Cyclones rally past Stingrays

Cyclones 5, Stingrays 4 (OT)

CINCINNATI — For 45 minutes, South Carolina did everything right against the Cincinnati Cyclones.

It was the other 15 minutes that killed the Stingrays.

Thomas Beauregard got the game-winning goal in overtime as Cincinnati rallied from a three-goal deficit to beat South Carolina, 5-4, in Game 2 of the American Conference finals Saturday night before a crowd of 4,853 at U.S. Bank Arena.

The Cyclones lead the best-of-seven series, 2-0, with Game 3 set for Wednesday at the North Charleston Coliseum where the Stingrays are 9-0 during the playoffs.

The Stingrays appeared to have the game under control heading into the final period with a 3-0 lead.

However, the Cyclones rallied for four goals in the third period to push the game into overtime, where Beauregard got the game-winner less than five minutes into the extra session.

'Frustration is the only word that comes to my mind right now,' Bednar said. 'It was a very tough loss for us. We were up 3-0 going into the third period, and in my mind we were controlling the better part of the play in the first two periods. We hit three cross bars and posts, and it very easily could have been 6-0.

'To lose it in the third period the way we did was very frustrating because I think we deserved a better fate than the one we got tonight.'

The Stingrays dropped to 0-8 on the road during the playoffs.

'Our road woes continue,' Bednar said.

One of the bright spots for the Stingrays was the play of rookie Paul McIlveen, who had two goals in his first action of the series.

'He had a great game with a limited amount of ice time,' Bednar said. 'He had lots of jump. I didn't get to play him as much as I wanted to late in the game because every time he came around in the rotation we'd get a penalty or something would happen. I certainly like what I saw when he was on the ice.'

The Stingrays will have four days to bounce back from the loss.

'We've got tremendous character in that locker room, so I know we'll be ready to play in Game 3,' Bednar said. 'I know how hard they work and how hard they worked tonight. It's just another piece of adversity we're going to have to overcome. I'm glad we'll be headed back to our home ice.'

The Stingrays took a 1-0 lead late in the first period on McIlveen's second goal of the playoffs. Steve Pinizzotto got the puck along the right boards and centered a pass just outside the crease to McIlveen, who chipped it past Cincinnati goalie David Cedrick Desjardins with 2:29 left in the first period.

McIlveen beat Desjardins with a wrist shot to extend the Stingrays' advantage to 2-0 early in the second period.

Chris Chaput put the Stingrays up 3-0 late in the second, back-handing a shot between the legs of Desjardins for the score with less than five minutes left in the second period. Dejardins was then pulled in favor of former Stingrays goalie Maxime Deaigneault.

Oliver Latendresse closed the gap to 3-1 with his 5-on-3 power-play goal at the 3:01 mark of the third period. Latendresse closed the gap to 3-2 for the Cyclones with his second power-play goal of the third period five minutes later.

Sixty-nine seconds later, Cincinnati winger Scott Reynolds picked up a turnover in neutral ice and scored on a wrist shot to tie it at 3.

The Stingrays reclaimed the lead, 4-3, on Gordon's 5-on-3 power play goal with 4:37 left in the game.

With Daigneault pulled from the net for the extra attacker, David Deshamais, the ECHL's MVP during the regular season, tied the game at 4 when he banged home a rebound off a Bryan Schmidt slap shot with 64 seconds left in regulation.