GREENVILLE, SC – For much of Saturday night’s Game 3 of the ECHL’s Kelly Cup playoff Eastern conference final between South Carolina and Greenville, the host Swamp Rabbits looked like they had the right stuff to win and take a 2-1 series lead. More to the point, they gave every appearance that they wanted it more than the visiting Stingrays.
Then came the back half of the third period and what should have been a Greenville victory turned into a gut-wrenching loss and a do-or-die game on Monday on the road.
Trailing by two starting the third period, South Carolina scored three unanswered goals in the final 10:32 of regulation to earn a dramatic come-from-behind 3-2 win over Greenville to take that two games to one lead in the best-of-five series. Dan DeSalvo scored the game-winner with 19.4 seconds left before a possible overtime, setting the Stingrays up for a chance to punch a ticket to the league’s championship series on Monday at their home-away-from-home at the Carolina Ice Palace.
DeSalvo’s winner was the definition of greasy goal to be sure. Following a faceoff in the Greenville defensive zone after an icing call, the Stingrays worked the puck to Zach Malatesta at the point. Malatesta sent a shot at the net where it found DeSalvo in traffic. The puck kicked up, hit DeSalvo around the neck area and vaulted over Swamp Rabbits goalie Ryan Bednard, dropping into the net in the dying seconds.
With so much riding on the outcome of game three, the energy level from the teams in the first period was off the charts. From right after the opening faceoff, both sides were going up and down the ice with scoring chances galore – many of them coming on breakaways or odd-man rushes. The goalies, Hunter Shepard for South Carolina and Bednard for Greenville, were perfect in the initial twenty minutes as Shepard turned away 16 Swamp Rabbits chances while Bednard denied 10 Stingrays opportunities.
Greenville hit the scoreboard first at the 1:44 mark of the middle frame. South Carolina didn’t do itself any favors, failing to clear the puck from its defensive zone twice. Allowed to continue pressing the issue, Luke Martin put a shot into traffic at the Stingrays net. The puck hit the traffic and bounded to Liam Pecararo who shoveled a backhander past Shepard for his second postseason goal to make it 1-0 Greenville.
Just past the nine minute nark, the Swamp Rabbits extended their lead. Max Zimmer did the honors, potting his first of the playoffs at 9:09 with assists going to Greg Meireles and Matt Bradley. Greenville gained even more confidence by killing off a pair of South Carolina power plays between the midpoint of the period and the 14-minute mark to maintain its 2-0 lead heading into the second intermission.
The Swamp Rabbits started the third period on a carryover power play that was cut short by a penalty to Garrett Thompson. Then at the 7:47 mark, Greenville took another penalty, this one on defenseman Samuel Jardine. Toward the end of the man advantage, South Carolina started its comeback when Justin Florek redirected a shot by Max Novak past Bednard for his third playoff tally.
Florek’s score, which closed out a stretch of play which saw South Carolina outshoot Greenville 9-1, lit the fire under the visitors. Seven minutes after getting on the board, the Stingrays came up with the equalizer. Again it came off an original shot by Novak that was fended off, creating a rebound. Cole Ully was the first to get to the loose puck and backhanded it home for his fourth and a 2-2 game.
It came down to the final minute of regulation where Shepard (32 saves) turned away a chance by Shawn Cameron that sent his teammates heading the other way. Seconds later, the hockey gods smiled down on the Stingrays and DeSalvo for the eventual game-winning tally.
Despite pulling Bednard (31 saves) for the ensuing faceoff, the Swamp Rabbits could not set up for an attempt in the final seconds, allowing the Stingrays to celebrate before heading back south to their own beds sitting one win away from the franchise’s sixth trip to the finals since 1997.
Game time for Monday’s Game 4 is set for 7:05 p.m.
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