Greenville picks up 3 of a possible 4 points moving into a key weekend
BY: Jordan Kuhns, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
WEEKLY RECAP
Heading into Opening Weekend, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits had a tough test on their hands. The Toledo Walleye, who had won 50 or more games in three of the last four seasons as one of the premier powerhouses in the ECHL, came to the Upstate as Greenville’s first opponent. The Walleye ran into a buzzsaw of scoring in the second period, as the Swamp Rabbits connected for three goals on 11 shots on goal, and jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Austen Brassard, Chris Izmirlian and Johno May all connected for Greenville in an exciting second period that featured five goals overall. Toledo bounced back with two in the second, and one more in the third to draw even. A.J. Jenks ended the game at the 3:17 mark of overtime on a 4-on-3 power play.
Greenville bounced back on night two in earnest. The Swamp Rabbits allowed the first goal of the game, but the response came in the form of goals from Stephen Pierog and May to give the home team a 2-1 lead heading into the third period. As they did the night before, the Walleye tied it, but the Swamp Rabbits got the last laugh overall to pick up the victory. Brassard connected for his second goal of the weekend with under five minutes to play, the game-winning goal, and May put it away with the empty-netter with about 30 seconds to play, and Greenville exited the weekend with three out of a possible four standings points against a league powerhouse heading into a critical weekend.
10/12 vs. Toledo — 4-3 OTL
10/13 vs. Toledo — 4-2 W
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Johno May – 2 GP | 3 goals, 10 shots on goal, 2 PPG
Swamp Rabbits forward Johno May has played in only 10 games in his professional career, but in those games, he has posted 5 goals and 4 assists. 3 of those 5 goals came last weekend against the Toledo Walleye, with two of them coming on the power play. His first goal came on Friday, and his next two on Saturday. He also led the Swamp Rabbits with 10 shots on goal on the weekend, which is surprisingly not tops in the league. He trails Idaho’s Spencer Naas (17) and Brady Norrish (14), and Brampton’s Erik Bradford (13).
RABBIT TAILS
- It was a good weekend to hold the last name, Brassard. Forward Austen Brassard posted a goal on Opening Night, shorthanded, and added a goal and an assist on night two, including the game-winner on Saturday night. Defenseman J.C. Brassard started his season with two assists on Opening Night.
- Goaltender Garrett Bartus was a busy bee in goal this past weekend. His 64 saves rank third-most in the league, and his sparkling performance of 30 saves and a .938 save percentage on Saturday, led the way for the Swamp Rabbits to pick up the win.
- Head coach Kevin Kerr picked up his first win behind the bench of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, his first in the ECHL, and his 95th win as a professional.
- Six players had multi-point weekends for the Swamp Rabbits, showcasing a stable scoring that will be tough to stop all season. The Swamp Rabbits have not scored fewer than three goals in four games, dating back to preseason.
- Opening Night proved to be one for the record books. 10,037 fans attended the game on Friday night, which set a new franchise record.
UPCOMING GAMES
- Friday, October 19 | @ Atlanta Gladiators | 7:35 p.m.
- Saturday, October 20 | @ South Carolina Stingrays | 7:05 p.m.
SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS
- Greenville Swamp Rabbits (1-0-1-0) – 3 pts
- Jacksonville Icemen (1-0-0-0) – 2 pts
- Atlanta Gladiators (1-0-0-0) – 2 pts
- Norfolk Admirals (1-0-0-0) – 2 pts
- Florida Everblades (1-1-0-0) – 2 pts
- South Carolina Stingrays (0-1-0-0) – 0 pts
- Orlando Solar Bears (0-1-0-0) – 0 pts
*standings as of October 15, 2018
