ATLANTA WINS LATE DESPITE STRONG POWER PLAY
Marcinkevics scores with 1:54 left; power play goes 2/3 to end road swing 3-4-0-0
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(DULUTH, Ga.) – Dominiks Marcinkevics potted his own rebound with 1:54 left in regulation, lifting the Atlanta Gladiators to a 4-2 win while erasing a 2/3 power play performance of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Thursday night. The Swamp Rabbits end their seven-game road swing with a 3-4-0-0 record heading into three games at home this weekend.
Bryce Brodzinski and the Swamp Rabbits red-hot power play opened up the scoring entries, providing the only goal of the first 20 minutes. With 9:07 to go in the first, Brodzinski buried a cross-ice feed from John Parker-Jones from the right side past Gladiators goalie Drew DeRidder, capitalizing just 19 seconds into the man-advantage to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead (Parker-Jones and Quinn Olson assisted). Swamp Rabbits net-minder Dryden McKay was busy at first, stopping all 14 shots he saw.
The Gladiators countered to tie the game, but the Swamp Rabbits power play didn’t let up in returning fire to retake the lead heading into the break. Connor Galloway evened the score at 3:35 of the second, firing a shot down the middle that McKay denied. The denial provided a rebound to Galloway, who buried it to square the game at 1-1 (Jeremy Hanzel and Chad Nychuk assisted). Over five minutes later, the Swamp Rabbits returned to the power play once again had Brodzinski to save the day. With 8:37 played in the second, Brodzinski potted a rebound off of a net-front chance from John Parker-Jones, linking once again while man-up to put the Swamp Rabbits back in the driver’s seat with a 2-1 lead (Parker-Jones and Stuart Rolofs assisted).
Atlanta eventually found life in the latter half of the third and ultimately rode it to the win. With 7:48 left in the game, Michael Marchesan fled down the left side of neutral ice, gained the blue line, and zipped a wrist shot past McKay under his far-side glove, tying the game at 2-2 (Anthony Firriolo had the lone assist). Dominiks Marcinkevics gave Atlanta their only lead of the game with 1:54 remaining in regulation when he took the puck from the right corner by himself and powered to the slot. His initial shot was negated, but he pushed his rebound past McKay to give the Gladiators a 3-2 advantage. Dylan Carabia sealed the game with an empty net tally with 46.3 seconds remaining, ending with a 4-2 Atlanta win.
Dryden McKay turned aside 33 of 36 shots in the defeat (11-17-3-1). McKay has started four in a row for the Swamp Rabbits and also got the start in six of the last seven road games in this stretch since January 29th at Cincinnati.
The Swamp Rabbits return home for a “three-in-three,” beginning with Saturday night against the Savannah Ghost Pirates. Puck drop on February 15th is slated for 7:05 p.m. EST at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Saturday’s game is “Stick It To Cancer Night,” presented by Bon Secours, a night that recognizes those who have fought and those fighting this insidious disease. Specialty lavender jerseys will be worn and auctioned off postgame, with proceeds benefitting the Bon Secours St. Francis Foundation.
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SWAMP RABBITS FALL IN FINALE DESPITE 33 SAVES FROM McKAY
Rally falls short in penalty-filled affair
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(ESTERO, Fla.) – Bryce Brodzinski brought the Greenville Swamp Rabbits back within one on a power play goal in the middle of the third period, but the Florida Everblades hung on thanks to two goals from Carson Gicewicz to claim a 3-2 win on Saturday night. The loss puts the Swamp Rabbits at 3-3-0-0 with one game remaining on their seven-game swing.
The Swamp Rabbits got on the board first for a fourth straight game, and from their hottest hand, but were countered late amid special teams to send both into the dressing room knotted at a goal apiece. With 5:57 left in the first, Carter Savoie trailed a transition sequence started by Tate Singleton and took a pass from Casey Dornbach entering the zone. Savoie rifled a laser over the shoulder of Everblades goalie Cam Johnson to score for a fourth straight game and start the scoring entries for a fourth game out of six in this road trip, giving the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead. However, with the Swamp Rabbits on their first power play, the Everblades counterpunched and tied the game. With 80 seconds remaining, Craig Needham tipped the puck in an open area and sent Carson Gicewicz up the ice, uncontested, from his blue line and in. Gicewicz outlasted Swamp Rabbits net-minder Dryden McKay to even the game at 1-1.
The second period featured many penalties, primarily aimed at the Swamp Rabbits, resulting in Florida jumping ahead. While on a Swamp Rabbits penalty kill, Tyson Fawcett drew a penalty shot at 8:12 of the second but missed his attempt wide. Shortly after, Tate Singleton was assessed “five and a game” for cross-checking, putting the Everblades on a two-man advantage for 93 seconds and a major power play for an additional 3:27 after. The Swamp Rabbits got out of the two-man disadvantage unscathed. Still, Kyle Betts deflected a Recce Newkirk shot from the backdoor behind McKay to give the Everblades their first lead of the game, 2-1, with 8:07 left in the second (Newkirk and Anton Malmström assisted).
