SWAMP RABBITS BLAST GLADIATORS TO END WEEKEND

DULUTH, G.A. – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits broke a 1-1 deadlock late in the second period with five unanswered goals to demolish the Atlanta Gladiators by a 6-1 score on Sunday afternoon. The win gives the Swamp Rabbits  back-to-back victories, both over Atlanta, immediately following a four-game losing streak.

Brett Kemp, fresh off of earning his 100^th point with the Swamp Rabbits, ignited the goal lamp for a second time in as many games to give Greenville the early advantage. At 3:59 of the first, Josh McKechney intercepted a zone exit at the Atlanta blue line and found Kemp in close range of the net, with the latter flourishing past Atlanta goalie Brad Barone to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead (McKechney had the lone assist).

Nolan Burke deadlocked the game at 1-1 in the final minutes of the second period, but it didn’t stay that way for long. Burke’s goal came when he received an uncalled hand pass in neutral ice, entered the Greenville third, and slung a shot that squeaked under the leg of Swamp Rabbits net-minder Jacob Ingham, tying the game with 5:41 left. The goal awoke a sleeping giant: the Swamp Rabbits countered with three unanswered goals, beginning with Max Coyle’s go-ahead strike 51 seconds later. With 4:50 left in the second, Coyle netted his second professional goal from just inside the blue line and right in front of his bench, launching a long-distance shot that breezed past Barone up high to make it a 2-1 Greenville lead. Exactly 11 seconds later, Anthony Beauchamp jumped on a loose puck and found Josh McKechney wide open in the slot. McKechney danced around a sprawled out Barone and tucked home his team-leading 18^th goal to expand the Swamp Rabbits lead to 3-1 with 4:39 left in the second (Beauchamp had the lone assist). Swamp Rabbits Captain Ben Freeman finished off the scoring in the middle frame, hammering home a backdoor feed from Tanner Eberle with 94 seconds left to give the Swamp Rabbits a 4-1 lead heading into the final 20 minutes (Eberle and Carter Souch assisted). 

The Swamp Rabbits held their lead the vast majority of the final frame and blew open the doors in the final minutes to officially seal the deal. With 2:13 left in the game, Ethan Somoza piled onto the lead with a fourth unanswered goal, firing home a Joe Leahy pass from the right circle to make it a 5-1 Greenville lead (Leahy and Nikita Pavlychev assisted). The exclamation point came from Tanner Eberle, who buried the seventh shorthanded goal of the season for the Swamp Rabbits with 6.6 seconds left in the game, tapping home a Carter Souch pass in transition to end the game, 6-1 for the Swamp Rabbits.

Jacob Ingham earned his first win since December 13^th, coincidentally against Atlanta, stopping all but one of 25 shots on his net (12-6-1-0).

The Swamp Rabbits return home for a three-game series against the Rapid City Rush this week. Puck drop for game one of the set is slated for Thursday, February 22^nd, at 7:05 p.m. at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

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About the Greenville Swamp Rabbits …
Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team have been providing family friendly, live entertainment at Bon Secours Wellness Arena since 2010. Formerly the Greenville Road Warriors, the Swamp Rabbits are the highest-level professional minor league franchise in South Carolina. The Swamp Rabbits are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's LA Kings and the AHL's Ontario Reign. Greenville is a member of the ECHL, Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League.