Tosti: Swamp Rabbits Fall Short of Victory in Shootout 
Greenville mounts exciting rematch with Stingrays and extends their game to a shootout, but ultimately fall 3-2.
BY: Brian Tosti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Greenville, SC – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits (15-12-3-0), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, came just short of a win tonight at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, falling 3-2 to the South Carolina Stingrays (18-6-3-1) in a shootout. The Swamp Rabbits opened the scoring with two goals, but Tim McGauley tallied a pair of goals to force overtime. Ty Rimmer was stellar in net again, making 45 saves in his first shootout loss this year.
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The Swamp Rabbits tallied the opening goal with a bit of luck. With less than six minutes left in the first period, Carter Sandlak came down the ice after sealing the puck away from Steven Whitney. The winger put the first shot onto the pads of Jeff Jakaitis and collected the rebound below the goal line. He tossed the puck to the front of the crease, hitting Kelly Zajac and banking the puck into the back of the net. Sandlak’s third goal of the year was the only goal of the first period as the Swamp Rabbits and Stingrays traded opportunities.
Joe Basaraba was seemingly in the right place at the right time to start the second period Brenden Kotyk launched a shot from the right circle, causing a long rebound to the high slot. The Swamp Rabbits alternate captain stepped into a one-timer and fired it between the legs of Jakaitis less than a minute into the second period.
Both netminders posted fantastic saves in the contest as Jakaitis ended the night with 30 stops and was helped by three shots off the post in the game. Rimmer again came up with timely saves earned an assist from the post on a late third-period attempt by the Stingrays. Jakaitis earned his 10th win of the season making two saves in the shootout while Rimmer fell in his second shootout appearance of the season.
McGauley’s first tally came on the power play at 4:10 of the second period to cut the lead down to one goal. After two saves from Rimmer, the winger came to the right side of the crease and tucked the shot under the crossbar to put South Carolina on the board. His second goal in the game was scored just 48 seconds into the third period. The pass by Kris Bindulis found the winger right in front of the net to tally his fourth goal of the season and tie the game at 2-2.
In overtime, chances for both teams were turned aside by the netminders and great defensive play. The scoreless period moved into the shootout and with it, some controversy. With the game at hand, Branden Troock had the last shootout chance for Greenville after South Carolina had scored first. Jakaitis was ruled to have made the save on the goal line, but upon further review, the officials ruled it to have been a goal. The Stingrays were ushered out of the locker room to complete the shootout after nearly a five-minute delay. South Carolina left the game on the stick of Frankie Simonelli to earn the win. The defenseman iced the game as the Swamp Rabbits earned a point in the skills competition.
Greenville enters the holiday break holding third place in the South Division with 33 points and will face the Brampton Beast on Thursday, Dec. 28 at 7 p.m.
THIRSTY THURSDAY | Thursday, December 28 | 7 p.m.
We are throwing ticket prices back on Dec. 28 for Thirsty Thursday presented by Harbor Inn. Grab two tickets for $20 and enjoy our Hoppy Hour specials including $3 domestic beer, and select $2 concessions from 5-8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased before the game through the Swamp Rabbits office or at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena box office.
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