RALLY FALLS SHORT AGAINST GHOST PIRATES
Swamp Rabbits strike twice in second, but couldn’t muster tying strike late
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Tyson Fawcett scored shorthanded and Kyle Haskins added his first pro goal 85 seconds later in a second-period rally, but it wasn’t enough to overtake the Savannah Ghost Pirates, who rode a 3-0 first-period lead to a 5-2 win on Sunday.
Devon Paliani started the early Ghost Pirates rally with his first of two on the game. With 9:58 to play in the first, the puck was turned over in the Swamp Rabbits’ zone and worked around for a shot on goal started by Kolby Hay, producing a rebound that Paliani potted to give Savannah a 1-0 lead (Pat Guay and Matt Choupani assisted). Just 2:37 later, a neutral zone turnover sprung a Ghost Pirates two-on-one, leading to Rylan Van Unen notching his first pro goal to double the lead to 2-0 with 7:21 left (Kyle Jeffers assisted). Towards the end of the period, the puck was lost in the Swamp Rabbits’ attacking zone, and the Ghost Pirates came up with numbers. Josh Davies scored in transition to make it a 3-0 lead with 1:10 left in the opening frame (Kyle Jeffers assisted).
Hay was removed from the game for Pierce Charleson, playing his fourth game in five nights and third straight. Charleson weathered a second-period storm and got some run support, starting on the first Swamp Rabbits penalty kill. With 8:00 left in the second, the Swamp Rabbits went up on a three-on-one break, with Tate Singleton and Tyson Fawcett leading the charge. Singleton found Fawcett, who uncorked a one-time blast past Ghost Pirates goalie Keith Kinkaid, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Exactly 85 seconds later, Kyle Haskins tucked his first professional goal, powering in transition down the ice past his defender, and squeaked the puck past Kinkaid’s leg to make it 3-2 with 6:35 left in the second (Brent Pedersen and John Parker-Jones assisted).
Charleson continued to weather the storm and kept the Swamp Rabbits in it, but the team was unable to muster a tying strike late. Savannah countered with two empty-net goals from Logan Drevitch and Devon Paliani to end the game 5-2 for the Ghost Pirates.
Kolby Hay suffered the defeat, stopping 11 of 14 shots in the opening frame before being subbed out (1-5-1-0). Pierce Charleson stopped all 25 shots he saw in relief in 39:11 of work.
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SWAMP RABBITS MAKE MULTIPLE SWAPS
Trade and reassignment deadline sees busy days of transactions in the Upstate
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced a plethora of Swamp Rabbit Moving Transactions surrounding the ECHL’s assignment and trade deadlines:
- Goaltender Dryden McKay has been recalled by the Ontario Reign and assigned to the ECHL’s Bloomington Bison. As part of the recall/reassignment, the Swamp Rabbits will receive future considerations at the conclusion of the 2024-25 ECHL Season
- Forwards Bryce Brodzinski and Colton Young have been recalled by the Ontario Reign and reassigned to the Norfolk Admirals. As part of the recall/reassignment, the Swamp Rabbits receive forward Stepan Timofeyev and additional future considerations at the end of the 2024-25 ECHL Season
- The Swamp Rabbits have signed forward Ryan O’Hara to his first professional contract
- The Swamp Rabbits have signed goaltender Mattias Sholl to his first professional contract
- The Swamp Rabbits have acquired Kyle Haskins from the Orlando Solar Bears in exchange for future considerations
Timofeyev joins the Swamp Rabbits in the conclusion of his third ECHL season. This year, the 5’9, 190-pound forward has collected 14 goals, 25 assists, and 39 points in 45 games, currently fourth-best in helpers and third-best in team scoring for the Admirals. On November 16th earlier this season, he registered his 100th career ECHL point, a goal, in a 6-2 defeat against Toledo.
From St. Petersburg, Russia, Timofeyev, 29, amassed 129 points (51g-78ast) in 150 games with the Admirals since his signing in December 2022. Before becoming a full-time ECHLer, he suited up in the SPHL with the Birmingham Bulls, Knoxville Ice Bears, and Macon Mayhem, and in the FPHL with the Elmira Enforcers and Port Huron Prowlers. As a rookie in the 2017-18 campaign with Port Huron, Timofeyev garnered Forward of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors, racking up 13 goals, 23 assists, and 36 points in 29 games. He played junior hockey briefly in the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League, winning the 2016 championship with the Tottenham Steamers and 2017 Team World All-Star honors and North Most Valuable Player accolades while serving as the captain of the Bradford Rattlers.
O’Hara begins his professional career with the Swamp Rabbits following his final NCAA season with Bowling Green State University. The 5’10”, 180-pound forward captained the Falcons in his final campaign and tied his career-high in goalscoring and set new highs in assists and points, culminating in 11 goals, 22 assists, and 33 points in 36 games.
From Oakville, Ontario, O’Hara, 23, earned 36 goals, 53 assists, and 89 points in his 131 games with Bowling Green State. Before going to the NCAA, he played one USHL season with the Waterloo Black Hawks (52gp, 16g-15ast-31pts), and parts of three seasons in the OJHL, primarily spent with his hometown Oakville Blades. With the Blades, he finished just shy of a career point-per-game average (104gp, 101pts), and captured the 2019 OJHL Championship and Dudley Hewitt Cup.
Sholl also signs his first professional contract with the Swamp Rabbits out of the NCAA, coming from Bemidji State University. The 5’11”, 180-pound net-minder concluded his tenure with the Beavers with a 14-17-5 record in 37 games, earning two shutouts to compliment a 2.81 GAA and .897 SV%.
From Hermosa Beach, California, Sholl, 24, put together a lifetime record of 52-51-12 in 117 games, all with Bemidji State, with six shutouts, a 2.58 GAA, and .904 SV%. As a junior in 2023-24, Sholl earned CCHA Goaltender of the Year honors, in addition to CCHA 1st Team All-Star recognition, going 14-8-2 with three shutouts in 24 contests. Prior to going to college, Sholl backstopped the Youngstown Phantoms for one USHL season and the Fairbanks Ice Dogs for two NAHL campaigns, earning 2020 Midwest MVP and Goaltender of the Year honors with the latter as part of a 29-8-3 season in 41 games, supplementing his league standing with three shutouts, a 1.99 GAA, and .924 SV%. He is the brother of former ECHLer Tomas Sholl, who claimed ECHL Goaltender of the Year honors in 2020 as a member of the Idaho Steelheads.
Haskins comes to the Swamp Rabbits from the Orlando Solar Bears in exchange for future considerations. The 5’10”, 180-pound forward made his professional debut on March 14th at Jacksonville, going +1 in a 4-1 win over the Icemen. He’s skated four games with the Solar Bears before coming to the Upstate.
A native of Huntington, Vermont, Haskins, 25, turned professional following his last season in NCAA hockey with Canisius College, smoking his career highs with 11 goals, 12 assists, and 23 points in 37 games. Between three seasons at Michigan State University and his final two with Canisius, Haskins racked up 44 points (16g-28ast) in 129 contests. Before going to college, he notched 43 points (23g-20ast) in 106 games over two USHL campaigns with the Waterloo Black Hawks.
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SWAMP RABBITS FALTER IN 3RD PERIOD AGAINST EVERBLADES
Power play stays hot to tie it in the 2nd, but the Everblades score four unanswered in final 20 minutes
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – John Parker-Jones tied the game in the second period in a tightly contested affair, but Jesse Lansdell started a 4-0 run for the Florida Everblades in the final frame to defeat the Greenville Swamp Rabbits 5-1 on Wednesday night. The loss officially eliminates the Swamp Rabbits from Kelly Cup Playoff contention with 10 games remaining in the season.
Both teams skated to a scoreless frame to open up, with a rare low shooting affair of nine combined shots. Florida had five of them, all negated by Pierce Charleson, while the Swamp Rabbits threw four at Cam Johnson of which he stopped.
