By: Fraser Vaughn @stingraysbeatwriter / CapeCodStingrays.com
April 17th, 2023
New Bedford, Mass. – Another week goes by, and the Cape Cod Stingrays' struggles continue. The Stingrays went 0-3-1 on the week putting their early season record at 1-6-1.
The week started with a division matchup against the Maine Mighty Moose. The Stingrays came out slow and were able to tie the game early in the third period but were unable to hang on, losing 5-3 with goals from Ashton Thomson (3), German Tabanov (2), and Terence Bruneau (1). Channing Jerome stopped 37 of 41 shots for the Stingrays (1-3-0). The next night, they hosted division rivals Massachusetts Militia, where they again came out slow, falling 4-2. Mikhail Radeyev (1) and Tom Folke (2) scored for the Rays, with Svyatoslav Nikushkin getting the loss in net (0-2-0), stopping 35 of 39 shots. On Thursday, Cape Cod traveled to Devner once again, taking on the Bandits. The Stingrays finally had a good first period with goals from Neale Pollak (4) and newly signed free agent Yngve Hasselgren (1). A strong third period by the Bandits forced overtime where they were able to take the second point by scoring 10 seconds into overtime, winning 4-3. Bruneau (2) scored the Stingrays' third goal and Jerome (1-3-1) stopped 34 of 38 shots for the overtime loss. The last game of the week came against the Militia again, where another slow start cost the Stingrays another game, dropping their fourth game in a row, 5-3. Valdemar Toresson (1), Radeyev (2), and Bruneau (3) scored for the Rays, while Nikushkin (0-3-0) dropped his third in a row in net, stopping 30 of 35 shots. 23-year-old defenseman, Kaj Spets, made his pro league debut against the Militia on Friday night after having a strong start on the Cape Elizabeth Schooners, leading the team with five points (2-3-5).
For Week 3, Cape Cod has four straight games at home games, including three teams they have yet to face, one of which is in the Northeast USA division, and another in a division matchup against the Mighty Moose.
4/17: vs. Saint-Lambert Maulers
4/18: vs. Rochester North Stars
4/20: vs. Maine Mighty Moose
4/22: vs. New York City Knights
Cape Elizabeth, Maine – A four-week schedule brought the Cape Elizabeth Schooners to a 5-2-0 record, keeping them at the top of the East Coast Division and the Eastern Conference. The Schooners took the first game of the week against Scranton, winning 2-1. Cape Elizabeth then went on to drop two straight, 3-1 to Syracuse and 4-2 to Scranton. They bounced back to end the week on a high by taking down Syracuse on the road, 3-2. Bernt Metsasalo led the team with three goals on the week while Jensen Pettersson had another stellar week, posting a 2-1-0 record with a 1.67 goals-against average, and a 0.942 save percentage.
Week 3 includes a four-game schedule, three against new opponents, and another rematch with the Kindle.
4/17: @ Rimouski Northmen
4/18: @ Baltimore Rock
4/20: vs. Traverse City Cherry Pickers
4/21: vs. Scranton Kindle