1st Period
For the first Period, Orlando would open up scoring just 1:42 in from a goal by Mitchell Hoelscher. The ECHL All-Star of Orlando proved why he was selected as their representative. After Hoelscher’s goal, the Rabbits would press on to try to tie things up, as they would get a PP at 5:22 and post four shots on Ellis. Ellis would make important saves to keep his team at a one-goal lead. And that would only motivate the Solar Bears, as they would go on the PP at 9:09 and capitalize on it. At 11:00, a nifty pass from Tanner Dickenson would give Jaydon Dureau a clear floor chance to shoot and score. However, that two-goal lead would be short-lived, as the Rabbits’ would respond back and score at 12:15 from a goal by Carter Souch.
But Orlando said, ‘Not so fast,’ as Tyler Bird would get a short-handed goal at 13:45. It was not Bednard’s night, so, therefore, Richardson would take his place for the rest of the game. He would make two saves after, and the score would be 3-1 after twenty minutes, with the Rabbits’ having less than a minute of PP time left.
2nd Period
The second Period would start out great for Orlando, as despite going on the PK twice in a matter of two minutes, they would successfully dismiss Greenville’s abbreviated and full power play. The Solar Bears would continue to press forward, as they gained a PP at 8:09 and wasted no time pressuring their opponents in navy-orange. They would score two seconds after the PP after keeping the puck in the Greenville zone. The goal was scored by Solar Bear Aaron Luchuk at 10:11 and hence would put the Solar Bears at a score of 4-1. The score would inevitably stay the same after forty minutes, as the last three minutes of hockey was controlled by Greenvilles offense.
3rd Period
For the final stretch, the Rabbits’ would score their second of the night from a goal by Tanner Eberle at 3:46.
The goal, however, would boost the team’s motivation as they controlled the shots on goal. However, the majority of the Period was slow and almost dead. Greenville posted five shots on goal before the 13:00 mark, while the Solar Bears posted just one. At the thirteen-minute mark, both teams would turn over the puck, rotate back and forth between the zones, and shoot high and wide shots. For nearly four minutes of play, neither team had a single shot on goal. Then, at 17:07, the Rabbits’ got desperate; trailing by three goals with less than three minutes of time left, they decided to pull Richardson for the extra attacker. But the extra attacker play would manifest an Orlando goal, as Mitchell Hoelscher would grab his second of the night from an assist by goalie Colten Ellis to score an empty netter at 17:20. The game would conclude 5-2 Orlando.
After the game, I asked Brannon McManus for his thoughts on the game and why Orlando took the win.
“I thought that they capitalized on all of our mistakes; I think it was, they got what we gave them. At times, we played our game, and at times, we didn’t, and that’s kind of what the story of the night was, just giving them easy goals, and Friday, I think we’ve just got to play a full 60.”
For the Rabbits’, had the shots on goal, and had a lot of control of the momentum during the periods, but couldn’t really capitalize on scoring, as the second half of the third Period was dead for them. I asked what needs to change to the game going forward.
“I think whenever you’re chasing the game, it’s always tough — like it’s, you grip the stick a little bit too tight, kind of forced some plays – maybe they’re not there and holding on to the puck a little bit longer. It’s never easy when you’re chasing the game, and obviously, we’ve got to start fast. So when they get a two-goal lead, and even with a three-goal lead, it makes it hard on us. But at times, we had spurts; it was good to see. It’s obviously tough not to come out with a win.”
Game Two—January 12, 2024
It was time for more hockey in the form of a rematch. The Swamp Rabbits took on the Solar Bears again at home on a Friday fun day matchup. This would be Orlando’s last meeting at Greenville, as the rest of the meetings between the teams would be at Orlando.
1st Period
The first Period would start out well for the Rabbits’, as Tyler Bird would get penalized for high-sticking and send Greenville to a power play at 1:31. The Rabbits would only post two shots on Halverson during the full two minutes. After Orlando killed the penalty, the Rabbits’ would control the game, as they posted ten shots on goal, compared to five for Orlando, before drawing another power play at 12:01. However, the power play would get killed off again by Orlando, as the Rabbits’ posted just two shots on goal again. A minute after Orlando killed the second penalty, they would go on their first PP of the night. However, another team with a successful PK roster would kill off the Solar Bears man advantage. Ryan Bednard and his fellow defensive mates would deny Orlando’s two shots on goal and other attempts. In a battle of two killer penalty-kill teams, the score would be scoreless heading into the second stretch.
2nd Period
For the second stretch, the Rabbits’ would have great control of the puck and use it to their advantage. As a result, at 7:34, Jake Smith slapped the puck past Halverson from McManus’s pass and opened up the scoring.
The Smith goal would boost the Rabbits’ ahead of the Solar Bears, as they would keep Orlando on a short leash by posting 17 shots on goal, defending their goal and zone. Despite putting 17 shots on Halverson in the second stretch and equating it to 35 in total after forty minutes, the Swamp Rabbits would be unable to extend their lead. However, they would enter into the final stretch with a single-goal lead.
3rd Period
The final twenty would start out good for Orlando, as a good o-zone rush would allow Alexandre Fortin to tuck the puck past Bednard’s pads and tie the game by one. And so, the remainder of the game would continue with both teams desperately trying to score and retain the tie. The Rabbits’ would gain a power play shortly after Fortin’s goal at 2:54.
However, Orlandos’ highly successful PK of 86% kill percentage would pay off, as they would backcheck successfully and deny the Rabbits from posting a single shot on the netminder. Then, at 9:44, the Rabbits’ would get another PP opportunity, but that, too, would get killed off by Orlandos’ shiny, bright PK units, as Greenville would post two shots on Halverson. Both teams’ defensive units were on point during the third Period, keeping the score 1-1. In a last-chance opportunity to break the tie, the Solar Bears would go on the PP at 16:51 and put pressure on Bednard and the Rabbits’ PK. But, as stated before, the Rabbits’ alive and activated defensive roster denied the Solar Bears from breaking the tie. As a consequence, the game would head into overtime.
Overtime
In overtime, this was no unfamiliar environment for the Swamp Rabbits, as they previously won against the Everblades last week in a quick OT. Orlando had a good hold on the puck upon puck drop, as they would pressure Greenville’s zone and usher in a back-to-back win. However, that dream would get shadowed over, as the Swamp Rabbits would get a good rush down by Nikita Pavlychev and Colton Young. Pavlychev, near the center end of Orlandos’ zone, would feed a pass to Young at the left-wing end; then Young would immediately fire a shot at Halverson and score the OT winner. Orlandos’ win streak against the Swamp Rabbits ended right then and there, as the Rabbits were hungry for a win that was driven by raged revenge for losing to the guys in purple and orange.
