SWAMP RABBITS GET SHOOTOUT “SCHOOL DAY” WIN
SWAMP RABBITS WIN IN EXTRA CURRICULARS ON “SCHOOL DAY”
Prouty buries ninth-round shootout winner to stave off Orlando comeback
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
GREENVILLE, SC – Hampton Slukynsky made 40 saves on 43 shots in regulation and overtime, in addition to seven of nine in the shootout, and that, alongside Joe Prouty’s top-of-the-ninth-round shootout winner, helped lead the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to a 4-3 win over the Orlando Solar Bears on Tuesday. The game was the Swamp Rabbits’ annual “School Day Game”, presented by AFL, that saw the team set an attendance record for a second straight season with 11,256 students, teachers, and chaperones in the building. The win also puts the Swamp Rabbits in first place in the ECHL all by themselves.
Both teams skated to a scoreless deadlock after one period, led by Hampton Slukynsky’s 12 first-period saves. Eventually, Mike O’Leary broke the deadlock with a solo effort, burning by the defense, outlasting Solar Bears goalie Ryan Bednard, and burying his shot to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead with 7:08 left in the second. Hudson Schandor followed suit with a sharp-angle snipe from the side of the net, threading his shot on Hank Crone’s pass to double the lead to 2-0 with 3:05 to play. Slukynsky made an additional 11 saves in the second, totaling 23 through 40 minutes.
Trevor Janicke tucked home his first as a Swamp Rabbit less than two minutes into the third to keep the scoring rolling. At 1:52, Janicke located a rebound off of a Neil Shea shot that bounced right to him in the slot, tripling the lead to 3-0. However, Orlando came storming back with quick offense. Just 61 seconds after Janicke’s marker, Milo Roelen’s pocketed the puck in the net front past Slukynsky to cut the lead to 3-1. Exactly 30 seconds after that, at 3:13, Aaron Luchuk came steamrolling down the middle in transition and wired a shot past Slukynsky to slice the lead to 3-2. With Bednard pulled for the extra attacker, Zach Uens completed the comeback in regulation, banging home a netside rebound from the right to square the game at 3-3 with 74 seconds left in regulation.
Both teams failed to solve the game in overtime, so a shootout was necessary. After Aaron Luchuk put Orlando ahead in the bottom of the second round, Blake Bennett was called on to answer and did so in the top of the third. Connor Kurth couldn’t solve the game in the bottom of the third, prompting another two rounds before both Ryan O’Reilly and Brandon Saigeon scored in the sixth. Two more rounds passed until Joe Prouty outlasted Bednard to put the Swamp Rabbits ahead in the top of the ninth. Kobe Walker, with the game on his stick, failed to score, and the Swamp Rabbits escaped with the 4-3 victory.
Hampton Slukynsky, starting a third consecutive game, turned aside 40 of 43 shots in regulation and overtime, and an additional seven of nine in the shootout (3-0-0-0).
The Swamp Rabbits are back in action on Thursday, November 12th, in their third meeting of the season against the Atlanta Gladiators. Puck drop at Bon Secours Wellness Arena is slated for 7:05 p.m. 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.