Florida got some breathing room early in the third, with Gicewicz adding a second to his tally. With 4:16 played, Oliver Chau fired a close-range shot on McKay that trickled behind, with Gicewicz poking the puck just over the line to push Florida’s advantage to 3-1 (Chau had the lone assist). Moments later, the Swamp Rabbits began to strike back and got a power play goal to close the gap. With 12:45 left in the game, Bryce Brodzinski collected a Parker Berge pass on the right side and went towards a traffic build-up to the Florida net. He fired a shot far blocker past a screened Johnson, bringing the team within striking distance down 3-2 (Berge and Carter Savoie assisted). McKay was pulled from his net for an extra attacker within the final 90 seconds of the game, but the Swamp Rabbits couldn’t muster a tying strike and fell 3-2 in the series finale.
Dryden McKay stopped 33 of 36 shots hurled on his net in suffering the defeat (11-16-3-1).
The Swamp Rabbits conclude their seven-game road swing on Thursday, February 13th, against the Atlanta Gladiators before transitioning to a “three-in-three” at home. The puck drop for the road finale is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST at Gas South Arena.
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LATE GOAL DOOMS SWAMP RABBITS, FORCES RUBBER MATCH TOMORROW
Lansdell nets goal with 3:11 to play; Swamp Rabbits conclude two-week trip tomorrow
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(ESTERO, Fla.) – John Parker-Jones notched a goal and a fight, and Carter Savoie blasted a power play goal for the Swamp Rabbits, but the Florida Everblades got a late goal from Jesse Lansdell to take a back-and-forth affair by a 4-2 score on Friday night. The loss ends the Swamp Rabbits’ win streak at three games, putting them into the finale of their two weeks away from home at a 3-2-0-0 mark.
The Swamp Rabbits opened the scoring in two games in a row in Florida and three overall. They led after 20 minutes, but not until after John Parker-Jones and Sean Allen duked it out at center ice eight seconds into the contest, setting the tone for another slugfest. The lone goal was credited to Carter Savoie, who, while on his team’s first power play, rifled a blast from inside the blue line shortly after a faceoff win, sending a pass from Bryce Brodzinski over the shoulder of Everblades goalie Cam Johnson to put the Swamp Rabbits up 1-0 at 10:41 of the first frame (Brodzinski and Parker Berge assisted). Swamp Rabbits net-minder Dryden McKay stopped all nine shots he saw to keep Florida off the board for a fourth straight period.
Unfortunately, McKay’s goalless streak against the Everblades ended 61 seconds into the second when a turnover into the corner came to Oliver Chau. The Everblades Captain maneuvered towards the net, faked a net-front pass, and slipped a backhand shot past McKay to square the game at 1-1 (Carson Gicewicz assisted). Not too long after, John Parker-Jones put the Swamp Rabbits back in the driver’s seat with Not too long after, John Parker-Jones put the Swamp Rabbits back in the driver’s seat with a cruise missile from inside the blue line that blistered over Johnson’s shoulder, giving the Swamp Rabbits a 2-1 lead at 3:23 of the second (Mikael Robidoux had the lone assist). The lead didn’t last into the midway point of the second, as the Everblades cashed in almost immediately on their second power play. At 7:57, just five seconds into the advantage, Alex Kile blasted a shot kicked away by McKay, but the rebound was pocketed by Colton Hargrove, tying the game at 2-2 (Kile and Cole Moberg assisted).
The game was a dogfight in the third period, with both teams trading chances, including the Swamp Rabbits with two shorthanded breaks and a net-front scramble. Ultimately, Florida got the needed go-ahead strike, with Jesse Lansdell throwing a puck with a backhand off a defender that arced over McKay and in to put Florida in the lead at 3-2 with 3:11 to play (Carson Gicewicz had the lone assist). With McKay on the bench for an extra attacker, the Swamp Rabbits tried to tie the game, but Oliver Chau found the empty net for his second of the game, putting away a 4-2 Everblades win.
Dryden McKay stopped 21 of 24 shots in the defeat (11-15-3-1).
The Swamp Rabbits conclude their three-game series against the Florida Everblades with a rubber match tomorrow, Saturday, February 8th. The puck drop is slated for 7:30 p.m. EST at Hertz Arena.
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McKAY SHUTS OUT FLORIDA IN 3-0 WIN
Net-minder negates 38 shots on net, including 17 in the opening frame for the second clean sheet of season.
