, the Icemen struggled to find an offensive rhythm despite scoring their first goal of the night and a very sharp South Carolina lineup would hold a 3-1 lead over them at the end of two.

Period Scoring Summary:

End of Period Score: [Jacksonville Icemen] [1] – [3] [South Carolina Stingrays]

JAX: [Zach Jordan] (Assist: [Carter Allen]) – [13:02]

SC: [Charlie Combs] (Assist: [Jamie Engelbert]) – [2:44]

SC: [Josh Wilkins] (Assist: [Alexander Suzdalev, Blake Thompson]) – [13:38]

3rd Period: The general feeling tonight was that an Icemen was not in the cards. Alexander Suzdalev would put the final nail in the coffin scoring the 4^th and final goal of the night for South Carolina. The Icemen continued to struggle offensively and eventually defensively. Overall, the speed of the Stingrays could not be matched at the end of three periods. The Icemen would end up in the loss column and be beaten by the South Carolina Stingrays.

Period Scoring Summary: 

End of Period Score: [Jacksonville Icemen] [1] – [4] [South Carolina Stingrays]

JAX: Did Not Score

SC: [Alexander Suzdalev] (Assist: [Kyler Kupka, Erik Middendorf]) – [1:26]

Tonight’s Team Stats:

• Shots on Goal
  Jacksonville Icemen: 24
  South Carolina Stingrays: 32
• Shots Percentage
  Jacksonville Icemen: 4%
  South Carolina Stingrays: 13%
• Power Plays
  Jacksonville Icemen: 3
  South Carolina Stingrays: 5
• Penalty Minutes
  Jacksonville Icemen: 22
  South Carolina Stingrays: 18
• Saves
  Jacksonville Icemen: 28
  South Carolina Stingrays: 23
• Save Percentage
  Jacksonville Icemen: 88%
  South Carolina Stingrays: 96%

Stars of The Night:

1. [Alexander Suzdalev] – [South Carolina Stingrays]:[Goals (1), Assists (2)]
2. [Kyler Kupka] – [South Carolina Stingrays]: [Goals (1), Assists (1)]
3. [Seth Eisele] – [South Carolina Stingrays]:[23 Saves on 23 Shots on Goal]

Tonight’s Recap:

Early on it was clear that the Icemen were going to struggle against a strong South Carolina lineup. Missing key players offensively further hurt the Icemen’s chances of coming away with a win. South Carolina looked crisp throughout the night with fluid passing, allowing them to score seemingly at will. Matt Vernon struggled early on for the Icemen with a combination of poor passing and no offensive rhythm, this was the perfect recipe for disaster. In the end, the Icemen would fall 4-1 over the South Carolina Stingrays.

Next Game:

After Thanksgiving break, the Icemen will be back at VyStar against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Plagued with injuries, the Icemen will look to regroup and come out strong on Saturday night.