Greenville, SC—After the Swamp Rabbits‘ 5-1 victory over Rapid City on February 22, I got the chance to interview new player Cole Donhauser. Donhauser recently joined the Swamp Rabbits after he was traded from Idaho, and since then, he’s played eight games and is 1-2-3.
First and foremost, I had to ask for his thoughts on his first ECHL goal, which was on Saturday, February 17.
“It definitely felt great to get it under the belt, and we got the win that night, so it felt even more special. But it felt good to roll it all into the games this weekend and keep playing the right way.”
How did the win at home and on the road against Atlanta ultimately get the team to jump to this game against Rapid City?
“Yeah, we’re starting to get our groove back; we’re feeling really good from last weekend with a good week of practice and that sort of let into this, and we’re feeling confident right now.”
What’s it like to work with fellow rookie forward Austin Saint on the same line?
“Yeah, we’ve been working really well together – I think both of us are trying to stick into the lineup and hunt on the forecheck, and it’s been working out for us. So we’re just trying to keep doing that night in and night out.”
What’s going to change with the game plan for Saturday as the team will take on the Rush again?
“I think, overall, not much. We’ve got to clean up our d-zone a little bit – they got a few chances than we might’ve liked. Iggy stood tall for us, as always. But I think just the same game plan, just gotta clean up a few things, and we’ll come out on top again.”
Through the limited time here in GVL and the ECHL, what’s it like to play in this city and team?
“Oh, yeah, it’s been great. Obviously, leaving the rink and having some warm weather just boost the mood immediately. Everyone is happy to be here, and they wanna stay here. I’ve only been here for a few weeks, but I can already tell the culture here is amazing, and the guys are really committed to making a run here and trying to win a Kelly Cup.”
How does a system at Yale differ from a system here in the ECHL and Greenville?
“In Yale I played a pretty similar system to here, so I was able to ‘kinda of come in and feel pretty comfortable, we do a 1-3-1 neutral zone here, sometimes, and we did that a lot in Yale. Pretty similar coaching styles here, you know he [Andrew Lord] expects a lot from us, and we know what he expects, so there’s no surprises at practice or in the games. Whether you’re playing good or not, he’s gonna let you know. And I think we respect that, and we know what we have to bring everyday.”
