SWAMP RABBITS NAIL WHEELING IN FIRST OF TWO MEETINGS

(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Carter Savoie led five multi-point scoring efforts with both a pair of goals and assists as the Greenville Swamp Rabbits defeated the Wheeling Nailers by a 5-2 score on Sunday afternoon. The win came with all goals coming in even strength hockey, with the Swamp Rabbits not earning a single power play in the game.

Carter Savoie’s big night began 2:38 into the contest, when he received a “Hail Mary” pass from Quinn Olson through neutral ice and broke into the Nailers zone, rifling a shot from the left that beat Nailers goalie Jaxon Castor to put the Swamp Rabbits up 1-0 (Olson and Dru Krebs assisted). Kaleb Lawrence added to the tally with a net-front rebound in a scrambly sequence, doubling the lead to 2-0 prior to the break with 5:11 to play in the first (Parker Berge and Dru Krebs assisted, the latter’s second of the game).

Savoie continued the pace in the second period before the Nailers made things interesting late in the frame. With 4:36 left in the second, Lawrence left the puck for him behind the net and, unguarded, he squeaked it inside the near post of Castor, tripling the lead to 3-0 with his second goal of the game (Lawrence and Krebs assisted, the former his second point, the latter his third assist). Just 26 seconds later, however, Gabe Klassen got the Nailers on the board with a transition wrist shot from the left, burying a Louie Roehl pass over the shoulder of Swamp Rabbits goaltender Jacob Ingham, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Kyle Jackson brough the Nailers in striking distance with 38.5 seconds left in the period, potting a rebound in the slot area through traffic to close the gap to 3-2 (Matt De St. Phalle assisted).

The next goal absolutely critical, the Swamp Rabbits found it and then some, coming out on top. Just 93 seconds into the third, Miles Gendron trailed behind a party of teammates in transition, rifling a Savoie drop pass by Castor to re-establish the multi-goal Swamp Rabbits lead at 4-2 (Savoie and Lawrence assisted, both their third points of the game. After a David Jankowski goal was negated due to goaltender interference, Quinn Olson put the exclamation point on the scoresheet. With 9:02 remaining, Olson carried a Savoie stretch pass by a defender, settled a rolling puck in stride, and potted it behind Castor in a high-skill sequence, bringing the game to its eventual 5-2 final score (Savoie and Berge assisted, the former’s fourth point and the latter’s second assist).

Jacob Ingham, making his first start since February 1^st at Indy, got the win with 31 saves on 33 shots (8-5-0-1).

The Swamp Rabbits conclude their home “three-in-three” with a finale against the Nailers tomorrow afternoon, Monday, February 17^th. Puck drop at Bon Secours Wellness Arena is slated for 4:05 p.m. EST, and features “Greenville Hockey Heritage Day”, throwing it back to the inaugural ECHL season with the Johnstown Chiefs and Carolina Thunderbirds. Both teams will wear jerseys of their “Original Five” heritage.

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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.