Tosti: Swamp Rabbits Stumble on the Road Against Stingrays
Greenville suffers a setback in Tuesday night defeat finishing second of three games against South Carolina.
BY: Brian Tosti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
North Charleston, SC – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits (12-8-2-0), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, fell to the South Carolina Stingrays (11-4-3-1) tonight at the North Charleston Coliseum in an 8-2 rout. Greenville’s chances were shut down early as the Stingrays began the game with a pair of first-period tallies and never looked back. Greenville and South Carolina are now even in this 3-in-5 series, with both teams earning wins in the last two games.
BOX SCORE
The Stingrays cashed in on a spot of bad luck for Greenville in the first period. Tim McGauley sent a pass across the ice toward Kelly Zajac on the left side of the net but had it interrupted by the stick of Sean Flanagan. The deflection snuck into the net to open the scoring 4:15 into the game. Greenville would have a few chances to tie the game including a set of three shots on Parker Milner that were wrapped up with a glove save on the left side of the net.
The Stingrays then added a second goal from the stick of Patrick Gaul who began a three-point (2G, 1A) night in the final two minutes of the first period. The forward recorded his fifth goal of the season to take a 2-0 lead into the intermission.
The Stingrays then put five goals through in the second period. Danny Federico began the charge with a one-timer from the right wing and was matched by Gaul before the six-minute mark of the second period. The Stingrays pushed goaltender Ty Rimmer out of the game after making 11 saves and dealing the netminder his first loss on the road since Oct. 20. Brandon Halverson took over and was immediately met with a set of shots.
After the goaltender made a group of saves, the Stingrays touched a few passes toward the crease and found Dylan Margonari for a quick redirection. The Stingrays would add two more goals in the period to take a 7-0 advantage into the third period.
Greenville entered the third period with the chance to break through Milner, who made all 17 saves he faced in the first two periods. Austin McKay tallied the first goal of the game for the Swamp Rabbits and second in as many games. The center deflected a long shot by Brenden Kotyk to record his fourth goal of the season. Less than five minutes later, Jack Nevins matched McKay with a power play goal. The winger angled the puck from the slot into the net. Greenville finished the game 1-for-6 on the power play and a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
South Carolina would stop Grenville’s momentum with a final third-period goal from Margonari to finish the game. Halverson finished the game with 14 saves in relief while Milner earned his fourth win of the season with 28 saves in goal.
The teams meet again on Thursday night at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena at 7 p.m. The game will be the third straight between the intrastate rivals and the sixth head-to-head meeting of the season.
THIRSTY THURSDAY | Thursday, December 7 | 7 p.m.
We are throwing ticket prices back for Thirsty Thursday presented by Harbor Inn. Grab two tickets for $20 and enjoy our Hoppy Hour specials including $3 domestic beer from 5-8 p.m.
WINTER WONDERLAND PACKAGE
The Swamp Rabbits are offering a Winter Wonderland experience! Get your four tickets for the team’s Dec. 23 game, four passes to Ice on Main, and a Dave and Buster’s gaming package, a $140 value for only $65! The package is ONLY available for purchase through the Swamp Rabbits office at (864) 674-PUCK or online at SwampRabbits.com.
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