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Cyclones score game-winning goal late in the third BY: Jordan Kuhn, Greenville Swamp Rabbits BOXSCORE CINCINNATI, Ohio — Down 2-1 heading into the third period, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits pulled into a tie early in the period. However, Mason Mitchell scored with nine minutes remaining in the third period, and the Cincinnati Cyclones held on to the newfound advantage to top the Rabbits 3-2 at the Heritage Bank Arena on New Year's Eve. Mitchell split the defense on a feed from Pascal Aquin and slipped a backhander through the pads of Ryan Bednard to give the Cyclones their second lead of the game. The Swamp Rabbits had a 6-on-4 opportunity for the final 1:16 of the game due to an interference major penalty on Justin Vaive, due to a heavy hit on Adam Larkin. With Bednard at the bench for the extra attacker, Greenville could not muster a grade-A scoring opportunity, and the game came to a close. Mason Baptista got the scoring started for the Swamp Rabbits at the 9:26 mark of the first period. The power play struck as Larkin blasted a puck from the left point on a feed from Adam Rockwood with Cincinnati goaltender Michael Houser out of position, and Baptista got the tip on the puck in front of the net to open the scoring for his fourth goal of the season. Cincinnati besieged the Swamp Rabbits in the second period by outshooting them 18-6, and outscoring them 2-0. Frank Hora notched the tying goal at 6:51, as a shot from the point ramped off of a Swamp Rabbits stick. Ben Johnson gave the Cyclones the lead on a centering feed from Jesse Schultz. Larkin tied the game at four-on-four. Earlier in the weekend, the second-year pro accomplished the same feat. A shot by Baptista bounced around in front, and Larkin stashed in the rebound past Houser to tie the game. Brett Beauvais picked up the secondary apple. The Greenville Swamp Rabbits return home to face off against the Norfolk Admirals on Thursday, January 2 for Thirsty Thursday. Tickets are available at SwampRabbits.com. Get Social: Follow the Swamp Rabbits and get behind-the-scenes coverage like never before on the team’s official Facebook and Twitter pages! Contact a Swamp Rabbits Account Executive at 864.674.PUCK (7825) for information on 2019–20 ticket plans, special group rates and hospitality opportunities and secure your seats today! Get the latest Swamp Rabbits gear by visiting the “Hop Shop” online at Shop.SwampRabbits.com to browse the full collection of fan wear and novelties! Read the full article

Pecararo, Perkovich and Pelech combine for six points BY: Jordan Kuhn, Greenville Swamp Rabbits BOXSCORE GREENVILLE, S.C. — A line of Liam Pecararo, Michael Pelech and Nathan Perkovich led the way for the Swamp Rabbits on Saturday night. Pecararo posted two goals and an assist, Pelech picked up a goal and a helper, and Perkovich a goal in the 4-2 win over the Norfolk Admirals. Pecararo's pair of goals in the third period stoked the win for the Swamp Rabbits. His first, at 10:23, came off of a feed from Pelech. While Norfolk responded with a tally from Austin McEneny, the Massachusetts native's magnum opus was his finest. Mason Baptista picked off a Norfolk clearing attempt and found Pecararo streaking down the right wing. He twirled a backhander that caught the top corner past a challenging Roman Durny to give the Swamp Rabbits a 4-2 advantage. It was Greenville that had to battle back from allowing the first goal in the game. Just 4:42 into the action, a broken play ended up in the back of the goal. Alex Rodriguez followed up a shot block with a rip from the left circle to open the scoring. It was the second consecutive game that Rodriguez scored in Greenville to open the game. The Swamp Rabbits struck twice in the second period to turn the game around and take a lead they wouldn't give up. At 4-on-4 to begin the second period, the Swamp Rabbits took advantage of blown coverage in the Norfolk zone. Newcomer Mathieu Foget found Adam Larkin racing to the net from his point position and dangled around Durny to tie the game. The