SWAMP RABBITS FALL IN OVERTIME IN FIRST OF TWO AGAINST GHOST PIRATES
O’Hara ties it early in the third; gap from 6th to 4th now eight points in South Division race
SAVANNAH, GA – Ryan O’Hara tied the game 48 seconds into the third period and Keaton Mastrodonato collected a goal and assist in his return from the AHL, but the Savannah Ghost Pirates, led by Jaxsen Wiebe’s three-point night and Riley Hughes’ overtime winner, picked up the win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits by a 4-3 score on Friday night. The overtime loss increased the gap from the Swamp Rabbits in 6th in the South to the Ghost Pirates in 4th to eight points with 14 games remaining.
Both teams traded blows in the opening 20 minutes, but Savannah struck late to carry a lead into the dressing room. Bryce Brodzinski scored his fifth goal head-to-head against his former team to start off the game just 5:30 in, burying a behind-the-back pass from Jaxsen Wiebe past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Isaiah Saville, giving the Ghost Pirates a 1-0 advantage (Wiebe and Reece Vitelli assisted). Keaton Mastrodonato announced his presence back from the AHL with a tying strike in the final minutes of the frame. With 98 seconds remaining, Josh Zary located Mastrodonato in the slot, with the latter blasting a one-timer past Ghost Pirates goalie Vinnie Purpura, squaring the game at 1-1 (Zary earned his first professional point, while Tim Rego also assisted). However, Savannah had an answer late in the period to take the lead into the break. With 2.7 seconds remaining, Josh Lopina won a faceoff off of a Swamp Rabbits icing and Will Riedell won a 50/50 puck to Wiebe. Wiebe went to the net past the defense and rifled a shot past Saville to push the Ghost Pirates to a 2-1 lead.
Wiebe was at it again over the midway point of the second, but the Swamp Rabbits also began to claw back not too long after. With 8:58 left in the second, Wiebe broke down the left side of the Swamp Rabbits zone in transition, with Noah Carroll driving the net front. Wiebe elected to shoot, and fired a wrister behind Saville to separate the Ghost Pirates at 3-1 (Carroll and Vitelli assisted). Moments later, Ryan O’Reilly brought the Swamp Rabbits back within one, deflected a Cole Fraser shot over Purpura in front of his crease to cut the gap to 3-2 with 4:23 to play (Fraser and Tim Lovell assisted).
Less than a minute into the third, Ryan O’Hara brough the Swamp Rabbits back on level playing ground. Just 49 seconds into the final stanza, Mastrodonato linked up on a cross-ice long rage pass to O’Hara, who burst past the defense and wired a wrist shot behind Purpura to tie the gate at 3-3 (Mastrodonato and Jake Murray assisted). Both teams failed to score for the remainder of regulation, prompting overtime.
With 57.6 seconds remaining, Riley Hughes caught the Swamp Rabbits in a change, cut to the left side of Saville, and unleashed a laser under the cross bar, ending the game with Savannah earning the second point with a 4-3 win.
Isaiah Saville stopped 29 of 33 shots in suffering the overtime defeat (8-11-2-1).
The Swamp Rabbits conclude their franchise record 11-game road trip with a “three-in-three”, continuing with a rematch against the Savannah Ghost Pirates. Puck drop at Enmarket Arena is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 21st. The trip concludes Sunday at 5:00 p.m. EST against the Jacksonville Icemen at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
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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