SWAMP RABBITS OT LOSS EXTENDS POINT STREAK
SWAMP RABBITS BATTLE IN OT LOSS; EXTEND POINT STREAK TO FIVE GAMES
Flores and penalty kill hang on in third period; team extends franchise-best season starting point streak
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
GREENSBORO, NC – Brendan Gorman kept the power play hot, Nico Somerville blasted home his first goal on the team, and the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hammered 48 shots on net, but the Greensboro Gargoyles earned the second point on Thomas Freel’s overtime winner to claim a 3-2 win on Sunday afternoon.
Gorman kept his, and the power play’s, hand hot to start a back-and-forth first period. At 8:49 of the first and on the first power play of the game, Gorman potted a rebound off of a Ryan O’Hara chance in close range, beating Ruslan Khazheyev in net for the Gargoyles to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead (O’Hara and Supryka assisted). However, the Gargoyles countered on their first power play moments later when Braden Doyle wired a shot from inside the blue line and under the bar past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Owen Flores, squaring the game at 1-1 with 8:13 to play (Parker Lindauer and Ben Raymond assisted). Nico Somerville had the last word for the Swamp Rabbits, blasting his first with the team on a brilliant Jack Brackett pass to put Greenville up 2-1 with 4:20 to go (Brackett and Jake Percival assisted).
Tyler Cristall eventually leveled the game shy of the midway point in the second frame with his first as a pro. With 6:49 gone by, Tyler Paquette’s second effort from the far corner forced a turnover that found Cristall, who outlasted Flores in the middle to square it at 2-2.
Flores eventually saved the game halfway through the third period, denying Thomas Freel on a wide open net from the left side. The penalty kill then went to work twice in the final six minutes and held the Gargoyles at bay, forcing overtime for a fourth straight game.
The Swamp Rabbits outshot the Gargoyles 5-1 in overtime, but the adversary got the second point up for grabs. With 1:16 left in OT, Parker Lindauer came in on a two-on-one break with Freel on his right. He deferred to Freel, who buried his first a pro to win it for Greensboro, 3-2.
Owen Flores turned aside 32 of 35 shots in the overtime loss, remaining undefeated in regulation through three appearances (2-0-1-0). With the point, the Swamp Rabbits extended their best streak to start a campaign at five games (3-0-2-0).
The Swamp Rabbits now turn back home to start another three-in-three, featuring the first two games in Greenville against the Florida Everblades. Puck drop for the weekend opener on Friday, October 30th, is slated for 7:05 p.m. EST at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, followed by a Halloween matinee at 2:05 p.m. EST on Saturday.
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.
