GREENVILLE, SC –Nikita Pavlychev’s late tying goal gave way for Alex Ierullo’s overtime winner as the Greenville Swamp Rabbits came from behind to defeat the Florida Everblades 3-2 on Saturday Night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
The defending Kelly Cup Champion Everblades and the Swamp Rabbits opened the game with a back-and-forth battle that saw the two teams take a scoreless contest into the first intermission.
After the first, Florida’s Kody McDonald was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct for head-butting, leading to a 5:00 Greenville power-play to start the second period. Just 49 second into the power-play, Brett Kemp gave the Swamp Rabbits the lead with his third goal of the season. After the man-advantage expired, Florida tied the game after Dominic Franco slid home a misplayed puck into the Greenville net.
In the third, the two teams appeared deadlocked until, the Swamp Rabbits took a late penalty that led to Florida taking a 2-1 lead from a Joe Pendenza power-play goal with just 1:45 left in regulation. The Swamp Rabbits, still shorthanded, pulled their goaltender, David Hrenak, for a five-on-five situation in the offensive zone with time ticking away. With just 23 seconds left in the game Alex Ierullo slid the puck to Nikita Pavlychev, who scored a shorthanded, empty-net goal to tie the game and send the two team into overtime.
In the extra frame, Kemp carried the puck down the right wing and skipped a pass to Ierullo, who tipped Greenville’s game-winning goal into the net at the at the 1:28 mark, securing the team’s fourth win and two points in the standings.
With the win, the Swamp Rabbits improve to 4-3-2-0 while the Everblades fall to 5-3-0-0.
The Swamp Rabbits remain at home on Sunday for a rematch with the Everblades at 3:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at SwampRabbits.com or at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena Box Office.
With Greenville Swamp Rabbits release
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