Triple-P line struck again as Pecararo sent Pelech and Perkovich on a two-on-none break, and Pelech found Perkovich to give the 'Bits the lead. Jeremy Helvig, after a shaky start in Florida, came into the game strong. He made 36 saves in the win, and held the Norfolk power play off the board in two opportunities against. The Swamp Rabbits climbed back into a tie for third place in the South Division with the Orlando Solar Bears as a result of the win, and their loss at the hands of the South Carolina Stingrays. The three-in-three concludes with a journey to Atlanta to take on the rival Gladiators at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday. Catch the action on the Swamp Rabbits Broadcast Network, or on ECHL.TV. Get Social: Follow the Swamp Rabbits and get behind-the-scenes coverage like never before on the team’s official Facebook and Twitter pages! Contact a Swamp Rabbits Account Executive at 864.674.PUCK (7825) for information on 2019–20 ticket plans, special group rates and hospitality opportunities and secure your seats today! Get the latest Swamp Rabbits gear by visiting the “Hop Shop” online at Shop.SwampRabbits.com to browse the full collection of fan wear and novelties! Read the full article

Pecararo, Perkovich and Pelech combine for six points BY: Jordan Kuhn, Greenville Swamp Rabbits BOXSCORE GREENVILLE, S.C. — A line of Liam Pecararo, Michael Pelech and Nathan Perkovich led the way for the Swamp Rabbits on Saturday night. Pecararo posted two goals and an assist, Pelech picked up a goal and a helper, and Perkovich a goal in the 4-2 win over the Norfolk Admirals. Pecararo's pair of goals in the third period stoked the win for the Swamp Rabbits. His first, at 10:23, came off of a feed from Pelech. While Norfolk responded with a tally from Austin McEneny, the Massachusetts native's magnum opus was his finest. Mason Baptista picked off a Norfolk clearing attempt and found Pecararo streaking down the right wing. He twirled a backhander that caught the top corner past a challenging Roman Durny to give the Swamp Rabbits a 4-2 advantage. It was Greenville that had to battle back from allowing the first goal in the game. Just 4:42 into the action, a broken play ended up in the back of the goal. Alex Rodriguez followed up a shot block with a rip from the left circle to open the scoring. It was the second consecutive game that Rodriguez scored in Greenville to open the game. The Swamp Rabbits struck twice in the second period to turn the game around and take a lead they wouldn't give up. At 4-on-4 to begin the second period, the Swamp Rabbits took advantage of blown coverage in the Norfolk zone. Newcomer Mathieu Foget found Adam Larkin racing to the net from his point position and dangled around Durny to tie the game. The Triple-P line struck again as Pecararo sent Pelech and Perkovich on a two-on-none break, and Pelech found Perkovich to give the 'Bits the lead. Jeremy Helvig, after a shaky start in Florida, came into the game strong. He made 36 saves in the win, and held the Norfolk power play off the board in two opportunities against. The Swamp Rabbits climbed back into a tie for third place in the South Division with the Orlando Solar Bears as a result of the win, and their loss at the hands of the South Carolina Stingrays. The three-in-three concludes with a journey to Atlanta to take on the rival Gladiators at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday. Catch the action on the Swamp Rabbits Broadcast Network, or on ECHL.TV. Get Social: Follow the Swamp Rabbits and get behind-the-scenes coverage like never before on the team’s official Facebook and Twitter pages! Contact a Swamp Rabbits Account Executive at 864.674.PUCK (7825) for information on 2019–20 ticket plans, special group rates and hospitality opportunities and secure your seats today! Get the latest Swamp Rabbits gear by visiting the “Hop Shop” online at Shop.SwampRabbits.com to browse the full collection of fan wear and novelties! Read the full article

