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Stingrays Only Undefeated Team Left in ECHL

October 28, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


After three weekends of play, South Carolina remains the only undefeated team in the East Coast Hockey League with a 6-0-0 record. The 6-0-0 start is the best start ever in the 10-year history of the Stingrays.

The ECHL record for longest winning streak to open the season is eight games set by Dayton, October 19 to November 4, 1994, and tied by Trenton, October 12 to October 26, 2001.

South Carolina, which opened the season with three straight shootout wins, will close out its current six-game home stand when it hosts Florida on Friday and Saturday. The Stingrays lost 3-2 to Florida in the 2002 Kelly Cup Playoffs Southeast Division Wild Card Game. South Carolina was 5-2-0 against the Everblades in the regular season in 2001-02, but is 10-13-5 all-time in the regular season against Florida.

The Stingrays lead the ECHL in scoring with 4.67 goals per game and in power-play percentage with 30.4 percent while ranking eighth in goals allowed (2..83 per game) and 20th in penalty kill (77.9 percent). There are four players on the Stingrays roster with four goals or more, including Dave Seitz who leads the team with five goals. Seitz is the leading scorer for South Carolina with 10 points, tying him for 14th in the ECHL, while he is tied for second with four power-play goals. Seitz scored the game-winning goal on a penalty shot as the Stingrays defeated Greenville, 4-2 on Tuesday.

Kirk Daubenspeck is 4-0-0 with a 1.71 goals against average and a .948 save percentage on the current home stand. Daubenspeck is tied for the ECHL lead with six wins (6-0-0) and overall has a 2.72 goals against average and a .913 save percentage. Rookie defenseman Aaron Schneekloth leads the team with six assists which ranks him second among ECHL rookies.

Rookie Goaltenders Rank Among ECHL Leaders

The East Coast Hockey League is experiencing a youth movement between the pipes as evidenced by the 11 rookies ranked in the Top 20 for goals against average.

Leading the way is Dayton's Shane Bendera who leads the ECHL with a 0.97 goals against average and a .964 save percentage and is tied for the lead with one shutout in his first professional season. Selected in the sixth round (169th overall) by Columbus in the 2000 National Hockey League Entry Draft, the 20-year-old Bendera is 2-2-0 despite allowing a total of four goals in four starts.

Following a four-year career at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Arkansas' Jimi St. John ranks second in the ECHL with a 1.10 goals against average. The 25-year-old St. John won his first professional start on Saturday, 4-2 at Jackson, and is 1-0-0 with a .944 save percentage.

Drafted in the first round (sixth overall) by Nashville in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, Toledo's Brian Finley ranks third in the ECHL with a .938 save percentage and fourth with a 1.82 goals against average. Currently on the injured reserve, the 21-year-old Finley is 4-0-0 in his first professional season..

Cincinnati's Mark Kielkucki, who played 11 games for Dayton in 2001-02, is 1-0-0 and ranks sixth with a 2.00 goals against average while Johnstown's Dany Dallaire is 1-1-0 and ranks seventh with a 2.16 goals against average.

Lexington's Mike Smith is 1-1-2 and ranks fourth with a .936 save percentage and eighth with a 2.19 goals against average. Making only his third professional start on Saturday, Smith picked up his first win and his first shutout, and scored his first-ever goal as Lexington beat Dayton 2-0. The 20-year-old Smith is the youngest goaltender ever to shoot and score a goal in a professional game while becoming the sixth goaltender to accomplish the feat in the ECHL and the first since Toledo's Mark Bernard on March 27, 2001 against Johnstown. Smith's feat garnered attention throughout the hockey world including being featured on Sunday's edition of ESPN's NHL 2 Night.

Florida's Rob Zepp, who played in 13 games for the Everblades last season, is 2-1-2 and ranks 11th with a 2.33 goals against average while Matt Yeats, who played the past three seasons at the University of Maine, is 2-1-1 and ranks 12th with a 2.46 goals against average.

Roanoke's Sebastien LaPlante, who played with Calgary in the Western Hockey League in 2001-02, is 2-1-0 and ranks 15th with a 2.61 goals against average while Pee Dee's Matt Underhill is 2-1-0 and ranks 16th with a 2.68 goals against average. Rounding out the rookie goaltenders is Charlotte's Niklas Sundberg, who is 3-1-0 and ranks 19th with a 2.79 goals against average.

Six First-Round Draft Choices in ECHL

There are six players that were chosen in the first round of the National Hockey League Entry Draft currently on East Coast Hockey League rosters.

Selected as the sixth player overall in 1999 by Nashville, Toledo goaltender Brian Finley is the highest drafted active player, and he ranks as the second-highest draft choice to ever play in the ECHL. Daniel Dore, who played for Greensboro in 1991-92, was the fifth selection in 1988 by the New York Rangers.

Cincinnati's Terry Ryan was the eighth selection in 1995 by Montreal ranking him as the fourth-highest draft choice to play in the ECHL. Wheeling's Mario LaRocque was the 16th selection in 1996 by Tampa Bay while Johnstown's Brent Bilodeau was chosen 17th by Montreal in 1991. Richmond's Brad Church was the 17th selection in 1995 by Washington while Jackson's Kevin Grimes was chosen 26th in 1997 by Colorado.

InGlasCo ECHL Player Of The Week

Justin Morrison Columbia Inferno
GP: 3 G: 5 A: 3 PTS: 8 +/-:+1

ECHL Goalie Of The Week

Kirk Daubenspeck South Carolina
GP: 3 W-L: 3-0 GAA: 1.67 PCT: .953

Feature Games Of The Week

Northern Conference

Wheeling at Reading Friday, 7:05 ET

- Third of six meetings between the two in 2002-03.
- Reading is 2-0-0 against Wheeling after scoring three goals in the third period of a 3-2 win on Sunday at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Johnstown at Toledo Saturday, 7:05 ET

- Third meeting between the two teams.
- The home team has won both games.
- Toledo leads the ECHL with 13 points (6-1-1)

Southern Conference

Pee Dee at Greenville Saturday, 7:05 ET

- First meeting since the Grrrowl eliminated Pee Dee from the postseason in the 2002 Kelly Cup Southeast Division Finals.
- Teams scheduled to meet seven more times in 2002-03.

Arkansas at Mississippi Friday, 7:35 CT

- First of 12 meetings between Southwest Division rivals in 2002-03.
- Mississippi was 5-2-0 against Arkansas in 2001-02.

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