Swamp Rabbits enter All-Star break in third place
BY: Jordan Kuhn, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
GREENVILLE, SC – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits matched up with the Norfolk Admirals for all three games last week, and asserted their dominance in the season series by taking nine of eleven games, and all three games over the past week to nestle comfortably in third place in the South Division.
Wednesday’s mid-week matchup at the Scope was a wild one. The Swamp Rabbits fell behind 4-2 in the second period, but staged a strong rally to tie the game by the end of the second thanks to goals from Brett Beauvais and Patrick Bajkov, and then after both teams struck in the third period, the game went to overtime.
As the Admirals were changing on the fly in the extra session, the Swamp Rabbits made them pay. Jake Horton laid a dime up the ice for defenseman Dylan MacPherson who strolled in on goal on a breakaway and converted to give the Swamp Rabbits the win.
The momentum carried home for Greenville, who continued to dominate offensively at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The Swamp Rabbits led the Admirals the entire night, and it was Adam Rockwood‘s eventual game-winning goal at the 1:46 mark of the third period that put the game away.
The Admirals, pesky as ever, did not go away, as they scored twice in the closing three minutes of the game, but goaltender Jeremy Helvig and the Greenville defense held on for the two points.
Saturday saw the Swamp Rabbits compete in front of a massive, raucous crowd at the Well. The Swamp Rabbits grabbed control of the game in the second period after a scoreless first. On DC Comics Night, it was all about Jimmy Soper—Soperman, as it were—as he struck twice in the Greenville victory to close out the week with the Admirals.
1/15 at Norfolk Admirals – W 6-5
1/17 vs Norfolk Admirals – W 4-3
1/18 vs Norfolk Admirals – W 4-2
UPCOMING GAMES
Greenville Swamp Rabbits at Atlanta Gladiators
Monday, January 20 – 12:30 p.m.
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Greenville Swamp Rabbits at Florida Everblades
Friday, January 24 – 7:30 p.m.
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Greenville Swamp Rabbits vs Norfolk Admirals
Saturday, January 25 – 12:00 p.m.
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jake Horton – 3 GP | 1 G – 4 A – 5 P
Horton led all Swamp Rabbits scorers in the past week, and was the straw that stirred Greenville’s offensive drink. Since the start of the calendar year, Horton has 4 goals and 4 assists, and has been a sneaky reliable player at both ends of the ice. The jump in his offensive game has given the Swamp Rabbits more success in 2020.
RABBIT TAILS
- Cédric Lacroix makes his return to the Swamp Rabbits after a brief recall to the Charlotte Checkers over the past week. He was re-assigned today.
- Patrick Bajkov moves into a tie for sixth in league goal scoring with 18. He is also tied with teammate Liam Pecararo in that category, who remains up with the Springfield Thunderbirds.
- The Swamp Rabbits’ 20 wins in division now rank second-most behind the South Carolina Stingrays’ 29.
- The team’s second period performances over the past week now give them positive goal differentials in the second (+2) and third periods (+6).
- When leading after two periods of play, the Swamp Rabbits are just one of six undefeated teams in the league (16-0-0).
SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS
- South Carolina Stingrays (30-6-4) – 64 pts
- Florida Everblades (25-11-4) – 54 pts
- Greenville Swamp Rabbits (21-19-2) – 44 pts
- Orlando Solar Bears (16-16-6) – 38 pts
- Atlanta Gladiators (17-21-0) – 34 pts
- Jacksonville Icemen (13-20-4) – 30 pts
- Norfolk Admirals (11-25-5) – 27 pts
*standings as of 10:00 a.m. on January 20, 2020