Greenville hosts Norfolk after holiday break BY: Jordan Kuhn, Greenville Swamp Rabbits Greenville, SC - The past weekend marked a two-game set against the second-best team in the South Division, the Florida Everblades. Looking to close the gap, even while shorthanded at the forward position, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits entered Hertz Arena in search of rare success against the 'Blades. Florida swept the 10-game season series, and has dominated the season series for years. The Swamp Rabbits ceded the first goal just nine seconds in, and trailed after the first period, but utilized a second-period rally to take a lead they would not cede. Down 2-1, Greenville struck twice in short order. Matt Marcinew and Nathan Perkovich scored goals in a 1:20 span to take the 3-2 lead heading into the third period, where the team has not lost when leading. Michael Pelech added much-needed insurance to combat a power play goal from Brandon Fortunato late in the game. It was ultimately Adam Larkin's empty-net goal and 32 saves from Ryan Bednard that saved the day in the win. Florida scored in the opening minute, twice in the opening minute and 16 seconds, and four times overall in the opening period to set the tone on Saturday. The 'Blades posted 16 shots in the first period, and blitzed the Greenville defense looking to get the split. Adam Rockwood delved into the lead in a bounce-back second period, a goal that snapped a 22-game goal drought, to get the Swamp Rabbits on the board. A controversial call prevented Greenville from cutting the lead in half on a shot by Dylan MacPherson that was called back on goaltender interference. Justin Auger and Perkovich traded strikes in the third period, and the Everblades held onto the lead and Greenville split the weekend set, heading into the holiday break. 12/20 at Florida Everblades - W 5-3 12/21 at Florida Everblades - L 5-2 UPCOMING GAMES Greenville Swamp Rabbits vs Norfolk Admirals UGLY SWEATER NIGHT Friday, December 27 - 7:05 p.m. Tickets — Listen — Watch Greenville Swamp Rabbits vs Norfolk Admirals STAR WARS NIGHT Saturday, December 28 - 6:05 p.m. Tickets — Listen — Watch Greenville Swamp Rabbits at Atlanta Gladiators Sunday, December 29 - 2:05 p.m. Listen — Watch PLAYER OF THE WEEK Nathan Perkovich - 2 GP | 2 G - 2 A - 4 P The former Florida Everblades forward did a number on his last club, with a three-point effort on Friday night, and added a goal on Saturday night, to lead all Swamp Rabbits scorers over the weekend. Perkovich has been sneaky good for the team, with the second-most points on the team (21), and the most assists (15). RABBIT TAILS Liam Pecararo's breakout season rolls on. He ranks tied for seventh in league scoring, third in league goal scoring, second in rookie scoring, and tops in rookie goal scoring. Friday's empty net goal counted as a shorthanded goal, so the Swamp Rabbits are now tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals (7). In the third period, the Swamp Rabbits have a +6 goal differential. Two players ended goal droughts—Patrick Bajkov ended a ten-game drought, and Adam Rockwood ended a 22-game drought. SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS South Carolina Stingrays (21-2-3) - 45 pts Florida Everblades (17-8-4) - 38 pts Greenville Swamp Rabbits (14-14-1) - 29 pts Orlando Solar Bears (12-12-5) - 29 pts Atlanta Gladiators (11-15-0) - 22 pts Jacksonville Icemen (9-13-4) - 22 pts Norfolk Admirals (9-18-3) - 21 pts *standings as of 10:00 a.m. on December 23, 2019 Read the full article

Greenville hosts Norfolk after holiday break BY: Jordan Kuhn, Greenville Swamp Rabbits Greenville, SC - The past weekend marked a two-game set against the second-best team in the South Division, the Florida Everblades. Looking to close the gap, even while shorthanded at the forward position, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits entered Hertz Arena in search of rare success against the 'Blades. Florida swept the 10-game season series, and has dominated the season series for years. The Swamp Rabbits ceded the first goal just nine seconds in, and trailed after the first period, but utilized a second-period rally to take a lead they would not cede. Down 