(DULUTH, Ga.) – Parker Berge’s hand stayed hot with a three-assist night, including a dish to Keaton Mastrodonato for the game-winner with 4:22 left in the game, and coupled with Isaiah Saville’s 28 saves powered the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to a 3-2 win on Friday night in Gas South Arena. The Swamp Rabbits second straight win cuts the deficit to the fourth playoff spot to six points with eight games remaining.

Both teams skated to scoreless hockey for 33:10 of regulation before the Swamp Rabbits started a scoring exchange of three goals in 2:39. Tim Rego opened the entries with 6:50 left in the second, capping off a relentless o-zone shift from the slot with a backhand finish past Gladiators goalie Ethan Haider, giving the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead (Patrick Polino and Parker Berge assisted). However, the lead was short lived: 85 seconds later, Adam Eisele picked up a turnover, sashayed by his defender, and zipped a wrist shot past the glove of Swamp Rabbits net-minder Isaiah Saville, squaring the game at 1-1 with 5:25 to go in the second. Atlanta’s offense didn’t stop, with Alex Young sniping on the power play 74 seconds later from the high slot to give the Gladiators what ended up being their only lead with 4:11 to go in the second (Chad Nychuk and Jack O’Brien assisted). 

The Swamp Rabbits entered the game 1-23-4-0 when trailing after 40 minutes, and rode a spark from Ryan O’Reilly to an eventual win. With 4:19 gone by in the third, Ryan O’Reilly powered to the Gladiators net and managed to slip the puck by Haider in his crease, squaring the game at 2-2 (Parker Berge had the lone assist). Berge, working on a two-assist game to this point, found a third on the game-winner in the final five minutes. With 4:22 left in the game, Neil Shea found Berge on the blue line, who slung the puck left side to Keaton Mastrodonato. Mastrodonato didn’t hesitate and uncorked a one-timer by Haider to give the Swamp Rabbits their second lead of the game at 3-2. Haider was pulled from his net late for an extra attacker and between Atlanta’s Alex Young clanking the cross bar and Saville making a save with 12.9 seconds left, the Swamp Rabbits hung on for a 3-2 victory.

Isaiah Saville, starting back-to-back games, turned aside 28 of 30 shots in the win (10-12-2-1).

The Swamp Rabbits conclude a three-game-three-day-three-city stretch to conclude five-games-in-seven-days tomorrow night against their in-state rivals, the South Carolina Stingrays. Puck drop at North Charleston Coliseum is slated for 6:05 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.