BY: Mark Shelley, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
GREENVILLE, SC – Another solid performance in goal for Evan Fitzpatrick, paired with two goals off the stick of Nikita Pavlychev, helped to lift the Greenville Swamp Rabbits over the Norfolk Admirals, 4-2 on Wednesday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
The Swamp Rabbits found themselves with an early power-play opportunity as Sam Thibault headed to the box at the 1:13 mark of the first period. Just seven seconds later, Alec Rauhauser scored a power-play goal to give the Rabbits a 1-0 lead 1:20 into the first. However, the first-period scoring would not stop there, as Nikita Pavlychev buried his 12th of the season from the faceoff dot at the 15:29 mark, creating the 2-0 lead which the Rabbits carried into the second period.
The Rabbits’ lead was cut in half during the second period thanks to a goal off the stick of Christian Hausinger at the 11:39 mark. Despite ample scoring chances for both teams, the goaltenders did their jobs, stopping a combined 16/17 shots in the period.
Pavlychev added his second goal of the game 3:39 into the third period, eventually becoming the game-winner. Norfolk showed signs of life, as Noah Corson scored a power-play goal at 14:59. However, the Admirals’ efforts fell short, as Ben Freeman broke free from the defense to score an empty-net goal with just 0:07 left in the game to secure the 4-2 Swamp Rabbits victory.
With the win, the Swamp Rabbits improve to 21-23-4-3 while the Admirals fall to 18-30-2-3. The Rabbits travel to North Charleston to take on the South Carolina Stingrays on Friday night before heading to Jacksonville to finish the weekend against the Icemen.
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
ABOUT US
Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team has been providing 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. Additionally, Greenville is a member of the ECHL, Premier ‘AA’ Hockey.
