The Greenville Swamp Rabbits denied a third-period rally by the Icemen and held on to win, 3-2, on Friday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Jacksonville's three-game win streak ends as they fail to make up ground on Atlanta in the standings.
In the first period, Jacksonville dominated play with a 14-5 shots-on-goal advantage over Greenville. At one point, it appeared the Icemen had grabbed the lead, but the goal was waived off due to goaltender interference. Despite going up against one of the better teams in the ECHL on the power play, Jacksonville killed off the lone Greenville man advantage to keep the game scoreless after 20 minutes.
Spencer Dorowicz was quick to make a great first impression in his debut professional game. At 3:28 in the second, Matt Johnson found the rookie all alone at the Icemen blue line. Dorowicz skated in and beat Austin Lotz glove side to give Greenville the first lead of the game. After the goal, both defenses would step up and the score would hold steady when the buzzer sounded to conclude the second period.
A third-period comeback would become even more difficult for Jacksonville as Evan Jasper struck just 20 seconds into the third, extending Greenville's lead to 2-0. However, the Icemen would still make an attempt as Tanner Eberle found Matt Ustaski for the one-timer on the penalty kill to bring Jacksonville within a goal. At 13:12 of the third, Johno May got the puck past Lotz to give Greenville its second two-goal lead of the game. The Icemen would scratch and claw in the final seconds, but Justin Woods' buzzer-beating goal was not enough to overcome Greenville.
The Icemen take on the Swamp Rabbits for the final time in the 2017-18 season, presented by Community First Credit Union, tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. On March 30, the Icemen return home to take on the South Carolina Stingrays at 7:30 p.m. Click here to get your tickets!
Adirondack Thunder
Allen Americans
Atlanta Gladiators
Bloomington Bison
Cincinnati Cyclones
Florida Everblades
Fort Wayne Komets
Greensboro Gargoyles
Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Idaho Steelheads
Indy Fuel
Iowa Heartlanders
Jacksonville Icemen
Kalamazoo Wings
Kansas City Mavericks
Maine Mariners
Norfolk Admirals
Orlando Solar Bears
Rapid City Rush
Reading Royals
Savannah Ghost Pirates
South Carolina Stingrays
Tahoe Knight Monsters
Toledo Walleye
Trois-Rivières Lions
Tulsa Oilers
Utah Grizzlies
Wheeling Nailers
Wichita Thunder
Worcester Railers