Stingrays use special teams and late insurance goals to beat Jacksonville Icemen 4-1 Friday

South Carolina turns a scoreless start into a decisive home win

The South Carolina Stingrays closed a four-game homestand with a 4-1 victory over the Jacksonville Icemen on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at the North Charleston Coliseum. The game was scoreless after one period before South Carolina produced a two-goal second period and added two more in the third to secure the result in front of a reported crowd of 5,041.

Second-period surge and special teams set the tone

South Carolina opened the scoring at 5:03 of the second period when Charlie Combs finished a setup from Stan Cooley to make it 1-0. The Stingrays extended the lead on the power play at 12:30, with Connor Moore scoring to put the home side ahead 2-0.

Jacksonville answered late in the second period, converting during a four-minute power play. Bennett MacArthur scored at 18:45 to cut the deficit to 2-1 heading into intermission, keeping the contest within one goal entering the final 20 minutes.

Goaltending and a turnover-driven breakaway decide the third

Jacksonville generated pressure early in the third period but was held to a single goal for the night. Stingrays goaltender Seth Eisele finished with 29 saves on 30 shots, including stopping all 12 shots he faced in the third period.

The game’s turning point came late: with 4:28 remaining, South Carolina forced a defensive-zone turnover that led to a breakaway goal by Kaden Bohlsen at 15:32, restoring a two-goal cushion at 3-1. Ludwig Persson added an empty-net goal at 19:18 to seal the 4-1 final.

Key numbers and notable contributors

• South Carolina’s four goals came from Combs, Moore, Bohlsen and Persson.
• Eisele stopped 29 of 30 shots; Jacksonville goaltender Cameron Rowe recorded 23 saves on 26 shots against.
• Special teams influenced momentum: South Carolina scored once on the power play, while Jacksonville’s lone goal came on a power play late in the second period.
• South Carolina improved to 26-14-1 (as listed in team game materials), while Jacksonville fell to 17-19-2.

What’s next for the teams

The result set up an immediate rematch as the clubs continued a home-and-home set. The next meeting was scheduled for Saturday night, Jan. 31, 2026, at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in downtown Jacksonville.

After a scoreless first period, South Carolina built its lead with two second-period goals and protected it with a shut-down third period from Eisele.