BY: Mark Shelley, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
GREENVILLE, SC – Three second-period goals helped lift the South Carolina Stingrays over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in a 5-1 contest on Saturday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
A scoreless first period saw Swamp Rabbits goaltender, Evan Fitzpatrick, fend off a barrage of shots from the South Carolina offense. However, despite early offensive woes, the Rabbits locked down defensively on all scoring chances for the Stingrays.
Nick Issacson broke the stalemate in a penalty-filled second period with a power-play goal at 5:53, giving the Stingrays a 1-0 lead. Issacson doubled the lead at 10:28 before Greg DiTomasso scored the first of his career, creating a 3-0 game at 13:23. The Swamp Rabbits were shorthanded five times in the second frame, successfully killing four penalties.
South Carolina picked up where they left off in the third, as Derek Gentile scored on a two-on-one break to make it 4-0 at 5:34. However, the Swamp Rabbits would not go down without a fight, as Johnny Coughlin scored his first goal in a Greenville sweater at 6:31, assisted by Liam Pecararo and Brett Kemp. Ryan Dmowski sealed the victory for South Carolina with an empty-net goal at 19:30.
PECARARO
The third-period assist for Pecararo extends his point streak to 18 games, the longest in the ECHL since the 2015-16 season. Pecararo has recorded 30 points (16g, 14A) for Greenville during his streak.
With the loss, the Swamp Rabbits fall to 14-16-4-3 while the Stingrays improve to 15-22-4-0 on the season.
The Swamp Rabbits remain at home for a midweek matchup, as they welcome the Norfolk Admirals to Bon Secours Wellness Arena at 7:05 p.m. on Wednesday.
Swamp Rabbits Single Game Tickets are on sale now! For more information or to secure your seats today, call 864-674-PUCK (7825) or email INFO@SwampRabbits.com
