OILERS END SWAMP RABBITS BID FOR A SWEEP
Hausinger and Schandor pot two in the second, but Tulsa pulls away in the third
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Cam Hausinger scored a power play goal to start a second-period rally, and Hudson Schandor followed late to bring the game within one, but the Tulsa Oilers, who went up 3-0 early, pulled away with a 5-2 win on Sunday afternoon.
The Oilers jumped out to a 3-0 lead, carrying from the end of the first to the start of the second. Keegan Iverson got Tulsa on the board with 5:09 left in the first, burying a low-to-high pass from inside the point past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Pierce Charleson. Exactly 3:00 later, Lukas Jirousek came in transition down the left side and threw a puck past Charleson’s glove to make it a 2-0 game with 2:09 to play in the first.
Charleson, who stopped eight of his initial 10 shots, was subbed out in net for Isaiah Saville to start the second. Duggie Lagrone bested Saville early in the second, taking advantage of net-front chaos and rifling a rebound over his blocker’s hand to make it a 3-0 game just 2:50 in. Eventually, the Swamp Rabbits struck and closed the gap to one heading into the third. Cam Hausinger found the back of the net for a second straight game on the power play with 8:57 left in the second, blasting a Hudson Schandor pass from behind the net on a point-blank one-timer past Oilers goalie Jake Sibell, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Schandor was at it again with 23.9 seconds to play in the second, redirecting a Ryan O’Hara pass through Sibell’s wickets to bring the Swamp Rabbits in striking range, down 3-2 heading into the third.
The Oilers found a way to pull away in the third, scoring two special teams goals to seal it. Michael Davies found the puck in the slot on the power play and rifled an insurance marker with 6:18 remaining in the game, and was followed by an empty-net shorthanded goal with 1:11 to play while Saville was pulled for the extra attacker, avoiding the sweep with a 5-2 win for Tulsa.
Pierce Charleson stopped eight of 10 shots in 20 minutes and was relieved of his duties by Isaiah Saville, who became the goaltender of record and made 13 saves on 15 shots in 38:37 of relief (7-6-0-1).
The Swamp Rabbits now begin a franchise record 11-game road trip this Friday, February 27th, taking on the Reading Royals for a pair of games to close out February. Puck drop for the opener is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST at Santander Arena.
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MURPHY’S TWO-GOAL NIGHT GIVES SWAMP RABBITS BACK-TO-BACK WINS
Murphy and Murray combine for four points in the second, and Saville stops 34 in return
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Wade Murphy scored twice in 4:50 in the second period, Jake Murray picked up a pair of assists, and Isaiah Saville stopped 34 of 37 shots in his return to play as the Greenville Swamp Rabbits defeated the Tulsa Oilers for a second straight game, 4-3, on Saturday night. The win came on “Military Appreciation Night”, presented by Budweiser, and gives the Swamp Rabbits back-to-back wins against the Oilers in their three-game series.
Both teams left the first period level after 20 minutes, beginning with the Swamp Rabbits for a third game in a row. At 7:41 of the first, Ryan O’Hara dumped a puck down towards the net, collected by Kenta Isogai in the low slot. Isogai spun and fired a shot over the shoulder of Vyachelav Buteyets in net for Tulsa, giving the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead. However, with 29 seconds remaining in the period, Tulsa answered in the midst of a delayed penalty in which they had the extra attacker, ending with Roman Kinal firing a shot down the middle past the glove of Swamp Rabbits net-minder Isaiah Saville, squaring the game at 1-1.
The Swamp Rabbits opened fire in the second period, scoring three goals to take a commanding lead into the third. Wade Murphy scored the next two for Greenville, beginning at 6:52 of the second, when he blasted a one-timer from the left on a Parker Berge pass, beating Buteyets up high to give the Swamp Rabbits back the lead at 2-1. Under five minutes later on the team’s second power play of the game, Murphy drove the slot and batted at a puck out of mid-air, forcing it past Buteyets to double the Swamp Rabbits’ lead to 3-1 with 8:18 left in the frame. Rounding out the scoring entries was Cam Hausinger, who flung a shot from the left wall through traffic that went five-hole on Buteyets, giving the Swamp Rabbits a 4-1 advantage with 3:06 to play in the second. Following the goal, Jake Sibell relieved Buteyets in net for the remainder of the game.
