GAME REPORT: SWAMP RABBITS VS RAILERS (11/18/22 - 7:05PM)

Greenville Swamp Rabbits (5-4-2-0) vs. Worcester Railers (10-2-0-0)

November 18, 2022 | 7:05 PM |Regular Season Game #12

DCU Center | Worcester, MA

Referees: Marc-Olivier Phaneuf [23]Linesmen: Matthew Heinen (93), Patrick Philbin (88)

BROADCAST INFORMATIONPregame Coverage begins at 6:45PMLISTEN: Greenville Swamp Rabbits Broadcast NetworkWATCH: FloHockey Live StreamVoice of the Swamp Rabbits Mark Shelley (Play-by-Play) on the call

SWAMP RABBITS VS RAILERS SERIES 

SEASON RECORD:Overall: (0-0-0-0) Home: (0-0-0-0) Away: (0-0-0-0)

Last Meeting:February 22, 2020 - Greenville 4 vs Worcester 1

Next Meeting:Saturday, November 19, Greenville at Worcester

All-Time Record:(2-3-0)

ECHL STANDINGS

Standings

QUICK BITS

THAT WAS CLOSE:

Greenville traveled to Glens Falls to take on the Adirondack Thunder for the first time since October of 2017, and jumped out to an 1-0 lead in the first period as Nikita Pavlychev scored his team-leading 7th of the season, before Alex Ierullo doubled the Rabbits advantage with his first of the game. Adirondack responded with a goal to cut the lead in half, before Brett Kemp scored a backhanded goal to regain the two-goal lead. The celebration was short-lived, as the Thunder netted two late, third period goals to send the game into overtime at 3-3. After goaltender David Hrenak made a game-saving stop in the Greenville end, Kemp slid the puck to Ierullo who scored a breakaway winner to earn the Rabbits their 5th win of the season.

SCOUTING THE RAILERS:

Worcester set a league record for the best start to a season, kicking off the campaign with a 9-0 record. Since that start, the Railers have come back to reality, going 1-2 in their last three and enter off the back of a 6-2 loss at the hands of the Reading Royals. Steve Jandric (6-7-13) and Collin Adams (6-6-12) lead a high-powered Railers attack that averages 4.25 goals a game. A pair of 5-win goaltenders, Appleby and Tikkanen, will likely spit the weekend series with the Rabbits.

I’ll FINISH UP:

Alex Ierullo netted the game-winning goal in Wednesday’s game against the Thunder, marking his second overtime winner this season and his second in three games. The Ontario native’s three-point night was his thrid multi-point night of the season and a career high for points in a game. Ierullo is averaging a point per game and has 17 points in 18 career ECHL games dating back to the later stages of the 21-22 season.

SCORING IN BUNCHES:

Forward Brett Kemp finds himself second on the team in scoring with 10 points (4g, 6a) after posting a goal and an assist on Wednesday. The second-year pro has four multi-point games this season, consisting of all 10 of his points. In each of the four games, Kemp has recorded at least one goal and an assist. He now has 15 multi-point games in just 39 career ECHL contests.

SETTLING IN:

Rookie goaltender David Hrenak has settled into his crease and that has paid dividends for Greenville. The Slovak has posted back-to-back wins after starting the season 0-3-1. Hrenak made a third-period, backside save to keep the game tied and made another stop in the early moments of ovetime that led to a break for the winner on Wednesday.

POWER-PLAY STRUGGLES:

Away from home, the Swamp Rabbits have struggled to produce points on the power-play, falling to 0 for 10 after going 0 for 1 on Wednesday night against the Thunder. The road struggles are a stark contrast to the 20% power-play efficiency that the Rabbits have posted in 8 games at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

WHAT’S ON TAP:

The Rabbits remain on the road for a Saturday night rematch with the Railers before traveling to Orlando for a pair of games on Wednesday and Thursday.