SWAMP RABBITS RALLY FALLS SHORT IN JACKSONVILLE
SWAMP RABBITS RALLY FALLS SHORT IN JACKSONVILLE
Smirnov scores his first to bring the game within one w/6:23 left, not enough to end 11-game road trip
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
JACKSONVILLE, FL – Denis Smirnov scored his first with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to cut the deficit in the third period, but the Jacksonville Icemen, led by Will Hillman’s goal in the first minute and Craig Martin’s shorthanded strike in the second, held on to take a 2-1 win on Sunday night. The Swamp Rabbits remain six points behind Savannah for the final playoff spot with 12 games remaining. This also concludes the team’s franchise record 11-game road trip, in which the team went 3-6-2-0.
The Icemen scored right off the hop and carried the lead the entire game. Just 29 seconds into the contest, Will Hillman came into the Swamp Rabbits zone in transition and flung a shot on net that slipped by the leg of Swamp Rabbits net-minder Pierce Charleson and inside the far post, giving the Icemen a 1-0 lead (Tyler Kopff and Taos Jordan assisted).
The Swamp Rabbits tried to tie the game with special teams in the second, but were snakebitten on their third, and eventually final, power play in the latter part of the period. With 4:39 left in the second, Dave Jankowski flipped a buck out of a neutral zone board scrum to Craig Martin, who got a step on the last defender. Martin fluttered a backhand over Charleson’s glove to extend the Icemen lead to 2-0 with his second shorthanded goal of the year.
Eventually, the Swamp Rabbits broke through, thanks to one of their newest acquisitions in Denis Smirnov. With 6:23 left in the game, the Swamp Rabbits swarmed the zone and moved the puck around, with Wade Murphy finding Patrick Polino down low to the right of the net. Polino threaded the needle to Smirnov, who banked his shot off a defender and in to halve the deficit to 2-1. With Charleson pulled late from his net, the Swamp Rabbits had chances with the extra attacker, but an errant penalty killed their momentum and sealed a 2-1 Icemen win.
Pierce Charleson, starting back-to-back games on the weekend, stopped 23 of 25 shots in the effort (8-8-3-0).
The Swamp Rabbits finally come back home from their long journey, set to play 10 of their remaining 12 games at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Their first game back is a rematch against the Jacksonville Icemen on “Backyard Sports Day”, Sunday, March 29th, featuring a 3:05 p.m. EST puck drop.
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.