Tulsa had a spirited comeback in the final 10 minutes of regulation, but it wasn’t enough to catch the Swamp Rabbits. Owen Lindmark brought the Oilers within two with 9:42 remaining in the game, redirecting a J.C. Brassard shot past Saville from just in front of the net to cut the lead to 4-2. With Sibell on the bench for the extra attacker, Tyler Poulsen slammed the rebound past Saville and crashed into the net, bringing the Oilers within striking distance at 4-3 with 1:00 remaining. After a chaotic sequence late, the Swamp Rabbits staved off the rally and picked up the win, their second in as many games against Tulsa.
Isaiah Saville, returning to action for the first time since February 6th, stopped 34 of 37 shots in the win (7-5-2-0).
The Swamp Rabbits conclude their three-game series with the Oilers tomorrow afternoon, February 22nd, on “Kings Day”, presented by the YMCA of Greenville. Puck drop is slated for 3:05 p.m. EST at Bon Secours Wellness Arena
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MASTRODONATO BOOKENDS SCORING IN OVERTIME WIN OVER TULSA
Swamp Rabbits rally in third behind Brackett’s equalizer, Mastrodonato’s second
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Jack Brackett scored for a second straight to tie the game with 7:40 to play, and Keaton Mastrodonato scored a second to end the game 1:14 into overtime, giving the Greenville Swamp Rabbits the second point up for grabs and the win, 3-2 over the Tulsa Oilers on Thursday night. The win ends the team’s six-game losing streak going into the final two home games of February this weekend.
Mastrodonato’s big night started over the midway point of the opening frame. With 8:05 left in the first, Dante Sheriff took contact on the near side of the attacking zone and zipped the puck to the slot, where Mastrodonato blasted it past Oilers goalie Vyacheslav Buteyets, giving the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead (Sheriff and Ryan O’Hara assisted). Under four minutes later, Michael Davies answered with a tying strike, deflecting the puck with his skate past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Pierce Charleson, squaring the game at 1-1 with 4:26 to play (Tyrell Goulbourne and Drew Elliott assisted).
The Oilers potted the only goal of the second, carrying a lead into the final 20 minutes. With 2:30 to play, Easton Armstrong took a loose puck from behind the Swamp Rabbits’ net and banked it off of Charleson’s near shoulder, squeaking in the net to give the Oilers a 2-1 advantage (Tyler Poulsen had the lone assist).
Needing a comeback, Jack Brackett hit pay dirt for a second straight game over the midway point of the third, giving the Swamp Rabbits life and a share of the scoreboard. With 7:40 to go, Tristan De Jong just barely kept the puck in at the blue line, and Brent Pedersen advanced it to Brackett. Taking a monster hit in the process, Brackett uncorked a snipe over the shoulder of Buteyets to square the game at 2-2. The Oilers earned a power play late in regulation, which eventually carried into overtime.
The Swamp Rabbits killed off the minor in the early stages of free hockey and eventually built momentum to seal the win. Just 1:14 into overtime, Tim Lovell dumped the puck deep for Hudson Schandor to retrieve. Taking two defenders behind the net, Schandor threaded it to Mastrodonato backdoor, who slammed it home with his second of the game to give the Swamp Rabbits the second point in a 3-2 win.
Pierce Charleson, making his fifth appearance in the last six games and his fourth start in that stretch, turned aside 30 of 32 shots (6-7-3-0)
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SWAMP RABBITS DROP FINAL MORNING GAME AT SOUTH CAROLINA
Brackett gives the Swamp Rabbits their first goal, but a 5-0 Stingrays run hands them their sixth straight defeat
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C.) – Jack Brackett got the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on the board 8:18 into the game, but the South Carolina Stingrays went on a 5-0 run shortly after to the end of the second period, taking a 5-2 win on Wednesday morning. The loss puts the Swamp Rabbits at six straight, dating back to February 7th at Idaho.