There was call and response in the middle frame, with both teams leaving 40 minutes level at 1-1. Carson Gicewicz started the scoring entries off with 6:59 to go in the second after the puck was misfired on a pass during a Swamp Rabbits zone entry. It kicked out into neutral ice where Gicewicz picked it up, broke down the right side, and flipped the puck over Charleson’s glove to give the Everblades a 1-0 lead. Moments later, however, the Swamp Rabbits punched back with their red-hot power play, hitting paydirt for a fourth straight game. Under three minutes later with 4:02 to go, John Parker-Jones fired a sharp angle try from the side of the net that went wide of the goal mouth. It pinballed off of Connor Doherty in the crease and past Johnson, squaring the game at 1-1 (Carter Savoie and Tate Singleton assisted).
The game stayed deadlocked until 7:45 of the third when Florida began a 4-0 run to cruise to the win. With 12:15 left, Jesse Lansdell started the run with a net-front tap-in, slipping a Santino Centorame pass behind Charleson to break the deadlock at 2-1 (Centorame and Colin Theisen assisted). Just 59 seconds later, another misfired pass came right to Gicewicz in the slot area, who walked in uncontested toward Charleson and buried his close range try for his second unassisted strike of the night, expanding the gap to 3-1 with 11:16 to play. Dillon Hamaliuk continued the run with 8:20 to go, sending a Centorame pass from behind the net past Charleson on his short side to balloon the lead to 4-1 (Centroame and Sean Allen assisted). The final tally belonged to Alex Kile, who, while falling, rifled off a one-timer from Lansdell’s pass on the left side of the slot to bring the game to its final score of 5-1 with 5:38 remaining in regulation.
Pierce Charleson, making his second pro start in the last three games, stopped 18 of 23 shots in the loss (0-1-1-0).
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SWAMP RABBITS SWAP GOALIES WITH AHL ONTARIO
McKay returns from the Reign, Ingham goes back
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced today via Swamp Rabbit Moving Transactions that the team and its AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, have swapped goaltenders. Dryden McKay returns to the Upstate, while Jacob Ingham has been called up to the Reign.
McKay returns to the team for the first time since his call-up to the Reign on February 19th. The 6’0”, 185-pound net-minder played in one game during his recall, falling 5-3 to the San Diego Gulls on March 8th, making 32 saves on 36 shots to split his career AHL record at 1-1-1 in three games with Ontario and Toronto. He returns to the Swamp Rabbits with a 12-17-4-2 record through 35 games, registering a pair of shutouts, a 2.93 GAA, and a .910 SV%.
From Downers Grove, Illinois, McKay is 39-37-9-2 with four shutouts over 92 ECHL games in his three-year career. He turned professional following the 2021-22 NCAA season, where he completed one of the most successful careers in collegiate history. As the backstopper of the Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks, McKay 113-20-4 in 140 games, with an all-time NCAA record 34 shutouts, a 1.46 GAA, and a .932 SV%. He was a two-time WCHA Goaltending Champion, three-time All-American, and a three-time finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, becoming the third goaltender in NCAA history to earn college hockey’s highest individual honor while compiling an NCAA single-season record 38 wins. McKay is the son of former NHLer and 1991 Calder Cup Champion Ross McKay.
Ingham heads back to Ontario for the third time this season. The 6’5”, 205-pound net-minder leaves the Swamp Rabbits with a 10-9-0-1 record, two shutouts, a 3.06 GAA, and .916 SV%. Last Friday, he played in his 100th career professional game, and celebrated the milestone with a career-high 50 saves on 51 shots in a 4-1 win against the Kansas City Mavericks.
With the Reign this season, he’s 0-2-0 in a pair of games, and is 6-6-1 in 14 appearances in the AHL lifetime, all with the Reign, along with a 3.34 GAA and .891 SV%. All-time in his ECHL career, entirely spent with the Swamp Rabbits over five seasons, Ingham is 40-32-7 with six shutouts in 87 games.
From Barrie, Ontario, Ingham earned 93 wins in 177 OHL games with the Kitchener Rangers and Mississauga Steelheads, garnering both Second-Team All-Star honors and the Dan Snyder Trophy as the OHL’s Humanitarian of the Year in 2020. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2018 NHL Draft (6th Rd/#175).
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MAVERICKS TAKE THE RUBBER MATCH; HOME POINT STREAK ENDS AT 8
Brodzinski nets two, Swamp Rabbits fall in regulation for first time at home since January 24th
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Bryce Brodzinski struck twice on the power play, but the Greenville Swamp Rabbits fell to the Kansas City Mavericks in their rubber match by a 5-3 score. The Swamp Rabbits fell for the first time in regulation on home ice since January 24th, and finished the series 1-1-1-0 against the #2 team in the Western Conference.
Kansas City scored twice before Brodzinski answered with his first of two to halve the deficit after one. At 9:26, Damien Giroux buried a bullet on the first Kansas City power play, beating Swamp Rabbits net-minder Jacob Ingham on a cross-ice pass from the right to put the Mavericks up 1-0 (Justin MacPherson and Zack Trott assisted). Almost a minute and a half later, there was a delayed penalty against the Mavericks, prompting Ingham to leave the net for an extra attacker prior to the whistle for a Swamp Rabbits power play. A pass to the offensive blue line misfired and went all the way back and into the Swamp Rabbits empty net, doubling their lead to 2-0 with 9:06 to play (Marcus Crawford was credited with the goal). On the final of four first period power plays, Brodzinski received a Jon Parker-Jones pass, delayed, and rifled home a laser that beat Noah West in the Mavericks net under his glove, getting the Swamp Rabbits on the board at 2-1 with 2:16 to play in the first (Parker Jones and Dustin Geregach assisted).
Both teams traded blows in the second, beginning with Kansas City’s third power play of the game. With 8:50 gone by, Drake Burgin netted his first professional goal from the right side, firing a puck that pinballed on its way past Ingham to stretch the lead to 3-1 (Landon McCallum and Marcus Crawford assisted). Austin Saint sparked back for the Swamp Rabbits with 4:15 remaining in the second, powering down the left wall, forcing himself to the net, and burying a tuck past West to close the gap at 3-2 (Brent Pedersen and Tyson Fawcett assisted).
The Mavericks continued to build consistent insurance and eventually pulled out the win. Landon McCallum tucked home his second goal of the weekend, finishing a two-on-one break down the ice with a backdoor tap-in of a Zack Trott pass, expanding the lead to 4-2 with 4:21 played in the third. Brodzinski answered and breathed more life into the Swamp Rabbits with his second of the game, and power play goal on a rocket of a one-timer to slash the deficit to 4-3 with 5:37 to play (Tate Singleton and Carter Savoie assisted). The Mavericks pushed ahead by two one more time when Luke Loheit got just enough of a Chase Brand rebound poked off of Ingham and in, giving Kansas City an eventual 5-3 win.
Jacob Ingham suffered the defeat, stopping 23 of 28 shots (10-9-0-1).
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PARKER BERGE HEADS BACK TO AHL ONTARIO
All-Star defenseman goes to California for second call-up of the season
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced via a Swamp Rabbit Moving Transaction that all-star defenseman Parker Berge has been recalled to the AHL by the team’s affiliate, the Ontario Reign.
Berge heads up to Ontario for the second time this season. The 6’0”, 180-pound blueliner once again leaves the Swamp Rabbits as the team’s leading scoring defenseman, adding a pair of assists in his return to the Upstate to improve his season totals to six goals, 32 assists, and 38 points through 52 games. He made his professional debut on opening night against Orlando on October 18th, registering a two assist game, and was later named to the ECHL’s Eastern Conference Midseason All-Star Team back in January.
From Edmonton, Alberta, Berge turned professional following a five-year career in the major-junior ranks with the WHL’s Regina Pats and Everett Silvertips, earning 100 points (18g-82ast) in 213 games. He signed with the Reign this offseason as an undrafted free agent.
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HOME POINT STREAK PUSHED TO EIGHT IN OVERTIME LOSS TO MAVERICKS
Singleton strikes twice, Charleson pushes Swamp Rabbits to overtime in debut; rubber match tomorrow
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Tate Singleton hit pay dirt twice, including the tying power play goal with 3:22 left in regulation, and Pierce Charleson made 21 saves in his pro debut, but the Kansas City Mavericks got the second point up for grabs on Landon McCallum’s second point, the overtime winner with 1:25 left in the free hockey session to win 3-2 on Saturday night. The overtime loss extends the Swamp Rabbits home point streak to eight games going all the way back to January 25th against Reading (4-0-3-1).
