SWAMP RABBITS DROP BACK-AND-FORTH AFFAIR WITH RIVALS
Ryan Hofer breaks tie with 10:58 left in the game to edge Stingrays ahead of Swamp Rabbits
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, SC) – Stepan Timofeyev tied the game in the early stages of the third period, but Ryan Hofer and the South Carolina Stingrays found a go-ahead strike shortly after to squeak by the Greenville Swamp Rabbits with a 3-2 win on Sunday afternoon. The game ended a four-game in five-night stretch for the Swamp Rabbits.
Both teams skated to a scoreless draw after 20 minutes of play, with the Swamp Rabbits outshooting the Stingrays 10-9. South Carolina broke through on their first power play of the game early on in the second period. At 4:40, Mattias Sholl, in net for the Swamp Rabbits, appeared to have the puck covered but it was poked out of his grasp and to Tyler Weiss, who was wide open to backhand it in and give the Stingrays a 1-0 lead (Lynden Breen and Kyler Kupka assisted). Almost 10 minutes later, however, Tim Rego earned his first professional point with an assist when he started a counter striking breakout, leading Kyle Haskins to barrel into the Stingrays zone. His backhand attempt on net was denied by Seth Eisele, but Austin Saint tapped the loose change behind him to square the game at 1-1 with 5:29 left in the second. Shortly after, the Stingrays reclaimed the lead when Alexander Suzdalev deflected a Romain Rodzinski shot from the slot area past Sholl, pushing South Carolina to a 2-1 lead with 2:06 left in the second (Rodzinski and Reilly Webb assisted).
The Swamp Rabbits leveled the game just shy of the midway point in the third, but South Carolina found a way to creep ahead once more to take the win. With 6:06 gone by in the third, Rego located Stepan Timofeyev inside the point, with the latter fluttering a shot from distance that whizzed by a frozen Eisele, tying the game at 2-2 (Rego and Carter Savoie assisted). Once again, South Carolina had an answer, which came in the form of Ryan Hofer. With 10:58 left in the game, Hofer capitalized on a loose puck in the slot and rifled a shot over Sholl’s shoulder, putting the Stingrays in the lead for the last time at 3-2 (Reilly Webb and Erik Middendorf assisted). The Swamp Rabbits had chances late, including a power play that turned to a six-on-four advantage with Sholl pulled for the extra skater, but the Stingrays held on for the win.
Mattias Sholl stopped 36 of 39 shots on net in suffering the defeat (1-2-0-0).
____________________________________
TRITT’S THREE-POINT NIGHT HEADLINES COME-FROM-BEHIND WIN
Swamp Rabbits come back from down 2-0 to win 5-3 in final matchup against Gladiators
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Dawson Tritt potted his first two professional goals, including the sealing empty-netter, with an assist, Stuart Rolofs had the game-winner and two helpers, and Pierce Charleson made 30 saves as the Greenville Swamp Rabbits came from behind to overtake the Atlanta Gladiators 5-3 on Saturday night. The game served as the 13th and final matchup against Atlanta, with the Swamp Rabbits posting a 9-3-1-0 record head-to-head.
Atlanta jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, thanks to two strikes from Joey Cipollone. His first came 5:09 into the contest when he jumped on an erratically bouncing puck and slammed it past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Pierce Charleson, giving the Gladiators a 1-0 lead (Derek Topatigh and Easton Armstrong assisted). He hit paydirt again on the power play with 6:06 left in the period, hacking a loosely bouncing puck in the slot area past Charleson to double the lead to 2-0 (Topatigh and Cody Sylvester assisted). Moments later, Jordan Power thought he halved the deficit with roughly four and a half minutes to go, but the goal was called off after review.
Kyle Haskins found a way to get the Swamp Rabbits on the board in the second period while on the power play, starting a 4-0 Swamp Rabbits run over the next two frames. At 8:42 of the second, Stepan Timofeyev exerted his patience and waited to hit Haskins backdoor, with the latter tapping the puck behind Gladiators goalie Drew DeRidder to cut the deficit to 2-1 (Timofeyev and Carter Savoie assisted).
