GAMEDAY REPORT: SWAMP RABBITS VS FUEL (03/24/23 - 7:00PM)

Greenville Swamp Rabbits (34-19-7-1) vs. Indy Fuel (37-21-3-0)

March 24, 2023 | 7:05 PM |Regular Season Game #62

Indiana Farmers Coliseum | Indianapolis, IN

Referees: Chad Ingalls (15), Dominic Cadieux (3)Linesmen: Greg Offerman (54), Brian Horcoff (94)

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 callSWAMP RABBITS VS FUEL SERIES 

SEASON RECORD:

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

Last Meeting:

February 21, 2021 - Greenville 0 at Indy 4

Next Meeting:

N/A

All-Time Record:

(5-6-2)

ECHL STANDINGS 

Standings

QUICK BITS

CAPPING A MASSIVE WEEKEND WITH A WIN:

After a 4-1 win over South Carolina at home on Friday, the Rabbits traveled to Jacksonville for the final meeting with the division-leading Icemen. Greenville saw Josh McKechney kick off the night with his first of the game mid-way through the opening frame before the Icemen bounced back with a late period goal. After the break, Athony Beauchamp continued his breakout sophomore season with his 10th of the season to give ther Rabbits their second advantage of the night. After the 2-1 score held into the second intermission. McKechney, again, found the net with a power-play goal for his 14th of the season. Brannon McManus capped the night with the empty-net goal, his 11th of the season, as the Rabbits moved into a tie for first with the Icemen.

SCOUTING THE FUEL:

While the three game trip to the Central Division offers a pair of rematch games with Toledo, who swept the Rabbits in Greenville during the 21-22 season, the trip pits the Rabbits against the Fuel for first time since 2021. Indy is the third team to clinch a playoff berth in the Central and has done so behind a defense that has allowed just 179 goals this season. Despite their 37 wins, the Fuel have won just 16 of those games on home ice while going 21-11-1 on the road. Special teams will be a challenge for Greenville, as the Fuel boast some of the top marks in the league. Indy’s power-play is 10th in the league with a mark of 21.4%, while its penalty-kill has posted the fifth best mark of 83.4%. Chad Yetman has proven a valuable piece up front for the Fuel racking up 24 goals on the season.

‘ICE’Y HOT:

Alex Ierullo is hitting his stride at the right time, as the Rabbits push for a playoff spot in the South. The league’s fifth leading scorer (73) has recorded a point in five straight games and has put up a pair of multi-point performances over that span. While his four-game goal streak came to an end on Saturday, Ierullo has now generated a three-game assist streak entering Friday’s game.

CAP IS ROLLING:

Defenseman Ethan Cap is on the best run of form of his career, scoring a point in a career-high five straight games. In his streak, the blue-liner has posted three multi-point nights, including two back-to-back two point nights entering Friday’s game. Cap has recorded three multi-point games in his career, all of which have come in the last four games.

TACTICAL TANNER:

The Rabbits offense has been firing on all cylinders thanks to the helping hand of Tanner Eberle. The winger has accounted for nine assists over a five-game point streak, tying his season-high for consecutive scoring. The Regina native is having the best season of his ECHL career, posting 46 points (23g, 23a) through 51 games.

WHAT’S ON TAP:

The Rabbits’ meeting with the Fuel is just the beginning of a three-game trip to the Central Division, as they travel to Toledo for a pair of games tomorrow and Sunday. The games against the Walleye are a chance at redemption for Greenville after Toledo swept the Rabbits in Greenville last season. Despite the 0-2 record against Toledo, the Rabbits are 16-5-4 all-time in the series.