Young wins it in OT, Pavlychev gets 100 as a Swamp Rabbit, and Bednard shines in a goalie duel
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Colton Young fired the overtime winner 1:57 into overtime, and Nikita Pavlychev notched his 100th point with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits with the primary assist, capping off an intense midseason goaltending duel that finished as a 2-1 win over the Orlando Solar Bears on Friday night from Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The win pushes Greenville to 25-10-1-0 through 36 games, the best midseason record in Head Coach Andrew Lord’s four seasons in Greenville.
Both teams skated to a scoreless deadlock after 20 minutes of play, with Brandon Halverson turning aside all 18 Swamp Rabbits shots he faced defending the Solar Bears net. Ryan Bednard, 2024 ECHL All-Star net-minder for Greenville, staved off the 10 shots provided by Orlando.
The Swamp Rabbits opened the game’s scoring halfway through the second period, solving the goaltending battle for the time being. At 7:35, Brannon McManus finished serving the front end of a Nikita Pavlychev double-minor for roughing, shot out of the penalty box, and tracked the puck deep in the Solar Bears zone. McManus found Jake Smith right between the hash marks, and the latter buried his shot past Halverson to put the Swamp Rabbits ahead 1-0 (McManus had the lone assist).
Early in the final period, Alexandre Fortin squared the game up on a break into the Swamp Rabbits third. With 2:16 played in the third, Fortin snuck in close to Bednard, who denied him on his initial chance. Exposed and outstretched, Fortin squeaked the puck past him to tie the game at 1-1 (Jesse Jacques had the lone assist). Unable to find a winner, both teams went to overtime, the Swamp Rabbits’ second bout past 60 minutes in the last week.
It took less than two minutes to produce a winner, and the Swamp Rabbits claimed the second point for the second time in as many overtime games. At 1:57 of overtime, Nikita Pavlychev came through neutral ice in transition with Colton Young to his left. Pavlychev deferred to Young, who rifled the OT-winner past Halverson to win the game for the Swamp Rabbits, 2-1 (Pavlychev and Max Coyle assisted)
Ryan Bednard stopped all but one of the 31 shots faced in earning the win between the pipes (11-8-0-0). With an assist on Young’s overtime strike, Pavlychev notched his 100th point as a member of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, comprised of 47 goals and 53 assists over 96 games.
The Swamp Rabbits now travel down the coast to battle the Jacksonville Icemen tomorrow night, their final game before the All-Star Break. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
About the Greenville Swamp Rabbits …
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 the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s LA Kings and the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Greenville is an ECHL Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League member.
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