For just the fourth time this season, the Swamp Rabbits won a game while down entering the final 20 minutes of play, continuing their scoring run with Dustin Geregach. Just 4:36 into the last frame, Geregach received a pass while in the midst of a lengthy Swamp Rabbits forecheck and, from an insane angle, sniped a shot from the far wall over DeRidder’s shoulder to square the game at 2-2 (Austin Saint and Brent Pedersen assisted). Exactly 72 seconds later, Dawson Tritt pocketed a rebound for his first goal as a professional, backhanding a loose puck in the net front past DeRidder to give the Swamp Rabbits their first, and only, lead of the game at 5:48 (Tyson Fawcett and Stuart Rolofs assisted). Rolofs represented the final goal in the run, shoveling the puck off a defender and into the Atlanta net to expand the Swamp Rabbits lead to 4-2 with 10:43 left in the game (Miles Gendron and Dawson Tritt assisted). The Gladiators ended the run on their last power play if the game with 3:13 remaining when Jackson Pierson deflected a Derek Topatigh shot past Charleson to close the gap to 4-3 (Topatigh and Sylvester assisted). Tritt put the exclamation point on his career-high night, burying an empty-netter to claim a 5-3 win for the Swamp Rabbits.
Pierce Charleson stopped 30 of 33 shots in earning his second pro win (2-3-1-0)
___________________________
SWAMP RABBITS RALLY LATE FALLS SHORT IN TIGHT AFFAIR
Parker-Jones brings team within one in final minutes, Icemen hold on late
(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) – Jordan Power scored his first professional goal five minutes into the game, and John Parker-Jones brought the team within striking distance late, but the Jacksonville Icemen held off the Greenville Swamp Rabbits late, winning by a tight 3-2 score. This was the final meeting between both teams this season, finishing a series of 13 matchups.
Power, in just his second professional game, got the Swamp Rabbits on the board first. Just 5:00 into the contest, Kyle Haskins contained the zone and forced the puck down low, allowing Brent Pedersen and Austin Saint to forecheck deep. Pedersen fired the puck to the blue line, where Power rifled a shot through traffic from distance that beat Icemen goalie Matt Vernon, pushing the Swamp Rabbits to a 1-0 lead (Pedersen and Saint assisted). However, 2:31 later, the puck was lost behind the Swamp Rabbits’ net to Chris Grando, who found Olivier Nadeau all alone in front of the net. Nadeau backhanded the puck immediately, lifting it over Swamp Rabbits net-minder Mattias Sholl to square the game at 1-1 at 7:31. Noah Laaouan gave the Icemen their only lead of the game with 7:07 left, breaking up the middle, uncontested, on a spring from Davis Koch in neutral ice. Laaouan outlasted Sholl and buried it, putting the Icemen up 2-1 (Koch and Vernon assisted).
Neither team inflicted further damage on the other until the start of the third period. Just 2:46 into the final frame, the puck was turned over in-zone to Garrett Van Whye, who powered towards the net and slipped the puck past Sholl to give the Icemen some breathing room at 3-1. John Parker-Jones brought the Swamp Rabbits within striking distance late, trying to spark a second comeback win in VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. With 2:51 left, and Sholl to the bench for a Swamp Rabbits extra attacker, Dustin Geregach found Parker-Jones with space on the left side, then the latter uncorked a one-timer past Vernon to cut the deficit to 3-2. With a power play late, and Sholl out for the extra skater again, the Swamp Rabbits tried to muster a tying strike, but fell short, falling 3-2.
Mattias Sholl stopped 30 of 33 shots on net in suffering the defeat, his first as a pro (1-1-0-0).
___________________________________
REGO ASSIGNED TO SWAMP RABBITS AHEAD OF THREE-GAME WEEKEND
Defenseman signs with Reign out of Cornell, assigned to Swamp Rabbits for professional debut
(GREENVILLE, SC) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced via a Swamp Rabbit Moving Transaction the arrival of defenseman Tim Rego, who has been signed to an AHL contract with the team’s affiliate, the Ontario Reign, and assigned to the Swamp Rabbits. In a separate transaction, defenseman Chandler Romeo was released.
Rego turns pro following the conclusion of his NCAA career, all spent with Cornell University. The 6’0”, 190-pound defenseman smashed all career-highs across the board with 8 goals, 16 assists, and 24 points in 36 games in his senior season. His efforts helped the Big Red with their NCAA Tournament first-round upset over #2 national seed Michigan State. The team fell in a heartbreaker in the Toledo Regional Final in overtime to Boston University, 3-2, a game in which Rego had a pair of assists and a +1 rating.
