Morning Tea: Swamp Rabbits AT Stingrays (3/11/22 - 7PM)

Greenville Swamp Rabbits (21-23-4-3) vs. South Carolina Stingrays (18-30-6-0)

March 11, 2022 | 7:05 PM | Regular Season Game #52

North Charleston Coliseum | North Charleston, SC 

Referees: Jake Jackson (16)Linesmen: Brady Fagan (89), Shane Gustafson (87)

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: (6-4-1-1) Home: (3-2-1-0) Away: (3-2-0-1)

Last Meeting: February 23, 2022 Greenville 1 vs South Carolina 5

Next Meeting: March 16, 2022 Greenville at South Carolina

ECHL STANDINGS 

Standings

QUICK BITS

WINNING WEDNESDAY:

The Swamp Rabbits found themselves with an early power-play opportunity as Sam Thibault headed to the box at the 1:13 mark of the first period. Just seven seconds later, Alec Rauhauser scored a power-play goal to give the Rabbits a 1-0 lead 1:20 into the first. The first period scoring would not stop there, as Nikita Pavlychev buried his 12th of the season from the faceoff dot at the 15:29 mark, creating the 2-0 lead which the Rabbits carried into the second period. The Rabbits lead was cut in half during the second period thanks to a goal off the stick of Christian Hausinger at the 11:39 mark. Despite ample scoring chances for both teams, the goaltenders did their jobs, stopping a combined 16/17 shots in the period. Pavlychev added his second goal of the game 3:39 into the third period, which would eventually become the game-winner. Norfolk showed signs of life, as Noah Corson scored a power-play goal at 14:59. The Admirals efforts fell short, as Ben Freeman broke free from the defense to score an empty net goal with just 0:07 left in the game to secure the 4-2 Swamp Rabbits victory.

SCOUTING THE STINGRAYS:

The Swamp Rabbits travel across the state to take on the Stingrays on Friday night at the North Charleston Coliseum. The Stingrays hold seventh place in the South Division, posting a 18-30-6-0 record. Andrew Cherniwchan leads Stingrays in scoring, recording 37 points in 43 games this season (17g, 20a). Ryan Bednard has been the primary netminder for the Stingrays, appearing in 30 games, posting a 12-15-3-0 record, 3.11GAA and .899SV%. Bednard ranks third in the ECHL for the most losses of any goaltender, additionally he has recorded the 4th most minutes and is the league leader with three shootout wins. 

PUCKS ON PAVS:

Nikita Pavlychev has been a major asset to the Swamp Rabbits offensive efforts this season, recording 28 points in 33 games thus far (13g, 15a). Pavlychev helped to lift his team over the Norfolk Admirals on Wednesday night with two one-time goals in the Rabbits 4-2 victory. Over the last 10 games, Pavlychev has recorded nine points (3g, 6a) and is +3. The 6’7 forward earned a call-up to the Ontario Reign on Friday. 

FANTASTIC MR. FITZ:

Swamp Rabbits goaltender Evan Fitzpatrick is on a roll, earning four consecutive wins, including two shutout victories. Fitzpatrick faced 128 shots over the last three games, stopping a whopping 124 that came his way. Fitzpatrick holds a 7-9-2-0 record this season and posts a 2.54GAA and .914SV%. Fitz is one of two Swamp Rabbits goaltenders ranked in the top 10 in the ECHL and was awarded goaltender of the week honors this past week after recording his first and second career shutouts. 

WHAT’S ON TAP:

The Swamp Rabbits head to Jacksonville to face the Icemen on Saturday evening at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena. The Icemen hold third place in the South Division with a 30-18-2-2 record, they have also outscored opponents 148-128 in games this season. What Jacksonville lacks in offensive production is made up for by outstanding goaltending. Francious Brassard and Charles Williams both rank in the top 10 for ECHL goaltenders this season and have combined for 22 wins and over 2300 minutes of play. Brassard ranks second with a 10-5-1-1 record, 2.09GAA and .916SV% while Williams ranks sixth with a 12-9-0-1 record, 2.45GAA and .905SV%. Craig Martin is the leading scorer for the Icemen, recording 42 points in 46 games this season (16g, 26a) including 10 multi-point games.