Flynn snipes home winner in four-goal third; Swamp Rabbits win 10th in a row head-to-head at Atlanta.
(DULITH, Ga.) – Jake Flynn sniped home the game-winner to cap off a four-goal third period for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, who took a home-and-home split with the Atlanta Gladiators in a 3-2 win on Sunday afternoon. The win ends the Swamp Rabbits losing streak at four games and gives the team 10 consecutive wins head-to-head at Gas South Arena dating back to November 14, 2023.
Joey Cipollone opened up scoring for the Gladiators in the game’s opening minutes, and it served as the only goal for most of the game. Just 90 seconds in, a blue line shot got through traffic and was initially denied by Swamp Rabbits net-minder Jacob Ingham, but produced a scrambly rebound that bounced around the crease area. Cipollone located the puck and squeaked it over the line to give Atlanta an early 1-0 lead (Eric Neiley and Cody Sylvester assisted). In net for Atlanta, Drew DeRidder turned aside all seven shots he faced. Both goaltenders traded saves in the middle period, with Ingham turning aside 11 attempts in the second and DeRidder countering another eight from the Swamp Rabbits.
DeRidder’s goal line and the Swamp Rabbits scoreless streak of five periods ended at the midway point of the final frame, starting an explosive exchange of four goals between the division rivals. At 9:01 of the final period, Bobby Russell fired a blue line shot deflected by Austin Saint past DeRidder in the net front, tying the game at 1-1 (Bobby Russell and Tyson Fawcett assisted). Moments later, the Swamp Rabbits went on their second power play and hit pay dirt on a cruise missile from Quinn Olson, blasting home a one-timer set up by Parker Berge to break the tie and give the Swamp Rabbits their first lead of the three-game weekend at 2-1 with 7:55 left in the game (Berge and Tate Singleton assisted). However, the lead lasted 31 seconds and was spoiled when Derek Topatigh followed a transition sequence in a delayed penalty situation and barely jammed the puck past Ingham to even the game at 2-2 (Patriks Marcinkevics assisted). With time winding down, the Swamp Rabbits found a go-ahead strike and didn’t relinquish control for the rest of the game. With 3:04 left in the game, Swamp Rabbits defenseman Jake Flynn wheeled down the right wing over all three lines and unleashed a snipe over the shoulder of DeRidder, vaulting the Swamp Rabbits to a 3-2 lead (John Parker-Jones and Arvid Caderoth assisted). DeRidder was pulled from the Gladiator’s net for an extra attacker, but Ingham stood tall and staved off the odd-man threat, powering the Swamp Rabbits to their 3-2 victory.
Jacob Ingham turned aside 28 of 30 shots in earning the win and rides a four-start streak without a regulation loss dating back to November 9th, before his second AHL call-up (3-1-0-1).
The Swamp Rabbits stay on the road and will battle the Jacksonville Icemen in a one-off showdown on Wednesday, December 11th. Puck drop at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST.
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 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.
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