SWAMP RABBITS BLANK ICEMEN FOR SIXTH STRAIGHT WIN
FLORES BLANKS ICEMEN FOR SIXTH STRAIGHT SWAMP RABBITS WIN
Net-minder stops 19 to push Swamp Rabbits forward as first team to double-digit wins in the league
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
JACKSONVILLE, FL – Owen Flores stopped all 19 shots he saw, and supported by the eventual game-winner from Ryan O’Reilly 28:37 into the scoreless duel and late goals by Mike O’Leary and Jake Percival, powered the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to a 3-0 win over the Jacksonville Icemen on Friday night. The win pushes the Swamp Rabbits current streak to six in a row, and makes them the first team to double-digit wins in the ECHL.
Both teams skated to a scoreless duel through 20 minutes, with both Flores and Chase Wutzke, in net for Jacksonville, stopping nine shots. Eventually, Ryan O’Reilly broke through at 8:37 of the second period on a solo effort, skating the puck from the benches towards the right side of the attacking zone. He finished with a snipe over Wutzke’s glove hand to snap the scoreless duel and give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead. Late in the period, the Swamp Rabbits wore down the Icemen with a five-minute major power play du
e to Cody Schaivon’s “five-and-a-game” for cross checking Jack Brackett, and later wore them even further when Tyler Ennis committed a boarding minor to give the Swamp Rabbits a five-on-three advantage.
The Icemen hung on, but not before Mike O’Leary provided the next goal for the Swamp Rabbits late. With 98 seconds left in the game, Josh Zinger pushed the puck up to Ryan McAllister, who eventually located O’Leary right down the middle. O’Leary buried his chance past Wutzke for his fourth straight game igniting the goal lamp, doubling the lead to 2-0. Jake Percival eventually sealed it with an
empty-netter with 16.7 seconds to go, and coupled by 10 more saves from Flores in the last two periods, let the Swamp Rabbits leave with a 3-0 win, their first shutout win of the season and sixth straight victory.
Owen Flores turned aside all 19 shots he saw in securing his third win of the season (3-1-1-0).
The Swamp Rabbits come back home to a pair of games against the Greensboro Gargoyles, beginning with Faith and Family Day, presented by Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, on Saturday, November 21st. Puck drop is set for 4:05 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.