From Mansfield, Massachusetts, Rego, 24, registered 14 goals, 40 assists, and 54 points in 136 games with the Big Red over four seasons, helping the team win the 2024 ECAC Championship. Before going to college, Rego played a pair of seasons in the AJHL with the Brooks Bandits, averaging over a point-per-game with 77 (29g-48ast) in 72 games, garnering 2020 South All-Rookie and All-Star Team recognitions.
The Swamp Rabbits continue their four-game in five-night stretch with the second game on Friday, April 4th, a rematch and final showdown against the Icemen on the road. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
_________________________________
SWAMP RABBITS DROP NARROW AFFAIR TO ICEMEN
Swamp Rabbits go 1/7, Icemen 2/3 in power play dictated game
(GREENVILLE, SC) – Carter Savoie led four multi-point performers with a pair of goals, one coming on the power play. Still, the Jacksonville Icemen went 2/3 on the man-advantage, countering with three multi-point collectors to claim a narrow 4-3 win on Wednesday night.
Both teams traded punches in the opening frame, leaving them deadlocked at 1-1. Christopher Brown scored on the first Icemen power play of the game with 6:51 left in the first when he received a Brendan Harris pass from the side of the net upon zone entry. Brown fired his shot across the goal mouth and past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Pierce Charleson inside the far post to give Jacksonville a 1-0 lead (Harris and Noah Laaouan assisted). Exactly 2:01 later, Carter Savoie netted his first of two on the night, pinballing a puck in transition from the left that arced over Icemen goalie Justen Close, squaring the game at 1-1 (Stuart Rolofs and John Parker-Jones assisted).
Savoie’s hand stayed hot to start the second period, but the Icemen closed the frame on a 3-0 run. His second tally came on the second Swamp Rabbits power play at 4:08 of the second when he fired a shot off of a net-front defender and past Close, giving the Swamp Rabbits their only lead of the game at 2-1 (Kyle Haskins and Stepan Timofeyev assisted). The Icemen returned to special teams to square the game up, starting their run in the latter half of the period. Olivier Nadeau tied the game with 7:28 left in the period, deflecting a Noah Laaouan blue line shot over Charleson’s shoulder from the front of the net (Laaouan and Chris Grando assisted). Liam Coughlin broke the deadlock with Jacksonville’s second lead under three minutes later with 4:36 left in the period, coming off the bench to join a rush with Nadeau. Nadeau hit him cross ice with a pass and Coughlin faked out Charleson, pushing the Icemen ahead 3-2 (Nadeau and Justen Close assisted). David Koch ended the run with 2:42 left in the period when he deflected Ivan Chukarov’s pass from the high slot past Charleson to expand the lead to 4-2 (Chukarov and Brown assisted).
John Parker-Jones gave the Swamp Rabbits life at the start of the third period, bringing the game within one with plenty of time to find an equalizer. His ninth of the year came 73 seconds into the third when he navigated traffic and zipped a bullet past a screened Close, cutting the deficit to 4-3 (Stuart Rolofs and Stepan Timofeyev assisted). The Swamp Rabbits got a double-minor power play within the final four minutes of regulation, but couldn’t find the tying strike, falling 4-3.
Pierce Charleson stopped 28 of 32 shots in the defeat (1-3-1-0).
_______________________________
SWAMP RABBITS SWEEP GLADIATORS IN WILD FINALE
Sholl collects first pro win, Swamp Rabbits have seven different goal scorers and four three-point performances.
(DULUTH, Ga.) – Austin Saint, Dustin Geregach, Brent Pedersen, and Kyle Haskins all netted three points to lead seven different goal scorers, and Mattias Sholl won his professional debut with 33 saves to power the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to a wild 7-4 win over the Atlanta Gladiators on Saturday night. The win gives the Swamp Rabbits a sweep of their home-and-home weekend set.
Atlanta jumped out to a 2-0 lead early with Alex Young scoring his first as a Gladiator and Nick Wong notching his first as a pro 2:16 apart in the game’s early stages. After Wong’s career marker, Ryan O’Hara earned his first goal as a pro 22 seconds later, pinballing the puck off a net-front defender and past Ethan Haider in Atlanta’s net to halve the deficit to 2-1 with 9:12 left in the first (Jack Brackett and Conner Hutchison assisted).
