(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – Cam Hausinger and Ryan O’Hara each netted a goal and two assists in trying to mount a comeback for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, but the South Carolina Stingrays, powered by three goals in the first five minutes of the third and three assists from Simon Pinard, claimed a 5-3 win on New Year’s Eve.

With both teams coming off of 10 days off, tensions were high in the opening moments, with Cam Hausinger and Josh Wilkins fighting 76 seconds into the game. Both teams left the first frame scoreless as Garin Bjorklund stopped 12 Swamp Rabbits shots and Pierce Charleson turning away eight Stingrays chances.

Eventually, South Carolina broke the deadlock in a back-and-forth middle period. Kaden Bohlsen started the scoring entries at 5:28 of the second period, skating past his defender on a break and finishing with a tuck past Charleson’s leg to give the Stingrays a 1-0 lead (Ludwig Persson assisted). Ryan O’Reilly countered moments later with 8:41 left in the second, finishing a Cam Hausinger pass from behind the net in the slot, resulting in a forecheck started by Ryan O’Hara to tie the game at 1-1. Following a successful Stingrays penalty kill, Nolan Krenzen came out of the box as a trailer and, from the high slot, rifled a wrister past Charleson to put the Stingrays back in the lead at 2-1 with 2:03 left in the frame (Simon Pinard assisted). 

The Stingrays started the third period with three goals in a span of 3:52, with Kyler Kupka on a cross-ice one-timer from the right (0:57), Dean Loukus breaking in with a five-hole tuck (3:01), and Ludwig Persson with a backdoor tap-in from Simon Pinard (4:49), immediately inflating their lead to 5-1. Charleson was substituted in net for Carter McPhail, who made his ECHL debut in relief. Immediately after the change, Cam Hausinger got the Swamp Rabbits back on the board with a net-front deflection of a Ryan O’Hara pass, cutting the deficit to 5-2 at 5:43, securing a “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” in the process (O’Hara and Jacob Modry assisted). Towards the end of the game, Ryan O’Hara switched his name from the assist column to the goal column, potting a behind-the-back pass from Hausinger from behind the net, bringing the Swamp Rabbits within two at 5-3 with 2:21 left (Hausinger and Patrick Polino assisted). The Swamp Rabbits couldn’t find two more in the final two minutes, and fell 5-3.

Pierce Charleson, starting for a fourth straight game and his fifth in the last six, stopped 18 of 23 shots in 44:49 of his start (4-4-2-0). Carter McPhail made his ECHL debut and stopped all three shots he saw in 14:11 of relief.

The Swamp Rabbits kick off 2026 with “Monster Jam Night”, presented by Fluor, on Friday, January 2^nd. Puck drop against the Atlanta Gladiators is slated for 7:05 p.m. EST.

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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.