Brackett’s fifth marker of the season gave the Swamp Rabbits an early lead before the Stingrays potted two in response. At 8:18, Brackett stick lifted his attacker on the blue line and sprung on a breakaway up the left side, slinging a shot inside the far post of Stingrays goalie Seth Eisele to put the visitors up 1-0. About three and a half minutes later, Ben Hawerchuk got the Stingrays on the board when he circled around the Swamp Rabbits net and fired a puck that bounced off of Dean Loukus and past the Swamp Rabbits net-minder Pierce Charleson, squaring the game at 1-1 with 8:12 to go in the first (Hawerchuk and Porter Schachle assisted). Simon Pinard put the Stingrays ahead and improved his point streak to a dozen straight games with 2:26 left in the second, faking a shot down the slot area past his defender, followed by a finish past Charleson to give the Stingrays a 2-1 lead after one frame (Patrick Thomas and Patrick Guzzo assisted).
The Stingrays’ patented quick strike offense gave them separation early in the second, and allowed them to not look back. At 2:03 of the second, Stan Cooley received a Josh Wilkins pass, started off a turnover, and batted the puck at his waistline past Charleson to give the Stingrays a 3-1 lead. He was followed 108 second later by Kaden Bohlsen, when Connor Moore took another turnover and found him in the slot to balloon the Swamp Rabbits deficit to 4-1 at 3:51. Josh Wilkins then snuck behind everyone in the Swamp Rabbits zone and backdoor tapped in a DJ King pass with 5:52 remaining to give the Stingrays a fifth straight and a 5-1 lead. The run was eventually cut by the Swamp Rabbits’ power play, quickly going to work seconds into their first advantage. With 4:41 left in the second, Polino deflected a Josh Atkinson point shot from the front of the net past Eisele, ending the Stingrays stretch and closing the gap to 5-2. Atkinson’s assist extended his assist streak to 12 straight games, tying a franchise record for longest point streak by a defenseman in Swamp Rabbits/Road Warriors history. Both teams didn’t score in the third, giving the Stingrays the 5-2 win.
Pierce Charleson, playing in his fourth of the last five Swamp Rabbits games, stopped 26 of 31 shots faced (5-7-3-0).
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BOYKO SIGNED BY SWAMP RABBITS AHEAD OF MORNING GAME
Net-minder joins the team from SPHL Macon
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and AHL’s Ontario Reign, announced via a Swamp Rabbit Moving Transaction that Josh Boyko has signed with the team ahead of their morning game against the South Carolina Stingrays today.
Boyko joins the Swamp Rabbits after playing all of this season thus far with the SPHL’s Macon Mayhem. The 5’10”, 170-pound net-minder is 11-12-3-0 with 1 shutout, a 2.47 GAA, and .918 SV% in 28 games. He last suited up as a rival of the Swamp Rabbits with the Atlanta Gladiators in the 2023-24 campaign, and was a member of the Idaho Steelheads team that won the 2023 Brabham Cup as ECHL Regular Season Champions.
From Mississauga, Ontario, Boyko, 28, has 25 ECHL games to his credit since turning pro in 2022 with the Maine Mariners, Reading Royals, Idaho Steelheads, Worcester Railers, and Atlanta Gladiators, going 9-11-2-0 with 1 shutout, a 3.32 GAA, and .896 SV%. He’s spent the majority of his career in the SPHL with Macon and the Peoria Rivermen, registering a 21-37-7 record with a shutout, a 2.95 GAA, and .912 SV%. Before turning professional, he was a two-time All-Conference Team selection in NCAA Division III with Aurora University. His brother, Simon, currently plays in Germany and played three seasons in the ECHL with the Norfolk Admirals, Rapid City Rush, Atlanta Gladiators, and Kalamazoo Wings.
The Swamp Rabbits are back in action for another four-in-five set, beginning with this morning’s showdown against the South Carolina Stingrays on the road. Puck drop is slated for 10:30 a.m. EST at North Charleston Coliseum.
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 member of the ECHL, Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League.
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