by Noah Epstein
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The Jacksonville Icemen fell 5-4 in overtime against the Stingrays on Sunday, despite scoring four power-play goals against the best penalty-kill unit in the ECHL.
Entering the contest, South Carolina owned a success rate of 87.9% on the penalty kill, the best mark in the league. The Stingrays had allowed only 18 power-play goals this season, the lowest amount in the ECHL.
And the Icemen, who ranked 25th in the power play, managed to strike on all four man advantages Sunday.
Brendan Harris opened up the scoring with a power-play goal - the only score in the first period. Harris scored after a Ben Hawerchuk interference minor put Jacksonville on the advantage just over halfway through the opening stanza.
The Icemen took the 1-0 lead into the second, but South Carolina responded just 41 seconds into the period with a power-play goal of its own. Charlie Combs scored his 15th of the season to make it 1-1 as the man advantage was about to expire.
After Jacksonville allowed another goal, Liam Coughlin and Olivier Nadeau scored back-to-back goals on the power play to put the Icemen back in front. The goals were roughly three and a half minutes apart, as Jacksonville continued to put pressure on the South Carolina defense and take advantage of having an extra skater. The Icemen led 3-2 after two periods.
Nadeau, who picked up an assist on the game’s first goal, scored his second goal of the contest roughly halfway through the third period. The goal followed a Kyler Kupka score, so it helped the Icemen retake the lead, 4-3.
Kupka scored again with under four minutes remaining, tying the game at 4. This goal was on the power play, Kupka’s ninth power-play goal of the season, which is tied for the most by any rookie this season.
The Icemen and Stingrays went scoreless for the remaining few minutes, sending the game to overtime.
Although Jacksonville had plenty of chances, it wasn’t able to capitalize and score in OT. Instead, it was Josh Wilkins who played hero for South Carolina by scoring with under a minute to go until a would-be shootout.
The Icemen lost 5-4 in overtime, falling to 30-16-4 on the season. Both clubs entered the day with 63 points, so the Stingrays now have sole possession of second place in the South.
Jacksonville will head to Orlando to face off with the Solar Bears for the 12th time this season. Puck drop on Thursday is 7 p.m.
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