By: Mark Shelley, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
GREENVILLE, SC – A four-goal second period was too much for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to overcome, as they fell 5-4 to the Jacksonville Icemen in Game 5 of the South Division Semifinals on Saturday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
GAME SHEET: Click Here
Greenville started the game with the opening goal of the game just 4:03 into the first period, as Miles Gendron fed the puck to Nikita Pavlychev, who scored his second of the series. At 8:33, Ben Freeman shot the puck from the wing and beat Jacksonville’s Charles Williams for the 2-0 lead. Williams would leave the game after allowing two goals on six shots and was replaced with Olof Lindbom. Jacksonville stopped the Swamp Rabbits’ momentum with a Luke Lynch goal at 15:14.
In the second, Craig Martin scored on a breakaway, tying the game for Jacksonville at 4:34. At 6:49, Jacksonville captured the lead as Ara Nazarian scored before Matt Iacopelli scored 60 seconds later to extend the Jacksonville lead. Finally, Brandon Fortunato scored a goal at 17:59 to give Jacksonville the 5-2 advantage.
Greenville’s offense responded in the third period, as Freeman sniped his second of the game into the Jacksonville net at 9:39. The Swamp Rabbits pulled within a goal as Carter Souch scored at 12:57. Despite a late 6-on-5 scenario, the Swamp Rabbits failed to find the tying goal at the final horn.
Greenville’s loss sees the Swamp Rabbits fall behind in the best-of-seven, South Division Semifinal 3-2 to the Icemen.
The Swamp Rabbits and the Icemen meet again at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville on Tuesday, May 2, for a 7 p.m. meeting in Game 6.
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. Additionally, Greenville is a member of the ECHL Premier AA Hockey League.
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