Morning Tea: Swamp Rabbits at Stingrays (12/03/2021 - 7:05pm)

Greenville Swamp Rabbits (6-7-0-0) vs. South Carolina Stingrays (7-6-1-0)

December 3, 2021 | 7:05 PM | Regular Season Game #14

Referees: Andrew Wilk (24)Linesmen: Tannum Wyonzek (74), Antoine Bujold-Roux (72)

BROADCAST INFORMATIONPregame Coverage begins at 6:45pmLISTEN: Greenville Swamp Rabbits Broadcast NetworkWATCH: FloHockey Live StreamVoice of the Swamp Rabbits Mark Shelley on the call

STINGRAYS SEASON SERIES 

Season Series Record:Overall: (3-2-0-0) Home: (2-0-0-0) Away: (1-2-0-0)

Last Meeting: November 26, 2021: Greenville 4 vs South Carolina 3 OT

Next Meeting: December 4, 2021: Greenville at South Carolina

QUICK BITS

FREE HOCKEY FRIDAY:

The Swamp Rabbits faced the Stingrays on Friday in a rivalry matchup that would require a fourth period to decide, ultimately ending in a 4-3 Greenville win. The Stingrays dominated the ice early on scoring the first three goals of the contest, two of which came in the first period. Greenville would turn it around as the game went on, eventually scoring four unanswered goals; two on the power play and one shorthanded. Frédéric Létourneau recorded the first of the night for Greenville, and his first of the season, off of a Quin Foreman feed in the slot 16:06 into the second period. Entering the third period still down two goals, Liam Pecararo took matters into his own hands. Pecs would score a shorthanded goal following a beautiful takeaway behind the Stingrays net at the 4:20 mark. He would score a similar goal with just under 3:00 left in regulation, snagging a bouncing puck off the boards, sliding it in the backside of the net to tie the game at three goals a side.  Thanks to an outstanding performance, and some nasty saves by Jacob Ingham in overtime, Max Zimmer had the chance to end the game, exactly what he did with a rocket from the high slot; putting a nail in the coffin, guaranteeing the Swamp Rabbits overtime victory.

SCOUTING THE STINGRAYS:

The Swamp Rabbits return to North Charleston Friday night for, yet another game on Stingrays home ice. With a 7-6-1 record, the Stingrays are averaging 2.66 goals per game, and are outscoring opponents 17-6 in the first period. The Stingrays are 2-3 over their last five games, with two separate contests ending in overtime. It is night and day for the Ray’s power play and penalty kill units. While the power play has struggled, converting on just 8/48 chances (17%), the PK has killed 45/52 (87%).  The points leader for the Stingrays is Justin Florek (6G, 6A), who had a goal and two assists on 11/28 against Atlanta. Florek is currently riding a three-game point streak, scoring two goals and three assists in that time. Fellow forward Jade Miller also holds a three-game point streak. Former Swamp Rabbits goalie, Ryan Bednard has seen action in seven games with South Carolina this season. Bednard has a 3-4 record and a 2.55 GAA. The Stingrays have struggled as of late, dropping three of their last 5; and they have been outscored 14-12 in that five-game stretch.

RISING RABBITS:

Greenville will be without it’s top two scorers as Max Zimmer (5-5-10) and Liam Pecararo (6-6-12) have been loaned to the Charlotte Checkers. Zimmer leaves the Swamp Rabbits after 10 points in his last 8 games and Pecararo with 8 points in his last 4 games. 

WHAT ON TAP:

The Swamp Rabbits will finish the weekend with two more games against the stingrays, traveling back to Greenville for the rubber match on Sunday afternoon.  The Swamp Rabbits and Stingrays have met five times this season. Greenville leads the season series 3-2 so far, outscoring their in-state rival 12-10 in those games. 

Greenville will host the Orlando Solar Bears on Wednesday, marking the first time the clubs have met in the 2021-2022 season. Orlando has a 10-7-1 record, sitting in second place in the South division. The leading scorer for the Solar Bears is Aaron Luchuk with 9G and 13A, although his last goal came six games ago on 11/17 against Florida. Two goalies have split the majority of the action for Orlando. Brad Barone is 6-3 in 10 games, allowing 2.03 goals against, boasting a .945 SV%. Rookie Zach Emond has seen action in seven games, holding a 4-3 record, 3.89 GAA and.863 SV%.