GREENVILLE, SC – Another solid performance in goal for Evan Fitzpatrick, paired with two goals off the stick of Nikita Pavlychev, helped to lift the Greenville Swamp Rabbits over the Norfolk Admirals, 4-2 on Wednesday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
The Swamp Rabbits found themselves with an early power-play opportunity as Sam Thibault headed to the box at the 1:13 mark of the first period. Just seven seconds later, Alec Rauhauser scored a power-play goal to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead 1:20 into the first. The first period scoring would not stop there, as Pavlychev buried his 12th of the season from the faceoff dot at the 15:29 mark, creating the 2-0 lead which the Swamp Rabbits carried into the second period.
The Swamp Rabbits lead was cut in half during the second period thanks to a goal off the stick of Christian Hausinger at the 11:39 mark. Despite ample scoring chances for both teams, the goaltenders did their jobs, stopping a combined 16 of 17 shots in the period.
Pavlychev added his second goal of the game 3:39 into the third period, which would eventually become the game-winner. Norfolk showed signs of life, as Noah Corson scored a power-play goal at 14:59. The Admirals efforts fell short, as Ben Freeman broke free from the defense to score an empty net goal with just seven seconds left in the game to secure the 4-2 Swamp Rabbits victory.
With the win, the Swamp Rabbits improved to 21-23-4-3 while the Admirals fell to 18-30-2-3. The Swamp Rabbits travel to North Charleston to take on the South Carolina Stingrays on Friday night before heading to Jacksonville to finish the weekend against the Icemen.
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