One day after the Evansville IceMen earned their first win of the season on the road in Greenville, SC, the IceMen dropped the weekend finale 5-2 Sunday in Charleston to the South Carolina Stingrays at North Charleston Coliseum.
South Carolina scored a pair of first period goals to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Brett Cameron flipped a backhander into the top shelf after Derek DeBlois beat out an icing 5:07 in. Kevin Kraemer added to the lead after breaking free and beating Evansville goalie Christoffer Bengtsberg on a breakaway at 13:30. For the second straight game, the IceMen trailed 2-0 at the first intermission.
An early power-play goal by Joe Devin :29 seconds into the second period gave the Stingrays a 3-0 boost, but Daultan Leveille snapped a wrist shot off the post and in behind former Evansville goalie Branden Komm to get the IceMen on the board at 10:12 of the frame. Komm stopped 23 shots in his Stingrays debut.
Devin picked up a second power-play goal in the third period to make the score 4-1, as South Carolina converted two of six opportunities on the man advantage throughout the game. A late goal by Joe Zarbo cut the lead in half, but DeBlois put the game away with an empty-netter. Bengtsberg made 22 saves in the loss, his first ECHL start.
Next up for the IceMen is a Wednesday morning meeting with the Indy Fuel, when Evansville celebrates its fifth-annual Education Day. Game time is scheduled for 9:30am at the Ford Center. The two teams are also scheduled to play Friday, November 6 at the Ford Center at 7:15pm. It will be Youth Jersey Giveaway Night, presented by TRCI.
Friday’s game will be the first opportunity to take advantage of the IceMen Friday Night Hat Pack, where fans who purchase a group ticket get an IceMen hat, all for just $20. For information about discounted group rates or pro-rated season tickets, visit www.evansvilleicemen.com or call an IceMen Account Executive at 812-421-GOAL (4625).
