A big Opening Night win, success in the first road test, and a look ahead to the first "three-in-three".

Here's a look back at Opening Weekend with today's "Rabbits Recap"!

RECORD: 2gp, 1-0-1-0, 3pts (3rd South Division)
CURRENT FORM: 1-0-1-0 last 2 games (2-game point streak entering week)

LAST WEEK: 2gp, 1-0-1-0

REGULAR SEASON GAME 1 (Friday, October 16th vs Atlanta)
OPENING NIGHT, presented by Bon Secours St. Francis Health System

Greenville Swamp Rabbits 5, Atlanta Gladiators 1

ATL: McNamee-PPG

GVL: Gorman-1st Pro G, Ast; Shea-GWG, Ast; Schandor-2ast

GAME RECAP

REGULAR SEASON GAME 2 (Saturday, October 17th @ South Carolina)

South Carolina Stingrays 4, Greenville Swamp Rabbits 3 (F/OT)

SC: Kopff-GWG in OT, Ast; Dostie-2g; Gaffney/Biakabutuka-2ast Each

GVL: Shea-GTG w/4:00 Left, Ast; Gorman-G, Ast (B2B Multi-Pt Games)

GAME RECAP

UPCOMING GAMES

• Friday, October 23rd vs Jacksonville Icemen - 7:05pm
  • OKTOBERFEST, presented by Arthrex
• Saturday, October 24th @ Greensboro Gargoyles - 7:00pm
• Sunday, October 25th @ Greensboro Gargoyles - 3:00pm

SWAMP RABBITS LEADERS

NOTES AND NUMBERS

STORMIN GORMAN: Swamp Rabbits rookie BRENDAN GORMAN has enjoyed the early stages of his first full professional season, putting his fingerprint on both games played over Opening Weekend. The AHL contracted first-year pro has back-to-back multi-point games, identical 1g-1ast performances to start the season and pace all Swamp Rabbits skaters entering the first "three-in-three" of the year. On Opening Night, presented by Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, Gorman became the first Swamp Rabbit to start an entire season's scoring ledger with his first professional goal and first multi-point game since Stuart Rolofs in his pro debut on October 18, 2024, part of a 1g-2ast performance in a 5-4 overtime defeat against Orlando.

POINT OF CONTENTION: The Swamp Rabbits exit the first two games of the season claiming three of a possible four points up for grabs, blasting Atlanta 5-1 on Friday and gutting out a point in an OT loss to South Carolina on Saturday. It's the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Swamp Rabbits have batted .750 in points percentage to start a campaign.

THE MAKINGS OF A JUGGERNAUT: Coach Costello doesn't want to crown his team yet, but they certainly earned a gold star on Opening Weekend in the category of offense. The Swamp Rabbits have a goal in all six periods of regulation to start the season amassing eight goals in that span. It's just the second time in the Spire Hockey era of the Swamp Rabbits that the team started off that red-hot in the goal column, with the previous instance coming in the opening stages of the 2024-25 campaign when the Swamp Rabbits tucked seven goals in a 5-4 OTL to Orlando and a 3-2 win vs South Carolina. 

THEY SAID IT

"It was a pretty complete effort. We made a lot of solid plays, offensively and defensively...it was really nice as a coach to just roll four lines the entire game. If I'm being honest, that means we trust every line against their top players. 

Speaking on the whole group, we scored five goals and didn't have to cheat one time to do it. We played the right way: hard defensively and then counter with speed and skill. If we can find a way to stick to that princple consistently, everyone will find a way to be a factor all season long, no matter the situation or the opponent."

-Head Coach/GM Chad Costello on his team's Opening Night win and the scoring depth of the team

"Everything just slowed down for us. We were able to read off eachother, make some nice touches, some good plays. Everything just went really well for us as a line.

It all started with [Neil Shea] making a great forecheck. He passed it up to [Hudson Schandor]. Poised, slow-mo, he passed it across and I was able to bury it."

-#15 Brendan Gorman regarding his line's instant chemistry (2g, including the GWG, and 4ast on Opening Night), as well as his first professional goal to start the game. 

"In the final two periods, I thought we were the better team. We looked a little quicker, faster, harder on pucks, and more confident. If you're going to beat [South Carolina], it's going to be a back wall game. We learned that in the first. We tried to make some plays on the blue line and it didn't work for us. Now we learned we can be willing to dump the puck in and go get it and create offense that way.

Overall, I really like our team. It's going to be really fun to work with this group this season."

-Coach Costello on his team's compete in the Saturday OT loss at South Carolina and looking ahead