Kansas City reversed the role in game two of the series, potting the first goal and heading into the intermission with the lead. Just 4:59 in, Zack Trott finished a three-on-one transition sequence created on a neutral zone turnover, dropped back, and fired a shot up the middle that trickled off of Pierce Charleson in net for the Swamp Rabbits, giving the Mavericks an early 1-0 lead on his first professional goal (Damien Giroux and Drake Burgin assisted).
Both teams traded blows in the second, but Kansas City held their lead going into the final 20 minutes of play. Tate Singleton fired home his first of two with 10:04 left in the second period after the puck came to him out of a scrum on the right side. He immediately uncorked a snapshot that froze everyone, including Mavericks goaltender Noah West, tying the game at 1-1 (Bryce Brodzinski and Carter Savoie assisted). However, the Mavericks pulled ahead moments later, and in doing so, ended the Swamp Rabbits impressive penalty killing streak. With 6:28 left in the second, Nathan Dunkley redirected a Landon McCallum shot past Charleson for his first North American professional goal on the power play, ending the Swamp Rabbits run at 29 straight power plays negated to give a 2-1 lead to the Mavericks heading into the third.
The Swamp Rabbits didn’t receive a power play until late in the game, and eventually found their equalizer on the man-advantage. Once again it was Singleton, who banged home a Parker Berge rebound in the slot area, squaring the game at 2-2 with 3:22 remaining (Berge and Carter Savoie assisted). A winner wasn’t found in the remaining time, so overtime was necessary to determine a victor.
After both teams traded chances and Pierce Charleson made a massive save for the Swamp Rabbits, the Mavericks eventually found the back of the net for the win. With 1:25 left in overtime, McCallum countered after a Noah West save on a two-on-one, with his pass in the slot bouncing off a Swamp Rabbits defender and past Charleson, giving Kansas City the 3-2 victory and second point up for grabs.
Pierce Charleson, making his professional debut, turned aside 21 of 24 shots faced (0-0-1-0).
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SWAMP RABBITS SIGN PIERCE CHARLESON
Rookie net-minder set to make his professional debut this afternoon in rematch against Kansas City
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced today via a Swamp Rabbit Moving Transaction that the team has signed goaltender Pierce Charleson, who will make his professional debut in today’s rematch against the Kansas City Mavericks.
Charleson will wear #34 for his career milestone, and signs with the Swamp Rabbits following the conclusion of his NCAA career. The 6’3”, 195-pound net-minder played his final NCAA season with Niagara University, registering an 18-13-3 record with a pair of shutouts, a 2.76 GAA, and .921 SV%.
From Aurora, Ontario, Charleson, 25, played five NCAA seasons between Niagara, University of Alaska-Fairbanks (2023-24), and Michigan State (2020-23), and compiled a career record of 35-36-6 with three shutouts, a 2.83 GAA, and .912 SV%. Before going to college, he spent a pair of seasons with the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits, helping the team capture the 2019 AJHL and RBC Cup Championships while earning Top Team Goaltender honors with a 42-2-0 record in 44 games.
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SWAMP RABBITS SIGN PIERCE CHARLESON
Rookie net-minder set to make his professional debut this afternoon in rematch against Kansas City
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced today via a Swamp Rabbit Moving Transaction that the team has signed goaltender Pierce Charleson, who will make his professional debut in today’s rematch against the Kansas City Mavericks.
Charleson will wear #34 for his career milestone, and signs with the Swamp Rabbits following the conclusion of his NCAA career. The 6’3”, 195-pound net-minder played his final NCAA season with Niagara University, registering an 18-13-3 record with a pair of shutouts, a 2.76 GAA, and .921 SV%.
From Aurora, Ontario, Charleson, 25, played five NCAA seasons between Niagara, University of Alaska-Fairbanks (2023-24), and Michigan State (2020-23), and compiled a career record of 35-36-6 with three shutouts, a 2.83 GAA, and .912 SV%. Before going to college, he spent a pair of seasons with the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits, helping the team capture the 2019 AJHL and RBC Cup Championships while earning Top Team Goaltender honors with a 42-2-0 record in 44 games
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HOME POINT STREAK GOES TO SEVEN WITH WIN OVER MAVERICKS
Pedersen’s hat trick and Ingham’s 50 saves grab win over defending Western Conference Champions
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Brent Pedersen netted his first hat trick of the season, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits penalty kill went a perfect 6/6, and Jacob Ingham celebrated his 100th professional game with 50 saves en route to a 4-1 win over the Kanas City Mavericks on Friday night. The win propels the Swamp Rabbits home point streak to seven straight games (4-0-2-1) dating back to January 25th against Reading.
Pedersen’s big night started with the first two goals of his hat trick in the opening frame, propelling the Swamp Rabbits to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. At 5:59 of the first, Pedersen hacked the puck in a chaotic net-front scramble, squeaking the puck past Alex Aslanidis in net for the Mavericks to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead (Austin Saint and Dru Krebs assisted). Under four minutes later, Pedersen struck again on the Swamp Rabbits first power play of the game, deflecting an Austin Saint shot on the move past Aslanidis to double the lead to 2-0 with 10:03 to play in the frame (Saint and Stuart Rolofs assisted). Jacob Ingham, manning the Swamp Rabbits net in his 100th professional game, turned aside all 13 shots he saw in the first frame.
John Parker-Jones kept the power play’s hot hand rolling to start the second, expanding the lead by a tally early. Just 2:12 into the middle frame, Parker-Jones received a Carter Savoie pass to the side of the net, pivoted, maneuvered through his legs, and slipped the puck past Aslanidis, tripling the lead to 3-0 (Savoie and Parker Berge assisted). Ingham shined again in the second period, staving off a suffocating 21 shots for 34 total saves through 40 minutes.
Ingham’s armor was eventually cracked in the third, but the Swamp Rabbits battened down the hatches defensively in securing the win. With 6:07 gone by in the third, Jimmy Mazza rifled a shot from the left side of the zone that was kicked away by Ingham, but came right to David Cotton. The Mavericks captain slung the puck just barely past Ingham to get the Mavericks on the board, cutting the Swamp Rabbits lead to 3-1 (Mazza and Mitchell Allard assisted). The Swamp Rabbits penalty kill negated four of their six chances in the final frame, including in the final three minutes, and hung on to get Pedersen his hat trick. His third and final tally came right before the buzzer with 0.7 seconds remaining, ending the game in a 4-1 win.
Jacob Ingham staved off a career-high 50 of 51 shots for the win in his milestone game (10-8-0-1).
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SWAMP RABBITS SIGN HUTCHISON AND BRACKETT TO FIRST PRO CONTRACTS
Hutchison joins blue line from NCAA Miami-Ohio, Brackett to forward lines from NCAA RPI
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced today via a pair of Swamp Rabbit Moving Transactions that defenseman Conner Hutchison and forward Jack Brackett have signed their first professional contracts with the Swamp Rabbits and will make their pro debuts against the South Carolina Stingrays tonight.
Hutchison will wear #20 for the Swamp Rabbits, and recently completed his final NCAA college season with Miami University (Ohio). The 5’11”, 185-pound blue liner earned a pair of goals and nine points in 33 games this season.
From Hicksville, New York, Hutchison, 24, played five seasons in the NCAA, with three seasons at Sacred Heart University bookended by his final season at Miami-Ohio and his first with the University of Vermont. Over the course of 112 collegiate contests, he amassed nine goals and 44 points. He played parts of two seasons in the USHL with the Tri-City Storm and Chicago Steel, and a pair of BCHL campaigns with the Penticton Vees. Hutchison’s older brother, Nick, has just under 100 games in the ECHL and is currently playing with EV Landshut in the DEL2, while his sister, Cailey, played three seasons of professional hockey with the PHF’s Connecticut Whale and NWHL’s Metropolitan Riveters.
Brackett will wear #22, and joins the Swamp Rabbits following the final season of his NCAA career, all spent with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The 5’11”, 185-pound forward hit career highs across the board with six goals, 11 assists, and 17 points in 35 contests.
