(BOISE, Idaho) – Patrick Polino scored a power play goal in his 300^th professional game to slash a second period deficit, but it wasn’t enough as the Idaho Steelheads got all their offense in the first period, beating the Greenville Swamp Rabbits 4-2 on Saturday night. The loss snaps the Swamp Rabbits point streak at six games, and gives them a 4-1-0-1 record in their six-game two-week road trip.

The Steelheads came out flying in the opening frame to carry a three-goal lead into the dressing room. Chris Dodero started off the entries at 6:06, slashing to the net and burying a corner pass in point blank range past Swamp Rabbits net-minder Mattias Sholl, putting Idaho up 1-0. Brendan Hoffman, the ECHL’s leading goal scorer, struck 3:25 later when he intercepted a rim in the Swamp Rabbits zone, walked into the slot, and rifled a shot past Sholl to quickly double the lead to 2-0 at 9:31. Moments later, the Swamp Rabbits got some momentum from Tim Lovell to cut the deficit. With 4:35 left in the first, Lovell navigated the neutral zone, skated coast to coast by all defenders, and flung a shot past Jake Barczewski in net to get the Swamp Rabbits on the board at 2-1 with his second goal of the week. The momentum was short-lived: 2:05 later with 2:30 to play, Hoffman slipped a second past Sholl, just barely getting enough of Chris Dodero’s pass to re-establish the two-goal lead at 3-1 for the Steelheads. Nick Canade, the Steelheads captain, hit pay dirt 41 seconds after that when he blasted a blue line shot through a sea of bodies that screened Sholl, vaulting the Steelheads to a 4-1 lead with 1:49 left.

Starting the second, Sholl was substituted in net with Pierce Charleson, and shortly after, the Swamp Rabbits got one back one a two-man advantage that carried over to the start of the second. Just 71 seconds into the second, Josh Atkinson rifled a blue line shot that hit the post and bounced off of Barczewski to the crease. Patrick Polino, in his 300^th professional game, pocketed the rebound to cut the deficit to 4-2 (Atkinson’s assist extended his streak to seven straight games with a helper). Both team’s couldn’t solve each other for the remaining 38:49 of regulation, resulting in a 4-2 Steelheads win, the first regulation loss suffered by the Swamp Rabbits since January 19^th.

Mattias Sholl suffered the loss, stopping one of five shots in 20 minutes (8-8-2-0). Pierce Charleson played the remaining 36:13 of the game and turned away all 13 shots he saw in relief. 

The Swamp Rabbits now return home for a four-game-in-five-day stretch, with three of the games coming on home ice. The stretch begins on Wednesday, February 11^th, against the Atlanta Gladiators, with puck drop slated for 7:05 p.m. EST at Bon Secours Wellness 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.