South Carolina scores three power play goals
BY: Jordan Kuhn, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Greenville Swamp Rabbits scored the opening tally against the South Carolina Stingrays on Tuesday night, but it was the high-powered offense of the home club that scored six unanswered goals en route to a 6-2 triumph over the Swamp Rabbits at the North Charleston Coliseum.
Four of those six goals came in the second period, and three of them came on the power play, in which the Swamp Rabbits took seven infractions on the night.
South Carolina’s second-period performance, for the second straight game, is what eventually sunk the Swamp Rabbits. A scrum at the bench consumed the attention of the Greenville defense, and the Stingrays took advantage at the 7:27 mark of the second period, as Dan DeSalvo scored into an open four-by-six to extend South Carolina’s lead to 3-1. It was the game-winning goal.
After that point, the Swamp Rabbits took back-to-back penalties, leading to a 5-on-3 power play opportunity for the home team. Eddie Wittchow hit the top corner with a wrist shot from the right circle on the front half of the power play, and Mark Cooper converted on the back half to put the stranglehold on at 5-1.
Andrew Cherniwchan added one more ten seconds before the period’s end, another power play tally, to cap the Stingrays’ scoring at 6-1. Jeremy Helvig‘s night came to a close, and Jake Kupsky played out the final 20 minutes.
Greenville struck first in the game for the second consecutive game against South Carolina. In his return from a five-game suspension, Matt Marcinew was re-inserted into the lineup and paid immediate dividends.
Kamerin Nault lifted the puck out to center, and Marcinew flew past the defense and scored five-hole before the net was dislodged from its pegs. Luke Ripley added the secondary assist.
Unfortunately, the celebration only lasted 31 seconds, as Alec Marsh scored at the other end to tie the game. Jordan Klimek added one more to give South Carolina a lead they would never give up.
Greenville’s final goal came on a centering pass by Nault that ricocheted off of a Stingrays’ defender’s skate and into the back of the net. The goal came at the 9:31 mark of the third period.
The Swamp Rabbits’ five-game road trip comes to a close as they come home to host the Worcester Railers for Heroes’ Weekend. Tickets are available at SwampRabbits.com.
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