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(ESTERO, Fla.)—Bryce Brodzinski and Carter Savoie gave the Greenville Swamp Rabbits a 2-0 lead in the first 10:30 of the game. Dryden McKay took over from there, turning aside 38 shots on net to shutout the Florida Everblades 3-0 on Wednesday night. The win gives the Swamp Rabbits three straight and marks their fourth shutout of the season, their first away from home.
The Swamp Rabbits once again utilized quick strike scoring in the game’s opening moments to build an initial 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission. Just 2:36 into the contest, Bryce Brodzinski got the party started when a puck was dumped in by the Swamp Rabbits, bouncing off of defenders before it came to Brodzinski’s tape. He didn’t hesitate and rifled a shot over the shoulder of Everblades goalie Will Cranley to put the Swamp Rabbits up 1-0 (Mikael Robidoux had the lone assist). Carter Savoie doubled the lead over halfway through the period, finishing a brilliant pass from Casey Dornbach under the arm of Cranley and in, making it a 2-0 Swamp Rabbits lead with 9:30 left (Dornbach and Max Coyle assisted). Swamp Rabbits net-minder Dryden McKay weathered through a storm of 17 shots from Florida. The score remained unchanged after the second 20-minute stanza, with McKay standing out again. He deflected away another 14 shots on net, totaling 31 saves through 40 minutes of action.
McKay stood tall, negated an additional seven shots in the final 20 minutes, and earned some support from Parker Berge. With Cranley on the bench in exchange for an extra attacker for the Everblades, Berge fired a long-range shot from behind his goal line and into the empty net with 2:09 remaining in regulation, sealing the game at 3-0 for the Swamp Rabbits.
Dryden McKay earned his second shutout of the season, turning aside all 38 shots he saw in the win (11-14-3-1). The shutout win is the fourth one for the Swamp Rabbits this season and first on the road.
The Swamp Rabbits continue their three-game series against the Florida Everblades on Friday, February 7th. Puck drop is slated for 7:30 p.m. EST at Hertz Arena.
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TATE SINGLETON NAMED INGLASCO ECHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The second-year forward notched 8 points in 3 games, including back-to-back hat tricks
(SHREWSBURY, N.J.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced in tandem with the ECHL that Tate Singleton has been named the Inglasco ECHL Player of the Week for January 27th to February 2nd.
Singleton scored six goals and added two assists for eight points in three games last week, leading all ECHL skaters in both goals and points.
The 26-year-old dished out an assist in a 4-1 loss at Cincinnati on Wednesday, notched a hat trick in a 4-3 win at Indy on Friday, and recorded his second consecutive hat trick while adding an assist in a 5-2 victory over the Fuel on Saturday. He is the first player in the Swamp Rabbit’s 15-year history to tally a hat trick in back-to-back games.
Singleton has the chance to become the fifth player in ECHL history with hat tricks in three consecutive games and the first since Steve Gibson of Wheeling in 1997 on March 16th, 18th, and 21st. Since Gibson, 15 players, including Singleton, have notched hat tricks in back-to-back games in the ECHL.
Under contract to Ontario of the American Hockey League, Singleton has 27 points (13g-14a) in 30 games with the Swamp Rabbits and has also skated in six games with the Reign.
A native of West Lebanon, New Hampshire, Singleton has posted 75 points (38g-37a) in 89 career ECHL games with Greenville and Newfoundland while adding six points (1g-5a) in 18 career AHL games with Ontario and Toronto.
Before turning pro, Singleton tallied 70 points (33g-37a) in 140 career collegiate games at Ohio State University and 37 points (22g-15a) in 53 career games with Central Illinois of the United States Hockey League.
On behalf of Tate Singleton, a case of pucks will be donated to a Greenville youth hockey organization by Inglasco, the exclusive puck supplier of the ECHL. Since beginning its award sponsorship in 2000-01, Inglasco has donated over 51,000 pucks to youth hockey organizations in ECHL cities.
The Swamp Rabbits now square off against the Florida Everblades for three games this week, beginning with Wednesday, February 5th. The puck drop is slated for 7:30 p.m. EST at Hertz Arena.
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SINGLETON’S HAT TRICK POWER SWAMP RABBITS TO WIN
Second-year forward scores first hat trick of season; losing streak ends at four with first win on road trip
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(FISHERS, Ind.) – Tate Singleton ignited the goal lamp three times as part of a four-goal scoring run for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, who staved off an Indy Fuel comeback late to secure a 4-3 win on Friday night. The win was the first of the seven-game road trip, tonight being the second contest.
