First Palmetto Cup Game

October 25, 1997

SCORE BY PERIODS                                                               

Pee Dee                    1  0  0--1                                          

South Carolina             2  0  3--5                                          

 

FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, South Carolina-Marietti (Concannon, 
Dexter) 1:24. 2, South Carolina-Seitz (Dexter, Sittler) 4:47. 
3, Pee Dee-Aldoff (Royal) 19:50.

 

SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: None.

 

THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 4, South Carolina-Seitz (Cipolla, 
Butler) 1:04. 5, South Carolina-Moser (Seitz, Dexter) 10:55. 
6, South Carolina-Dexter (Holmes, Romfo) 11:57.                        

 

SHOTS ON GOAL                                                                   

Pee Dee                   15  9 16--40                                          

South Carolina            16  5 13--34                                         

 

Power Play Conversions: Pee Dee - 0 of 3, South Carolina - 1 of 3.        

Goalies: Pee Dee-Taylor (40 shots-35 saves). South Carolina-
Cadden (35 shots, 34 saves).

A: 6573.

Rays take Pride for a ride

POST AND COURIER

South Carolina’s hockey pride remains in the Lowcountry, at least for one night.

In the first game between Palmetto State hockey teams, the South Carolina Stingrays beat the Pee Dee 
Pride, 5-1, Saturday night before 6,573 fans at North Charleston Coliseum.

Stingray Dave Seitz scored his first two goals of the season, and teammate Brad Dexter added a goal 
and three assists. The Stingrays improved to 3-1-0 on the season (6 East Coast Hockey League points), 
while the Pride fell to 2-3 (5 points).

Seitz said he’s glad that South Carolina has another hockey team, one formerly called the Knoxville 
Cherokees.

“It’s great for the state of South Carolina,” said Seitz. “There’s nothing wrong with a good rivalry, 
and it’s good to see the spread of hockey.”

Dexter said his big game came at just the right time.

“I’d gotten off to a slow start,” said Dexter. “I hadn’t played bad, but my production was down. 
So I got a little down on myself.

“It was a good game. If I’m in the lineup and we’re winning, everything’s great.”

The Stingrays scored two quick goals. Brett Marietti scored off assists by Rob Concannon and 
Dexter just 1:24 into the game. Three minutes later, at the 4:47 mark, the Rays made it 2-0 on the first 
goal of the season for Seitz, with Dexter and Ryan Sittler getting assists.

That’s when the home team went flat.

The home crowd was deflated with 10 seconds left in the first period as Pee Dee’s Ron Aldoff trickled 
a goal past goalie Cory Cadden on an assist by Eric Royal.

“We were caught on our heels,” said Seitz. “We got the two goals and thought we had them, then were 
outplayed most of the first and second periods.”

“Then in the third period, we screwed our heads on straight, and we came around.”

Coach Rick Vaive, who served the fourth game of his six-game league suspension but was eligible to attend 
the game, said the Rays played a half of a good game.

“We fell asleep for a period and a half,” said Vaive. “I don’t know if it was style of play that brought us down, 
it wasn’t pretty and I wasn’t happy. Sometimes you have to yell and scream (between periods in the locker room), 
and it worked.

“We were lucky we were able to play a period and a half (of good hockey),” Vaive added. “Most nights, it won’t 
happen.”

After the Stingrays got aggressive, Seitz made it 3-1 at the 18:56 mark of the third period on assists by Jason 
Cipolla and Sittler. Then with 9:05 to play, Jay Moser tipped in a shot, with assists by Dexter and Seitz.

The final goal was almost on an open net. After goalie Paul Taylor moved to one side, Dexter poked the puck in off 
assists by Tommy Holmes and Jeff Romfo.

The Stingrays’ three-game winning streak is welcome, of course, but Vaive says the next two games, at home next 
Friday against Raleigh and Saturday against Louisiana, are must-wins.

“After those two games, we have a 15-day road trip coming up, and those are two important games at home,” said 
Vaive. “We have 22 road games and 11 home games before Jan. 1, so every home game is important.”