GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Greenville Swamp Rabbits had another jam-packed weekend homestand at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, as the club hosted two division rivals: the Jacksonville Icemen on Feb. 22 and the Atlanta Gladiators on the 23rd. For the first game, Greenville hosted its annual Military Appreciation Night with specialty camo sweaters, but fell short in overtime against the Icemen, 5-4, when Christopher Brown netted the overtime-winning goal.
Likewise, the home team bounced back with another win and ultimately made the Gladiators regret their short road trip to Greenville. For the second consecutive start of the season, Kolby Hay got the nod between the pipes and was absolutely impressive for sixty minutes.
In the first period, Kaleb Lawrence opened the scoring for the second time this weekend, with Quinn Olson getting the primary assist. Minutes later, another tall Swamp Rabbits player made it 2-0, as John Parker-Jones scored on a shot by Jake Flynn.
Then, heading into the second, Bryce Brodzinski handed the Rabbits a three-goal insurance lead just 22 seconds into the middle frame. But that wasn’t the only scoring of the period for the Swamp Rabbits, as minutes later, Carter Savoie netted a short-side goal from Ben Poisson’s close-to-crease pass.
Four unanswered goals, why not five? Four minutes later, Quinn Olson charged down into Atlanta’s zone on a breakaway to net a shorty (short-handed goal) from a pass by Lawrence.
However, about a minute later, the Glads finally put something on the board, as Chad Nychuk capitalised on the power play.
Then, before the period ended, Atlanta scored another power-play goal when Alexander Campbell put the puck past Kolby Hay.
To start the third period, the Rabbits prevented the Gladiators from scoring. About four minutes into the final frame, Brodzinski scored his second goal of the night, assisted by recently signed rookie Tristan De Jong, who earned his first career assist in the ECHL.
For a first assist came a first goal for another defender, as Chandler Romeo sniped a rocket past Haider and recorded his first pro career goal in the ECHL.
A touchdown’s worth of goals wasn’t enough for the Greenville club, as they had to secure another before the final buzzer.
At 14:23, Jake Flynn, another defenseman, netted the 8-2 goal, securing a big win for the Swamp Rabbits.
Three Stars
- Kolby Hay (34 saves)
- Bryce Brodzinski (2 goals, 1 assist)
- Quinn Olson (SH goal, 2 assists)
The home stretch has finally come to a close for the Swamp Rabbits, as for the next two weeks they will be on the road. Next Saturday, March 1, the club will be in Jacksonville to face the Icemen.
ITR 26: 2 Nations Fighting – Inside The Rink
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