With momentum in tow, Swamp Rabbits head to the road
BY: Jordan Kuhns, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
GREENVILLE, SC – The weekly recap starts as a string of South Division games continued for the Swamp Rabbits as they looked to make their run to climb the standings. That climb hit a stumbling block on Wednesday morning, as the Norfolk Admirals got a standout performance from goaltender Ty Reichenbach to stymie the Swamp Rabbits’ offense and hold them to a single goal. With the game tied at one in the third period thanks to Dylan Vander Esch, the Admirals pulled in front with a go-ahead tally from Darik Angeli and held the lead the rest of the way.
The Swamp Rabbits returned to a place that haunted them last time—the Infinite Energy Arena—to take on the Atlanta Gladiators. Like last time out, the Swamp Rabbits held a lead and saw a furious Atlanta comeback to tie the score and send the game to overtime, but unlike last time, it was Greenville that would have the last laugh. Newcomer Brendan Harms, who finished his Greenville debut with a multi-point effort, set up Trevor Owens, whose shot created a rebound, and Michael Pelech pounced on the rebound to bash it home for the game winner.
Then, it was the defense’s turn to win a game. A largely defensive struggle powered through to the third period, where finally, the ice was broken. Pelech notched his second goal of the weekend on a breakaway, Stephen Pierog put the game away with an empty-netter, Chris Nell pitched a 31-save shutout, and the Swamp Rabbits completed a weekend sweep of the Gladiators. The win put six standings points between Greenville and Atlanta and pulled the Swamp Rabbits within just three points of the Orlando Solar Bears and South Carolina Stingrays, who are both up next this week.
11/28 vs. Norfolk – L 3-1
11/30 @ Atlanta – W 3-2
12/1 vs. Atlanta – W 2-0
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Chris Nell – 3 GP | 2-1-0-0 / 1.33 GAA / .957 sv%
Goaltender Chris Nell put on his three best performances of his short tenure in Greenville and stole the show on both Friday and Saturday to secure a weekend sweep of the Atlanta Gladiators. Nell stopped 89 of the 93 shots fired his way, and in the course of his outstanding week, dropped his GAA from the mid threes to 2.79, and raised his save percentage from the high .800s to .911. The Green Bay native has credit for the last two shutouts in Swamp Rabbits history, with a 49-save clean sheet against the Gladiators to end last season and a 31-save shutout on Saturday night at home.
RABBIT TAILS
- The Swamp Rabbits will get no rest this week, with four games ahead. They already lead the league in games played, tied with Newfoundland at 23, and on average, two more games played than their competition. They will see a bit of a break on the horizon with the holiday break at the end of the month, and a light schedule at the beginning of January.
- Brendan Harms was acquired by the Swamp Rabbits from Utah earlier in the week and was immediately reunited with his teammate Michael Pelech on a line. It paid off right away. Harms collected a goal and an assist in his Greenville debut Friday and added a gorgeous primary assist on Pelech’s game-winning goal on Saturday.
- The Swamp Rabbits are no strangers to overtime. Friday’s OT win was Greenville’s sixth overtime game, tied for the fourth-most appearances in the extra session. The team has won three of those six games.
- The Swamp Rabbits have showcased some of the league’s top talent. Michael Pelech remains tied for 7th in league scoring with 22 points, and Austen Brassard and Johno May are tied for 10th with 19 points. Among rookies, May is tied for 2nd in goals with 10 and 3rd in points with 19. Trevor Owens has made his mark in defensive scoring, with his 12 points ranking tied for 7th.
UPCOMING GAMES
- Tuesday, December 4 | @ South Carolina Stingrays | 7:05 p.m.
- Friday, December 7 | @ Florida Everblades | 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, December 8 | @ Florida Everblades | 7:00 p.m.
- Sunday, December 9 | @ Orlando Solar Bears | 1:30 p.m.
SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS
- Jacksonville Icemen (13-7-1-0) – 27 pts
- Norfolk Admirals (12-7-1-1) – 26 pts
- Florida Everblades (11-5-4-0) – 26 pts
- South Carolina Stingrays (11-10-0-0) – 22 pts
- Orlando Solar Bears (10-8-2-0) – 22 pts
- Greenville Swamp Rabbits (8-12-3-0) – 19 pts
- Atlanta Gladiators (5-10-3-0) – 13 pts
*standings as of 10:00 a.m. on December 3, 2018