A native of Manassas, Virginia, Brackett, 24, played in 117 games as an Engineer, earning 12 goals, 25 assists, and 37 points. He also spent brief stints in the USHL with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (5gp), NAHL’s Maryland Black Bears (13gp, 5 goals), and BCHL’s Powell River Kings (46gp, 13g-18ast-31pts).
The Swamp Rabbits conclude their seven-game road swing with the finale tonight, March 12th, against the in-state rival South Carolina Stingrays. Puck drop is slated for 7:05 p.m. EST at North Charleston Coliseum.
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SWAMP RABBITS DROP FINAL GAME OF WEEKEND
Pedersen’s two goals not enough as team drops to 1-5-0-0 through six of seven-game road stretch
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(ORLANDO, Fla.) – Brent Pedersen potted two goals and Kolby Hay made 36 saves, but the Orlando Solar Bears gained early separation and pulled away from the Greenville Swamp Rabbits with a 6-3 win on Sunday afternoon. Another loss in a “four-point” game slashes the Swamp Rabbits elimination number to 10 with 15 games remaining, and puts them 1-5-0-0 through six of their recent seven-game road swing.
Orlando jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and never looked back. Reece Newkirk started his eventual three-point night with his only goal at 5:27, transitioning into the Swamp Rabbits zone with a wrist shot just over the blue line that beat Kolby Hay’s glove, putting Orlando up 1-0 (Tyler Bird and Tyson Feist assisted). Over five minutes later, Ara Nazarian got by his defender in the corner of the Swamp Rabbits zone, barreled to the net, and potted his second goal of the weekend past Hay to double the lead to 2-0 with 9:19 left in the frame (Spencer Kersten and Reece Newkirk assisted).
Brent Pedersen gave the Swamp Rabbits some life early in the second, but Orlando woke up and established control shortly after. Pedersen’s first of two came during a delayed penalty call from the net front, where he blasted a Bryce Brodzinski rebound past Jon Gillies in the Solar Bears net, halving the deficit to 2-1 at 5:45 of the second (Brodzinski and Austin Saint assisted). Moments later, Alex Frye rebuilt the breathing room for the Solar Bears. Despite whiffing on his chance in the slot, Frye recovered the puck and fired a backhander that beat Hay, expanding the Orlando lead to 3-1 at 8:41 (Anthony Bardaro and Kris Myllari assisted). Jake Chiasson made it a 4-1 Solar Bears advantage with 5:45 left in the second, completing a sequence starting with a Chris Harpur “Hail Mary” from deep in his own zone to Newkirk, who deferred to him slashing towards the net.
After an early fight that saw Tate Singleton and Reece Newkirk draw game misconducts, Brent Pedersen gave the Swamp Rabbits some life, halving the deficit again. With 5:42 gone by in the third, Pedersen rifled a shot past Gillies after he inadvertently batted a bouncing puck from Austin Saint right to him, cutting the score to 4-2 Orlando (Saint and Max Coyle assisted). Once more, the Solar Bears found an answer to keep the gap at three in Jack Adams, who slammed a Chiasson pass from behind the net in point-blank range to balloon the score to 5-2 with 6:24 left (Chiasson and Aaron Luchuk assisted). Ben Poisson tried to start a late rally with a seemingly harmless wrist shot from the left that beat Gillies glove to bring the score to 5-3 with 2:40 to go, but Tyler Bird ended any hope of a comeback with an empty netter with 76 seconds remaining to power the Solar Bears to a 6-3 win.
Kolby Hay staved off 36 of 41 shots in suffering the defeat, back-to-back games with 36+ saves in net (1-3-1-0).
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SOLAR BEARS PULL AWAY IN FIRST OF TWO MEETINGS
Modry nets his first as a Swamp Rabbit, Hay’s 37 saves not enough in effort
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(ORLANDO, Fla.) – Jacob Modry netted his first goal with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to give them a second period lead and Kolby Hay made 37 saves, but the Orlando Solar Bears scored four unanswered in the final two frames to take a 4-1 win on Saturday night. The loss came in a “four-point game” and slashed the Swamp Rabbits elimination number to 14 with 16 games remaining and a rematch against Orlando looming tomorrow.
Both teams skated to a scoreless opening 20 minutes, with Kolby Hay staving away six Orlando shots from the Swamp Rabbits net and Ryan Fanti negating eight fired towards the Solar Bears end. Eventually, Jacob Modry broke the deadlock with his first goal as a Swamp Rabbit in the middle of the second frame. With 9:11 gone by in the second, Dustin Geregach, in just his second pro game, fired a shot from the right wall that was stopped by Fanti’s leg pad. Modry jumped off the blue line and potted the rebound, giving the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead and Geregach his first pro point on the assist (Geregach and Quinn Olson assisted). Orlando found an answer over six minutes later from Ara Nazarian, who split the Swamp Rabbits defense and walked in on Hay, outlasting him with a backhand to tie the game at 1-1 with 4:43 left in the second (Tyler Bird had the lone assist).
Hay continued to make multiple saves to keep the Swamp Rabbits in it, stopping 17 of 18 in the second and a plethora of early chances in the third, but Reece Newkirk broke through and rattled off back to back tallies to help Orlando pull away. His first came with 6:32 left in the game when Spencer Kersten drove towards the Swamp Rabbits net and slipped the puck under Hay. The puck was stalled on the Swamp Rabbits goal line, but poked in by Newkirk to give Orlando their first lead at 2-1 (Kersten and Tyson Feist assisted). Exactly 3:24 later, the puck was turned over to Kersten inside the Swamp Rabbits blue line, giving him and Newkirk a two-on-one towards the Swamp Rabbits net. Newkirk tapped Kersten’s past by a sprawled out Hay to give the Solar Bears some breathing room at 3-1 with 3:06 remaining in the game. With Hay pulled for the extra attacker, Tyler Bird sealed the game into the empty net, giving the Solar Bears a 4-1 win on four unanswered goals.
Kolby Hay turned in a brilliant 37 save performance on 40 shots in suffering the defeat (1-2-1-0).
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SWAMP RABBITS WIN TUG-OF-WAR IN OVERTIME AGAINST SAVANNAH
Singleton nets two, including the GWG, Brodzinski leads with 3pts, Ingham stops 44
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(SAVANNAH, Ga.) – Tate Singleton rifled home his second goal of the game at 2:25 of overtime, and coupled with Bryce Brodzinski’s three points, Jacob Ingham’s 44 saves, and a 2/5 power play, led the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to a 5-4 win over the Savannah Ghost Pirates on Friday night. The win is the first of this seven-game road trip through four games, and ends a seven-game road losing streak dating back to February 7th.
Savannah jumped out to an early 2-0, but the Swamp Rabbits beat the buzzer to carry momentum into the intermission. Pat Guay started the scoring entries off at 6:22 of the first period, catching the Swamp Rabbits in a bad change through neutral ice. He received a Reece Vitelli pass, entered the zone on the left, and fired a wrist shot past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Jacob Ingham to give the Ghost Pirates a 1-0 lead. Exactly 81 seconds later, Zach Uens buried a low-to-high pass from inside the Swamp Rabbits blue line and past a screened Ingham, quickly doubling Savannah’s lead to 2-0 at 7:43 (Devon Paliani and Nick Granowicz assisted). The Swamp Rabbits found a late answer to halve the deficit going into the break. With three seconds remaining, Bryce Brodzinski rifled a Ben Freeman pass from the slot that ricocheted off of Miles Gendron’s person and past Ghost Pirates goalie Evan Cormier, cutting Savannah’s lead to 2-1 after 20 minutes.
Brodzinski stayed hot to start the second, equalizing the game for the first time on special teams. At 7:32, Brodzinski sniped a Quinn Olson pass over the shoulder of Cormier, going off the bar and in to square the game at 2-2. Savannah responded in transition again, with Kyle Jeffers finding Brandon Saigeon streaking into the Swamp Rabbits zone. With 8:33 left in the frame, Saigeon whipped a wrist shot over Ingham’s shoulder, re-establishing the Ghost Pirates lead at 3-2. However, a misplay by Cormier allowed the Swamp Rabbits to immediately answer and tie the game again. Exactly 30 seconds later, Cormier played the puck to negate an icing call, and the Swamp Rabbits forecheck of Freeman and PJ Fletcher collected the puck. Fletcher found Austin Saint wide open in the netfront, and the latter buried a point-blank slam dunk into an open net to square the game at 3-3 with 8:03 to play.
