JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Icemen held their Pucks & Paws Night on Saturday and faced the visiting Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Thanks to Matt Vernon‘s net-minding prowess and stellar saves, Jacksonville came away with a 4-1 victory. In the previous meeting and first matchup of the season five days earlier, Greenville blanked Jacksonville five zip, so the Icemen came into the game using the momentum of their overtime win in Orlando from the night before.
Rookie Brody Crane put Jacksonville on the board at 1:58 of the first period on a two-on-one pass from Zach Jordan. Just over four minutes later, Chris Grando scored his first of the night on a backhanded saucer pass from Garrett Van Wyhe. Greenville struggled with puck possession, with Jacksonville outshooting them 15-5 during the period.
Greenville came out stronger in the second period, outshooting Jacksonville 12-7, but Vernon stood tall, making save after save. Chris Grando netted his second of the night at 12:40 of the period, lifting the puck past Dryden McKay, for a 3-0 lead.
With just over three minutes left in the third period, Greenville opted to pull their netminder in a last-ditch attempt to get themselves back in the game. Olivier Nadeau scored an empty-net goal with a shot from the opposite end. With less than two minutes left in the game, Matt Vernon’s shutout bid was thwarted when Mikael Robidoux scored for Greenville. Vernon stopped 29 shots on the night, earning himself the #1 star of the game.
Jacksonville faces the Orlando Solar Bears on Tuesday at home, and Greenville faces them on Friday at home.
Check out this photo gallery from Inside The Rink’s Andrew Fielder, for highlights from the game
