TRUST: RESILIENT RABBITS FIGHT TO 4-2 ROAD WIN
BY: Matt Trust, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Greenville, SC – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits extended their road winning streak to five consecutive games behind a 4-2 victory against the Jacksonville Icemen on Wednesday night. After surrendering a 2-0 lead in the third period, Greenville responded with two late strikes en route to the victory.
Only 49 seconds into the contest, the Rabbits drew first blood to grab a 1-0 advantage. Patrick Bajkov banked the puck off Icemen goaltender Charles Williams and into the cage from beneath the goal line. Bajkov’s 14th goal of the campaign stood as the first period’s lone mark.
Greenville scored again in the second period’s opening minute to double their margin to 2-0. On the power play, Matt Bradley blasted home his 14th goal of the season from the left circle at 58 seconds. Greenville finished the night 1-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.
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Leading 2-0 in the final period, Jacksonville stormed back with two goals separated by only 80 seconds. First, Derek Lodermeirer redirected a center point blast from Ryker Killins at 4:34 to cut the Icemen deficit in half. Next, Christopher Brown buried the equalizer into an empty net after a turnover behind the Greenville cage.
At 13:56, Samuel Jardine hit paydirt to reclaim Greenville’s lead. On a center point drive, Jardine beat Williams bar-down for his third goal of the campaign and the eventual game-winner. Bajkov hit the empty net with 1:11 remaining to complete the Swamp Rabbits’ dramatic 4-2 victory.
Final shots totaled 24-20 Jacksonville after 60 minutes. The Rabbits completed their four-game series against the Icemen with a 2-1-1-0 record and remain 2nd in the Eastern Conference.
The Greenville Swamp Rabbits return to action on Friday, May 7, to begin a three-game set with the Orlando Solar Bears. Puck drop at the Amway Center 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.
