Lynx suffer sting of shutout defeat

Seven games in nine days and a short bench seemed to catch up to the Augusta Lynx on Saturday night.

Coach Stan Drulia thought his players still should have had enough energy left for a key game against the South Carolina Stingrays, but the offense just wasn't there for the Lynx.

Playing for the second night in a row with only 16 players, the Lynx lost to the Stingrays, 2-0 at Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center.

The Stingrays (17-14-3, 37 points) went from a five-point lead on the Lynx (13-19-4, 30 points) to a seven-point lead with their first regulation win against Augusta this season.

"This is a team that we're striving to catch (in the playoff race)," Drulia said. "We made some plays today. I thought we just kind of took for granted some situations where we were just a little lackadaisical and that can't happen; that can't creep into our game."

The game was quite a letdown for the players and coaches after a 4-0 win against Columbia on Friday. Drulia had hoped that win would have been a motivator for Saturday's game.

"We played so hard last night, we played so smart, it's almost like we thought it was going to be an easy night," he said. "I think we're a good hockey team, but we're not that good."

After a scoreless first period, the Stingrays capitalized on an early second-period penalty on defenseman Treavor Peterson. Despite defensive pressure, South Carolina forward Rich Peverley wrapped a shot around goaltender Jason Saal, who called it a fluke goal.

Forward Ed Courtenay took a pass from the corner and beat Saal across the net with less than 4 minutes left in the second for a 2-0 lead.

"It was just one of those games," Saal said. "They capitalized on their chances."

South Carolina goaltender Maxime Daigneault earned his first shutout of the season by stopping 28 shots.

The Lynx, whose power play had jumped to fifth in the ECHL, had five opportunities against the league's top-ranked penalty kill, but couldn't find a way to get the puck past Daigneault.

"I don't know if it was so much their penalty kill as it was our inability to put the puck in the net," forward-turned-defenseman Louis Goulet said.

The Lynx will have today and Monday to regroup before a morning game Tuesday. Drulia said the Lynx might have a full lineup, noting that defensemen Rod Sarich and Lawne Snyder are probable for the game. The Lynx don't return to the Civic Center until Feb. 4.

Reach Kristy Shonka at (706) 823-3216 or kristy.shonka@augustachronicle.com.