Orlando Solar Bears push South Carolina Stingrays to decisive Game 7 (2025)

This one is going to a Game 7.

The South Carolina Stingrays had a historic regular season, winning a club record 52 games, including 29 at the North Charleston Coliseum.

For only the second time in club history, the Stingrays captured the ECHL’s Brabham Cup as the team the best record during the regular season.

The Stingrays were heavy favorites to not only win their series against the Orlando Solar Bears but eventually hoist the organization’s fourth Kelly Cup title.

All that doesn’t matter now.

The Stingrays' season will come down to one game Tuesday night.

Anthony Bardaro and Spencer Kersten each scored two goals to lead the Orlando Solar Bears past the South Carolina Stingrays 6-2 in Game 6 of their South Division semifinal series before a crowd of 5,137 at North Charleston Coliseum on April 27.

The best-of-seven series is tied at 3 and will be decided April 29 in Game 7 beginning at 7:05 p.m. at the North Charleston Coliseum.

"I thought we did a lot of really good things the first couple of shifts of the game," said Stingrays coach Jared Nightingale. "After that I just thought they just wanted it more than we did. They got to the net, they got behind us, so there's lots to learn from, but it's a series, a lot of ups and downs.

"We're excited for a Game 7. It was an opportunity lost, but we're excited about getting the chance to play in a Game 7. We have to be a lot better defensively. They had two grade-A chances, and that was unlike us."

The Stingrays will have less than 48 hours to get ready for Game 7.

"I think we let this one sting a little bit," said South Carolina captain Jacob Graves. "It'll help us on Tuesday. We need to get a little upset about this one, get a little pissed off, and on Tuesday we run them over."

For the fourth time during the series, the Orlando Solar Bears scored the first goal of the game, this one coming nine minutes into the first period.

After a turnover in neutral ice, Reece Newkirk picked up the loose puck and came into the offensive zone on an odd-man rush with Spencer Kersten. Newkirk slid the puck across to Kersten, who wristed his shot past South Carolina goalie Mitchell Gibson for the score at the 11:47 mark of the opening period.

Orlando doubled its advantage less than a minute later on an unassisted goal from Anthony Bardaro 34 seconds after Kersten’s goal.

South Carolina’s Tyler Weiss received a match penalty and a game misconduct with four minutes left in the first period.

The Solar Bears were awarded a five-minute power play and extended their lead to 3-0 on Bardaro’s power play goal, his second of the game, with 1:48 left in the first period.

The Stingrays finally answered just before the end of the period on Ryan Hofer’s short-handed goal to cut the gap to 3-1 going into the first intermission.

Orlando forward Alex Frye pushed the Solar Bears lead to 4-1 with a nifty backhanded shot from just outside the crease with 12:21 mark of the second period.

South Carolina cut the lead in half at 4-2 with its second short-handed goal of the night on Jayden Lee’s wrist shot midway through the second period.

The Solar Bears pushed their lead back to three goals at 5-3 on Tyler Bird’s tap in three minutes into the third period.