Savannah once again gained some leverage to open the third, but again, the Swamp Rabbits refused to go away. At 3:03 of the final period, Dennis Cesana found a lane right down the middle of the Swamp Rabbits zone, took his ice, and fired the puck over Ingham’s glove shoulder, putting the Ghost Pirates back on top with a 4-3 lead (Kyle Jeffers and Kai Schwindt assisted). Once more the Swamp Rabbits found another gear fast, and evened up the score 102 seconds later. At 4:45, Bryce Brodzinski received a Tate Singleton pass up through the neutral zone, with the latter making a bee-line to the net. Brodzinski found Singleton and fired a pass to his tape, finished behind Cormier with a backdoor tap-in to level the game at 4-4 (Brodzinski and Miles Gendron assisted). Both teams couldn’t solve each other in the remainder of the third, forcing overtime for the second time head-to-head.
Logan Drevitch was found guilty of crosschecking 86 seconds into overtime, putting the Swamp Rabbits on a four-on-three power play. With 5:35 left in overtime, Singleton rifled home his second of the game top corner with John Parker-Jones providing a screen, giving the Swamp Rabbits the win and the second point, 5-4.
Jacob Ingham stopped 44 of 48 shots in the overtime win (9-8-0-1).
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LAWRENCE GOES TO AHL; GEREGACH SIGNS FIRST PRO CONTRACT
Rookie forward goes back to the Reign; rookie defenseman comes to Upstate from NCAA
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced a pair of Swamp Rabbit Moving Transactions:
- Forward Kaleb Lawrence has been reassigned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign by the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings
- Defenseman Dustin Geregach as signed his first professional contract
Lawrence heads back to the AHL for a third stint this season. The 6’7”, 230-pound forward leaves the Swamp Rabbits with 16 points (7g-9ast) in 27 games, and resumes his time with the Reign in which he’s logged his first three career goals and four points in 11 contests.
Under contract with the Kings, Lawrence made his professional debut with the Swamp Rabbits on November 8th and earned his first professional point with an assist. From Ottawa, Ontario, Lawrence signed an NHL entry-level contract with the Kings this offseason after five campaigns in the OHL, playing four seasons with the Owen Sound Attack before his final year with the Ottawa 67’s and London Knights last season. In 149 career games, Lawrence earned 82 points, evenly split with 41 goals and assists, and helped the Knights win the 2024 OHL Championship and finish as runner-up for the Memorial Cup. The 21-year-old was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2022 NHL Draft (7th Rd/#215).
Geregach joins the Swamp Rabbits looking forward to his first professional action. The 6’0”, 180-pound defenseman completed the final season of his NCAA career, all spent with Mercyhurst University, achieving career-highs with seven goals and 21 points while matching a career-best with 14 helpers in 35 games. He finished his time as a Laker with lifetime totals of 55 points (14g-41ast) in 117 games over the span of four seasons.
From McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, Geregach, 23, preceded his college career with two seasons in the NAHL with the Johnstown Tomahawks, earning six goals and 36 points in 77 games.
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SWAMP RABBITS FALL SHORT LATE IN WEEKEND FINALE
Jacob Ingham’s 35 saves kept the Swamp Rabbits in, but team couldn’t come back from down 2-0 early
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) – Carter Savoie halved the deficit at the midway point of the first period and the Greenville Swamp Rabbits penalty kill went a perfect 5/5, including 4/4 in the second, but the damage was done early by Olivier Nadeau and Liam Coughlin, who led an early scoring attack to give the Jacksonville Icemen a 3-1 win on Sunday afternoon. The loss puts the Swamp Rabbits to three straight to start their seven-game road swing, and six straight away from home dating back to February 7th.
Nadeau and Coughlin opened the scoring entries in the opening half of the first frame, allowing the Icemen to leave with a lead. Nadeau made it 1-0 on a net-front redirection of a Cameron Supryka pass from inside the blue line, deflecting it over Swamp Rabbits net-minder Jacob Ingham to put Jacksonville ahead at 4:09 (Supryka and Chris Grando assisted). Liam Coughlin finished a tic-tac-toe passing sequence in transition from Brody Crane and Bennett MacArthur, tapping his pass from Crane back door to double the advantage at 8:28 of the period. Moments later, the Swamp Rabbits found an answer on their first power play of the game. With 7:52 left, Carter Savoie rifled a Bryce Brodzinski pass from the high slot that deflected off of a defender on its way to the net. The puck arced over the back of Icemen goalie Matt Vernon and in, slashing the deficit to 2-1 (Brodzinski and Dru Krebs assisted).
Those were the only goals for the longest time, with the scoresheet staying that way thanks to the Swamp Rabbits penalty kill and Jacob Ingham’s goaltending. Ingham staved aside all 25 shots he faced in the second period, a season-high for a Swamp Rabbits goaltender, and the penalty kill in front of him staved off four opposing power plays of their five total in the effort. With the Swamp Rabbits trying to tie the game late, they pulled Ingham for the extra skater, but couldn’t muster an equalizer. A blown icing call with 2.2 seconds left allowed the Icemen to officially seal the win on a Chris Grando tap in, bringing the game to its 3-1 final score.
Jacob Ingham started in his second game of the three-game weekend, turning aside 35 of 37 shots in the defeat (8-8-0-1).
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ICEMEN BLANK SWAMP RABBITS IN FIRST OF PAIR ON WEEKEND
Justen Close stops all 30 shots faced, Laaouan has a three-point night
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) – Noah Laaouan led the Jacksonville Icemen with a three-point game, and Lordanthony Grissom potted the winner and added a helper, but it was Justen Close who stopped all 30 shots faced to hand the Greenville Swamp Rabbits a 4-0 loss on Saturday night. The Swamp Rabbits are now 0-2-0-0 through the opening pair of games on this seven-game road swing, and will rematch the Icemen tomorrow.
Grissom’s first point of two got the Icemen on the board and gave them a lead they wouldn’t look back on. At 6:43 of the first, Liam Coughlin circled into the Swamp Rabbits zone and from the corner, he floated the puck to the slot. Grissom snuck behind everyone and fluttered a shot past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Kolby Hay to give the Icemen a 1-0 lead (Coughlin and Noah Laaouan assisted). Moments later, Olivier Nadeau rifled a one-timer from the slot on his team’s second power play of the game past Hay’s glove, doubling the advantage quickly to 2-0 with 8:08 left in the first (Brendan Harris and Laaouan assisted). Justen Close, in net for Jacksonville, turned aside all six shots he saw in the first. Both teams skated scoreless in the second, but Close was busy denying 15 shots to keep his shutout entering the third, totaling 21 saves through 40 minutes.
Laaouan’s big night continued with more breathing room for the Icemen, providing a dagger at the midway point of the third. With 10:37 left, Laaouan crept in off the blue line and received an Olivier Nadeau pass, firing it over Hay’s glove from the slot to triple the Icemen lead to 3-0. Bennett MacArthur recognized Hay leaving the Swamp Rabbits net for the extra skater in the final minutes, and not even seconds after the goalie pull, stuffed the puck into the empty net to make it a 4-0 game with 2:40 left (Harris and Grissom assisted). Close stood tall and weathered another nine shots, completing his 30-save shutout for the win.
Kolby Hay suffered his first professional regulation loss, staving off 26 of 29 shots in the defeat (1-1-1-0).
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DRU KREBS ASSIGNED TO SWAMP RABBITS FROM ONTARIO
Rookie d-man played the first two games of his AHL career over the last week
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced today via a Swamp Rabbit Moving Transaction that rookie defenseman Dru Krebs has been assigned to the team by its AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.
Krebs earned his first AHL call-up to the Reign on February 19th and played in the first two games of his AHL career. The 6’1”, 185-pound blue liner made his debut on February 22nd against San Jose.
Krebs hadn’t missed a game with the Swamp Rabbits this season prior to his call-up, logging a pair of goals and 10 points in 48 games. He made his professional debut out of the WHL on opening night, October 18th, then followed with his first professional point, an assist, in a 3-2 win against Florida on November 17th. Krebs ignited the goal lamp for the first time in his career as part of a 5-2 win at Orlando on January 3rd, and torched the scoresheet for a career-high three assists in a 5-2 win over Wheeling on February 16th.
