SWAMP RABBITS STUNG BY STINGRAYS IN WEEKEND OPENER

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The South Carolina Stingrays rode a hot start on Friday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, and through Jonny Evans’ hat trick and four points and Kameron Kielly’s pair of goals, beat the Greenville Swamp Rabbits 7-0.

Evans notched the first two goals of the contest, beginning 80 seconds in when he buried a passing sequence created off a turnover, firing his shot past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Jacob Ingham to make it 1-0. Evans doubled his personal count and his team’s at 10:57 in a breakaway sequence, catching Ingham between a rock and a hard place on a long pass from Michael Kim. Evans was almost thwarted, but the puck barely slid past Ingham to make it a 2-0 Stingrays lead. Kameron Kielly’s first of two ended the opening frame with 1:55 left when he batted a fluttering puck past a sprawled out Ingham, giving South Carolina a 3-0 cushion heading into the second.

On a carry-over power play to start the second, Evans registered his hat trick 46 seconds into period two, maneuvering in close and finishing past Ingham’s glove to extend the Stingrays lead to 4-0. Ingham was subbed out in net by Luke Richardson after 20:46 of hockey, stopping 9 of 13 shots. Kielly added his second tally on the second Stingrays power play after a great shorthanded chance was misfired by the Swamp Rabbits, finishing in transition to beat Richardson at 9:46 for a 5-0 South Carolina lead. Not to be outdone on power play number three, Austin Magera beat the buzzer on a cross-ice pass, burying a one-timer with 0.3 seconds left to hand Greenville a 6-0 deficit. Jack Adams hammered home South Carolina’s fourth power play goal in as many opportunities when he rifled and east-west pass from behind the net from the hash marks, closing out the scoring in an eventual 7-0 Swamp Rabbits defeat.

The Swamp Rabbits continue their “three-in-three” tomorrow night, Saturday, February 17^th, against the Atlanta Gladiators. The “Star Wars Night” showdown, presented by Champion Comfort Experts, is slated for 7:05 p.m. at Bon Secours Wellness Arena and features a lightsaber giveaway to the first 1,000 fans in the doors. The Swamp Rabbits conclude the weekend on Sunday, February 18^th, from Gas South Arena for a 3:00 p.m. EST matinee showdown against Atlanta.

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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.