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Goaltenders definitely got a lot of love on this week’s top performance list, while South Carolina remains the hottest team in the ECHL.
Here are five top performances from Friday’s slate of games.
Charlie Combs: South Carolina Stingrays
No team is hotter than the South Carolina Stingrays as the ECHL regular season winds down.
The Rays won their 12th straight game Friday 4-1 on the road over the Kalamazoo Wings. It was the first game between the two teams since 2018.
Charlie Combs scored two goals and added an assist for three points on the night.
After the K-Wings scored the opening goal on a turnover, Combs tied the game for the Stingrays 16 seconds into the second period. Josh Wilkins sent a pass across to Combs, who put in a one-timer.
After Jayden Lee gave the Stingrays a 2-1 lead with 4:31 left in the second, Combs notched his second goal of the night, going forehand to backhand into an open net.
Wilkins iced the game with an empty-netter for the 4-1 victory. The Stingrays lead the overall ECHL standings with 99 points.
Noah West: Kansas City Mavericks
After originally signing a professional tryout (PTO) contract with the Mavericks, goaltender Noah West impressed enough that the club inked him to a standard player contract last week.
West’s most impressive performance thus far may have come Friday against the Wichita Thunder. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound netminder out of Ferris State earned his first pro shutout by stopping all 23 shots that came his way in a 3-0 win in front of over 12,000 fans in Wichita.
Damien Giroux, David Cotton and Luke Loheit each scored goals for the Mavericks. West was particularly impressive in a scoreless second period. While he only saw six shots in the frame, five were high-quality chances.
In five games with the Mavericks, West is 5-0-0 with a 1.38 goals-against average and .943 save percentage.
Jan Bednar: Toledo Walleye
The Florida Everblades were seeking their sixth straight win at home Friday against the Toledo Walleye. Jan Bednar made sure it didn’t happen.
The Walleye goaltender earned his fourth shutout of the season in a 1-0 thriller in which he outdueled Florida’s netminder Cam Johnson.
The game’s lone goal came at the 16:05 mark of the middle frame, when Toledo newcomer Dylan Moulton scored unassisted for his second goal of the season.
The Everblades certainly had their chances. In the second period, they controlled much of the puck possession but failed on two power-play opportunities.
With less than two minutes remaining in regulation, Florida pulled Johnson after going on a power play for a 6-on-4 advantage. Bednar held firm, however, and his team walked away with the win.
Taylor Gauthier: Wheeling Nailers
Notice a pattern here? Goaltenders ruled the night on this Friday Five, as Taylor Gauthier pitched his own shutout for the Wheeling Nailers in a 2-0 triumph over the Cincinnati Cyclones.
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Gauthier made 18 saves in the victory, which reduced the Nailers’ magic number for clinching a Kelly Cup Playoff berth to six.
The only scoring came in the first period, as Wheeling’s Phip Waugh and Jack Beck scored just 56 seconds apart.
Gauthier and the Nailers defense took care of the rest, including a breakaway stop in the second period. Wheeling’s penalty-kill unit got the night off, as no one on the team entered the sin bin.
Carter Savoie: Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Savoie notched two goals and an assist in a 5-3 victory for the Swamp Rabbits over the Atlanta Gladiators.
His first tally came 21 seconds into the contest after slinging a shot past Glads goalie Drew DeRidder for a quick 1-0 lead.
With the score tied 2-2 late in the second period, Savoie tipped in an Austin Saint shot in front of the net following a 2-on-none rush.
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