2-1, Greenville struck twice in short order. Matt Marcinew and Nathan Perkovich scored goals in a 1:20 span to take the 3-2 lead heading into the third period, where the team has not lost when leading. Michael Pelech added much-needed insurance to combat a power play goal from Brandon Fortunato late in the game. It was ultimately Adam Larkin's empty-net goal and 32 saves from Ryan Bednard that saved the day in the win. Florida scored in the opening minute, twice in the opening minute and 16 seconds, and four times overall in the opening period to set the tone on Saturday. The 'Blades posted 16 shots in the first period, and blitzed the Greenville defense looking to get the split. Adam Rockwood delved into the lead in a bounce-back second period, a goal that snapped a 22-game goal drought, to get the Swamp Rabbits on the board. A controversial call prevented Greenville from cutting the lead in half on a shot by Dylan MacPherson that was called back on goaltender interference. Justin Auger and Perkovich traded strikes in the third period, and the Everblades held onto the lead and Greenville split the weekend set, heading into the holiday break. 12/20 at Florida Everblades - W 5-3 12/21 at Florida Everblades - L 5-2 UPCOMING GAMES Greenville Swamp Rabbits vs Norfolk Admirals UGLY SWEATER NIGHT Friday, December 27 - 7:05 p.m. Tickets — Listen — Watch Greenville Swamp Rabbits vs Norfolk Admirals STAR WARS NIGHT Saturday, December 28 - 6:05 p.m. Tickets — Listen — Watch Greenville Swamp Rabbits at Atlanta Gladiators Sunday, December 29 - 2:05 p.m. Listen — Watch PLAYER OF THE WEEK Nathan Perkovich - 2 GP | 2 G - 2 A - 4 P The former Florida Everblades forward did a number on his last club, with a three-point effort on Friday night, and added a goal on Saturday night, to lead all Swamp Rabbits scorers over the weekend. Perkovich has been sneaky good for the team, with the second-most points on the team (21), and the most assists (15). RABBIT TAILS Liam Pecararo's breakout season rolls on. He ranks tied for seventh in league scoring, third in league goal scoring, second in rookie scoring, and tops in rookie goal scoring. Friday's empty net goal counted as a shorthanded goal, so the Swamp Rabbits are now tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals (7). In the third period, the Swamp Rabbits have a +6 goal differential. Two players ended goal droughts—Patrick Bajkov ended a ten-game drought, and Adam Rockwood ended a 22-game drought. SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS South Carolina Stingrays (21-2-3) - 45 pts Florida Everblades (17-8-4) - 38 pts Greenville Swamp Rabbits (14-14-1) - 29 pts Orlando Solar Bears (12-12-5) - 29 pts Atlanta Gladiators (11-15-0) - 22 pts Jacksonville Icemen (9-13-4) - 22 pts Norfolk Admirals (9-18-3) - 21 pts *standings as of 10:00 a.m. on December 23, 2019 Read the full article

Perkovich, Bajkov tally in return to Estero BY: Jordan Kuhn, Greenville Swamp Rabbits BOXSCORE ESTERO, Fla. — Former Florida Everblades forwards Nathan Perkovich and Patrick Bajkov led the way against their former club as the Greenville Swamp Rabbits gutted out a 5-3 win at Hertz Arena on Friday night. It was the Swamp Rabbits' first win over Florida since February 2, 2018. While the Swamp Rabbits conceded the opening goal just nine seconds in on a fluky bounce, they rebounded in the second period, which was arguably their best period of hockey this season. Down 2-1, the Swamp Rabbits fired 13 shots on net, and struck for two late goals. Matt Marcinew finished off a rush chance created by Perkovich by stashing in a rebound opportunity, and two minutes later, Perkovich converted on a centering feed from Mason Baptista to go from behind to in front in a hot second. Florida found a way to make it interesting late by drawing three Greenville penalties in the final ten minutes. Brandon Fortunato unleashed a slap shot from the point, which revitalized an abysmal Everblades power play to cut Greenville's lead to 4-3. Adam Larkin, however, put the finishing touches on the game, down 6-on-4. Perkovich cut off a pass into the slot, dropped