Jackson Pierson re-established the Gladiators’ two-goal advantage 81 seconds into the second period to make it a 3-1 game. However, the Swamp Rabbits opened fire with a 5-0 scoring run to overtake the Gladiators. Austin Saint redirected a Kyle Haskins shot from distance at 4:45 (Haskins and Geregach assisted), and was followed by a Jack Brackett blast of a one-timer with 9:20 left to square the game at 3-3 (Geregach assisted, his second of the night).
Brent Pedersen had a three-point third period to keep the onslaught going, starting it with a goal 2:20 into the frame on a backdoor rebound from Austin Saint’s shot to give the Swamp Rabbits their only lead of the game at 4-3 (Saint and Haskins assisted). Precisely 50 seconds later, Ben Poisson rifled a shot from downtown inside the blue line that ricocheted past Haider, expanding the lead to 5-3 at 3:50 (Carter Savoie and Dawson Tritt assisted, the latter earning his first pro point in his debut). Dustin Geregach followed with his first professional goal right down the slot for his third point of the game with 9:18 left, ballooning the lead to 6-3 (Pedersen had the lone assist). Atlanta finally ended the run with Mickey Burns’ first pro goal with 5:02 left, but was immediately answered 1:12 later by a Kyle Haskins backdoor tap-in with 3:50 left to bring the final to 7-4 for the Swamp Rabbits.
Mattias Sholl won his professional debut for the Swamp Rabbits, stopping 33 of 37 shots in the effort (1-0-0-0).
__________________________________
CHARLESON NETS FIRST WIN IN WEEKEND OPENER AGAINST ATLANTA
Rookie stops 31 of 34, Savoie notches three points to lead eight different point collectors.
(GREENVILLE, SC) – Carter Savoie notched a pair of goals and an assist, Austin Saint and Jack Brackett linked on the game-winner, and Pierce Charleson earned his first pro win on 31 saves as the Greenville Swamp Rabbits defeated the Atlanta Gladiators by a 5-3 score on Friday night.
Savoie’s night started less than a minute into the game, giving the Swamp Rabbits an early lead. Just 21 seconds in, Savoie slingshot himself from the right side of the zone, powered towards the net, and outlasted Drew DeRidder, slipping it by the Atlanta goaltender to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead (Stuart Rolofs and Dustin Geregach assisted). Moments later, former Swamp Rabbit Ryan Francis netted his first as a Gladiator, transitioning up the ice off a defensive zone faceoff win. Francis tied the game with a wrist shot from the left that beat Swamp Rabbits net-minder Pierce Charleson, squaring the game at 1-1 with 7:38 gone by (Alex Young assisted). Playing off of first goals with new teams, Stepan Timofeyev got the Swamp Rabbits back on top on the team’s first power play of the game. With 9:29 left in the first, Timofeyev rifled a Dustin Geregach pass from the left and off of a defender, deflecting past DeRidder to give the Swamp Rabbits a 2-1 lead (Geregach and Savoie assisted).
Both teams exchanged blows in the second, but the Swamp Rabbits maintained their advantage after the break. Ryan Cranford briefly tied the game with 6:59 left in the second period, powering past his defender and finishing with a shot that went off the post and past Charleson to even the game at 2-2 (Brenden Datema and Ryan Francis assisted). However, Savoie was back on the scoresheet with his second of the game to re-establish the Swamp Rabbits’ lead. With 3:18 left in the second, Austin Saint finished serving a minor and bolted to the Swamp Rabbits bench, beating Jeremy Hanzel to the puck. Saint warded him off, created a two-on-none break, and found Savoie in the net-front for a point-blank tip-in to vault the Swamp Rabbits to a 3-2 lead.
Atlanta continued to challenge, but the Swamp Rabbits eventually found a gear to pull away. Kyle Haskins was called for a five-minute major and game misconduct for interference, eventually putting Atlanta to a major power play. Derek Topatigh, leading the Gladiators in power play points, found an equalizer with 8:35 gone by in the third when he snuck in off the blue line to the high slot and rifled the puck past Charleson to tie the game at 3-3 (Cody Sylvester and Carson Denomie assisted). Austin Saint later pulled back the lead for the Swamp Rabbits, not looking back for the rest of the game. Saint’s second point came with 6:35 left in the game when a puck came out of a scrum and in an open area to Jack Brackett. Brackett uncorked a shot that got redirected by Saint, pushing the Swamp Rabbits to a 4-3 lead. Brackett’s hand stayed hot, providing breathing room for the Swamp Rabbits with 2:57 left, uncorking a Ben Poisson pass off the back bar past DeRidder to give the Swamp Rabbits an eventual 5-3 win.
