SHOLL’S FIRST PRO SHUTOUT GIVE SWAMP RABBITS A WEEKEND SWEEP
Net-minder stops all 26; Polino (2g), Singleton and Mastrodonato (G-Ast each) lead the way in the 3rd
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Patrick Polino broke a 49:06 scoreless deadlock as part of a four-goal final period, but Mattias Sholl stole the show with a 26-save shutout, his first as a professional, to power the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to a 4-0 win against the South Carolina Stingrays on Saturday night. The win gives the Swamp Rabbits a weekend sweep, having defeated the Orlando Solar Bears on Friday by a 3-2 count.
It was a 12-round prize fight: both teams couldn’t solve each other for the vast majority of regulation. Hudson Schandor thought he had his first professional goal a minute into the game, but it was waved off by the officials after review. Mattias Sholl, in net for the Swamp Rabbits, stopped 11 shots in the first two periods combined, while Antoine Keller, backstopping for the Stingrays, turned aside all 23 shots faced.
The deadlock finally broke, thanks to Patrick Polino, who took advantage of a chaotic sequence in the midst of a delayed penalty. With 10:54 left in the game, Polino was part of a scramble to the blocker side of Keller’s net thanks to a blue line shot from Tate Singleton and a hacked rebound by Austin Saint. Polino, through the fire, managed to squeak it by Keller’s leg and give the Swamp Rabbits a long-awaited 1-0 lead. Moments later, the Swamp Rabbits got the next goal and built some breathing room. On their final power play of the game, Tate Singleton slingshot himself up the left wall receiving a pass from Parker Berge. Singleton rifled a laser over Keller’s shoulder to double the advantage to 2-0 (Berge and Tim Lovell assisted). Desperate to mount a comeback, the Stingrays pulled Keller for the extra attacker, leaving a wide open net on their side of the ice. Patrick Polino, with 2:07 remaining, and Keaton Mastrodonato, with 15.4 seconds to go, put the icing on the scoring entries with empty-net tallies, bringing the Swamp Rabbits lead to 4-0. Sholl saw 15 shots in the final 20 minutes and turned aside all of them to anchor the Swamp Rabbits win.
Mattias Sholl stopped all 26 shots for both his first win of the season and his first professional shutout (1-2-0-0).
The Swamp Rabbits will travel to Georgia on Wednesday to play the Atlanta Gladiators in a morning game. Puck drop at Gas South Arena on November 5th is slated for 10:30 a.m. EST.
About the Greenville Swamp Rabbits …
Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team have 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 member of the ECHL, Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League.
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