Swamp Rabbits Weekly #2 (2019–20)

WEEKLY RECAPOpening Night was as good as it gets for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. In front of a raucous crowd, the Swamp Rabbits scored the opening tally early and did not relent in a 6-1 thrashing of the Jacksonville Icemen. Jacksonville cut the Greenville lead from 3-0 to 3-1 with a goal off of a turnover, but the Rabbits were able to strike twice in all three periods to make it a no-doubter.Atlanta provided a bit of a different challenge. A team that came within a razor's edge of making the playoffs came back mostly unchanged, with key contributors like Sean Bonar, Joel Messner and Nick Bligh back to lead the charge. Saturday saw Atlanta take a quick 2-0 lead, but the Swamp Rabbits returned fire. Goals from Liam Pecararo, Patrick Bajkov and Adam Larkin gave Greenville the lead, and Johno May gave them another lead as well, but Atlanta struck twice in the third period to eventually take a lead they would not relinquish.Sunday saw a similar theme. The Swamp Rabbits took three separate leads thanks to goals from Pecararo, Bajkov and Jake Massie, but the pesky Gladiators would never relent. They answered each and every time, and scored a goal in the early stages of the third period. After that, their neutral zone trap took care of business the rest of the way and stifled any kind of sustained offensive zone pressure.10/18 vs Jacksonville Icemen - W 6-110/19 at Atlanta Gladiators - L 6-410/20 vs. Atlanta Gladiators - L 4-3UPCOMING GAMESI-85 RIVALRY NIGHT - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25 at 7:05 p.m.Greenville Swamp Rabbits vs. Atlanta GladiatorsPostgame college hockey matchup between Clemson and Georgia TechTickets — Listen — WatchHALLOWEEN COSTUME NIGHT/ANTI-BULLYING NIGHT - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26 at 7:05 p.m.Greenville Swamp Rabbits vs. Atlanta GladiatorsDebut of orange alternate jerseys, orange outTickets — Listen — WatchPLAYERS OF THE WEEKLiam Pecararo - 3 GP | 3 G - 2 A - 5 PPatrick Bajkov - 3 GP | 3 G - 2 A - 5 PBoth Liam Pecararo and Patrick Bajkov are on identical three-game point streaks with five points inclusive. Pecararo started the scoring in all three games over the weekend. Bajkov served as the opportunist, shooting 37.5% on the season. Pecararo's stickhandling skills have already become a fan-favorite in Greenville, as his ability to weave through defenders have produced gasps from the crowd. Bajkov has shown strength on the power play and getting to high-traffic areas to score.RABBIT TAILS

• The Swamp Rabbits continue to lead the league with two shorthanded goals in the early going.
• Six Swamp Rabbits players (Bajkov, Pecararo, Rockwood, Ammirato, Lacroix, Larkin) have multiple goals for Greenville four games into the season.
• The six goals scored against Jacksonville on Friday were the most scored at home since they scored eight against Norfolk on November 15, 2018.
• Defenseman Adam Larkin ranks third among defensemen with four points on the season.

SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS

1. Florida Everblades (3-0-0) - 6 pts
2. South Carolina Stingrays (3-0-0) - 6 pts
3. Greenville Swamp Rabbits (2-2-0) - 4 pts
4. Atlanta Gladiators (2-1-0) - 4 pts
5. Norfolk Admirals (1-3-0) - 2 pts
6. Jacksonville Icemen (0-1-1) - 1 pts
7. Orlando Solar Bears (0-3-0) - 0 pts

*standings as of 10:00 a.m. on October 21, 2019