STRONG THIRD PERIOD PUSH GIVES SWAMP RABBITS THIRD STRAIGHT WIN

(SAVANNAH, Ga.) – Brent Pedersen broke a third period deadlock against his former team, Tyson Fawcett provided the eventual game-winner after on the power play, and the Greenville Swamp Rabbits rode the lightning of five multi-point performers to a 5-4 win over the Savannah Ghost Pirates on Saturday night. The win gives the Swamp Rabbits three consecutive wins dating back to November 17^th against Florida, and six wins in their last seven games all the way back to November 9^th against Atlanta.

The Ghost Pirates and Swamp Rabbits went back-and-forth for the first two periods of the game, with the Ghost Pirates claiming a lead after 20. Savannah started off scoring 2:22 into the game when Pito Walton broke out to Logan Drevitch with a neutral zone pass, dropped off to Liam Walsh incoming from the left. Walsh fired a shot from the left side that beat Swamp Rabbits goaltender Dryden McKay to give the Ghost Pirates a 1-0 lead (Drevitch and Walton assisted). Both teams traded blows in the final minutes, with Colton Young squaring the game first at with 3:19 left in the first by deflecting an Arvid Caderoth pass from behind the net over Keith Kinkaid to tie the game at 1-1 (Caderoth and Patrick Moynihan assisted). However, Young’s strike was countered 48 seconds later, again in transition, when Riley Hughes took a Ross Armour feed from the high slot and ripped his shot past McKay to give the Ghost Pirates a 2-1 lead heading into the dressing room.

The Swamp Rabbits continued the tug-of-war with another tying goal in the opening moments of the second. Just 69 seconds into the second, Joe Leahy jumped in on a rush into the zone, and buried a Colton Young pass with a middle lane drive past Kinkaid to square the game at 2-2 (Young and Moynihan assisted). Once again, though, there was an answer from the Ghost Pirates, coming in the form of Ross Armour on the power play. At 4:43, Armour deflected a Dennis Cesana blue line shot past McKay up high to put the Ghost Pirates ahead at 3-2 (Cesana and Reece Vitelli assisted). Not to be outdone, the Swamp Rabbits again tipped the score back their way, with Parker Berge walking off the line from the left side and unleashing a snipe over Kinkaid through traffic to even the game at 3-3 with 3:56 to play (Fawcett and Leahy assisted).

Berge’s late second period tally sparked a 3-0 run for the Swamp Rabbits, perpetuated by the former Ghost Pirate Brent Pedersen. Pedersen stuck the dagger in his former team at 6:35 when he followed a rebound in close range on the net and stuffed it behind Kinkaid, giving the Swamp Rabbits their first lead at 4-3 (Stuart Rolofs and Bobby Russell assisted). Towards the midway point of the period, the Swamp Rabbits went on their final power play of the game and found some breathing room with Tyson Fawcett. With 10:56 left in the game, Fawcett collected a Bobby Russell pass inside the blue line, and from the right wing uncorked a wrister over Kinkaid to vault the Swamp Rabbits to a 5-3 advantage (Russell had the lone assist). The Ghost Pirates didn’t go quietly and cut the deficit to one. With 6:57 left in the game, Riley Hughes fired a second goal off of a turnover on the left side of the Swamp Rabbits zone, beating McKay to make it a 5-4 game (Reece Vitelli had the lone assist). Savannah earned a two-man advantage late with Kinkaid on the bench for the extra attacker and Tate Singleton in the box for slashing, but the Swamp Rabbits held off to claim their third straight win.

Dryden McKay won his third straight start, stopping 30 of 34 shots on net in the win (5-3-1-0).

The Swamp Rabbits complete their “three-in-three” back home with their first showdown against the Jacksonville Icemen this season. Puck drop for Sunday’s matinee showdown is slated for 3:05 p.m. EST at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Sunday’s game is “First Responders Day”, presented by Carolina Handling, which features a first responders exhibition game between the Greenville Guardians and Richland County Blueliners at 11:30 a.m., a “touch-a-truck” at 12:30 p.m. on the Furman Plaza, and a Michelob Ultra Pre-Game Party on the Furman Plaza at 1:00 p.m. featuring the James Radford Band on the Doc’s Tavern Stage.

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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.