SWAMP RABBITS LOSE SEASON FINALE TO GLADIATORS
Mastrodomenico and Milburn score their first pro goals; Swamp Rabbits finish 16th season in Upstate
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
GREENVILLE, SC – Michael Mastrodomenico and Connor Milburn potted their first professional goals, but the Atlanta Gladiators went on a 4-0 scoring run in the last two periods to defeat the Greenville Swamp Rabbits by a 5-3 score in the regular season finale.
Michael Mastrodomenico put the Swamp Rabbits up first with 4:57 left in the first, coming off the blue line full bore into a Ryan O’Hara pass and finishing with a bullet past Gladiators goalie Ethan Haider to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead on his first professional goal (O’Hara and Neil Shea assisted). However, just over two minutes later, Joey Cipollone forced a turnover on the Swamp Rabbits first power play of the game and found a streaking Brendan Less, who skated uncontested on Swamp Rabbits goalie Isaiah Saville and buried his chance to square the game at 1-1 heading into the intermission.
Tristan De Jong put the Swamp Rabbits back in the drivers seat after a bout of four-on-four midway through the second. At 8:06, the puck was dumped into the Gladiators zone and misplayed for De Jong coming out of the penalty box. Haider charged so far out of his net that De Jong simply slammed the puck in from behind him, giving the Swamp Rabbits a 2-1 lead. Cipollone then started a 4-0 scoring run for the Gladiators, tying it at 2-2 with 8:44 to play on a chaotic net front sequence that sent the puck just barely over Saville’s goal line. After Mastrodomenico got tripped and it went uncalled, Eric Neiley came in two-on-one and elected to shoot, banking it off a defender and past Saville to put Atlanta in the driver’s seat with 4:49 to play in the second.
Atlanta pulled away thanks to Ryan Conroy at 6:35 of the third, wiring a laser over Saville’s shoulder to make it 4-2 (Cody Sylvester assisted). With Saville pulled for the extra attacker late, Denomie blocked a Tim Lovell shot and fired the rebound into an empty net, but was then answered by Connor Milburn’s first professional goal with 0.8 seconds remaining, bringing the game to it’s final score of 5-3.
Isaiah Saville finished the final game with 22 saves on 26 shots faced (11-13-2-1).
On behalf of the Swamp Rabbits organization and our ownership of Spire Sports + Entertainment, thank you for your support throughout the 2025-26 Season!
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.
Leave a Reply