Pierce Charleson earned his first professional win, stopping 31 of 34 shots on net for the career milestone (1-2-1-0).
_______________________________
SINGLETON GOES BACK TO ONTARIO, SWAMP RABBITS SIGN TRITT
Forward earns another AHL call-up, Tritt signs first professional contract
(GREENVILLE, SC) – 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 forward Tate Singleton returns to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, and forward Dawson Tritt signs his first professional contract with the Swamp Rabbits.
Singleton goes back to the Reign for a second time this season. The 5’9”, 180-pound forward logged six games with the Swamp Rabbits AHL affiliate his last time out, getting into a fight against the Iowa Wild on January 12th. He returned to the Swamp Rabbits ahead of “NASCAR Night” in late January, and has since earned 11 goals and 19 points in 25 games. He leaves the Swamp Rabbits as the team’s third active leading scorer with 37 points (18g-19ast) in 51 games.
Hailing from West Lebanon, New Hampshire, Singleton, 26, spent last season between the ECHL with the Newfoundland Growlers (59gp, 25g-23ast-48pts) and AHL’s Toronto Marlies (12gp, 1g-5ast-6pts). Following the conclusion of his NCAA college hockey career, he turned professional last season with The Ohio State University, compiling 70 points (33 g – 37a) in 140 games as a Buckeye.
Tritt joins the Swamp Rabbits looking for his first action as a professional hockey player. The 6’2”, 180-pound forward completed his NCAA college career with Lake Super State University, earning seven goals and 17 points in 33 games this season.
From Spokane, Washington, Tritt, 24, earned 69 career points (33g – 36a) in 139 games with the Lakers over four years. Before going to college, he played a lone NAHL season with the Lone Star Brahmas and three seasons with the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
_________________________
CHARLESON RETURNS TO THE SWAMP RABBITS FROM THE AHL
Net-minder backed up for the Providence Bruins last night against Charlotte.
(GREENVILLE, SC) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced today via a Swamp Rabbit Moving Transaction that goaltender Pierce Charleson has been released from his professional tryout (PTO) with the AHL’s Providence Bruins and rejoins the Swamp Rabbits ahead of their “home-and-home” series against the Atlanta Gladiators.
Charleson earned his first trip to the AHL, dressing for the Bruins in their matchup against the Charlotte Checkers. The 6’3”, 195-pound net-minder is 0-2-1-0 in four games and three starts with the Swamp Rabbits, sporting a 3.21 GAA and .889 SV% since making his professional debut on March 15th against Kansas City.
From Aurora, Ontario, Charleson, 25, turned pro with the Swamp Rabbits following 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% in 34 games. He competed for 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, Charleson 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.
__________________________
CHARLESON GOES TO THE AHL WITH THE PROVIDENCE BRUINS
Net-minder joins the team ahead of their final clash with the Charlotte Checkers
(GREENVILLE, SC) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced today via a Swamp Rabbit Moving Transaction that goaltender Pierce Charleson has been signed to a professional tryout (PTO) with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. He will dress for their game against the Charlotte Checkers tonight.
Charleson earns his first trip to the AHL after turning professional with the Swamp Rabbits 12 days ago. The 6’3”, 195-pound net-minder comes off of a relief appearance on Sunday against the Savannah Ghost Pirates, where he turned aside all 25 shots he saw in 39:11 of playing time. Still searching for his first professional win, Charleson is 0-2-1-0 in four games and three starts, sporting a 3.21 GAA and .889 SV% since making his professional debut on March 15th against Kansas City.
From Aurora, Ontario, Charleson, 25, turned pro with the Swamp Rabbits following 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% in 34 games. He competed for 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, Charleson spent 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.
The Swamp Rabbits begin a home-and-home series with the Atlanta Gladiators starting this Friday, March 28th. Puck drop for “Hockey & Hops”, presented by KW Beverage, is slated for 7:05 p.m. EST at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
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.
Leave a Reply