SWAMP RABBITS DROP NARROW AFFAIR TO ICEMEN

(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Carter Savoie led four multi-point performers with a pair of goals, one coming on the power play, but the Jacksonville Icemen went 2/3 on the man-advantage, countering with three multi-point collectors to claim a narrow 4-3 win on Wednesday night.

Both teams traded punches in the opening frame, leaving deadlocked at 1-1. Christopher Brown scored on the first Icemen power play of the game with 6:51 left in the first when he received a Brendan Harris pass from the side of the net upon zone entry. Brown fired his shot across the goal mouth and past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Pierce Charleson inside the far post to give Jacksonville a 1-0 lead (Harris and Noah Laaouan assisted). Exactly 2:01 later, Carter Savoie netted his first of two on the night, pinballing a puck in transition from the left that arced over Icemen goalie Justen Close, squaring the game at 1-1 (Stuart Rolofs and John Parker-Jones assisted).

Savoie’s hand stayed hot to start the second period, but the Icemen closed the frame on a 3-0 run. His second tally came on the second Swamp Rabbits power play at 4:08 of the second when he fired a shot off of a net-front defender and past Close, giving the Swamp Rabbits their only lead of the game at 2-1 (Kyle Haskins and Stepan Timofeyev assisted). The Icemen went back to special teams to square the game up, starting their run in the latter half of the period. Olivier Nadeau tied the game with 7:28 left in the period, deflecting a Noah Laaouan blue line shot over Charleson’s shoulder from the front of the net (Laaouan and Chris Grando assisted). Liam Coughlin broke the deadlock with Jacksonville’s second lead under three minutes later with 4:36 left in the period, coming off the bench to join a rush with Nadeau. Nadeau hit him cross ice with a pass and Coughlin faked out Charleson, pushing the Icemen ahead 3-2 (Nadeau and Justen Close assisted). David Koch ended the run with 2:42 left in the period when he deflected Ivan Chukarov’s pass from the high slot past Charleson to expand the lead to 4-2 (Chukarov and Brown assisted). 

John Parker-Jones gave the Swamp Rabbits life at the start of the third period, bringing the game within one with plenty of time to find an equalizer. His ninth of the year came 73 seconds into the third when he navigated traffic and zipped a bullet past a screened Close, cutting the deficit to 4-3 (Stuart Rolofs and Stepan Timofeyev assisted). The Swamp Rabbits got a double-minor power play within the final four minutes of regulation, but couldn’t find the tying strike, falling 4-3.

Pierce Charleson stopped 28 of 32 shots in the defeat (1-3-1-0).

The Swamp Rabbits continue their four-game in five-night stretch on Friday, April 4^th, with a rematch and final showdown against the Icemen on the road. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST 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.