CHARLESTON, SC NEWS - LIVE 5 WCSC Breaking News, Weather, SportsStingrays Fire a Season-High 42 Shots in 5-2 Loss to Gladiators
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North Charleston, SC –The South Carolina Stingrays (9-4-1-3) fell to the Gwinnett Gladiators (7-3-1-1 ) 5-2 Friday night in the first game of a three-in-three weekend at North Charleston Coliseum. The Stingrays fired a season high 42 shots on net and Gladiator forward Tom Zanoski recorded a hat trick as Gwinnett improves to 4-0-1-0 against the Stingrays. South Carolina battles the Gladiators tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. at North Charleston Coliseum in Salute to Hometown Heroes Night and Tailgate Saturday.
The Gladiators struck first as Zanoski beat Stingrays goaltender Todd Ford at 3:04 of the opening period from Chad Denny and Matt Forney. The Stingrays responded at 6:42 thanks to forward Matt Fornataro's sixth of the season from Spencer Carbery and Ford. Gwinnett took a 2-1 lead at 7:42 when Matt Siddall converted on a penalty shot after Stingrays defenseman Zach Tarkir slashed the Gladiator forward from behind while on a break away. The lead stood as the first 20 minutes expired.
Gladiators defenseman Aaron Brocklehurst put Gwinnett up by two at 4:17 of the second period from Scott Mifsud and Matt Siddall. The Stingrays answered back late in the period with a power-play tally from Nikita Kashirsky at 19:11 beating Gladiators goaltender Danny Taylor between the legs to make it 3-2. Defenseman Dylan Yeo and forward Trent Campbell recorded assists on Kashirsky's tenth of the season.
The Stingrays started the final period with a jump in their step throwing five shots towards Taylor in the opening minutes but Zanoski quickly quieted the crowd with his second goal of the game at 6:36 from Mifsud and Adam Berti. Trailing 4-2, South Carolina pulled Ford in favor of the extra skater late in the period but Zanoski found the net once more for the hat trick with one minute left to play. Brocklehurst recorded the lone assist. Ford finished the night with 20 saves on 24 Gladiator shots while Taylor earned the victory knocking away 40 of 42 South Carolina opportunities. The Stingrays ended the night 1-for-4 on the power play while Gwinnett went 0-for-2.
Courtesy: Stingrays
