BY: Matt Trust, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Greenville, SC – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits traded three-goal scoring runs with the Orlando Solar Bears before falling in a 4-3 shootout decision on Tuesday night. Garrett Thompson, Nick Poehling, and Patrick Bajkov all scored for the Rabbits.
Thompson opened the scoring only 3:00 into the contest after burying a perfect backdoor look from veteran forward Jesse Schultz. Later in the frame, Poehling doubled his club’s advantage at 11:37 after cashing in the rebound of a Bryce Reddick shot. Shots after 20 minutes were 14-10 Greenville, with the Swamp Rabbits holding a 2-0 lead.
In the second period, Greenville extended their lead to 3-0 on Bajkov’s 11th goal of the campaign. On the power play, Thompson found a wide-open Bajkov at the right circle who fired a howitzer past Windsor at 2:07.
#RABBITSRISING#
The Solar Bears began mounting their comeback at 8:56 of the second period. Karlis Cukste scored his first ECHL goal on a shot from the left-wing half-boards, followed by Aaron Luchuk’s 14th goal of the season at 11:54. Shots after 40 minutes were 26-22 in favor of Greenville, with the Rabbits leading 3-2.
In the third period, the Solar Bears drew even on a power play goal of their own. Mark Auk moved from the center point towards the left faceoff circle and fired his fifth goal at 3:22.
The game was tied at 3-3 through 60 minutes. It progressed to overtime and eventually a shootout. In Greenville’s fifth shootout of the season, Orlando’s Joseph Garreffa scored the only goal in Round 1 to help his team to a 4-3 win.
The Rabbits and Solar Bears are set to rematch on Thursday night, April 8, at the Amway Center. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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ABOUT US
Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team has provided family-friendly, live entertainment at Bon Secours Wellness Arena since 2010. Formerly the Greenville Road Warriors, the Swamp Rabbits are the highest level professional minor league franchise in South Carolina. The Swamp Rabbits are proud affiliates of the NHL’s Florida Panthers and AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Greenville is a member of the ECHL, Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League. Since the conclusion of the 2019-20 NHL Season, 678 former ECHL players have debuted in the NHL. Nine former Greenville Road Warriors/Swamp Rabbits have later made their NHL debut.