A native of Okotoks, Alberta, Krebs turned professional this season after the conclusion of his WHL career, spent in its entirety with the Medicine Hat Tigers. There, he accumulated 113 points (21g-92ast) over the course of 279 games, earning Central Division 2nd Team All-Star recognition in the 2022-23 season. He is the brother of Peyton Krebs, 17th overall draft pick in 2019 currently playing with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, and Dakota Krebs, Video Coach with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen. Krebs was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the 2021 NHL Draft (6th Rd/#176).
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SOLAR BEARS DOWN SWAMP RABBITS TO OPEN ROAD TRIP
Kersten nets pair, Solar Bears strike twice on PP and once shorthanded
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(ORLANDO, Fla.) – Bryce Brodzinski broke the shutout of Ryan Fanti in the final minutes of regulation, but the damage was already done by the Orlando Solar Bears, who scored two power play goals and a shorthanded tally to defeat the Greenville Swamp Rabbits by a 4-1 score on Friday night. The game is the first of a second seven-game road trip over the next two and a half weeks.
Both teams skated out of the first in a scoreless deadlock, with Swamp Rabbits net-minder Jacob Ingham turning aside 13 Solar Bears shots and Solar Bears goalie Ryan Fanti denying five Swamp Rabbits chances. Early in the second, Spencer Kersten got the Solar Bears on the board despite it being the second power play of the game for the Swamp Rabbits. With 2:22 gone by, Kersten boarded Miles Gendron, which received no call, and Kersten went to the net uncontested and beat Ingham to put Orlando up 1-0. Reece Newkirk added a second for Orlando just seven seconds into their first power play, batting the rebound off of his initial chance in close range past Ingham to double the Solar Bears lead to 2-0 with 8:05 left in the period (Jaydon Dureau and Jack Adams assisted).
Orlando got some more breathing room halfway through the third on their second power play of the night, with Ara Nazarian capitalizing on a net-front maneuver to triple the Solar Bears lead to 3-0 with 8:13 remaining in the contest (Aaron Luchuk and Mark Auk assisted). Needing a spark, the Swamp Rabbits pulled Ingham from the net while on a two-man advantage to give the team a six-on-three sequence of hockey. It paid off in the form of Bryce Brodzinski, who backhanded a loose puck bouncing to the side of Fanti’s crease past the goaltender, ending his shutout with 77 seconds left in the game to cut the score to 3-1 Orlando (John Parker-Jones and Tyson Fawcett assisted). With the final penalty killed, Chris Harpur came out of the box and linked up with Kersten in neutral ice, with the latter sealing the deal with his second of the night into the empty net, giving Orlando a 4-1 win.
Jacob Ingham stopped 38 of 41 shots in the defeat (8-7-0-1).
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PARKER BERGE CALLED UP TO AHL ONTARIO
All-Star defenseman heads up to AHL for the first time this season
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced today via a Swamp Rabbit Moving Transaction that all-star defenseman Parker Berge has been recalled by the team’s AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.
Berge earns his first call-up of his career. The 6’0”, 180-pound blue-liner is the Swamp Rabbits leading scoring defenseman, notching six goals and 35 points in 49 games, along with a team-leading +10 rating. He made his professional debut on opening night against Orlando on October 18th, registering a two assist game. He was named to the ECHL’s Eastern Conference Midseason All-Star Team back in January.
From Edmonton, Alberta, Berge turned professional following a five-year career in the major-junior ranks with the WHL’s Regina Pats and Everett Silvertips, earning 100 points (18g-82ast) in 213 games. He signed with the Reign this offseason as an undrafted free agent.
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SWAMP RABBITS ACQUIRE FLETCHER, SIGN INCZE
Robidoux heads to Bloomington in trade, rookie net-minder signed from Canadian college
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced today a pair of Swamp Rabbit Moving Transactions:
- The Swamp Rabbits have acquired forward PJ Fletcher from the Bloomington Bison in exchange for forward Mikael Robidoux
- The Swamp Rabbits have signed goaltender Colton Incze to a Standard Player Contract
Fletcher comes to the Swamp Rabbits from the expansion Bloomington Bison. The 6’2”, 200-pound forward registered a goal and three assists in 22 games with the Bison, mimicking his stat line from the Atlanta Gladiators, with whom he played the first 18 games of the season.
From Dana Point, California, Fletcher, 23, is in the midst of his first full season as a professional. He made his professional debut with the Florida Everblades last season, appearing in three games. Prior to turning professional, he played three seasons of NCAA college hockey with Miami University (Ohio) and one with Quinnipiac University, amassing 68 points (24g-44ast) in 137 games. He also captained the Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) for a season and skated one campaign in the BCHL with the Wenatchee Wild.
Incze turns professional following the conclusion of his Canadian college hockey career. The 6’2”, 210-pound net-minder went 4-5-0 in 11 games in his final season with the University of Guelph, along with a 3.20 GAA and .904 SV%. He was a teammate of newly signed defenseman Tristan De Jong, who was the captain over the last two seasons.
Hailing from Oakville, Ontario, Incze compiled a career record of 14-15-0 with two shutouts, a 2.96 GAA, and a .908 SV% with the Gryphons over four seasons. He turned to college after completing three seasons in the OHL with the Niagara IceDogs and Windsor Spitfires, going 18-26-10 with a clean sheet, a 3.67 GAA, and a .891 SV%. Incze also skated one season with the OJHL’s Brantford 99ers.
Robidoux was acquired in a trade with the Wheeling Nailers prior to the start of the season, and logged five points in 46 games with 145 PIM.
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HAY NETS FIRST WIN AS SWAMP RABBITS THROTTLE GLADIATORS
Net-minder stops 34 while 12 players hit scoresheet in most offensively potent game of the season
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Kolby Hay earned his first professional win on 34 saves, and bolstered by a dozen teammates registering a point, including two career-firsts, led the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to an 8-2 thrashing over the Atlanta Gladiators in the finale of “Military Appreciation Weekend”, presented by Bon Secours.
The Swamp Rabbits started on a 5-0 run through the first 30 minutes of the game. Kaleb Lawrence kept his hand smoking red hot in starting the game for the Swamp Rabbits, scoring his third goal in the last two nights to open the scoring entries at 5:46 of the first, beating Ethan Haider from the left in transition to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead (Quinn Olson assisted). John Parker-Jones doubled the advantage at 9:49, also with goals in back-to-back games, potting a rebound off of a Jake Flynn shot to make it 2-0 (Flynn and Ben Poisson assisted).
Just 22 seconds into the second, Bryce Brodzinski kept the train rolling for the Swamp Rabbits, flourishing down the middle lane in the midst of four-on-four hockey to triple the Swamp Rabbits lead to 3-0 (Tate Singleton and Chandler Romeo assisted, the latter earning his first point as a Swamp Rabbit). Not to be outdone, Carter Savoie added to his team lead in goalscoring with his 18th at 4:35, reaping the benefits of a hard forecheck from Ben Poisson, who forced a turnover and found him backdoor to make it 4-0 (Poisson and Stuart Rolofs assisted). Quinn Olson was the final strike in the 5-0 run, capitalizing while shorthanded at 8:53 for his second in as many games (Kaleb Lawrence assisted). Throughout the run, Kolby Hay, making his second professional start in as many nights, had stopped nine shots in both the first and second periods.
Atlanta converted on the same power play to end the scoring run, with Chad Nychuk firing a one-timer that beat Hay over his glove shoulder, getting Atlanta on the board trailing 5-1 with 10:20 left in the second (Jackson Pierson and Jeremy Hanzel assisted). Alex Campbell added a second power play tally with 2:24 left in the second, whipping his shot through traffic and past a screened Hay to make it a 5-2 game heading into the third (Derek Topatigh and Blake Murray assisted).
