SWAMP RABBITS GUT OUT A POINT IN FIRST ROAD TEST AT SOUTH CAROLINA
Gorman goes back-to-back nights with two points, Shea ties it with 4:00 left in 3rd
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
NORTH CHARLESTON, SC – Neil Shea buried a shot from the slot with 4:00 remaining to force overtime, but despite the two-goal comeback of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, Tyler Kopff fired home the overtime winner for the South Carolina Stingrays 1:59 into free hockey to claim a 4-3 win.
South Carolina jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but it was halved entering the locker room in the final minute of play. Tyler Weiss hit pay dirt on the only power play of the entire game at 10:16 of the first, rocketing a left side shot that got redirected past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Mattias Sholl to give the Stingrays a 1-0 advantage (Luke Prokop and Ryan Sandelin assisted). Alex Dostie doubled the lead moments later with 4:49 left, deflecting a Jeremie Biakabutuka shot past Sholl, quickly pushing the Stingrays to a 2-0 lead (Biakabutuka and Josh Wilkins assisted). The Stingrays were poised to leave the first with a multi-goal lead, but Blake Bennett picked off a puck between the hashmarks and wired a laser past Stingrays goalie Ben Kraws, halving the deficit to 2-1 with 27.5 seconds remaining.
Dostie hit the goal column again early into the second period in transition, chipping a puck by a sliding Sholl at 3:08 to re-establish the two-goal cushion at 3-1 (Tyler Kopff and Alex Gaffney assisted). However, the Swamp Rabbits built more momentum to hang around and chip at the score heading into the third. With 8:15 remaining in the second, Joe Prouty fired a breakout pass up to Ryan McAllister, who then entered the zone with options on the right side. He hit his final option, Brendan Gorman on the left, who uncorked a bullet that beat Kraws on his blocker side to cut the count to 3-2 South Carolina.
Building towards the moment, Gorman again had his fingerprint on a massive play when Neil Shea came through with the last strike of regulation. With 4:00 remaining, Gorman cut in from the left and dropped off to Jake Percival, who then found Shea alone in the front. Shea picked and nailed his corner to square the game at 3-3, forcing overtime for the first time this season.
The Swamp Rabbits got caught out in an extended d-zone shift, eventually leading to Tyler Kopff’s overtime winner all alone from the slot 1:59 into the session of free hockey.
Mattias Sholl stopped 17 of 21 shots in his first action of the season, suffering the OT defeat (0-0-1-0).
The Swamp Rabbits return home for their first three-in-three of the season, beginning with the Jacksonville Icemen on Friday, October 23rd. Puck drop for “Oktoberfest”, presented by Arthrex, is slated for 7:05 p.m. EST at Bon Secours Wellness 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.
