Stingrays Celebrate Home Opener with Eight-Goal Victory
NORTH CHARLESTON, SC – Carter Turnbull and Jonny Evans tallied two goals each as the South Carolina Stingrays (2-0-0-0) celebrated their 30th season home opener with an 8-1 victory over the Norfolk Admirals (0-2-0-0) on Saturday night at the North Charleston Coliseum.
BOX SCORE
Tarek Baker made the 7,000+ fans at the Coliseum jump to their feet seven and a half minutes into the opening period after netting his second goal of the season. Kevin O’Neil fired a shot off the left pad of Norfolk’s Cale Morris that rebounded to the tape of Baker for a putback tally.
Norfolk struck back late in the frame on Carson Musser’s first professional goal. Musser unleashed a slap shot from the blue line that beat the screened Stingrays’ goaltender to tie the game at one apiece.
South Carolina regained the lead nearly nine minutes into the second stanza as Jarid Lukosevicius netted his second goal of the season. Lukosevicius danced around the defenders and lifted the puck over the shoulder of Norfolk’s Cale Morris for the 2-1 lead and never looked back.
Turnbull provided an insurance goal with his second of the season only 39 seconds after Lukosevicius found the back of the net. Leading a three-on-one rush towards the net, Turnbull fired a shot past Morris for the 3-1 advantage.
Evans concluded the period with his first mark of the season, firing the puck from the left circle. Justin Florek stretched a pass to Andrew Cherniwchan who in turn fed Evans for the 4-1 lead.
The Stingrays kept their foot on the gas in the third period, netting four more goals before all was said and done. Turnbull pickpocketed the Norfolk defender and spun a shot into the back of the net for a four-goal lead five and a half minutes into the third period.
Four minutes later, O’Neil kept the train moving by scoring his second goal in as many games. Baker and O’Neil pummeled Morris with shots until the latter was able to lift the puck to the top of the net.
Evans didn’t stop the party, dancing past the defender for his second marker of the night with six minutes remaining in regulation. Florek closed out the evening by adding his first goal of the season. Michael Kim fired a one-timer from the blueline that Florek redirected into the back of the net for the Stingrays’ eighth goal of the night.
Riley Morris stood on his head in his professional debut, stopping 19 of 20 shots that came his way. The power play netted one goal on six attempts while the penalty kill remained perfect with three more opportunities.
The Stingrays continue their 2022-23 campaign on Friday, October 28th at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena against the in-state rival Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Puck drop is set for 7:05 pm.
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–StingraysHockey.com–