Game 4: Chaos and controversy as the Atlanta Gladiators' "Hockey Hail Mary" is overturned and results in a 4-3 win for the South Carolina Stingrays
- Apr 29
- 4 min read
Preview: South Carolina Stingrays vs Atlanta Gladiators (1st round of the ECHL Playoffs - South Carolina leads 2-1)
Tonight's game (April 28, 2026 at the Gas South District/7:10pm EST puck drop) is yet another critical game in the best-of-7 series between the ECHL South Division rivals.
Coming off last night's 4-0 win, a Game 4 win for the Stingrays gives them a commanding 3-1 series lead, while a win for the Gladiators evens the series.
The Stingrays' leading scorer in the playoffs, Charlie Combs (4 goals/0 assists/4 points/+4 rating), sets the tone for the offense, while Chad Nychuk (1 goal/3 assists/4 points/+1 rating) does the same for the Glads. Garin Bjorklund (2-1-0-0/1 shutout/2.02 goals allowed average/.923 save percentage) draws the start, while T.J. Semptimphelter (1-0-0-0/3.00 goals allowed average/.880 save percentage) looks to provide steady play between the pipes as the series gets more intense with each game.
This is playoff hockey.
Recap: The Stingrays squeeze out a win, but not without controversy.
Early on, Atlanta shows an improved physical presence and game-play, as 4 of the first 5 penalties called in the game are against South Carolina. A renewed effort results in an early 1-0 lead on Jack O'Brien's 2nd goal of the playoff (1:17 in the 1st period/assisted by Josh Davies and Alex Young). And while the Stingrays would tie the game at the 17:14 mark of the 1st period on a goal by Stanley Cooley (his 1st of the playoffs/assisted by Connor Moore and D.J King), the game play is more reflective of Games 1 and 2.
In the 2nd period, South Carolina takes its first lead of the game. D.J. King scores his 2nd goal of the playoffs (17:57 in the 2nd period/assisted by Josh Wilkens and Nolan Krenzen) to give the Stingrays a 2-1 lead.
The lead would not last too long, as the Glads tie the game early in the 3rd period. Alex Young's 1st goal of the playoffs (1:09 in the 3rd period/assisted by Josh Davies) ties the game at 2.
And if the game isn't already intense given the multiple skirmishes, including 3 fights taking place on the ice at the same time, and a bevy of penalties and no-calls, the stage is set for truly intense play.
Seemingly, at the 6:19 mark of the 3rd period, Charlie Combs continues his red-hot offensive play by scoring his 5th goal of the series (assisted by Connor Moore) to give the Stingrays a 3-2 lead. And for the next 12 1/2 minutes, they seem to take control of the game and ward off any efforts by the Glads' offense.
That is, until one of the more feverish last 2 minutes in recent history, playoffs or otherwise.
Leading scorer Chad Nychuk puts the game-tying goal in the net at the 18:55 mark of the 3rd period (assisted by Alex Young and Austin Roest) to tie the game at 3, sending the crowd into a frenzy. And then, less than 40 seconds later, Romain Rodzinski pulls off a stunner by scoring his 2nd goal of the playoffs at the 19:32 mark of the 3rd period (assisted by Stanley Cooley and Charlie Combs) to give the Stingrays a 4-3 lead.
Surely, the goal would lead to the game ending with just 28 seconds left.
And then the nearly improbable almost happens.
With less than a second left, akin to a Hail Mary in football or a buzzer beater in basketball, Chad Nychuk pulls off the seemingly impossible; his slap shot from nearly center ice with time expiring finds its way past goaltender Garin Bjokrland, lighting the green light before regulation ends. As the Glads are celebrating their "Hockey Hail Mary" and the fans are at a fever pitch, the referees, who hear it from the fans given some questionable no-calls, cement their fate by disallowing the goal as the replay somewhat shows where one of the Glads' players is offsides (i.e. beyond the Blue line/zone).
Atlanta literally is an inch away from putting the game in overtime.
And in a game with calls being highly questionable (as even league officials observing have more than a raised eyebrow and other commentary), South Carolina walks away with a controversial 4-3 win and a 3-1 series lead.
Post-game: Atlanta brings an improved effort, but South Carolina escapes with a win.
Escaping with a win is an understatement. While some may point to the power play performances (neither team scores, but Atlanta has 3 changes to South Carolina's 1), the Glads outshoot the Stingrays (32-27) and have fewer penalties called against them (5 for Atlanta and 7 for South Carolina), but the Stingrays come away with a highly contested win.
During post-game, Coach Ginn speaks with the press. He recognizes the team's effort and directs his focus to coming back in Game 5, focusing on one game at a time, along with building on the larger effort the team shows during the playoffs as 3 of the 4 games are decided by one goal (you may watch his full remarks below):
This close.
Notes: Game 5 of the series takes place on May 1, 2026 at the North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center (7:05pm EST puck drop). If necessary, Game 6 takes place at the Gas South District on May 4, 2026 (7:10pm EST puck drop). You may watch our postseason playlist (click HERE) for snapshots and related interviews.
The last photo-grid is credited to EmoryRose Photography.
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