SWAMP RABBITS ROAD TRIP ENDS IN DEFEAT
Robidoux spoils Vernon’s shutout; team suffers back-to-back losses for first time in two weeks
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) – Mikael Robidoux spoiled the shutout of Matt Vernon with less than two minutes to go in regulation, but the damage was done early by the Jacksonville Icemen, who rode a pair of goals from Chris Grando and a pair of assists from Garrett van Whye to a 4-1 win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Saturday night. With the loss, the Swamp Rabbits drop back-to-back games for the first time since falling in three straight from October 26th to November 8th.
The Icemen jumped out to a 2-0 early lead on two transition sequences, with Brody Crane leading the way first. With just 1:58 in the game, Zach Jordan took a turned-over puck jammed to him by Noah Laaouan in the neutral zone and went into the Swamp Rabbits zone two-on-one with Crane. Jordan deferred to Crane, who fired a shot past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Dryden McKay to put Jacksonville up 1-0. Similarly, at 6:06, Peter Tischke cleared away a Bryce Brodzinski chance on net, spurring Garrett van Whye up the ice with options. Van Whye found Chris Grando, who buried his attempt in transition to double the Icemen’s lead to 2-0. Matt Vernon stopped all five shots he saw for Jacksonville in net.
The Swamp Rabbits came out in the second, which was much more structured, but Grando gave more separation to the Icemen over the game’s midway point. With 7:20 left in the second, Grando found enough leverage to lift the puck in a net-side scramble over McKay’s leg pad, tripling the Icemen lead to 3-0 with his second of the game (Connor Russell and Garret van Whye assisted). Olivier Nadeau added a fourth late with an empty netter with 3:16 left in the game. Still, the Swamp Rabbits got a late marker from Mikael Robidoux, who deflected a Parker Berge shot past Vernon to cut the score to its 4-1 final with 1:38 left (Berge and Ben Poisson assisted, the latter earning his first professional point).
Starting in his eighth straight game, Dryden McKay suffered the defeat while turning aside 25 of 28 shots on net (7-5-1-0).
The Swamp Rabbits now return home for part of a “three-in-three” series, beginning at home on December 6th and 7th against the Orlando Solar Bears and Atlanta Gladiators. Puck drop for both games at Bon Secours Wellness Arena is slated for 7:05 p.m. EST, followed by a 3:00 p.m. EST weekend finale on Sunday, December 8th, at Gas South Arena in another rematch with Atlanta.
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 and 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.
