Swamp Rabbits mount a late comeback, but Rush avoids sweep in the finale
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Ethan Somoza and Josh McKechney hit paydirt late in the third period, but the comeback effort of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits was thwarted, in part by 47 saves from Matt Radomsky, leading to a 5-3 win for the Rapid City Rush on Sunday afternoon. The loss ends a four-game winning streak for the Swamp Rabbits dating back to February 17th.
Both teams skated to a scoreless draw for the opening 20 minutes, the first time in this three-game series. At 5:52 in the second period, the Rush earned their first lead of the set and expanded by multiple goals, beginning with Alex Aleardi. At 4:41, a turnover forced by Jimmy Soper behind the net led to a chance for Aleardi, who from the high slot rifled a shot past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Ryan Bednard to give the Rush a 1-0 lead (Soper had the lone assist).
Exactly 2:05 later, Brett Gravelle swooped in transition over the Swamp Rabbits’ blue line and, from the right side, unloaded a laser past Bednard’s blocker far post to double the Rush lead at 6:46 (Logan Nelson and Blake Bennett assisted). Finishing the scoring run was Simon Boyko, who at 10:33 completed a two-on-one rush with Keanu Yamamoto, finishing past Bednard to make it a 3-0 hockey game (Yamamoto and Zack Hoffman assisted).
In the final two minutes, Brannon McManus ended the run and got the Swamp Rabbits on the board, threading a shot from the right wall through traffic and past Rush goaltender Matt Radomsky to bring the game to 3-1 entering the final frame (Jake Stevens had the lone assist).
Keanu Yamamoto picked up where the Rush left off and struck early in the final period to continue establishing breathing room. Just 75 seconds into the last period of the series, Yamamoto crept into the Swamp Rabbits zone and rifled a shot from the left side that beat Bednard up high, vaulting the Rush to a 4-1 lead (Alex Aleardi and Zack Hoffman assisted). The goal prompted a change in net, with Bednard coming out for Jacob Ingham for the remainder of the game.
Trying to start a rally, Ethan Somoza buried a power play goal in a chaotic net-front exchange, settling a loose puck out of a congregation in the crease to cut the deficit to 4-2 with 6:27 gone by in the third (Carter Souch and Brett Kemp assisted).
As the Swamp Rabbits were about to pull Ingham for the extra firepower late, Josh McKechney wrapped around the Rush net, pinballing the puck off of a defender and in to put the Swamp Rabbits in striking distance, trailing 4-3 with 3:41 left in the game (Tanner Eberle and Anthony Beauchamp assisted). Unfortunately for the Swamp Rabbits, Jimmy Soper ended the threat of a comeback with an empty-net goal with 22.5 seconds remaining, giving the Rush a 5-3 win to end an eight-game losing streak and avoid a sweep at the hands of the Swamp Rabbits.
Ryan Bednard, making his first start since February 4th, stopped 11 of 15 shots in 41:15 of his start (16-9-0-0). The loss ended a streak of six consecutive starts with a win dating back to January 12th. Jacob Ingham finished the game, stopping all five shots he saw in 17:20 of relief. He was the only goaltender to play in all three games in the series.
The Swamp Rabbits now head back on the road for the next four games, beginning this Saturday against the Atlanta Gladiators. Puck drop for the first two-game set is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST at Gas South Arena on March 2nd.
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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