The South Carolina Stingrays look to complete a weekend road sweep on Saturday night as they face the Florida Everblades at Hertz Arena. The opening puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Estero, Florida.
South Carolina enters the matchup with an 8-1-0-0 record totaling 16 points, matching the 8-2-0-0 mark of the Everblades. Friday night’s 4-3 victory for the Stingrays handed the reigning Kelly Cup champions their first regulation loss at home in more than nine months and their first defeat of the season at Hertz Arena.
The Stingrays sit at 4-0-0-0 on the road to start the campaign, marking their best away record since the 2002-03 season when they began 5-0-0-0 away from home. Friday’s back-and-forth contest saw the teams exchange leads before South Carolina claimed a 4-3 advantage entering the third period and held off a late push.
“Patrick Thomas recorded two points in his first game with South Carolina this season as Ben Kraws made 25 saves to remain undefeated in net so far,” the Stingrays reported on their official site.
Loaned by the Washington Capitals on Friday, the 22-year-old forward scored a goal and added an assist in his return. Thomas previously tallied 16 points across 32 games with South Carolina last season and three points in seven games with Hershey. A fourth-round pick of the Capitals in 2023, he led the OHL with 77 assists in his final season with the Brantford Bulldogs as the captain and notched 104 points.
The two division rivals showcase contrasting styles, with South Carolina’s offense testing a typically stingy Florida defense. The Stingrays have scored four or more goals in seven of their first nine games, while Friday marked only the third time this season that the Everblades allowed multiple goals in a single contest.
Friday’s decision also marked South Carolina’s first regular-season win in regulation against the Everblades since February of 2025. Saturday’s game serves as the final contest of 10 straight South Division matchups to open the season for the Stingrays.
On-ice officials assigned for Saturday night include referees Will Kelly and Brendan Schreider, alongside linesmen Nick Klishko and Logan Berkowitz. Pre-game coverage with Voice of the Rays Brendan Reilly begins at 6:45 p.m. on the Stingrays Broadcast Network, with live video available on FloHockey.
Following Saturday’s contest, the Stingrays return to the North Charleston Coliseum on Friday, November 20, at 7:05 p.m. to host the Greensboro Gargoyles for Ray-Con Night. The team then travels to face the Orlando Solar Bears on Monday, November 23, at 7:00 p.m. at the Kia Center.
The schedule continues with games against the Savannah Ghost Pirates on Friday, November 27, and Saturday, November 28, before closing out against the Atlanta Gladiators on Wednesday, December 2.
Saturday’s matchup concludes the current two-game series at Hertz Arena.
