Swamp Rabbits hit speed bump ahead of top team in the South Division
BY: Jordan Kuhn, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Greenville, SC – The weekly recap starts with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hitting a bit of a speed bump in the early part of the season, set back by some injuries and call-ups on the blue line. Greenville got back to full strength by the end of the week, but could only scratch out one win in four tries this past week.
The Tulsa Oilers, who had struggled to begin the season, found their offensive touch in two midweek games against the Rabbits. The Oilers struck four times in a five-minute span in the first period and never looked back in an 8-2 win over Greenville.
The Swamp Rabbits came back in force and made it a game in the back half of the road set in Oklahoma. While they surrendered the first goal of the game, and were down 3-1 heading into the third period, Cédric Lacroix posted a goal at the 12:09 mark of the third period to cut the lead to one. Unfortunately, the comeback fell just short.
Brien Diffley returned to the lineup after a stint on IR for an upper-body injury to complete the understaffed defense corps. Up against a desperate Jacksonville Icemen team that could not seem to put it together, the Swamp Rabbits knew they would be up against stiff competition. Jacksonville struck first to open the scoring early in the first period, but that did not deter the offense.
Matt Marcinew‘s four-point night helped the Swamp Rabbits overpower the Icemen, including a shot margin of 45-28, in a win over Jacksonville to stay perfect in the season series.
It was a quick turnaround for the club, as the next afternoon, it was a date with the pesky I-85 rivals, the Atlanta Gladiators. Atlanta forged a 4-1 lead after the first period, in a game that looked like it was over before it even began.
Greenville never wavered. The Swamp Rabbits staged a comeback with three goals in the first 12 and a half minutes of the second period, with goals from Marcinew, Jacob Pritchard and Patrick Bajkov, to tie the game. Samuel Asselin’s pair of goals in the second period gave Atlanta a lead they would never give up, and powered by his hat trick, the Glads picked up the win.
10/30 at Tulsa Oilers – L 8-2
10/31 at Tulsa Oilers – L 3-2
11/2 vs. Jacksonville Icemen – W 5-3
11/3 at Atlanta Gladiators – L 7-6
UPCOMING GAMES
Make A Wish Night + Attack Pack for $48!
Greenville Swamp Rabbits vs. South Carolina Stingrays
Friday, November 8 – 7:05 p.m.
Tickets — Listen — Watch
Hockey Heroes 4 Epilepsy + Post-game Autographs
Greenville Swamp Rabbits at Tulsa Oilers
Saturday, November 9 – 7:05 p.m.
Tickets — Listen — Watch
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Matt Marcinew – 4 GP | 3 G – 3 A – 6 P
It took five games for Matt Marcinew to get on the scoreboard with the Swamp Rabbits, but once he did, he couldn’t stop. His four points helped Greenville pick up its lone win on the week against Jacksonville on Saturday night. He scored a pivotal goal to kickstart Greenville’s comeback attempt on Sunday afternoon, and added an assist in the 7-6 loss.
RABBIT TAILS
- Forward Liam Pecararo is the first player in the ECHL to hit double digits in goals, as he scored his 10th of the season against Jacksonville on Saturday.
- Chad Duchesne hit a milestone this week, as he passed Brandon Wong for the fifth-most games played by a Greenville hockey player. He trails T.J. Reynolds by 22 games for fourth place, who played 210 for the Road Warriors.
- Greenville continues to hold the best home goal differential at +10, and on average, own the third-best offense in the league (4.30 goals for per game).
- The team has been remarkably disciplined as well, as they take the fourth-fewest penalty minutes on average (11.10 per game). The opposition has taken eight more penalty minutes than the Swamp Rabbits (119 vs. 111).
SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS
- South Carolina Stingrays (6-1-0) – 12 pts
- Greenville Swamp Rabbits (5-5-0) – 10 pts
- Florida Everblades (5-3-0) – 10 pts
- Atlanta Gladiators (4-3-0) – 8 pts
- Orlando Solar Bears (2-4-1) – 5 pts
- Norfolk Admirals (2-6-1) – 5 pts
- Jacksonville Icemen (1-4-2) – 4 pts
*Standings as of 10:00 a.m. on November 4, 2019
