SWAMP RABBITS GET SUPRYKA OT WINNER
SUPRYKA LIFTS SWAMP RABBITS TO OVERTIME WIN AT GREENSBORO
Team takes seven of eight points in first four games for first time ever
BY: Mark Benetti – Greenville Swamp Rabbits
GREENSBORO, NC – Cameron Supryka buried the overtime winner 4:01 into the extra session to push the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to a 2-1 win over the Greensboro Gargoyles on Saturday night. The win puts the Swamp Rabbits at 3-0-1-0 through four games to start the season, the first time ever the Swamp Rabbits/Road Warriors have claimed at least a point in the first four games of a season.
After a scoreless first period, the Gargoyles broke the 0-0 deadlock over halfway through the second. With 9:20 to play, Chase Lefebvre started a transition sequence through neutral ice to Tyler Cristall, who then put a shot on Mattias Sholl, in net for the Swamp Rabbits. A rebound came to Austen May, who got just enough of the puck to flutter it past Sholl to give the Gargoyles a 1-0 lead. However, less than four minutes later, Ryan O’Hara and the Swamp Rabbits power play leveled the score. With 5:28 to go, Jake Murray fired an outlet pass up to Brendan Gorman, who came in two-on-one with O’Hara. He dished to O’Hara, who tapped the puck into a wide-open net past Yegor Velmakin of the Gargoyles to square the game at 1-1. Both teams failed to decide the game in the third, prompting overtime for a third straight game for Greenville.
After some back-and-forth, Cameron Supryka snagged the second point for the Swamp Rabbits. With 2:59 to play in OT, Supryka regrouped and sprinted up the ice. After crossing the blue line, he split through a defender and rifled it top corner past Velmakin, winning the game 2-1.
Mattias Sholl earned his first win of the season in his second appearance, both in overtime, turning aside all but one of 26 shots in the effort (1-0-1-0).
The Swamp Rabbits conclude the three-in-three with a rematch against the Gargoyles tomorrow. Puck drop at First Horizon Coliseum is slated for 3:00pm EST.
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, the premier ‘AA’ Hockey League.
