Swamp Rabbits notch win #10 with home stretch looming (photo: Gary Bassing)
BY: Jordan Kuhns, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Greenville, SC: In need of closing the gap against their South Division contemporaries, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits picked up key wins against their closest competition but fell short against the South’s top team, the Florida Everblades. All in all, they did close the gap and are right in the thick of the fight for positioning as the team has passed the one-third mark of the season.
The week started with a tussle against the South Carolina Stingrays. Chris Nell continued his strong play in between the pipes for the Swamp Rabbits since his acquisition and put forth a masterpiece. He made 26 saves to steady the ship, including 15 of them in period one alone, and the team got a clutch goal from Dylan Vander Esch with just under five minutes to play in regulation time to stun the Stingrays. It pulled the team within a point of the Solar Bears and the Stingrays, who have gone in opposite directions since that game.
Friday night’s game in Estero was the classic case of throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the opposition and needing to perhaps throw the kitchen sink. The Swamp Rabbits shot 38 pucks at the Florida net, and goaltender Jamie Phillips stopped 36 of them. The only two he could not stop were two of six shots taken by ECHL rookie goal-scoring leader Johno May, who pulled Greenville within a goal late in regulation. Everblades forward Nate Perkovich added his second of the game, an empty-netter, to seal the win for the home club.
Saturday night saw the opportunity to pick up the win, with the Swamp Rabbits hanging tough against a difficult Everblades club. Any time Greenville tied the game or even had a lead, it was immediately erased. Will Merchant‘s goal to give the Swamp Rabbits a 2-1 lead was answered 44 seconds later. Trevor Owens‘ goal that tied the game at three was answered 38 seconds later. Austen Brassard‘s goal that tied the game at four was answered four minutes and 44 seconds later. The Everblades, again, got the game-winner from Perkovich and got the weekend sweep.
It took a gutsy effort on Sunday afternoon in a quick turnaround against an idle and rested Orlando Solar Bears club to get to .500 for the week, and that is exactly what happened. Five points from captain Michael Pelech and three goals in the second period to go from behind 3-2 to ahead 5-3 was enough. May also tallied twice in the game to take the rookie scoring lead with 14 goals. Nell stopped an avalanche of shots his way, 35 of 39, to win his second effort of the week, and four of his last five efforts. The Swamp Rabbits were, if anything, efficient, shooting 28% for the game, and 50% in the first period alone.
12/4 @ South Carolina – W 2-1
12/7 @ Florida – L 4-2
12/8 @ Florida – L 5-4
12/9 @ Orlando – W 7-4
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Thomas Ebbing – 4 GP | 1 G – 5 A – 6 P
The unsung hero of the week was forward Thomas Ebbing, who picked up the fourth-most points in the ECHL this past week with six. Incredibly, all three games he scored points in were multi-point efforts, including assists on both Greenville goals in the win over South Carolina, assists on two of Greenville’s four goals on Saturday, and a decisive tally and an apple against Orlando on Sunday. 60% of Ebbing’s scoring this season was done this past week, and he is a rising stock in the Swamp Rabbits’ lineup moving into a strong stable of opponents this week.
RABBIT TAILS
- To complete the trade with the Reading that sent Joe Houk to the Royals, the Swamp Rabbits acquired defenseman Adam Larkin. Larkin has played in 13 games for the Royals, notching 3 points in the process. He is the cousin of Dylan Larkin, a forward with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings.
- Four goals from Johno May this past week put him past Newfoundland Growlers forwards Brady Ferguson, Giorgio Estephan and Scott Pooley for the ECHL lead in rookie goals, and at the top of the leaderboard in rookie scoring with 25 points. His 14 tallies have him tied for the third-most in the ECHL overall, trailing Kalamazoo’s Justin Taylor, and Utah’s Caleb Herbert.
- Swamp Rabbits forward Travis Howe was called up to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners ahead of the weekend, and immediately did what he does best. In his only game for Tucson, he got into a fight with Ontario Reign forward Boko Imama. Howe got the win and the takedown, as he does often.
- Six of the next eight games for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits will be at home. The Swamp Rabbits are 5-5-2-0 at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena this season. Thursday’s game against the Florida Everblades will be the first home game since Atlanta was in town on December 1.
- Only six teams have not been to a shootout this season. The Greenville Swamp Rabbits join every team in the South Division except the Jacksonville Icemen and the Norfolk Admirals in that category.
UPCOMING GAMES
- Thursday, December 13 | vs. Florida Everblades | 7:00 p.m.
- Friday, December 14 | vs. Florida Everblades | 7:30 p.m. | Teddy Bear Toss Night – Sing for Santa #2
- Saturday, December 15 | @ South Carolina Stingrays | 7:05 p.m.
SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS
- Florida Everblades (14-5-4-0) – 32 pts
- South Carolina Stingrays (14-11-0-0) – 28 pts
- Jacksonville Icemen (13-9-1-0) – 27 pts
- Norfolk Admirals (12-10-1-1) – 26 pts
- Orlando Solar Bears (11-9-2-0) – 24 pts
- Greenville Swamp Rabbits (10-14-3-0) – 23 pts
- Atlanta Gladiators (5-12-4-0) – 14 pts
*standings as of 10:00 a.m. on December 10, 2018