the puck off to Larkin, who had no fear of icing the puck while shorthanded, and hit the net dead center to put the game away. The lead would not have been possible without the contribution of Greenville's power play in the third period. Penalties by John McCarron and Michael Neville put them up 5-on-3, and Liam Pecararo set up Michael Pelech for his sixth goal of the season to add insurance. Bajkov's tally in the first period responded to Hugo Roy's opening goal, and it snapped a ten-game goal drought. Florida held the lead after one period of play, and it was the last time they held the lead. Ryan Bednard won back-to-back starts with 32 saves on the night. His continual frustration of the 'Blades' top scorers was key in the win. The Greenville Swamp Rabbits look to sweep the Florida Everblades on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Catch all of the action on the Swamp Rabbits Broadcast Network and ECHL.TV. Get Social: Follow the Swamp Rabbits and get behind-the-scenes coverage like never before on the team’s official Facebook and Twitter pages! Contact a Swamp Rabbits Account Executive at 864.674.PUCK (7825) for information on 2019–20 ticket plans, special group rates and hospitality opportunities and secure your seats today! Get the latest Swamp Rabbits gear by visiting the “Hop Shop” online at Shop.SwampRabbits.com to browse the full collection of fan wear and novelties! Read the full article

Perkovich, Bajkov tally in return to Estero BY: Jordan Kuhn, Greenville Swamp Rabbits BOXSCORE ESTERO, Fla. — Former Florida Everblades forwards Nathan Perkovich and Patrick Bajkov led the way against their former club as the Greenville Swamp Rabbits gutted out a 5-3 win at Hertz Arena on Friday night. It was the Swamp Rabbits' first win over Florida since February 2, 2018. While the Swamp Rabbits conceded the opening goal just nine seconds in on a fluky bounce, they rebounded in the second period, which was arguably their best period of hockey this season. Down 2-1, the Swamp Rabbits fired 13 shots on net, and struck for two late goals. Matt Marcinew finished off a rush chance created by Perkovich by stashing in a rebound opportunity, and two minutes later, Perkovich converted on a centering feed from Mason Baptista to go from behind to in front in a hot second. Florida found a way to make it interesting late by drawing three Greenville penalties in the final ten minutes. Brandon Fortunato unleashed a slap shot from the point, which revitalized an abysmal Everblades power play to cut Greenville's lead to 4-3. Adam Larkin, however, put the finishing touches on the game, down 6-on-4. Perkovich cut off a pass into the slot, dropped the puck off to Larkin, who had no fear of icing the puck while shorthanded, and hit the net dead center to put the game away. The lead would not have been possible without the contribution of Greenville's power play in the third period. Penalties by John McCarron and Michael Neville put them up 5-on-3, and Liam Pecararo set up Michael Pelech for his sixth goal of the season to add insurance. Bajkov's tally in the first period responded to Hugo Roy's opening goal, and it snapped a ten-game goal drought. Florida held the lead after one period of play, and it was the last time they held the lead. Ryan Bednard won back-to-back starts with 32 saves on the night. His continual frustration of the 'Blades' top scorers was key in the win. The Greenville Swamp Rabbits look to sweep the Florida Everblades on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Catch all of the action on the Swamp Rabbits Broadcast Network and ECHL.TV. Get Social: Follow the Swamp Rabbits and get behind-the-scenes coverage like never before on the team’s official Facebook and Twitter pages! Contact a Swamp Rabbits Account Executive at 864.674.PUCK (7825) for information on 2019–20 ticket plans, special group rates and hospitality opportunities and secure your seats today! Get the latest Swamp Rabbits gear by visiting the “Hop Shop” online at Shop.SwampRabbits.com to browse the full collection of fan wear and novelties! Read the full article