The Swamp Rabbits added three more for good measure, starting again with Brodzinski. At 3:38, Tristan De Jong, making his professional debut, found Brodzinski transitioning up the ice, with the latter finishing through the legs of Haider to add to the lead at 6-2, the assist serving as De Jong’s first professional point (De Jong and Jacob Modry assisted). Reverting back to four-on-four later in the game, Chandler Romeo notched his first goal as a pro with a laser from the left side of the zone, beating Haider to balloon the lead to 7-2 with 8:43 left (Olson and Ben Poisson assisted). Jake Flynn ended the scoring entries with an emphatic transition shot, a bullet as the trailer in the sequence under the cross bar to expand the lead to 8-2, the eventual final score (Brodzinski and Singleton assisted).
Kolby Hay earned his first win as a professional net-minder, stopping 34 of 36 shots in the effort (1-0-1-0). He was bolstered by 12 different Swamp Rabbits on the scoresheet, seven of them with a point or more.
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SWAMP RABBITS GAIN POINT ON “MILITARY APPRECIATION WEEKEND” KICKOFF
Hay stops 35 in his first pro start; Jacksonville goes 2/3 on the PP, including OT winner
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Kaleb Lawrence rifled off two goals and three points to lead three multi-point performers and Kolby Hay stopped 35 shots in his first professional start for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, but the Jacksonville Icemen snagged the second point 3:57 into overtime on a red-hot power play to claim a 5-4 win on Saturday night. The game saw 7,555 people come out to salute the troops and kick off “Military Appreciation Weekend”, presented by Budweiser.
The Swamp Rabbits started off out of the gates, but the Icemen countered with a pair to lead after 20 minutes. Kaleb Lawrence started off his three-point night with his first of two goals, burying a rebound from the slot on a Jake Flynn shot that beat Icemen goalie Matt Vernon, putting the Swamp Rabbits up 1-0 at 3:47 of the first (Flynn and Quinn Olson assisted). Jacksonville fired back on their first power play of the game, with Davis Koch unleashing a laser that beat Swamp Rabbits net-minder Kolby Hay over his shoulder, squaring the game at 1-1 at 7:03 (Brendan Harris and Garrett Van Whye assisted). Bennett MacArthur stuck a dagger late in the period, tapping the puck while wide open in the net-front into an open net to give the Icemen a 2-1 lead with 51.6 seconds left (Koch and Harris assisted).
The Swamp Rabbits came out of the gates in the second frame, which featured a tug-of-war flow and ultimately led both teams to a stalemate entering the third. John Parker-Jones kicked off the period with a transition goal, entering with speed from the right and ending with a wrist shot that burned Vernon by his blocker, equalizing the game at 2-2 with 5:40 played (Parker Berge and Ben Freeman assisted). Less than two minutes later, Quinn Olson was left all alone from the blue line in, and beat Vernon in close to re-establish the Swamp Rabbits lead at 3-2 with 7:38 played in the frame (Kaleb Lawrence and Miles Gendron assisted). Jacksonville stormed back exactly four minutes later when Chase Lang deflected an LA Grissom shot that beat Hay up high, once again bringing the game level at 3-3 with 8:22 left in the middle act (Grissom and Ty Cheveldayoff assisted). Lawrence was back at it again with another answer, this time coming on the power play with his final point of three on the night. With 6:07 left in the second, Lawrence deflected a Bryce Brodzinski pass from the low slot through traffic and past Vernon’s glove, vaulting the Swamp Rabbits back on top with a 4-3 lead (Brodzinski and Parker Berge assisted). The Icemen, however, got the last word of the second frame, and eventually regulation, when Brendan Harris’ aggressive forechecking forced a turnover behind the net, leading to a wrap around into an empty net to tie the game at 4-4 with 68 seconds left.
Both teams couldn’t solve the game in the final period, prompting overtime to determine a winner. The Icemen got the second point with 3:03 left in the extra frame on the power play, with Christopher Brown rifling a one-timer past Hay to end the game, 5-4 for Jacksonville.
Kolby Hay, making his first professional start, stopped 35 of 40 shots in suffering the overtime defeat (0-0-1-0). With the point gained in the overtime loss, the Swamp Rabbits are now on a five-game home point streak, going 2-0-2-1 since January 25th in Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
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SWAMP RABBITS FALL TO STINGRAYS TO START WEEKEND
Suzdalev and Wilkins’ three points, Klimek’s pair of goals sink Swamp Rabbits
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C.) – Tate Singleton potted the only goal for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to half the deficit to 2-1 in the second period, but the South Carolina Stingrays got three points from Alexander Suzdalev, a pair of goals from Jordan Klimek, and 25 saves from Garin Bjorklund to take a 5-1 win on Friday night.
Klimek was the story in the opening frame, providing both goals for South Carolina. His first came with 6:25 left in the first when he carried the puck from the left side and waited for traffic to form in the net-front. He fired a shot past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Jacob Ingham over his glove side shoulder and put South Carolina ahead 1-0 (Zac Funk and Ryan Hofer assisted). His second came in the waning moments of the period, alone in the slot off the blue line with a shot that beat Ingham through traffic, doubling the Stingrays lead to 2-0 with 74 seconds left (Josh Wilkins and Alexander Suzdalev assisted).
Tate Singleton jump started the Swamp Rabbits in the second period, but the Stingrays removed any momentum in the latter half of the frame. At 7:20, the puck kicked off of Ben Freeman and came to Singleton, who turned on his afterburners up the ice. He went coast-to-coast and maneuvered to the net, squeaking a try past Stingrays goalie Garin Bjorklund to halve the deficit to 2-1. Following the goal, Ingham was removed from the game in net, with Kolby Hay manning the Swamp Rabbits net for the remainder of the night. Sudzdalev notched his second point with his only goal with 5:31 left in the period, potting a Kyler Kupka shot that rang off the post past Hay, re-establishing the multi-goal Stingrays lead at 3-1 (Kupka and Wilkins assisted).
The Stingrays power play finished out the game in the final period, with Wilkins earning his third point on the man-advantage early. Just 1:57 into the third, Wilkins was wide open in the slot and rifled a one-timer past Hay, pushing the Stingrays advantage to 4-1 (Suzdalev and Kupka assisted). Weiss finished out the scoring halfway through the period, beating the buzzer on the power play with a second to spare on a top corner laser, bringing the game to its final of 5-1.
Jacob Ingham suffered the loss, stopping 19 of 21 shots through 27:20 of action (8-6-0-1). Kolby Hay made his third professional appearance, all in relief, finishing the remaining 32:40 with 16 saves on 19 shots.
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McKAY AND KREBS CALLED UP TO AHL ONTARIO
Pair of players earn first call-ups of 2024-25 Season
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced via a Swamp Rabbit Moving Transaction that goaltender Dryden McKay and defenseman Dru Krebs have been recalled by the team’s AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. Both players are earning their first call-ups of the 2024-25 ECHL Season, and in Krebs’ case, the first of his career.
McKay heads to Ontario as the leader in all qualified goaltending categories for the Swamp Rabbits in between the pipes. The 6’0”, 185-pound net-minder recently defeated the Wheeling Nailers on Monday, stopping all but one of 25 shots, to improve his record to 12-17-4-2 through 35 games, registering a pair of shutouts, a 2.93 GAA, and a .910 SV%. McKay completed a stretch recently that saw him start eight out of the last 10 Swamp Rabbits games.
From Downers Grove, Illinois, McKay is 39-37-9-2 with four shutouts over 92 ECHL games in his three-year career. He turned professional following the 2021-22 NCAA season, where he completed one of the most successful careers in collegiate history. As the backstopper of the Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks, McKay 113-20-4 in 140 games, with an all-time NCAA record 34 shutouts, a 1.46 GAA, and a .932 SV%. He was a two-time WCHA Goaltending Champion, three-time All-American, and a three-time finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, becoming the third goaltender in NCAA history to earn college hockey’s highest individual honor while compiling an NCAA single-season record 38 wins. McKay is the son of former NHLer and 1991 Calder Cup Champion Ross McKay.
Krebs earns his first career call-up in the midst of his first professional season. The 6’1”, 185-pound blueliner heads to Ontario having played all 47 games thus far with the Swamp Rabbits, logging a pair of goals and 10 points. He made his professional debut out of the WHL on opening night, October 18th, then followed with his first professional point, an assist, in a 3-2 win against Florida on November 17th. Krebs ignited the goal lamp for the first time in his career as part of a 5-2 win at Orlando on January 3rd, and this past Sunday torched the scoresheet for a career-high three assists in a 5-2 win over Wheeling.
