ICEMEN BLANK SWAMP RABBITS IN FIRST OF PAIR ON WEEKEND

(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) – Noah Laaouan led the Jacksonville Icemen with a three-point game, and Lordanthony Grissom potted the winner and added a helper, but it was Justen Close who stopped all 30 shots faced to hand the Greenville Swamp Rabbits a 4-0 loss on Saturday night. The Swamp Rabbits are now 0-2-0-0 through the opening pair of games on this seven-game road swing, and will rematch the Icemen tomorrow.

Grissom’s first point of two got the Icemen on the board and gave them a lead they wouldn’t look back on. At 6:43 of the first, Liam Coughlin circled into the Swamp Rabbits zone and from the corner, he floated the puck to the slot. Grissom snuck behind everyone and fluttered a shot past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Kolby Hay to give the Icemen a 1-0 lead (Coughlin and Noah Laaouan assisted). Moments later, Olivier Nadeau rifled a one-timer from the slot on his team’s second power play of the game past Hay’s glove, doubling the advantage quickly to 2-0 with 8:08 left in the first (Brendan Harris and Laaouan assisted). Justen Close, in net for Jacksonville, turned aside all six shots he saw in the first. Both teams skated scoreless in the second, but Close was busy denying 15 shots to keep his shutout entering the third, totaling 21 saves through 40 minutes.

Laaouan’s big night continued with more breathing room for the Icemen, providing a dagger at the midway point of the third. With 10:37 left, Laaouan crept in off the blue line and received an Olivier Nadeau pass, firing it over Hay’s glove from the slot to triple the Icemen lead to 3-0. Bennett MacArthur recognized Hay leaving the Swamp Rabbits net for the extra skater in the final minutes, and not even seconds after the goalie pull, stuffed the puck into the empty net to make it a 4-0 game with 2:40 left (Harris and Grissom assisted). Close stood tall and weathered another nine shots, completing his 30-save shutout for the win.

Kolby Hay suffered his first professional regulation loss, staving off 26 of 29 shots in the defeat (1-1-1-0).

The Swamp Rabbits rematch the Icemen tomorrow afternoon for game three of their seven-game road swing. Puck drop for the weekend finale is slated for 3:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, March 2^nd, at VyStar Veterans Memorial 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.