Greenville holds the third spot in South Division post-Thanksgiving BY: Jordan Kuhn, Greenville Swamp Rabbits Greenville, SC - This week, the Swamp Rabbits had two games that sandwiched Thanksgiving. The road swing began in Jacksonville, where the Icemen were looking to avenge a 2-1 loss just a week ago, and it continued on Black Friday in Atlanta, where the Glads put a hurting on them last week. Jacksonville jumped out to a 2-0 lead on home ice on Thanksgiving Eve and stayed one step ahead of the Greenville comeback effort. Emerson Clark struck under five minutes into the action, and Brendan Warren doubled the lead towards the halfway point of regulation, even with a strong effort from Ryan Bednard in the Greenville goal. Swamp Rabbits captain Michael Pelech struck 32 seconds after Warren's goal and made history in the process. That goal was the 500th point of his ECHL career. He became the 29th player in league history to hit that milestone. Down 3-1 heading into the third, Greenville inched a step closer on a goal from Mason Baptista halfway through the third period, but Clark, the former Swamp Rabbit, put the game away with an empty-net goal. Friday saw a true battle for position in the South Division. The Swamp Rabbits' nearest neighbor in the standings was fourth-place Atlanta, and a win would give them some breathing room before their next matchup in two weeks. The first period went as planned—staked out to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Liam Pecararo and Matt Marcinew, and keeping Atlanta to just 13 shots. The rest of the game, however, did not go according to plan. Thankfully, Jeremy Helvig picked the best day to rebound from the worst start in his pro career in grand style. The Gladiators threw 30 shots towards the Greenville goal in the second period alone, and Helvig stopped 29 of them. Atlanta eventually tied the game at two early in the third period, and the Swamp Rabbits continued to hold on against the Gladiators' siege, but one mistake by the home club was all the opportunity Pecararo needed to put the game away. A stretch pass from Adam Larkin caught Pecararo in stride, and after an Atlanta defender lost an edge on his pivot, the shifty forward converted on the breakaway to give Greenville the game-winning goal with just under two minutes to play in regulation. 11/27 at Jacksonville Icemen - L 4-2 11/29 at Atlanta Gladiators - W 3-2 UPCOMING GAMES Greenville Swamp Rabbits at Norfolk Admirals Friday, December 6 - 7:30 p.m. Listen — Watch Greenville Swamp Rabbits at Norfolk Admirals Saturday, December 7 - 7:30 p.m. Listen — Watch PLAYER OF THE WEEK Jeremy Helvig - 1 GP | 1-0-0 | 2.00 GAA | .966 sv% Black Friday is usually known for savings. In that case, savings are exactly what happened on Black Friday of 2019 for Greenville's Jeremy Helvig. The goaltender set a new career-high in saves with 56 in an improbable 3-2 win over the Atlanta Gladiators. He stopped 29 of 30 in the second period alone. The win was the 30th of his ECHL career, giving him an incredible 30-10-4 career mark with four shutouts, a 2.43 GAA and a .919 save percentage. RABBIT TAILS The Swamp Rabbits continue to hold one of the best points percentages in the league when scoring first (.818). On the road, Greenville's power play is amongst the best (8th) at 19.5%. Among rookies, Liam Pecararo leads the league in scoring (21 points), goal-scoring (13 goals), and shorthanded goals (2). Goaltender Ryan Bednard has gotten the majority of the starts for Greenville this season and ranks fifth in the league in minutes played (784). He ranks fourth in wins (6). Greenville's top defensive point scorer, Adam Larkin, ranks tied for the 6th-most points among defensemen in the ECHL (12). SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS South Carolina Stingrays (14-2-0) - 28 pts Florida Everblades (12-6-2) - 26 pts Greenville Swamp Rabbits (11-9-1) - 23 pts Atlanta Gladiators (9-8-0) - 18 pts Jacksonville Icemen (6-9-3) - 15 pts Norfolk Admirals (6-14-3) - 15 pts Orlando Solar Bears (5-9-4) - 14 pts *standings as of 10:00 a.m. on December 2, 2019 Read the full article