By: Mark Shelley, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
GREENVILLE, SC – A five-goal second period led the way for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to route the South Carolina Stingrays 7-1 on Friday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in the final regular season game before the Kelly Cup Playoffs.
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Greenville began its final game of the regular season with an offensive onslaught, peppering the South Carolina net with 16 shots. However, the Swamp Rabbits earned the breakthrough at 14:22, as Brett Kemp netted his 23rd of the season for the 1-0 lead.
In the second, the Swamp Rabbits added to their lead, as Kemp fed Ethan Somoza for his 20th of the season and the 2-0 advantage at 10:15. At 11:23, Colton Young scored his first career goal to put Greenville up 3-0. Moments later, at 12:36, Nikita Pavlychev scored his 25th of the season for the 4-0 score line before Kemp scored his second of the game at 13:22. Greenville scored its sixth consecutive goal at 14:07, as Ben Freeman netted his 13 of the campaign.
The third period saw the Stingrays break Luke Richardson’s shutout, as Lawton Courtnall scored at 8:32. Late in the game, Brannon McManus netted his 12th of the season at 19:39 to solidify the 7-1 score line. At the final horn, Richardson stopped 22 of 34 Stingrays shots to earn his second win of the season.
With the win, the Swamp Rabbits finish the 2023 Season presented by Bon Secours to 40-23-8-1 while the Stingrays fall to 44-22-4-1.
The Swamp Rabbits’ win secures the team the third seed in the South Division for the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs, which begin next week. Greenville’s opponent and game dates will be determined based on the finishes of the South Carolina Stingrays and the Jacksonville Icemen.
Swamp Rabbits tickets can be purchased at SwampRabbits.com or the Bon Secours Wellness Arena Box Office.
About the Greenville Swamp Rabbits …
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 the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s LA Kings and the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Greenville is a member of the ECHL Premier AA Hockey League.
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