Swamp Rabbits get four of six points on Florida swing
BY: Jordan Kuhn, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
GREENVILLE, SC – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits ended a midwest road trip and immediately transitioned into a trip to the Sunshine State for a trio of games. The trip started in Orlando, where Greenville met a tired and beleaguered Solar Bears club and made them pay on Wednesday night.
The Swamp Rabbits jumped all over Orlando with a “four spot” in the opening period with goals from Nathan Perkovich, newcomer Joe Masonius, Liam Pecararo, and Matt Marcinew. While at the end of the day, the Swamp Rabbits and Solar Bears both posted 34 shots, the Swamp Rabbits shot 20.5% on the night with seven goals overall.
Orlando gave Greenville a slight scare with two goals in short order in the middle frame, but Greenville immediately responded with a goal after that from Michael Pelech, and Marcinew tacked on one more in the third period to put the lopsided win away.
Saturday night saw the Swamp Rabbits return to Hertz Arena, the so-called “house of horrors,” and unfortunately, it remained the house of horrors. Greenville scored the opening tally thanks to Brien Diffley and held Florida to just six shots on goal.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. The ‘Blades scored four unanswered goals and outshot the Swamp Rabbits 24-14 the rest of the way. Cody Sol’s power play goal midway through the second period was the go-ahead goal—a lead of which Florida would not relinquish.
Sunday was a quick turnaround for Greenville. An overnight trip from Fort Myers to Jacksonville meant an early wake-up call, and a quick 3:00 puck drop against the Icemen, who remains in the South Division playoff hunt.
Greenville and Jacksonville played a playoff-style, defensive struggle. Dylan MacPherson opened the scoring for the Swamp Rabbits and held that lead for quite a while. Jacksonville tied the game late in the second period, and thanks to a last-second save from Jake Kupsky, forced overtime.
In OT, Pelech scored the game-winning goal at the 4:15 mark to give the Swamp Rabbits four out of a possible six points on the trip.
3/5 at Orlando Solar Bears – W 7-2
3/7 at Florida Everblades – L 4-1
3/8 at Jacksonville Icemen – W 2-1
UPCOMING GAMES
Greenville Swamp Rabbits vs Florida Everblades
* THIRSTY THURSDAY — $3 BEER *
Thursday, March 12 – 7:05 p.m.
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Greenville Swamp Rabbits vs Atlanta Gladiators
* STICK IT TO CANCER NIGHT, PRESENTED BY BON SECOURS INCLUDING JERSEY AUCTION *
Friday, March 13 – 7:00 p.m.
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Greenville Swamp Rabbits vs Atlanta Gladiators
* FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT, SPONSORED BY ROTARY CLUB OF THE REEDY RIVER + POSTER GIVEAWAY AND FREE POSTGAME SKATE *
Sunday, March 15 – 3:00 p.m.
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Michael Pelech – 3 GP | 2 G – 3 A – 5 P
A game-winning goal capped off a strong week for the Swamp Rabbits’ captain. Pelech got the GWG on Sunday and dominated Wednesday’s game against the Orlando Solar Bears with a goal and two assists. He led all Swamp Rabbits scorers with five points in three games.
RABBIT TAILS
- With two goals on Sunday, the Swamp Rabbits crossed the century mark in goals on the road. They are one of ten teams that have scored 100 or more goals on the road in the ECHL.
- Michael Pelech‘s rise up the Greenville leaderboards continues. He is one assist away from tying Brandon Wong for the sixth-most assists in team history. He ranks 11th in most goals in team history, and seventh in points.
- Liam Pecararo continues to put up points at the ECHL level. Even while playing significantly fewer games than his rookie counterparts, he ranks fourth among rookies in goals (23), and seventh in points (44).
- Greenville got plenty of offense from the blue line this past week, including goals from Dylan MacPherson, who ended an 11-game goal drought, Brien Diffley, who scored his first in a Greenville uniform, and Joe Masonius, who notched a multi-point game in his Swamp Rabbits debut.
SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS
- x South Carolina Stingrays (44-13-4) – 92 pts
- x Florida Everblades (43-13-6) – 92 pts
- Greenville Swamp Rabbits (28-30-5) – 63 pts
- Atlanta Gladiators (29-28-4) – 62 pts
- Orlando Solar Bears (26-29-6) – 58 pts
- Jacksonville Icemen (24-29-7) – 55 pts
- Norfolk Admirals (13-38-8) – 34 pts
*standings as of 10:00 a.m. on March 9, 2020
x – clinched playoff spot
