Morning Tea: Swamp Rabbits vs Gladiators (1/9/22 - 3:05PM)

Greenville Swamp Rabbits (9-13-3-3) vs. Atlanta Gladiator (15-13-2-1)

January 9, 2022 | 3:05 PM | Regular Season Game #29

Referees: Jake Jackson (16)Linesmen: Antoine Bujold-Roux (72), Brady Fagan (89)

TICKETS: https://bit.ly/3eKg8T5

BROADCAST INFORMATIONPregame Coverage begins at 2:45pmLISTEN: Greenville Swamp Rabbits Broadcast NetworkWATCH: FloHockey Live StreamVoice of the Swamp Rabbits Mark Shelley on the call 

GLADIATORS SEASON SERIES 

Season Series Record:Overall: (3-4-0-1) Home: (2-1-0-0) Away: (1-3-0-1)

Last Meeting: January 8, 2022 Greenville 1 at Atlanta 3Next Meeting: February 18, 2022 Greenville vs Atlanta 

ECHL STANDINGS 

Standings

QUICK BITS

SATURDAY’S SHOW:

The Swamp Rabbits fell to the Gladiators 3-1 on Saturday night in Duluth Georgia. A relatively uneventful first period saw a handful of penalties and no goals and only a few scoring chances. The Gladiators would kick off the scoring in the second period with a Gabe Guertler goal at 5:01 off a backside feed from Derek Nesbit. Mike Pelech scored the second goal of the night, his 600th career ECHL point, extending the Gladiators lead to two midway through the second period. Atlanta would carry this lead into the third period despite some great chances for the Swamp Rabbits. One player from each side would exit the ice in the third due to injury, including Greenville’s active-leading scorer Diego Cuglietta. Despite losing Cuglietta for the rest of the game, the Bits would cut the lead in half at the 14:06 mark thanks to a beautiful Anthony Rinaldi goal as he danced his way through the defense, dropping the puck into the back of the net.  Atlanta would seal the deal with an empty net goal by Tim Davison with just :22.8 left to play. 

The Swamp Rabbits will host the Gladiators Sunday afternoon at 3:05 for the third meeting in as many days between the two clubs. 

RINALDI’S RIPPIN:

Forward Anthony Rinaldi scored the only goal of the night for the Greenville squad. Rinaldi walked in, dancing around the Atlanta defense before burying the puck deep in the twine. Saturday’s goal made it back to back nights in the point column for Rinaldi, as he fed Jackson Leef for a power play goal on Friday as well. Rinaldi has seen limited action this season for the Swamp Rabbits as he was briefly traded to the Indy Fuel before being sent right back to Greenville. In his 13 games, Rinaldi has two goals and five assists while only serving two minutes in the penalty box. 

BRETT’S BACK AT IT:

Swamp Rabbits rookie, Brett Kemp made his return to action on Friday night and has a point in both games he has played. Kemp missed over a month of action but has made sure to remind everyone what he can do on the ice. Kemp has had a good season thus far, especially against the Gladiators. In the four games he has played against Atlanta, Kemp has four goals and three assists, including an assist on Anthony Rinaldi’s goal Saturday night. Kemp has a total of 11 points (5G, 6A) in 12 games for the Swamp Rabbits. 

WHAT ON TAP:

The Swamp Rabbits will host the second place Florida Everblades for two games on 1/14 and 1/15. Florida holds an 18-8-3-3 record, outscoring opponents 111-79 while averaging 3.58 goals per game. Florida’s leading scorer is Blake Winiecki who has recorded 38 points in 30 games (16G 22A). Winiecki has eleven points in the last six games. The Everblades picked the Stingrays apart on Saturday night, finishing with a decisive 5-2 win on home ice.The Everblades have had a revolving door of goaltenders this season with appearances from Devin Cooley, Cam Johnson, Thomas Vomacka and Parker Gahagen, additionally Ben Meyers has seen time as the backup but has not appeared in game. Parker Gahagen got the start in net against the Stingrays, Gahagen holds a 6-2-1-1 record with a 2.32 GAA and .908 SV%.