Indy started the game with the first goal but was answered by a pair of Swamp Rabbits strikes before the break. At 8:43 of the first, with the Swamp Rabbits on their first power play, Bryan Lemos went down the ice on a short-handed odd-man chance. Lemos elected to shoot and fired a wrister past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Dryden McKay to give the Fuel a 1-0 lead (Chris Cameron had the lone assist). Under three minutes later, Tate Singleton struck for his first of two on the game to square it up. With 8:21 left in the first, Austin Saint’s forecheck worked the puck up the wall to Ben Poisson, who gloved the puck down and worked it into an open area to Singleton, finishing with a five-hole tuck from inside the hash marks on Indy goaltender Ben Gaudreau, tying it up at 1-1. Exactly 3:06 later, Mikael Robidoux sprung Colton Young on a break with a cross-ice “Hail Mary” into the left side of the neutral zone. Young broke the blue line and rifled a shot past Gaudreau’s glove to give the Swamp Rabbits a 2-1 lead with 5:15 left in the first.
Singleton added to his big night in the final moments of the second period to give the Swamp Rabbits some distance on the board. With 3:25 left in the second, Casey Dornbach worked the puck to the blue line for John Parker-Jones, who uncorked a shot through traffic on the net. Gaudreau made the stop, but Singleton pocketed the rebound to put the Swamp Rabbits up 3-1.
Not done with two strikes, Singleton completed his hat trick at the start of the third before the Fuel tried to mount a comeback. At 3:54 of the third, Singleton broke up the ice on an odd-man break with Carter Savoie feeding him the puck. Singleton finished with a laser from the left by Gaudreau’s glove to expand the lead to 4-1 and trigger a shower of hats from fans back in Greenville. Indy didn’t go away quietly, starting their comeback around the midway point of the frame. With 8:22 gone by, Cam Hausinger broke into the Swamp Rabbits zone in transition and threw a puck on net, stopped by McKay. The puck trickled under his arm and behind him in the crease, leading to Hausinger diving to poke the puck in and cut the deficit to 4-2 (Nathan Burke and Lucas Brenton assisted). Exactly 4:10 later, Kevin Lombardi cashed in on Indy’s first power play of the game when a Colin Bilek one-timer produced a rebound that he swatted into the Swamp Rabbits’ net, bringing the Swamp Rabbits lead down to 4-3 with 7:28 left in regulation (Bilek and Bryan Lemos assisted). The Swamp Rabbits managed to weather the storm of Indy’s rally late and claimed a 4-3 win, their first of the seven-game road trip through two contests.
Dryden McKay stopped 26 of 29 shots on net, securing double-digit wins in a season for a second time in his three professional campaigns (10-4-3-1).
The Swamp Rabbits continue their three-week, seven-game road trip in a rematch with the Indy Fuel tomorrow night. Puck drop for the showdown of two at Fishers Event Center is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, February 1st.
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ROAD TRIP STARTS WITH DEFEAT AT CINCINNATI
Savoie scores 73 seconds in, but the Cyclones bury four unanswered.
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(CINCINNATI, Ohio) – Carter Savoie hit paydirt in the first two minutes to give the Greenville Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead, but the Cincinnati Cyclones, led by the two-point nights of Mathieu Gosselin and Marko Sickic, scored four unanswered goals to claim a 4-1 win on Wednesday night. The game began a seven-game road trip for the Swamp Rabbits over the next three weeks.
Both teams left the opening frame deadlocked at 1-1. Carter Savoie wasted no time getting the Swamp Rabbits on the board, scoring 73 seconds in on a turnover created inside the attacking blue line by Tate Singleton. Singleton found Savoie on the right and rifled a shot past Cincinnati goalie Pavel Cajan to put Greenville up 1-0. Moments later, the Cyclones used their transition game to spark the offense, tying it at 4:02 when Mathieu Gosselin broke through in the Swamp Rabbits zone on the left. Eventually, Marko Sickic was open on the backdoor, tapping in a Ryan McCleary pass behind Swamp Rabbits net-minder Dryden McKay to square the game at 1-1.
The Swamp Rabbits dominated most of the second frame but eventually found a go-ahead strike. With 4:13 left in the second, Josh Burnside took the puck from in front of the bench area and broke in-zone on a two-on-one with Lincoln Griffin. Burnside found Griffin for a shot that carried off McKay and in, putting Cincinnati in the driver’s seat with a 2-1 lead (Burnside and Tristan Ashbrook assisted).
The Cyclones added more insurance and eventually pulled away in the third, returning to transition to generate their offense. Just 3:21 into the final period, Sickic saw Gosselin streaking into the Swamp Rabbits zone on the left side quickly. Gosselin rifled a shot that fluttered off the glove of McKay and in, doubling the Cincinnati advantage to 3-1. Remy Parker added insurance with the empty net tally with 29 seconds remaining to bring the game to its final of 4-1 for the Cyclones.
Dryden McKay turned aside 30 of 33 shots on net in suffering the defeat (9-14-3-1).
The Swamp Rabbits continue their three-week, seven-game road trip, heading out to take on the Indy Fuel this weekend. Puck drop for the first of two at Fishers Event Center is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST on Friday, January 31st.
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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