A native of Okotoks, Alberta, Krebs turned professional this season after the conclusion of his WHL career, spent in its entirety with the Medicine Hat Tigers. There, he accumulated 113 points (21g-92ast) over the course of 279 games, earning Central Division 2nd Team All-Star recognition in the 2022-23 season. He is the brother of Peyton Krebs, 17th overall draft pick in 2019 currently playing with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, and Dakota Krebs, Video Coach with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen. Krebs was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the 2021 NHL Draft (6th Rd/#176).
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SWAMP RABBITS SWEEP NAILERS IN THROWBACK SHOWDOWN
Savoie nets game-winner in back-to-back nights in game paying homage to Johnstown Chiefs
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Carter Savoie finished a quick one-two punch scoring sequence in the second period following Quinn Olson’s power play goal to push the Greenville Swamp Rabbits ahead of the Wheeling Nailers by a 2-1 score on Monday afternoon. The game, “Greenville Hockey Heritage Day”, featured throwback jerseys of both teams to the “Original Five” of the ECHL, with the Nailers as the Carolina Thunderbirds and the Swamp Rabbits as the Johnstown Chiefs.
Both teams skated out to a scoreless duel after 20 minutes, setting the table for the nailbiter that was. Dryden McKay, Swamp Rabbits net-minder, stopped all nine shots he faced, while Sergei Murashov of the Nailers staved off five chances.
Eventually, the Swamp Rabbits broke through with quick strike scoring and carried a multi-goal advantage into the final frame. On their only power play of the game, Quinn Olson put the Swamp Rabbits on the board with a howitzer of a one-timer from the right, blasting his shot past Murashov to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead with 3:08 left in the first (Miles Gendron and Stuart Rolofs assisted). Exactly 75 seconds later, Carter Savoie doubled the lead when he created a turnover in the slot, powered towards the net, and stuffed the puck past Murashov’s glove to push the Swamp Rabbits lead to 2-0 with 1:53 to play. McKay turned aside another seven Nailers shots.
Eventually, the Nailers found a away on the board early in the third. At 2:58, Kyle Jackson took advantage of chaos in front of the net and buried a David Drake pass by McKay, halving the deficit to 2-1. Murashov was eventually pulled from the Nailers net for the extra attacker in the final two minutes, but McKay and the Swamp Rabbits stood tall and rallied defensively to a 2-1 win.
Dryden McKay stopped all but one of 25 shots on net in earning the victory (12-17-4-1).
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SWAMP RABBITS NAIL WHEELING IN FIRST OF TWO MEETINGS
Savoie, Lawrence, Krebs, Berge, and Olson notch multi-point outings in five-on-five showcase
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Carter Savoie led five multi-point scoring efforts with both a pair of goals and assists as the Greenville Swamp Rabbits defeated the Wheeling Nailers by a 5-2 score on Sunday afternoon. The win came with all goals coming in even strength hockey, with the Swamp Rabbits not earning a single power play in the game.
Carter Savoie’s big night began 2:38 into the contest, when he received a “Hail Mary” pass from Quinn Olson through neutral ice and broke into the Nailers zone, rifling a shot from the left that beat Nailers goalie Jaxon Castor to put the Swamp Rabbits up 1-0 (Olson and Dru Krebs assisted). Kaleb Lawrence added to the tally with a net-front rebound in a scrambly sequence, doubling the lead to 2-0 prior to the break with 5:11 to play in the first (Parker Berge and Dru Krebs assisted, the latter’s second of the game).
Savoie continued the pace in the second period before the Nailers made things interesting late in the frame. With 4:36 left in the second, Lawrence left the puck for him behind the net and, unguarded, he squeaked it inside the near post of Castor, tripling the lead to 3-0 with his second goal of the game (Lawrence and Krebs assisted, the former his second point, the latter his third assist). Just 26 seconds later, however, Gabe Klassen got the Nailers on the board with a transition wrist shot from the left, burying a Louie Roehl pass over the shoulder of Swamp Rabbits goaltender Jacob Ingham, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Kyle Jackson brough the Nailers in striking distance with 38.5 seconds left in the period, potting a rebound in the slot area through traffic to close the gap to 3-2 (Matt De St. Phalle assisted).
The next goal absolutely critical, the Swamp Rabbits found it and then some, coming out on top. Just 93 seconds into the third, Miles Gendron trailed behind a party of teammates in transition, rifling a Savoie drop pass by Castor to re-establish the multi-goal Swamp Rabbits lead at 4-2 (Savoie and Lawrence assisted, both their third points of the game. After a David Jankowski goal was negated due to goaltender interference, Quinn Olson put the exclamation point on the scoresheet. With 9:02 remaining, Olson carried a Savoie stretch pass by a defender, settled a rolling puck in stride, and potted it behind Castor in a high-skill sequence, bringing the game to its eventual 5-2 final score (Savoie and Berge assisted, the former’s fourth point and the latter’s second assist).
Jacob Ingham, making his first start since February 1st at Indy, got the win with 31 saves on 33 shots (8-5-0-1).
The Swamp Rabbits conclude their home “three-in-three” with a finale against the Nailers tomorrow afternoon, Monday, February 17th. Puck drop at Bon Secours Wellness Arena is slated for 4:05 p.m. EST, and features “Greenville Hockey Heritage Day”, throwing it back to the inaugural ECHL season with the Johnstown Chiefs and Carolina Thunderbirds. Both teams will wear jerseys of their “Original Five” heritage.
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SWAMP RABBITS GAIN POINT ON “STICK IT TO CANCER NIGHT”
Liam Walsh nets winner for Savannah 51 seconds into OT
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Bryce Brodzinski scored for a third game in a row and Dru Krebs tied things up in the latter stages of the second period, but the Savannah Ghost Pirates found the winner 51 seconds into overtime from Liam Walsh to claim a 3-2 win on Saturday over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. The game served as the team’s annual “Stick It To Cancer Night”, presented by Bon Secours, and was the Swamp Rabbits first home game in 21 days.
Savannah garnered the only goal in the first 20 minutes of play, coming on special teams late. With 2:43 left in the first, Riley Hughes was parked in front of the net on the Ghost Pirates power play and redirected a Logan Drevitch shot past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Dryden McKay, putting Savannah up 1-0 heading into the break (Drevitch and Dennis Cesana assisted).
Both teams traded punches in the second period, eventually coming out deadlocked. Bryce Brodzinski started the scoring entries for the Swamp Rabbits, trailing Quinn Olson on a zone entry. With 7:57 left in the second, Brodzinski buried a drop pass from Olson past Ghost Pirates goalie Evan Cormier, squaring the game at 1-1. However, Savannah answered moments later when Reece Vitelli deflected a Connor Lovie shot past McKay, skipping into the net to put the Ghost Pirates back on top with a 2-1 advantage with 4:34 left in the second (Lovie and Keaton Pehrson assisted). If you blinked, you missed it, because 30 seconds later, Tyson Fawcett started a rush into the left side of the Ghost Pirates zone, and fired a shot that was turned aside by Cormier. Dru Krebs skated full bore into the rebound, and finished with a wrap around slam dunk into the open net to knot the game at 2-2 with 4:04 to go.
The third period proved to be fruitless in goalscoring in the final 20 minutes, prompting overtime. Just 51 seconds in, Liam Walsh unleashed a shot from the slot area that beat McKay, giving the Ghost Pirates the second point up for grabs via a 3-2 win.
Dryden McKay, starting his fifth straight game and his seventh in the last eight for the Swamp Rabbits, staved off 35 of 38 shots in the effort.
The Swamp Rabbits continue their home “three-in-three” tomorrow against the Wheeling Nailers, their first meeting since the 2020-21 ECHL Season. Puck drop on Sunday, February 16th is slated for 3:05 p.m. EST at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Sunday’s game is “Stomper’s Birthday”, presented by Big Air Trampoline Park. It features 18 different mascots celebrating Greenville’s favorite rabbit, including Sir Purr (Carolina Panthers, NFL), Stormy (Carolina Hurricanes, NHL), Sir Minty (Charlotte FC, MLS), Reedy (Greenville Drive, MiLB), and Mason (Columbia Fireflies, MiLB), and many many more!
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 a ECHL, Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League member.
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