Four games ahead as South Division race tightens
BY: Jordan Kuhn, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
GREENVILLE, SC – This week, a gamut of South Division matchups face the Greenville Swamp Rabbits the rest of the way. Just six of the final 19 games of the regular season are against non-South Division foes (Worcester, Indy, Cincinnati). Essentially, Greenville’s playoff destiny is in its own hands.
Friday night saw the Swamp Rabbits take on the Jacksonville Icemen for the first time since November 27. A revamped Jacksonville club made life difficult for Greenville on the road. The Icemen jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the third period, and at one point, led 3-1 on a controversial goal that stood due to a goaltender interference review.
Kamerin Nault, Cédric Lacroix, and Liam Pecararo all scored for the Swamp Rabbits, all in the third period, to bring the game to a tie, and send the game to a 3-on-3 overtime session. However, an untimely penalty led to a power play in overtime for Jacksonville, and Chase Lang scored at the 1:37 mark of the extra session to give the Icemen the 4-3 win.
A quick turnaround saw the Swamp Rabbits in Charleston to take on the South Division’s top team, the South Carolina Stingrays. The two teams had previously played to a very even season series, and the Swamp Rabbits jumped on them right off the bat.
Cameron Heath and Mason Baptista scored in the first period against the league’s best goaltender, Parker Milner, and the Swamp Rabbits led until the 15:10 mark of the third period. South Carolina tied it, but Lacroix added intrigue with his second goal of the weekend with just a minute and a half to go. However, the Rays broke the Swamp Rabbits’ hearts.
Tom Parisi scored in the final minute, and Eddie Wittchow scored at the 2:19 mark of overtime, and the Swamp Rabbits fell in consecutive overtime games over the weekend, both by 4-3 scores.
2/14 at Jacksonville Icemen – OTL 4-3
2/15 at South Carolina Stingrays – OTL 4-3
UPCOMING GAMES
Greenville Swamp Rabbits at South Carolina Stingrays
Tuesday, February 18 – 7:05 p.m.
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Greenville Swamp Rabbits vs Worcester Railers
-MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT, PRESENTED BY FLUOR GOLF FOR GREENVILLE-
Friday, February 21 – 7:05 p.m.
Tickets — Listen — Watch
Greenville Swamp Rabbits vs Worcester Railers
-NICKELODEON NIGHT + PUCKS N PAWS, SPONSORED BY EARTH FM-
Saturday, February 22 – 7:35 p.m.
Tickets — Family 4 Pack — Listen — Watch
Greenville Swamp Rabbits at Atlanta Gladiators
Sunday, February 23 – 2:05 p.m.
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Cédric Lacroix – 2 GP | 2 G – 1 A – 3 P
Lacroix is riding a three-game point streak and continued his tear with a strong weekend for the Swamp Rabbits. He posted a huge power play goal on Friday night to pull Greenville within one (and eventually helped the team reach overtime), and Lacroix gave Greenville a late lead (and helped them reach overtime again) to pick up two out of a possible four points on the weekend.
RABBIT TAILS
- Greenville’s offense continues to chug along, with a 3.32 goals-per-game mark that ranks tenth in the league.
- Michael Pelech‘s chase for history continues. He remains eighth in all-time Greenville hockey scoring (108 points), just four points behind Sean Berkstresser (112 points). He also ranks seventh in all-time assists (78), just seven behind Brandon Wong (85).
- Two more points for rookie sensation Liam Pecararo kept him among the top rookie scorers in the league (T-6th, 35 points), and has played significantly fewer games than his competitors.
SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS
- South Carolina Stingrays (38-10-4) – 80 pts
- Florida Everblades (35-12-5) – 75 pts
- Orlando Solar Bears (24-21-6) – 54 pts
- Greenville Swamp Rabbits (24-25-4) – 52 pts
- Atlanta Gladiators (21-28-2) – 44 pts
- Jacksonville Icemen (18-24-6) – 42 pts
- Norfolk Admirals (12-33-6) – 30 pts
*standings as of 10:00 a.m. on February 17, 2020
