South Carolina Stingrays travel to Gwinnett Gladiators for Game 3 of Kelly Cup playoff series

You have to have a short memory in the playoffs.

Win or lose, the team that succeeds is the one that moves on no matter what happened in the previous game.

After splitting their first two games at the North Charleston Coliseum, the Stingrays’ Eastern Conference Kelly Cup playoff series with the Gladiators shifts today to Gwinnett, Ga., for Game 3. Game 4 is Sunday at 2 p.m., and, if necessary, a decisive Game 5 would be Monday night at Gwinnett.

South Carolina is coming off a disappointing 3-2 loss Wednesday in Game 2 that saw the Stingrays squander a one-goal lead in the third period.

Now, the Stingrays must put the loss behind them and find a way to beat the Gladiators in one of the ECHL’s toughest buildings to play in. The Gladiators were 26-7-3 at home during the regular season. Only the Alaska Aces, with 29 victories, had more wins at home than the Gladiators.

“We knew we weren’t going to walk through this series,” said Stingrays coach Spencer Carbery. “We knew this was going to be a tough series. Any team that has playoff success is able to rebound from games they should have won or overtime losses or bad bounces.”

The Stingrays were 9-6-0 against the Gladiators, including a 3-4-0 mark at Gwinnett.

Gwinnett coach John Wroblewski said he’s ready for a five-game series.

“It’s tough to feel good in any playoff situation,” Wroblewski said. “South Carolina has a tremendous club and they’re very well coached. They play well together and have exceptional talent. It’s great to get the series tied up at 1-1, but I’m planning for the long haul.”