Match Notes
- South Carolina has a win in the only previous matchup between the two teams (4-1, February 9, 2018).
- Worcester can get within four points of fourth in the north with a win and a loss by either Maine or Reading.
- South Carolina get retain sole possession of second in the south with a win and a Jacksonville loss.
- Railers and Stingrays will face each other again on March 10.
Railers Notes
- Team Rankings and Averages:
- Worcester has the fifth-worst power play on the road, scoring just six goals on 49 chances.
- Railers have the fourth-worst penalty kill on the road, with 77.6 penalties killed successfully.
- Worcester is 0-10-1 when trailing after two periods.
- Railers are 1-1 against South Division teams this season.
- Player Rankings and Streaks:
- Ryan MacKinnon is on a five-game point streak. (1-5-6)
- Woody Hudson is on a three-game point streak. (1-2-3)
- Dylan Willick is on a three-game cold streak.
- Barry Almeida and Connor Doherty are on seven-game cold streaks.
- Tommy Panico is on a nine-game cold streak.
- Alex Vanier is on a five-game cold streak.
- Alex Adams and Bo Brauer do not have any points at all this season.
- Recent Transactions:
- Bo Brauer was acquired from the Atlanta Gladiators on December 31, completing the trade for Nick Bligh earlier in the month.
- Possible Scratches:
- Malcolm Gould – On injured reserve, is eligible to be activated.
- Kyle McKenzie – On injured reserve, is eligible to be activated.
- David Quenneville – On reserve.
- Additional scratches to be determined around game time.
Stingrays Notes
- Team Rankings and Averages:
- South Carolina is 14-0 when leading after two periods.
- Stingrays have a 0.750 win percentage in games heading into overtime or shootout.
- South Carolina is 11-4 when scoring first.
- Stingrays have the best power play record at home at 26.3 percent. (15 goals on 57 advantages)
- South Carolina is ranked fourth on the penalty kill at home, killing 88.1 percent of penalties successfully.
- First game against a north division team this season.
- Player Rankings and Streaks:
- Andrew Cherniwchan is on a ten game point streak (7-7-14) and is seventh in points with 35 this season.
- Rookie Cameron Askew has the highest shooting percentage in the league at 28.6, finding the net on 8 of 28 shots.
- Jonathan Charbonneau is seventh in rookie skaters with 29 points and is third in assists with 21 this season.
- Grant Besse and Andrew Cherniwchan are both averaging over a point-per-game.
- Recent Transactions:
- Defenseman Drew Baker was signed to contract on Thursday.
- Grant Besse was assigned to South Carolina by Hershey on Thursday.
- Angus Redmond was assigned to South Carolina by the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. Redmond was previously playing for the San Diego Gulls.
- Possible Scratches:
- Josh Gratton – signed contract on December 22, has not played yet this season.
- Chris Leone – on injured reserve, has not played since November 20.
- Patrick Megannety – on injured reserve, has not played this season.
- Parker Milner – on injured reserve, has not played since December 8.
- Adam Morrison – on injured reserve, has not played since November 16.
- Additional scratches to be determined around game time.
Isles/Sound Tigers News
- Islanders 3, Blackhawks 2 (OT) [NHL]
- Isles are on a five-game winning streak.
- Devon Toews scored his first NHL goal as the game-winning goal.
- Americans 5, Sound Tigers 4 (SO) [Sound Tigers]
- Woo Hockey Alum Matt Gaudreau scored his first AHL and his first two AHL points of the season.
- Jeremy Smith made 25 saves, was also named AHL Goaltender of the Month for December.
- Sound Tigers sit in second in the eastern conference with 48 pts.
- Mathew Barzal will represent the Islanders in the 2019 NHL All-Star Game. [NHL]
- Michael Dal Colle and Sebastian Aho will represent the Sound Tigers in this year’s AHL All-Star Classic. [AHL]
- Sound Tigers are on the road, taking on the Wolf Pack tonight in Hartford.
- Islanders play against St Louis on Saturday.
- Sound Tigers play tonight against the Syracuse Crunch.
Recent North Division Game Results
- Saturday, December 29, 2018
- Monday, December 31, 2018
North Division Games Today
- Jacksonville IceMen vs Newfoundland Growlers
- Norfolk Admirals vs Reading Royals
- Manchester Monarchs vs Adirondack Thunder
- Worcester Railers vs South Carolina Stingrays
- Brampton Beast vs Maine Mariners
Other Mentions
- Stick taps to the Railers HC, Junior Railers HC, and the Railers Booster Club for raising $16,500 for the Ava Roy Fund in December. [Railers HC]
- Joe Pavelski was named to the NHL all-star game, and former Sharks coach Roy Sommer was named coach of the AHL Atlantic Division for the AHL all-star classic. ECHL all-star rosters should be named at some point next week.
- For live updates during the game, follow us on Twitter @WooHockeyNews.