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ECHL South Carolina Stingrays

Stingrays Weekly News and Notes

February 29, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
South Carolina Stingrays News Release


THIS WEEK'S PROMOTIONS

Saturday, March 5, 7:05 p.m. vs Adirondack - Pink in the Rink

Our 10th Annual Pink in the Rink, presented by Trident Health, will honor those impacted by breast cancer and will benefit Share our Suzy. The Stingrays will wear pink accented jerseys, skate on pink ice and host a post-game jersey auction with proceeds going to Share our Suzy. There will also be free parking for fans. The pink accented jerseys feature the names of over 50 breast cancer survivors on them. 2016 Pink Packs are on sale, including a ticket to the game (best available seating), admission to Hockey 101 and an exclusive 2016 Pink in the Rink t-shirt, puck and mini-stick for only $45! $10 of every Pink Pack will be donated to Share our Suzy. PURCHASE A PINK PACK TODAY!

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:

February 24: South Carolina at Florida, 6-1 Win

The South Carolina Stingrays scored early and often last Wednesday night to pull within two points of the lead in the South Division. The Stingrays earned a 6-1 victory over the rival Florida Everblades at the Germain Arena, thanks to a pair of goals from Stephan Vigier and a perfect 3-for-3 effort on the power play.

February 27: South Carolina at Florida, 5-3 Win

The momentum swung each direction multiple times, but in the end, it was the South Carolina Stingrays who were victorious Saturday evening. Three goals from defenseman helped the Stingrays defeat the Florida Everblades 5-3 at the Germain Arena. The victory pulled the Stingrays even with Florida at 70 points.

February 28: South Carolina at Florida, 2-0 Loss

The South Carolina Stingrays took two out of three games this week in Florida, but despite 21 saves from Mark Dekanich, the Stingrays fell to the Florida Everblades 2-0 on Sunday evening at the Germain Arena. Kevin Lynch broke a scoreless tie at the 14:56 mark of the third period to earn Florida the victory and snap a five-game win streak for South Carolina.

FEBRUARY, YOU ROCK

The Stingrays completed a very successful month of February. The club played 13 total games, finishing with a record of 10-2-1-0, an impressive mark considering only four of those games were at home while nine of them were on the road. The Stingrays played eight of those 13 games against fellow South Division rivals Florida and Greenville. In 10 of the 13 games this month, the Stingrays scored four or more goals.

ON THE HEELS OF FLORIDA

With a strong month of February, the Stingrays are knocking on the door of the top spot in the South Division. Entering this week, the club currently sits two points behind South Division leading Florida. South Carolina has 70 points through 56 games, while Florida has 72 points through 54 games. South Carolina beat the Everblades in a pair of critical games this past week, winning 6-1 Wednesday and 5-3 Saturday.

DEX...WHAT MORE CAN WE SAY?

February was kind to Stingrays goaltender Mark Dekanich. Of the nine contests Dekanich has appeared in during February, he had a 6-2-0-0 record with a 1.33 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage. He currently stands at fifth in goaltending leaders with a 2.10 goals-against average and .927 save-percentage. Dekanich's standout performance in the month of February came in a 4-3 overtime win against Greenville where he made 42 saves.

TEACH US ABOUT +/-, LEACH

Since his return from the Hershey Bears on February 10, South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Joey Leach has picked up where he left off as one of the top plus-minus leaders in the league. This month, he moved back into the team lead with a +22. Leach is third in the plus-minus category for ECHL defensemen, just five shy of first place which is currently held by Missouri's Bryce Aneloski. Leach had his biggest jump in the category on February 27, where he tallied a plus-four in a 5-3 win at Florida.

COPLEY GETS HIS DEBUT

Former South Carolina goaltender Pheonix Copley was called-up by the National Hockey League's (NHL) St. Louis Blues and made his NHL debut with the team on February 27. Copley replaced Jake Allen in net during the second period, making five saves in the game. Copley skated with the Stingrays during the 2013-14 season, appearing in three regular season games with South Carolina following his NCAA season at Michigan Tech. Copley went 2-1-0 with a 3.26 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. Originally a Washington product, Copley was acquired by the Blues via a trade with the Capitals this past July.

NHL AFFILIATE UPDATE:

Washington Capitals (45-12-4, 1st Metropolitan Division, 1st Eastern Conference)

Notes: In Friday's game against Minnesota, the Capitals came out with not only a 3-2 win, but also another record for a familiar face. Captain Alex Ovechkin scored his 40th goal of the season on a pass from Matt Niskanen, making this the eighth time in 11 seasons Ovechkin has reached this milestone. Additionally, the club traded Brooks Laich, Connor Carrick and a second-round selection in the 2016 NHL Draft to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Daniel Winnik and a fifth-round selection in the 2016 NHL Draft prior to the NHL Trade deadline which was today.

AHL AFFILIATE UPDATE:

Hershey Bears (32-15-3-7, 1st Atlantic Division, 3rd Eastern Conference)

Notes: The Bears are coming off three wins this week against Wilkes-Barre, Toronto and Utica, claiming the Atlantic Division lead. The Capitals also acquired forward Ryan Bourque, who will skate with his brother Chris in Hershey, from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Chris Brown on February 28.

TEAM RECORD

32-18-4-2, 70 points, 2nd in South Division, 4th in Eastern Conference

ACTIVE TEAM LEADERS:

GOALS: Brett Cameron (19), Stephan Vigier (19)

ASSISTS: David Pacan (32)

POINTS: David Pacan (50)

+/-: Joey Leach (22)

WINS: Mark Dekanich (15)

GAA: Mark Dekanich (2.10)

SV%: Mark Dekanich (.927)

THIS WEEK'S GAMES:

Friday, March 4 at Atlanta, 7:35 p.m.

Saturday, March 5 vs Adirondack, 7:05 p.m.

Check out the South Carolina Stingrays Statistics



ECHL Stories from February 29, 2016


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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