Defeated Alaska 4 games to 3
June 5, 2009
SCORE BY PERIODS
South Carolina 1 1 2--4
Alaska 0 1 1--2
FIRST
PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, South Carolina-Lacroix 13 (Johnson, Morin) 18:45.
Penalties: Wellar, SC (interference), 0:56. Kroll, SC (holding), 14:13.
Keith, AK (slashing), 19:22.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 2, South Carolina-Ricci 1 (Farynuk, Scherer) 2:29.
3, Alaska-Galbraith 10 (Hemingway; Martin) 10:04. Penalties: Kiser, SC
(interference), 3:58. O'Brien, SC (hooking), 13:13.
THIRD
PERIOD -- Scoring: 4, South Carlina-Campbell 6 (O'Brien, Farynuk) 11:06.
5, Alaska-Stefanishion 6 (Shasby, Soares) 18:15. 6, South Carolina-O'Brien
(empty net)
(short handed) (unassisted) 19:35. Penalties: Burt, AK (interference), 3:13.
Farynuk, SC (delay of game), 12:15. Wellar, SC (slashing), 18:48.
SHOTS ON GOAL
South Carolina 5 12 6--23
Alaska 8 9 11--28
Power Play Conversions: South Carolina - 0 of 3, Alaska - 0 of 5.
Goalies:
South Carolina-Reimer (28 shots, 26 saves, record: 4-3-0).
Alaska-Lamoureaux (22 shots, 19 saves; record: 15-5-0).
A: 6610.
POST AND COURIER
The third time, indeed, was the charm for the South Carolina Stingrays and
head coach Jared Bednar.
James Reimer stopped 26 shots and Pierre-Luc O'Brien had a goal and added an
assist to lead South Carolina past Alaska, 4-2, in Game 7
of the Kelly Cup finals Friday night before a standing-room-only crowd of 6,610
at Sullivan Arena.
The Stingrays, who won league titles in 1997 and 2001, captured their ECHL
record third Kelly Cup title with the victory beating the Aces,
4-3, in the best-of-seven series. Only Hampton Roads has as many ECHL
championships as the Stingrays.
Bednar becomes the first person with his name on the Kelly Cup three times.
This was the Stingrays' third attempt in less than a week to eliminate the
Aces and win the franchise's third Kelly Cup. Leading the series, 3-1,
after a blowout victory in Game 4 a week ago, the Stingrays lost Game 5 in
overtime, 3-2, and Game 6, also, 3-2, Thursday night.
This time the Stingrays would not be denied. Using a gritty effort and
getting spectacular goaltending from Reimer, who was named the Kelly
Cup MVP, the Stingrays found a way to win.
"They worked their butts off all year long and really stuck with
it," said Bednar, who won titles as a player in 1997 and 2001. "What
can you say
about the series? Alaska battled back after getting down, 3-1, and made it as
tough a series as we've played. I'm awful proud of our guys for
bouncing back and sticking with it after a couple of tough losses.
"We have a lot of character in that locker room. A lot of guys that have
played their hearts out all year. We knew we would have to go out and play
our best game to clinch this thing and that's what we did. I felt like we played
the best game of the series."
After giving up the game-winning goal to Alaska's Colin Hemingway in overtime
of Game 5, Remier was brilliant in Game 7, especially in the third
period.
"I can't say enough about the way the guys played in front of me,"
said Reimer, who was 3-1 in the final series. "They were phenomenal all
night. They
battled for every loose puck, they cleared guys out in front of the net, they
were fantastic. I couldn't have done it without them.
"I tried to approach this game like all the rest. Obviously, there was a
little more on the line and there was a little more pressure, but I wanted to be
out
there. And to be on the ice at the end of the game was phenomenal. You can't put
it into words."
No one deserved a taste of redemption more than Reimer, said Stingrays
captain Brad Farynuk.
"We all felt bad for James after Game 5 because it wasn't his
fault," Farynuk said. "James is a competitor, he was an animal out
there tonight and it couldn't
have happened to a better kid. No one works harder than James.
"When he wasn't playing, he was still the hardest working guy on the ice
in practice. He's got a great future ahead of him."
Leading 3-1 with less than two minutes left in regulation, the Aces made
things interesting when former Stingray Matt Stefanishion scored on a wicked
slap
shot from the point to pull the Aces to within a goal, 3-2, with 1:45 left.
"They kept putting the pressure on us late in the game," Farynuk
said. "We knew they were not going to quit until the final seconds ticked
off the clock. They
could have quit two or three games ago, but they didn't, so we knew it was going
to be a battle for 60 minutes. Both teams left everything out on the ice."
The Stingrays grabbed a 1-0 lead on Maxime Lacroix's league-leading 13th goal
of the Kelly Cup playoffs.
After a turnover near the Stingrays' blue line, Keith Johnson found Lacroix
just on the top of the right faceoff circle. Lacroix's slap shot beat Alaska
goalie
Jean-Philippe Lamoureaux underneath his left arm for the score with 1:15 left in
the opening period.
South Carolina pushed its lead to 2-0 on Rob Ricci's first goal of the
playoffs. Ricci, who replaced Nikita Kashirsky in the lineup in Game 6, tapped
in a rebound
off a shot from Farynuk 2:29 into the second period.
The Aces answered to make it a 2-1 contest seven minutes later when Lance
Galbraith slid the puck past Reimer for the score.
Trent Campbell pushed the Stingrays' lead to 3-1 with his wrist shot midway
through the final period. O'Brien picked up a loose puck in the Aces zone, slid
it on
his knees to Campbell, who wristed it past Lamoureaux for the score.