BY: Matt Trust, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Greenville, SC – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits overcame a 1-0 third period deficit to top the Wheeling Nailers, 2-1, on Saturday night at WesBanco Arena. Ben Finkelstein and Alec Rauhauser scored for the Swamp Rabbits, and John Lethemon stopped 17 of 18 shots for the victory.
After a scoreless opening 40 minutes, Wheeling cashed in on carry-over power play time to begin the third period. The Nailers started the final frame on a 5-on-3 advantage for 45 seconds after Joey Haddad and Matt Bradley were boxed late in the second period. After the initial two-person advantage became a 5-on-4, Joshua Windquist scored for the Nailers at 1:16. On the right-wing, Windquist found room over Lethemon’s shoulder for his eighth goal of the season.
#RABBITSRISING#
At 5:51, Ben Finkelstein evened the score on a bullet from the left-point for his seventh goal of the campaign. Tied 1-1 late in regulation, fellow rookie blueliner Alec Rauhauster registered the eventual game-winner. After receiving a Garrett Thompson feed from the right-wing, Rauhauser snapped a shot past Wheeling goaltender Louis-Philip Guindon at 16:28.
Greenville finished the night leading in shots 46-18. The Rabbits went 0-for-4 on the power play and 5-for-6 on the penalty kill.
The Greenville Swamp Rabbits conclude a back-to-back road set in Wheeling on Sunday, May 16. Puck drop at WesBanco Arena is slated for 4:10 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.
