“When you play with these guys, you have to be well positioned, and the puck will be on your stick,” defenseman Jérémie Biakabutuka said after the South Carolina Stingrays bounced back from their first loss with a 4-1 victory over the Orlando Solar Bears.
The win came Friday night at the North Charleston Coliseum in front of 5,402 fans, with stingrayshockey.com reporting that goaltender Ben Kraws stopped 25 of 26 shots to earn his fifth win in as many starts this season. Jaylen Luypen chipped in two assists as four different skaters found the back of the net for South Carolina.
Early Pressure and Physical Play Define the Matchup
The tone was set early when Tyler Kopff buried a rebound off Biakabutuka’s snap shot just over five minutes into the first period, right after the Solar Bears killed off an early South Carolina power play. Orlando pressed back, nearly evening the score late in the frame when a shot rang hard off the post, but the Stingrays maintained their 1-0 edge heading into the first intermission.
Physicality escalated in the second period. With 4:27 remaining, a spearing attempt by Orlando prompted Biakabutuka to step in, dropping the gloves with Brennan Saulnier near the South Carolina bench.
“I’m not a big fighter,” Biakabutuka said. “It’s only my second pro fight. But when you touch one of our skill guys like that, you have to step up, and it got the boys fired up.”
The resulting double minor penalty against Orlando proved costly. Zack Andrusiak capitalized on the man-advantage with a sharp wrist shot, doubling the lead to 2-0 before the second intermission.
Orlando Cuts Deficit Before South Carolina Restores Two-Goal Cushion
Orlando tested the Stingrays early in the third when a pair of quick penalties gave the visitors a 5-on-3 power play. As the first penalty expired, Aaron Luchuk converted on a rebound past Kraws to cut the deficit in half.
South Carolina restored the two-goal cushion with 8:55 left on the clock. Alex Gaffney forced a turnover on the forecheck and fed Cam Morrison in front for a quick finish, pushing the score to 3-1.
Kraws slammed the door shut in the final five minutes, denying a short-handed 2-on-1 chance with a sharp pad stop at the doorstep. At the other end, Orlando netminder Scott Ratzlaff kept his team within striking distance with a stellar save before being pulled for an extra attacker in the final two minutes. Ludwig Persson slammed the door shut for good, burying an empty-netter to secure the 4-1 final.
The two teams meet again on Saturday, November 7, at the North Charleston Coliseum for K-Pop Night, presented by Coastal Kids Dental & Braces, with puck drop scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
